New York and The Never Normal Suzi Analogue

I had the chance to talk to the spunky, charismatic, underground hip-hop/electronic artist Suzi Analogue. Her love of music brought her to New York City to learn about the proper music business and to ride the wave of one of the fastest changing music scenes in the industry. Hailing from Virginia, Miss Analogue got her start in music from humble beginnings; her parents introduced her to their favorite jazz and R&B tracks. She received musical training by singing at her Baptist church, and taught herself to record over songs she’s heard using a keyboard and karaoke machine.

“I was dubbing tapes since I was 10! …I was learning how to harmonize [with myself].”

Her discovery of hip-hop came from listening to the radio. She found out about different music scenes through what DJs were playing. At the time, young people were learning how to use the Internet to discover and release music. As Suzi talked about the different hip-hop chat rooms she’s entered to talk to independent rappers and musicians, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of nostalgia, as I remember experimenting with such Internet communication myself. This love of media exchange led her to attend Temple University in Philadelphia, graduating with a degree in Communications. While in college, Suzi attended a lot of events in New York City and in Philadelphia, watching other DJs, hip-hop artists, rappers and producers perform. This kind of exposure, as well as the creation of a MySpace page, allowed her material to emerge from the comfort of her bedroom and into the open ears of culture lovers and hip-hop enthusiasts, such as herself.

“I was always interested in music.”

Suzi Analogue was become a “thing” thanks to the Internet. “This label hits me up, and they’re from Amsterdam. And they’re like, ‘Hey, can you send us a demo? I really like your stuff!’ And I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’” Her little “fun songs” that she either recorded over or made beats for were gaining attention from the underground hip-hop community. I had asked her if she had any expectations when it came to putting her material out there, and she confidently answered “no”. “I’ve never really thought about it like that… I had none. I didn’t like music that was too general…the 90s and the early 00s were when a lot of revolutionary ideas were happening…individuality and setting yourself apart was pushed above all else, and it made some good music.” She uses the Wu Tang Clan as an example of superstars who were weird in their own way, but were superstars of rap nonetheless. Her unique sound is influenced by her gospel background mixed with interests in jazz, R&B, now hip-hop and electronic music, as well as her desire for expression. She wasn’t alone; among the “celebration of the individuals”, “a scene actually erupted from us discovering ourselves, but discovering each other at the same time.” Other artists, producers, rappers, and beat makers were also looking to the Internet to publish their material. What came out of it, as Suzi mentioned, was this scene of “niche music”, which consisted of a breed of electronic music, hip-hop, and a wide range of vocal styles.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MekOGj-tg54&w=560&h=315])

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFf_KUaUweo&w=560&h=315])

“A lot of people who, like I said, came to understand each other as well as came to understand themselves, in this new musical economy we have that doesn’t force us to a big label, or force us to a regimented way of becoming successful.”

There was no definite geographic location for these artists either; she raves the diversity of backgrounds, both in ethnicity and in music, and the chances to learn and take from what each person has to offer. For example, she mentions LA-based Korean-American electronic/hip-hop artist Tokimonsta (who I am personally a huge fan of). She was so fortunate to collaborate with her in a project called “Analogue Monsta”, in which Suzi provided the vocal soul and Toki provided the beat. (She gave me a CD copy of their album ahhhhh!!) This new sound was celebrated across the country, and the Internet is the access point for these artists to be heard.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TjsLKQNQ4c&w=560&h=315])

A sick Tokimonsta and Suzi Analogue collaboration. This is my power walk song. I storm into Carman Hall like a boss when this is playing on my headphones.

New York City was the perfect reflection of the scene she was getting herself into. Suzi Analogue was no stranger to the diversity factor of NYC. Her love of hip-hop and culture had brought her here. Prior to her East Coast takeover, Suzi had worked extensively in Los Angeles. She started a record label called Never Normal records, which she is proud to say is New York based. “Most of the people I work with are on the West Coast. …When I was in Philly, I would come to New York and I would leave but, every time I come, all these good things are happening, all these cool things, and I was like, ‘Why don’t I just go there?” She compares the laid-back LA music scene to New York’s ever-changing trends. Suzi wanted to immerse herself in the fast-paced environment that New York has to offer. As Frank Sinatra once said, “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.” It was that kind of attitude that got Suzi to hit the ground running.

“I also was attracted to how many media companies are here, the fact that I could just pop into offices, I can visit record labels…Within the last year I would come to record labels, I would go to Sony, I would go to Bad Boy, and I was hanging out with the publicists…A lot of things were happening for me, and it’s cool because this is what I was studying at school. I also came here so I could learn the proper music business better.”

Suzi Analogue considers herself as a “free agent artist”. Since she isn’t signed to a major record label, she can work with anyone at any time. Moving to New York allowed her to collaborate with more artists since New York was easily accessible. She had been collaborating with other artists and producers since her days at Temple, except now Suzi is taking the initiative to catalogue her music and apply the proper fundamentals of music business ideas. “I would always understand the creative ideas, but the business ideas were not there…I would just find that a lot of talented people I knew had no knowledge of that.”

She explains why she chooses to start the label in New York rather than in any other city: “I would see these independent labels in Tokyo, I would see these independent labels in Amsterdam, I would see these independent labels in Boston. And I worked firsthand with these people on one project or another, whether it was recording of songs or working at events…and I thought to myself, I want to bring that to New York…I just want to really convey the global, kind of…attitude towards music and visual art and individuality altogether…and I thought New York was an awesome place to do that because it is the birthplace of hip-hop.” Suzi takes great interest into the roots of the music she creates. She enjoys the Jean-Michel Basquiat era and the culture that came with it; she even has a tattoo of his famous image, the crown, on one of her wrists. The graffiti, the post-disco music that came out of the 80s and 90s, the old school rap style, the fashion and art all intrigued her. She even talked about her fascination with brunch culture. “They don’t have that in Virginia!” “I could have done this in Los Angeles, but I want to do it here.” I ask her if she puts herself into perspective with other artists that she has worked with and some of the more popular artists. “I look at this person and think, ‘What makes me different than this other person, and I think, nothing! That’s why I wanted to start Never Normal Records.” She now has a 6-track EP released on the label called “Chills and Thrills”. Have a listen on one of my favorite tracks:

The beginning percussion has an off-center rhythm that makes you just want to replay the track just to figure out what it is. The space between her soprano range voice and the funky step-wise bass line makes this song soulful and edgy. When she begins rapping, that’s when her groove sets in. Her thoughtful and catchy lyrics make us nod along to the beat. We ride that wave with her, celebrating her uniqueness and what she’s all about. This song reflects the very ideals she is passionate about, and it’s great to get to meet the artist in person to dig in the corners of their mind for the inspiration to fun songs like this.

She talks about the different venues she’s performed in throughout the city. Most of them are in Brooklyn, she admits, and she names a few of them. “The most important thing for a venue to have is a good staff, really attentive, good sound system, and just nice aesthetics.” She doesn’t take a liking to Terminal 5, one of the most prominent venues for any underground artist. Acts like Disclosure and Flying Lotus have performed sold out shows there in the past. “I’m very specific of the aesthetic of the environment when people take in music.” With the different locations of venues come the different types of audiences. This is important because it determines the kinds of music she DJs. She would DJ some southern music, like Atlanta rap or trap music, at special events. Party promoters would bring in people from the city, “a lot of fashion kids, a lot of scenester types, like Instagram famous people.” She also plays warehouse gigs where the people are more “Brooklyn”, openly-cultured people from Williamsburg or Park Slope. “I do cater to some downtown kids, the kids who like to spend mommy and daddy’s money to have a good time…I was doing a live sound design for this artist Ducky, and her crowd is like that.”

“The cool thing about working with different artists is that I get to see people from different scenes. My scene is just like people who love music and who are specific about it…They buy records…” Suzi Analogue’s scene consists of music lovers who aren’t so concentrated on becoming famous with their material, but simply putting things out there because they love to do these things.

Suzi has big plans for 2014. In addition to finding other artists to work with to get the ball rolling for her record label, she intends to find more performance opportunities. She is currently in Austin, Texas, for the South by Southwest Festival. She is performing with Sonya Kitchell, 2-time grammy-winning artist who toured with Herbie Hancock in her teenage years, and with Tiombe Lockhart, Atlanta-based nu soul and R&B singer. The group got together to perform for an event at the Glasslands in Williamsburg. The fusion of these genres within their performance is a reflection of the possibility of different cultures that can come together to form something greater. Suzi says she has learned a lot from Sonya Kitchell and Tiombe Lockhart; by working with other artists she is more aware of what she can bring to the table. “There are so many ways to take your personal training, your know-how, and just mix it with your sense of self. That’s something that’s so unique…That’s what you’re sharing with a large group of people.” She is also working on setting up events for her record label so that she can get the publicity she is aiming for in New York City.

Although Suzi Analogue eats, sleeps and breathes music, she is passionate about other things, such as education, women’s equality rights, socioeconomics, world music scenes, and self-discovery. We had a pretty deep discussion about each of these things, as our conversation was almost 2 and a half hours long. She discussed the importance of working with other female artists, not because they have to “stick together” in a male-dominated industry, but because they have to prove they are up to par with their male counterparts. “Especially in hip-hop, it really is the boys club. You just have to learn how to drink with the boys.” Producers don’t treat Suzi because she is a girl; they treat her with the same respect any artist of any gender deserves because her main focus is creating music. “It’s gonna take a long time for us to get recognized, but right now we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. The numbers will even out and people will one day stop making a big deal that girls can make beastly beats too.”

“All of this wouldn’t exist without hip-hop.”

Suzi Analogue emphasizes her gratitude to the hip-hop movement. Hip-hop is not just a genre of music; it is a lifestyle. It is a culture. “Hip-hop kinda found us, and that stuff never leaves you. Like cultural music in general, when that stuff hits you, it’s gonna affect your sound.” Those who get involved in hip-hop find ways to insert their individuality. “Even if they are just sampling R&B records or something, things that other hip-hop artists have sampled, we’re at a generation where we can re-re-interpret something. ‘This song was made 30 years ago, why I don’t I flip this sample, see what I can do to it?’ That’s the joy of our generation and it’s what it’s about. ‘How can I bring some new life into this, how can I bring some new life into hip-hop?’” It’s not about the clothes or the lavish lifestyle, but it something “inside, and once you hear it, you’ll be like ‘ohhh!’ It’s all within a hip-hop context, and it’s always gonna be one of the most original styles of music.” And it isn’t about competition, either. “There’s not a lot of competition in these scenes…these are our friends. There’s always crews, but it’s like ‘My crew’s goin’ hard’, but it’s not like ‘My crew’s harder than your crew.’” Hip-hop allowed the creativity within these artists to branch out and have the chance to learn from other artists. This style of music was not about the competence of music makers, but rather what one can get from another person. Hip-hop made Suzi Analogue who she is. As cliché as that sounds, it is true that hip-hop was the gateway or artists like Suzi to offer their thoughts, and become some of the contemporary thinkers of our time. Hip-hop is associated with the younger generation and the power of uniqueness. It is a motivation for the next generation of adults to have an open mind to new things and to not be ashamed of who they are. Suzi Analogue is just one mover and shaker in this movement we call hip-hop, and she is fulfilling each of her goals by doing what she loves and being herself while doing it.