NYE Day Parties Artist Showcase: Daily Bread [Exclusive Interview]

Atlanta based producer, Rhett Whatley aka Daily Bread has brought a fresh approach to the electro funk and glitch hop scene with his imaginative mixing style and creative use of samples. With an impressive and expansive collection of LPs, Mixes, and remixes; Daily Bread has shown he has the insight and talent to bring fans exactly what they need: that “fresh-out-the-oven” daily dose of funky beats. In just the two years he has been nurturing his Daily Bread persona, Whatley has had enormous opportunities opening for the acts that have helped inspire his original sound. His enormous record collection sets him apart from other touring DJs out there, you are guaranteed to hear tracks and samples dug up from the underground of forgotten records

We are extremely excited to welcome Daily Bread to New Orleans for our New Years Eve Day Parties, December 30th & 31st. Get familiar with this rising artist and get ready to get funky this New Years Eve in New Orleans.

So Rhett you’ve been gaining monumental growth in 2016 with the release of your album last year and your EP this year.

Seems as though you’ve been steady working in the “bakery” coming up with some new tracks! How much time on average would you say you spend making music?

“Yeah my favorite spot in East Atlanta is my room, I only leave when I have to. I probably spend over 30 hours a week producing music, taking photos, and just meddling around & creating. I have all my records along with most of my equipment here. I’ve got this vintage two channel system here too that I listen to records on often. My friend Phil is always telling me I need a social life. He lures me out of my room sometimes with churros and free show tickets. I love both and he knows it. Don’t think I can’t see you, Phil. “

Would you say that Atlanta’s hip-hop roots has inspired your music at all? You’ve named Pretty Lights, Michal Menert, and others as your electronic inspiration who all have some hip-hop undertones in their music. Would you say your process is based in some hip-hop rhythms or mostly electronic or funk?

“Atlanta’s influence on me can definitely be heard in my music. I grew up here, my pop’s influence was Atlanta Rhythm Section, Brick, Grand Funk, and Little Richard, Southern bands like that. But yeah growing up here I’m a big fan of the double-timed soul sound and I like to sample ad-libs from southern MCs. I was in high school during the Lil Jon era, you couldn’t escape that sound around here. So tracks often feel incomplete to me without yells on the upswing lol. I didn’t really like that sound at the time it was popular though, so I started listening to Reid Richards, Mr. Fish and Conspiracy when I discovered them at a battle back in the day. Also being based in the South, when I dig I often find good memphis and southern soul records for cheap. Because of these things you’ll often hear horns, emotional moans, blues, and southern slang in my tracks. ”

“My production process is based around techniques associated with hip-hop production. I like to layer drum breaks, intertwine loops from records, and root everything to an organic sound. For the longest time I made hip-hop beats with just a sampler on a little digi board. It used to strictly be about digging and finding loops. Menert got me out of that hole I’d say. But yeah Prefuse 73, 9th Wonder, Dilla, and Madlib were guys that were inspiring me the most early on.”

You have some new music coming out soon that will be on your upcoming LP, can you tell us about the direction you’ve gone in for your latest project?

“Yes, I’m releasing a project on Philos Records with Derlee called The Divided Souls LP. It’s a collection of each others tracks that we picked out and then worked together on to finish. I’ve always been a fan of his music so I bugged him for a while to collab. He flew down one weekend from Pittsburg and we got the concept together. One of the tracks off the album called Hell & Back we made entirely together in the same room from records we each picked from my collection. The album has a darker, heavier vibe than Cloud Conductor I’d say. I’m excited to release it with him.”

Are you planning anything special for your NYE day parties set?

“Yeah I’m scheming a dope set for the NOLA day party. I’m gonna have Obeah sitting in with me, he’ll be bending minds with a mic, a deck, and that weird old effects unit he’s mastered. I may tell the stories to a couple popular tracks and play some OG samples out. Were going to bring a fitting vibe.”

Do you have a specific plan for your releases or are you making music as you are inspired?

“I don’t think about releases too much, I try and let them happen naturally. I make music as I’m inspired, which is almost constantly lately. Sometimes I’m inspired by other music but most the time I’m inspired by everyday life. I tell stories through my record collection and my record collection tells stories about me. I have all my parents records, friends records, records I’ve collected over the last decade, children’s records, etc. My grandma even digs for me. She brings me her friends old 45s when they’re discarding them. It’s great. One of the voices from “Short Gust” is from one of my mother’s records she listened to as a child. One of the voices in “Life Goes On” came from a record with my Grandfathers old Bromack Drive address on the front, written on a Christmas-themed sticker. It was definitely his. “

What are the Daily Basis mixes? How do you use them to connect with your fans?

“The Daily Basis mixes are a series of real-time mixes that I release online. In them I often include my own music, friends music, unreleased stuff, original vinyl samples, remixes, and usually a couple classic hip hop beats that have made a big impact on me. The mixes are a way for me to share with fans what it currently inspiring me the most. I just released the third Daily Basis mix a couple days ago. They’re pretty chill.”

What is your goal going into 2017?

“My goal and resolution for 2017 to keep making the music that feeds my soul and to continue meeting inspiring people. A change in scenery may be in order as well, we’ll see. “

Is this your first time to NOLA? What is the #1 thing you want to do while you’re here?

“This is the second time I’ve been to New Orleans. I guess the #1 thing I wanna do is finesse the set but otherwise I want to go hunting for Eddie Bo 45rpms and go on a swamp tour. Did you know Alligators love eating marshmallows? They do. I don’t think I’ll have time though so maybe I’ll just eat some of those lil powdered sugar pastries and listen to some Geek & VRV in the French quarter. I’m a fan boy of theirs.”

Don’t miss your chance to see Daily Bread in New Orleans for our NYE Day Parties December 30 & 31st at Hi-Ho Lounge. With free food, $4 mimosas, and funk til you drop, it’s the perfect way to set the mood for Pretty Lights NYE.

 

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