Poldoore: Good Vibes and Good Beats

For Poldoore, Belgium born beat-maker, it’s all about the good vibes. His atmospheric fusion of funk, soul, jazz, and hip-hop leaves us with nothing but a distinctive melodic presence; a presence infused with harmonic and halcyon sounds. Fresh out of the shadows of the deep dark Web, Poldoore is one of the few to rise into the spotlight with true musical credibility and creativity.

Proactive in all possible ways, Poldoore managed to build himself an online presence across social media platforms and was subsequently picked up and championed by Cold Busted. Recently back from his first European tour following the release of his first album – The Day Off – he’s already plunged himself knee-deep into the release of a new EP coming out soon on Cult Classic Records. Humble, honest, and insightful, with plenty of advice to share, Poldoore tells us what’s up.

Your love and appreciation for all types of musical genres truly comes out in your music. Who are your favourite artists and why?
I have indeed always enjoyed different styles of music and try to infuse all of these influences into my productions. It’s hard picking out favourite artists, but the first ones that come to mind right now are Emancipator, Tycho, Pretty Lights, the Pete Rock – CL Smooth combo, Curtis Mayfield and Thievery Corporation.

No doubt, this has driven you to produce eclectic tracks, sampling all sorts of artists from all sorts of musical backgrounds. How do you choose to sample one track over another?
At first I generally look for a cool hook that would form a good backbone for the song. This has to be a piece of music that’s very melodic and ready to chop up. After that it’s a matter of combining other subtle elements that add to this hook without dominating it or pushing it to the background too much. Looking for decent samples is often extremely time-consuming, but at the same time a lot of fun as I constantly discover new artists and music, and the stories behind them.

Social media has redefined the ways in which the music industry functions. What do you think has been the Internet’s biggest impact on music today?
Amen to that. Nowadays it’s so much easier to get your music out there compared to 10-15 years ago. Artists who already have a big following can simply put their music out and it will spread automatically thanks to Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud, YouTube and whatnot. Just look at Beyoncé’s stunt last year, when she released her album unannounced. It dropped as a bomb, became viral and sold significantly better compared to her previous one, without too much advertising.

There is so much talent out there and so much music circulating online. What do you think is the most efficient way to getting your music heard these days? What do you have to do to make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd?
Well obviously it all starts with your music. Without decent productions that are slightly original it’s way harder to get your music out there as an artist who’s starting out. What I did in the beginning is upload my music to SoundCloud and share them in groups. Tagging your music on YouTube with appropriate terms is extremely helpful too. Look for blogs that post your type of music, email them, tell your story and why they should share your music. That kind of stuff. It’s obvious that it takes some time to gain a following.

Was this the case for you?
Of course. I spent years figuring out a style and developing a certain sound. I sent countless emails to different blogs when I started out, hoping they would pick up my music. You have to be prepared to put in a lot of time, both in producing and promoting if you want to have your music heard by the people.

As someone with an extensive online presence, are there any independent up and coming artists you’ve come across that you think we should look out for?
Oh yes, there are lots of gems out there. I love browsing around SoundCloud or YouTube and discovering new artists, both signed and unsigned. My recent discoveries include Sunclef, Reki, The Planty Herbs, Kaligraph E and Farid N.

What’s the creative process behind the production of your music? How do you find inspiration and how do begin a new track?
I don’t do particular things or anything to find inspiration. One day I’ll have tons of inspiration and make a tune relatively quickly, where the next day I don’t have any inspiration at all. It depends on my mood and the amount of sleep I had. I usually start working on a drum pattern, as it’s always the most important element in my songs and dictates its flow. After that I’ll try to come up with a nice chord progression that fits the beat or find a sample to chop up and work from there. Lately I’ve also been working with some musicians and vocalists which is of course very inspiring and a lot of fun to do.

What programs do you use and why?
I’ve always been a big Ableton Live fan and user. When I started out producing I experimented with pretty much every piece of software there is, but eventually I stuck with Live. It’s super fast, super easy and great for experimenting and sampling. Apart from producing it’s without a doubt the most versatile program for playing live acts, which is very convenient given the fact that I also use it for making music in the first place. I don’t think I’ll ever switch.

All of your tracks give out a super chilled-out vibe. Do you have a target audience in mind? Does this affect the types of venues you play at?
I never have a particular audience in mind when making music. I just do my thing and see where I end up with it, to be honest. As far as venues go, I played a wide variety of them, going from a festival right outside a castle in the middle of nature, to a dark underground club. So I guess my music isn’t specifically related to a certain type of venue, although I personally love outdoor festivals in unique locations the most.

Can you tell us a bit about the projects you’ve been involved in ever since you and Cold Busted tied the knot?
Cold Busted was the first label that believed in me and released my music. They’ve done so much for me and I’m extremely thankful for that. My first decent release was Volume 6 in the Street Bangerz series, for which Gramatik produced the first 3 editions. I’ve been a big fan of it so I felt honored to do an album for them. After that I released a couple of remixes, singles and last year my first album – The Day Off – came out on Cold Busted. They handled the vinyl, promotion, distribution and everything concerning the release. The vinyl’s sold out in a matter of months, which is of course very rewarding for both the label and myself.

What have been the highlights and the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far?
I’ve always found that the most challenging part is to keep my music interesting and versatile, while at the same time maintaining a certain sound that’s somewhat recognizable. 2014 gave me the opportunity to share my music live across Europe (Spain, France, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands…), which was definitely a highlight in my musical career. It’s crazy but at the same time so satisfying to go somewhere far from home and see people singing along to your songs.

What are you working on at the moment?
I’m constantly working on new music, whether I’m on the road or at home. In general I just make all kinds of music, and then decide later on which tracks I’m going to bundle into a release. There’s an EP coming out on Cult Classic Records (an independent label from London, UK) very soon, featuring some very skilled MC’s and vocalists. One of them is Cise Starr, who used to work with the late Nujabes. Next to that I’m also working with musicians, in order to create some kind of personal, original sample library that I can sample from. There’s always new music coming up from my camp, so be sure to keep an eye out for new announcements.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
I’ve never thought about that, but I hope I can still do what I love, which is making music and sharing it with the world. I love to travel and meet new people. The combination of doing so while spreading my music is just unreal.

#SundaySessions: What are your three favourite tracks at the moment and why?

1 – Hiroshi Suzuki – Romance
“I randomly came across this Japanese jazz gem on YouTube the other day and can’t stop listening to it. Apparently it’s a very rare album, but I’d really like to get my hands on the 12” someday. I’m a big fan of smooth jazz music and often sample it in my productions.”

2- Elzhi – It Ain’t Hard To Tell
“Covering an entire Nas album is a tough job for sure, but Elzhi paid his respect to the classic album “Illmatic” in a way that does it justice. He’s one of my all-time favourite MC’s. Elzhi’s voice, flow and lyrics are one of the best in the game if you ask me. Working with him one day would be a dream come true.”

3- Snakehips – Forever
“These guys are one of the hottest production duos at the moment in my opinion. I’ve loved every single tune they put out up until today and often drop a track or two of them in my DJ sets. Their music is a perfect combination of old school boom bap beats with those smooth 90s R&B vibes and funky synth lines. Top notch stuff.”