Saying DJ Quik is excited about his latest studio creations is as big of an understatement as simply referring to a Mike Tyson press conference as "eventful."
"It's like being in a delivery room without all the blood and guts and stuff," Quik said about working with Sugar Ray on a song that may or may not be released. "It's like watching a baby being born.
"It's a real hot record, but it's a little different for them," continued the West coast rapper/producer, who said he'd also be going into the studio with Korn soon. "So we're going to see what they're going to do."
Quik, who was dropped from his last label, Arista, plans to put out his next LP, Under the Influence, on April 2 on his own independent label, Eutonic.
"I been doing collaborations with some really heavy artists," he said. "Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Shyheim, Dr. Dre, Sugar Free. The first single is called 'Trouble' and features AMG on the second verse. I'm venting everything that's happened to me the last couple of years — the thing with Arista, run-ins with the police. It's a new energy going on with me. I put together a record that will stand the test of critics wavering and short attention spans."
Helping to keep everyone focused is Quik's reworking of musical backdrops. "It's a classic record with all type of influences," he said. "It's [got] no West Coast sounds on it. [Using] the whole Roger Troutman, Zapp [sound], that bullsh-- is for the birds.
"I'm switching back from that watered-down, corny sh-- I did with Arista. It wasn't just the whole Roger Troutman thing. Everyone thinks that's what it's about now — you gotta be real clean and linear. [My new album is] recorded in the fashion we used to do. The analog stuff, the old preamps, big microphones. It's a big sound. We're turning big knobs in the studio."
Quik said Dr. Dre, who raps on and produced "Put It on Me," helped him fine-tune some of the tracks.
"Dude is like a super genius," he marveled. "His name couldn't be more perfect: the doctor. He gives you prescriptions on how to make your music better. You take it in and play for him, he gives you his opinions, and you implement his ideas. Before you know it, your record is beautiful."
The guys in Sugar Ray are equally impressive, Quik said. "Them dudes is tight. It's cool being in the studio with people like that because the creative energy in the studio is to die for. ... It's funny to watch people discover things. It's like watching a baby being born when somebody gets a fly guitar riff and they practice it.
"[The song we did is] called 'Close to You.' Almost like when I worked with Tony Toni Toné. It's real warm, kind of organic sounding. A hip-hop bottom with a pop top end."
