Growing up in a small town in Austria @PalazzoBeats got into creating/producing music from a very early age. He started out with playing drums and later taught himself production by making beats in his bedroom. Palazzo travelled to Atlanta, where he quickly found his place working/connecting with artists such as Rich Homie Quan, Akon and YFN Lucci. Fast forward to present, Palazzo has worked with some big names such as Young Thug, Lil Skies, Capital Bra, Loredana and became part of @ElectricFeelEnt
Where did the vision start and how did it progress?
I think the vision started subconsciously very early in childhood, I grew up with music and I just fell in love with it. All my “TV-time” was spent almost exclusively on MTV unless Simpsons was on. I used up my first pocket money to buy CDs and Merchandise. I remember when I tried to build a “studio” in my children's room with different instruments I had and tried to record it with this little colourful tape recorder. I always knew that music would play a big role in my life, but I didn't know where and how. I started taking drum lessons, but somehow quickly knew that wasn't exactly what I wanted to do. At some point I just discovered "AraabMuzik" on youtube & I was just fascinated. I scraped together my savings and bought a used MPC on eBay. A few months later my first beats were on youtube, I had my own beat store and now I'm here.
How do you decide who you’re going to work with? Is there a quality you’re drawn to when you feel that creative spark in someone?
What’s very important to me and what I always want is to stay true to myself, I don't care how many monthly listeners you have on Spotify. You just have to catch me, it doesn't matter what genre you make, how old you are, where you come from or what language you speak (50% of the music I listen to is in a language I simply don't understand). I just have to have a certain movie in mind when listening to your music. I always think very pictorially when I listen to music. There must be a certain situation in my head when I’m listening to a song. That's why I'm very bad at listening to music alongside or having a conversation with somebody and being present while I'm listening to music. As soon as I consciously listen to music I am in my head and form a certain film. If you manage to give me this feeling and the movie I see is good, you got my attention and I will work with you.
Having worked with some big industry names. Do you have a favourite musical project that you’ve worked on?
It's always hard to answer this question because every release is special in its own way and you often think that the best songs aren't out yet. But what was and will always be a special moment for me was when the song with one of my idols "Young Thug" came out and the accompanying music video came out exactly on my birthday. That was probably one of the best birthday presents of all time. It also came at a time when I doubted myself a lot and for me this was a sign from above that I just have to keep going and never give up, because every day something could happen that can change your whole life.
What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?
Haha, that’s a good question. For me, and I'm sure for many other musicians, it's hard to just relax and let things go - because you always have this creative drive inside you to do something. That doesn't always have to do with music, but I like to get lost in certain things and topics. I get excited about things relatively quickly and then often get absorbed in a particular topic for days until I'm satisfied. I've always been like that and will probably always be like that, of course it comes with disadvantages. Sometimes I’d love to just let things go and enjoy the moment, but I’m working on it. - I think my second biggest hobby besides music is fashion. Other than that I love watching movies (especially mobster movies), reading books about personal development or just going to the museum. Lately I've picked up my hobby of going to the cinema again - can recommend!
What other producers, songwriters and/or artists do you see as your primary inspirations?
People who have their own unique sound and vision are my main inspirations. If I find a producer on Instagram making great beats, I just think "wow, he's good," but I might not follow him. But if I find a producer with a unique sound, with drums and a bounce I've never heard before, I follow him and study him to just see how his process works. I just said this in another interview the other day, but it's important for me to repeat it. People are often afraid to ask each other questions and learn from each other. I am sure that no matter how long you have been producing, there is still so much to learn. Sometimes producers who have only been producing for a year will give me tips and shortcuts I didn't know or I've never asked myself if there was an easier or faster way to do something. Music is just such a huge spectrum, it feels like the universe - it's just a never-ending story.
Is there an artist you want to work with that you have not yet had the opportunity to work with?
Like a pistol shot, I’d say Travis Scott. But if there will really come a day where Gini asks me “You can have one session with one person, who do you choose?” - I might pick someone like Kevin Parker or James Blake. Or maybe Pharell, damn I don’t know. That's a tough question, I might pick someone where I can learn as much as I can in the shortest amount of time. I want to see how the working process of a Kevin Parker starts and ends in the studio. I've seen almost every interview he's done and I still haven't seen enough.
As a producer how do you collaborate with artists to help them achieve their creative goals?
My session always starts with a conversation - of course I start with simple small-talk questions, especially when I don’t know the person behind the songs yet, but the conversation can take us wherever it wants and that should inspire us for the day. Maybe the conversation suddenly leads us to how lost you can feel in a big city or how love actually works and then that's what the song we do that day is about. Sometimes we just feel good and talk about fashion and art and then we just make a fun song, where we flex about stuff. You never know, the most important thing is just to always set the mood right.
We’re all about new music discovery– who is a new artist that you think everybody should be listening to right now?
One is probably not enough - because I’m always on the lookout. So I just found out about a new artist from New York called “Kelz” (@kelz2busy) - very interesting for me. He just has 2 Songs out yet, but let’s see where it takes us. Then a friend of mine showed me “La Fève” (@lafeve7), a french artist who sounds very creative.
Any words of wisdom for young aspiring artists?
In a nutshell, no matter how many times you've heard it and no matter how many times I've read it myself and still doubted it: Just keep doing it and never give up, one day it will work out and everything can change in seconds! Just never forget why you are doing it in the first place - because the personal level is just as important as the musical level.
What can we expect from you next?
My goal for next year is definitely to grow my brand, I already have someone I will be shooting monthly vlogs with. I will show you some more of my workflow and start dropping different soundkits. Maybe next year it will also be time to finally release my own project, who knows - but get ready to notice my name a bit more next year.
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