"Don't say anything if you have nothing nice to say." "Honesty is the best policy." The world is filled with seemingly contradicting platitudes similar to those. But then again the world is also filled with exceptions. One exception, at first glance, is the producer and DJ Warp9. He's had some of the best technical training in music from schools and icons in the industry yet produces some of the funkiest music ahead of its time and out of this planet. This is music that comes as a product of creative inspiration and years of professional learning and practicing that speaks directly to the soul. So suit up in your finest space tux and evening dress because Warp9 is about to take off into another world.
Born on Planet Funkatron in the Milky Way Galaxy, Warp9--real name Adam Schechter--grew up listening to Folk music, courtesy of his parents, but his dad had a passion for Reggae and played a lot of it in his formative years. His older sister would subconsciously get him into classic Pop music like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Wham!. His musical palette was already ripe for mixing. Funk entered his life through the well known jam band Phish, namely the Wolfman's Brother, Hoist, and Picture of Nectar albums. Musical training started early with piano at the age of seven with a switch to the guitar at 12. Whereas he took piano lessons for a few years, he stuck with the guitar for six.
19 would prove to be a pivotal year for him as it was the age he picked up DJing as well as production. At the time, House music and Drum n’ Bass held more sway in his life but he admits that it didn't scratch the itch he had for straight Funk since they only had an “element” of Funk. On the DJing side, he bought his first pair of Technics and practiced while building his record collection. He would spin House and Breaks at clubs and parties in the D.C. and Baltimore area for four to five years but he came to the realization that making his own music instead of playing other people's was far more enjoyable. Hence, the seed was planted to attend Berklee College of Music.
Before Berklee, he studied digital audio production at the Omega School for the Recording Arts in D.C. Then after he built up his chops on sound design and eventually teaching some students at Berklee in 2010, Schechter's best friend Jeff in Miami suggested that he head down to check out the scene. He obliged and applied like mad to various studios for an internship. Of the positive replies, South Beach Studios was at the top of his list. Learning under Tom Lord Algae, Schechter had the opportunity to work in the studio with artists like Pharrell Williams, Cee-Lo Green, Gloria Estefan, and Lights Over Paris. Aside from getting an inside look at the music industry, he picked up tips on songwriting and flow among other things:
"Talking to their [Pharrell & Cee-Lo] engineers afterwards taught me a great deal about the technical side of things. Seeing a commercial album being produced and mixed down taught me a great deal about how different people use the same tools in different ways. And I finally figured out the proper way to use multiband compression [laughs]."
With all of the formal training he's received, Schechter is fully aware of the "balancing act" he has to endure in order to create something that still naturally feels funky and comes out the way he intended. He reminds himself not to lose sight of the bigger picture. For example, he knows that compressing a snare for an hour in the early stages of a song can lead to an incomplete structure for a song. But when he stays on track, the outcome is something not of this world. You'll hear hints of G-Funk, Afrika Bambaataa, straight Funk, Zapp and Roger, Cameo, and some of the coolest Glitch Hop samples all combined into a neat package. He follows a mix of incorporating sounds from other producers he admires as well as designing his own kits. Besides other artists, he draws inspiration from,
"Science Fiction movies and thinking about space travel or dimensional travel [laughs]. I do think space and the idea of space travel is a great source of inspiration for mankind. The challenge of traveling to unseen and exotic corners of the galaxy while re-defining humanity’s role in a galactic context is a very exciting concept. It inspired some of my favorite Science Fiction novels."
If you catch Warp9 live, you're in for a special treat. It's not a traditional DJ set with turntables but instead live mixing with MIDI controllers and essentially a live electronic orchestra at his fingertips. He still uses his DJing skills to occasionally mix in a song or two from another artist but in his mind, his live sets are beyond what a DJ set contains: "I create a musical environment and atmosphere with all original music and play live instruments usually on top. That’s being a musician and a producer and a DJ all rolled into one." Something that has possibly helped him with staying focused on so many moving parts at his live sets is his strong spiritual practice. He started taking yoga classes at 18 and has since stayed in tune with his inner self. It's also contributed to his passion to teach others: "One of my yoga teachers and inspirations always says 'we teach to learn.' Teaching others and giving the gift of musical creation is a rewarding experience, but it also deepens your understanding as well."
With an already futuristic style of music, Warp9 almost begs the question of what Funk will actually sound like 10 years from now. He fittingly replied with a technical and clever answer:
"In a way, the Funk rhythm of dropping on the 1 is as old as music itself. What changes is the sounds we use, and the techniques employed. I would love to hear the sound of a dancing tentacled alien transported by a black hole to a funky asteroid belt."
We can't wait to hear you come up with that new track, Warp9.
Last Call
1. What is your favorite movie of all time?Tough question. The original Dune movie tied with the original Star Wars trilogy.
2. As a young DJ, who was the one DJ you looked up to?I was a big fan of House music, especially of the funky variety. DJs like Mark Farina with their Deep Disco House vibes will always be in fashion I think.
3. As a DJ, what's your biggest pet peeve?Not mixing in key, or paying little attention to musical keys always bothered me. I do my best to match harmonically the music.
4. What is your current set up at home?We have turntables set up here at my house, although most of my vinyl is away in storage. I use controllers with Ableton for performance, so that’s what I mostly use. I also like to have fun with Serato/Traktor at times just to get a fun and easy flow going.
5. What's your favorite record of all time?Tough one. Stevie Wonder-“Innervisions” or Earth, Wind & Fire-“All n All”.
Keep up with Warp9 on his Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, website, and Twitter.
Bryan Hahn is ready to apply to NASA to become an astronaut now after listening to some Warp9. He's on Twitter: @notupstate.