THE CRAFTSMAN VOL. ONE

MARK CRUZ, ALIAS: QUESTION
PRODUCER BEATSMITH / ANALOGUE STUDIES / MELLOW ORANGE MUSIC
CREATIVE DIRECTOR / UNKNOWN DOCUMENT

INTERVIEW BY: ANDREW REYES
INTRODUCTION BY: DANNY REYES

I first met Mr. Cruz on a Thursday night while trying to hustle my first job at the now legendary Bar Dynamite in San Diego. I spent a few months “networking” at the bar every Thursday and was able to witness more than a few of his sets. I would describe them as nothing less than masterful, on time and “in the pocket”. I remember vividly, simply standing back and watching 100 or so people in the small living room that was Bar D, lose their minds and give up their bodies to the man behind the glass. When Question was on the set, he was sure to bring the cure for what ailed you.

With an uncanny ear (and eye) for detail, and a brain that really doesn’t shut off, it's no wonder he has been able to build an amazing catalog of work both locally and overseas. The man knows his shit and handles his handle. I think that might be the best way to describe what The Craftsman: Vol. 1 is all about.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CRAFTSMAN OF MUSIC?

I feel I’m more of a music connoisseur, only because I’m not fixated on one genre and although I play a certain style, what I actually listen to all correlates (Jazz, Funk, Soul, Bossanova). It's not super random, like being into Country and Trance. Take for instance, my favorite era, which is 90’s hip hop. Everything that happened in the 90’s was sample-based. So (because of my natural musical influences) I knew the music they were sampling, and feel this natural ability to shape it in my own music.

Being raised around those types of music allowed for a greater recognition of the songs they sampled. It also led to a higher appreciation for the artist that reconstructed the sample, and how they developed their sound from it. This early recognition really expanded my level of involvement.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THOSE NATURAL INFLUENCES?

Growing up, (like most kids) I listened to what my peers listen to. Everything from early 80’s Hip-Hop, New Wave, to Rock. But I always had my own interests as well. I listened to Jazz a lot because my dad had a lot of jazz records. When I was a kid, I used to think it was funny music, though I realize now how much of that “funny music” has shaped my personal sound.

I’VE HEARD YOU TURN DOWN THE PRODUCER TITLE BEFORE, WHY?

I don’t like coining myself as a producer. A producer carries a bigger title and I would never "front" on something I haven't truly mastered myself. I personally consider myself more of a beatsmith. I make beats, and my sound is very specific. My production style is a mixture of obscure jazz samples, heavy beats, and live orchestration. I'm not going out there saying "hey, I’m a producer, you need to check me out". It's not my career, it's something I’m very passionate about and I want to share it. It’s about the work, not the title.

YOU’VE BUILT UP A GOOD SIZE BUZZ LOCALLY AND MORE RECENTLY OVERSEAS, HOW DID IT HAPPEN FOR YOU?

I always dabbled in beat production. A few friends who were already established artists suggested I should just start putting my music out there. We were all on the same vibe, I really just ended up building a music fan base organically. People who have known me as a DJ gravitated to my type of sound. They were just into the same vibe.

I started an artist page online, and after a short period of time I was starting to get emails from cats all over the globe. Anywhere from Canada, Japan, all the way to Germany. I got to meet these cats online that are doing similar things, they're super down-to-earth and their music is amazing. It's really "humbling" to be recognized by other artists specially when I'm amazed by their music. You have this kindred spirit thing going because you’re like-minded individuals who are just trying to do it. I’m just trying to circulate that.

YOU SPEAK A BIT ON YOUR BLOG ABOUT YOUR PASSION FOR YOUR CRAFT, DO YOU FEEL THAT SAME PASSION IS LACKING IN THE NEW CLASS OF DJS?

You could say that, especially nowadays where everything is readily accessible. We were just more hands on back when I started. We didn’t have the internet, yeah it was around but it wasn’t as predominant as it is now. We had to dig, there was no other way to find what we wanted.

I speak about having a passion for music, design, anything you do really, because in some ways it's the most important element to the craft. It’s real easy to buy Serato, download some songs and tell people you're a DJ. I think you only cheat yourself that way. You miss out on buying records, the excitement of digging, scraping money together to buy records… even just going to a record shop. Finding those original breaks, you would have to read up on things like liner notes on albums. At that time, they didn’t really give you “sampled by” info, it wasn’t until later that artists had to disclose who they sampled due to copyright laws. We didn’t have that, there was a lot of trial and error involved in digging for original music. Now you can get on the web and just type it in.

The passion is about immersion. Learning about your craft, why you like it, what brought it up, how did it come to fruition. Do your research before you go out and say “I’m this” or “I’m that”. You’ll be smarter, and at the end of the day you’ll have a better respect for the craft itself. It's valuable to know where things came from and appreciate the work it took to get there.

WHAT MAKES YOUR SOUND DIFFERENT FROM MOST DJS?

My sound is a bit more organic. I still have a strong element of the old school, utilizing samples, etc. Although I've incorporated more live instrumentation to my music, I still rely on software to make my beats. It's a mixture of old and new.

As far as spinning, it's all about programming. It's what you play, and how you play it that separates you. I feel like I just have a higher appreciation. Some people buy records just to buy records. I eat, shit, and breathe music/art. It's my life.

WHAT DO YOU THINK DESIGN AND MUSIC HAVE IN COMMON?

If I’m designing, I’m always playing music. If I’m playing music, I’m thinking about designing. The audio and visual go hand in hand. My love for Jazz grew alongside design. I was fascinated by Reid Miles, the graphic designer behind all the Blue Note Records album covers. Everything about his compositions just resonated with me. I was listening to the music and appreciating the art at the same time.

I couldn’t say I like music better or I like design better. I think they mirror each other. With design, there is a freestyle of it, a free flow, same thing with music. If you look at a certain piece of art you really like, you’re looking at brush strokes, same goes with music. You’re listening to the way it was played. If you’re really involved in something you’ll catch all these little things. With design, it’s the same formula. Working on a graphic, it starts with an idea. With music, you start “sketching” out your “graphic” by collecting the sounds you want to use. As you keep going down, point for point, everything starts to line up. With music, you know when you’re playing it -you remember when you did this part and that part… wait for the break… wait for the refrain… listen to the bridge. You have this menu of little things that made this piece so amazing. The same thing goes with design.

DIGITAL OR ANALOGUE?

I use both digital and analogue. But it's funny when I say analogue because really everything is digital, since it's funneling through a computer. Let's go with DIGITAL with an ANALOGUE source.

When I say analogue, I mean it is more hands on. I play the keys, I record my own bass lines, program my own drums. You have to look at it like a jazz musician. Although my style of music is sample-based, I kinda have this jazz-based DNA where everything can be freestyle and you can just come in at any given moment and still go with the flow.

WHERE WOULD YOU SAY YOU GET THE MOST INSPIRATION?

Musically and artistically, I can’t say I did it all on my own because I get inspired by a lot of people. I come from a very musical background. My mom was a singer, and she would sing everywhere. In the kitchen, on a walk, in church, she would sing. I did a stint singing myself. It was a natural draw for me. I was exposed to a lot of music and art from a very young age. It’s interesting, sometimes when you’re immersed in something - you can go both ways with it. You could end up loving it or hating it. With me, I started appreciating it more and more as I got older instead of being repelled by it. I have my parents to thank for that.

My parents never pushed me to DJ or get into radio. They hated it. They wanted me to go to school to make the money. The hardest thing for me was saying "Hey Mom & Dad, I want to quit college so I can do this radio show". My mom almost had a heart attack. A really good friend of ours once said, "There’s going to be a point in your life where one thing is going to be done for the love - and the other will become your career". Oddly enough, it was art that became the career and music never fell second. I never let go. I was just lucky enough to have done both professionally, and not everybody is blessed like that. I'm always thankful!

ANY LAST WORDS TO SHARE?

Never stop learning. Master your craft, and be the best at what you do.