Welcome to Buzz, FAUSTOE! We're deeply impressed with the depth of your recent album, 7Dayz 7Wayz. What inspired the album's name to begin with? What's its significance?
I appreciate the feedback! "7Dayz 7Wayz" has always been a slogan I've used in my music over the years. Which then became the name of my clothing brand, representing the hustlers. 7Dayz in a week, 7Wayz to make a difference! That said, I had already envisioned the album being two sides, seven tracks on each. Connecting it back to the phrase's significance, it was only right to make it the official title for this album.
We admired your many homages to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in your new album, 7Dayz 7Wayz. What inspired you to draw so many parallels, and how has Pink Floyd influenced you as an artist?
Considering "The Dark Side of the Moon" is one of the greatest albums ever made to this day, I felt this album would go down as a classic in my catalog. The details and seamless flow of tracks I've curated together give you a cinematic feeling if played without skips or shuffling. I wanted to incorporate something similar yet from a completely different genre to show listeners something they can relate to from all ages & cultures. Pink Floyd's sound & different styles have always influenced me since before my teen years! The psychedelic aspect of it all and storytelling with just instruments has always been something that has hit home to me. It was easy to incorporate and pay homage correctly, mixing styles and "Easter eggs" all over this album!
We noticed you self-produced the interlude "Impatience" and the outro on "7Gramz." What was that experience like? Might you dabble in more self-produced works in the future?
These beats are the very first beats I have ever produced! I first purchased a MiDi controller at the beginning of the year and started dabbling with different sounds, just having fun with it at first. You can expect to hear more production done by me, A.K.A "Mr.MojoRisin."
Who produced the majority of your album, 7Dayz 7Wayz? Did you have different producers for the album's first and second half?
Yes, it was a mix of 6 different producers, not including myself. One who stood out the most was WRONA, who produced several tracks on both Side 1 & 2 from Poland! His style is like mine, where we can be versatile with different sounds and execute them properly. On Side 2, AWSMEJ also produced about three out of the seven, as well as local 818 producer A BAD MAN coming in hot with "Great Gig in the Valley" and the psychedelic outro concluding the album!
On a broader note, 7Dayz 7Wayz was a breath of fresh air. How do you maintain this authentic sound in an industry submersed in the mainstream?
Over the years, you see which music is timeless and what has an expiration date. What's made quick without effort or substance will only last for a while! It has always been natural for me to stick to the originality of my sound, being influenced by the greats who never sold out or switched up for the masses. I continue to see progression in my lane and those around me who dabble in the same field, so it's for sure I don't plan on selling out for nothing!