Glimlip talks about being able to ‘see’ synths as beams of sunlight, where his ‘obsession’ with music began, and the artists who had the most significant influence on him as an artist and music producer. He calls Downtown Music Services ‘impeccable.’
The following recaps an interview with Glimlip as part of Downtown Music’s series, The Music Industry Lives Here. Downtown Music is a company DMN is proud to be partnering with.
Glimlip grew up ‘having a lot of CDs at home and banging on the charts along with them as if I were a drummer.’ Soon, his parents got annoyed and tricked him into getting a drum lesson. “That didn’t turn out well for them because the first instrument I purchased was a drum kit,” he said.
“I remember listening to all these different songs and trying to figure out the rhythms. I would visualize the sounds a little bit,” Glimlip said, adding that he kept insisting his parents play a specific cassette in the car.
“I was seeing the synthesizers in the track as sunbeams falling over the car. It was always very visual.”
When Glimlip was sixteen, a friend showed him a track he’d made for a rapper. And that’s where the obsession started — making electronic sounds ‘that I really couldn’t understand. ‘
“I was so obsessed with becoming great at music production that I planned every hour of the day into blocks. Watch this video now, try it out an hour later, and play piano for one hour.”
Glimlip then attended a music production school. Speaking about his inspirations, the music producer reveals that although J Dilla was a pioneer in hip-hop drums and beats, he didn’t listen to J Dilla that much. “I listened to the people that listened to J Dilla, so I was obsessed with Flying Lotus, Samiyam, and later on, Keifer, Robert Glasper. Those are the biggest influences for me.”
At one point, people told Glimlip that they could recognize his sounds from the beats. “I was surprised because I didn’t feel like I had a [specific] sound. But if you’re growing your templates, you create a repertoire of certain sounds that is now your [signature] sound.
Revealing his journey to success, Glimlip said he stayed consistent with music releases and made ‘a lot of beats videos.’ He admits it’s not easy to get noticed in this day and age when the audience’s ‘attention span is so low.’
“I’d post videos on Instagram, playing elements of the beats that I produced live. I want to get back into that because it was a lot of fun. It also creates the opportunity to connect with a bunch of other beat makers on Instagram.”
That’s how Glimlip met producers that he still works with to this day. “Via Instagram, we’d connect over video and build a relationship.”
Speaking about the music community in the Netherlands, Glimlip reveals that it’s a diverse group of people with a background in music or a passion for it.
“What makes the beat scene very special is that everyone wants to make each other better. Everyone supports each other. Everyone’s nice to each other. We help and advise each other. And there’s no feeling of jealousy.”
“In Amsterdam specifically, people are incredibly skilled, and they all know each other. You’ll have a session with a pianist that recommends a drummer. The drummer comes over and recommends the singer. It all flows organically.”
Glimlip engages Downtown Music Services (DMS) for distribution and artist services, sharing the story of how he and Rod Linnum, VP of Sales at DMS, got in touch.
“A friend of mine was visiting Rod in the States and playing my beats in his car, and Rod was like, ‘What’s this?’ I might have been the first person from the Netherlands’ Dutch beat scene that got in touch with Rod.”
Glimlip calls the Downtown service ‘impeccable,’ adding, “I’ll send an email to Rob to change something in the metadata or something. He’ll get it done as soon as possible and reply the same day. He’s great.”
He ended the interview with a passionate confession, “Music is the most important thing in my life.”
“Music defines how I feel. If I make something that I love, I’ll feel great about myself. If I have a bad day and nothing comes out, I feel bad. It’s a constant chase of getting better at what I love.”
About The Music Industry Lives Here: Downtown Music’s interview series allows powerful conversations with the voices shaping the music industry. To gain weekly access to exclusive interviews with music executives, artists, record label owners, and influential figures who drive the rhythm of the industry, join here.
