Carlos Homs and the Psychotic Work Ethic Behind Music Production

Keyboardist and producer Carlos Homs sits down with Lindsay to trace his journey from the highly intellectual avant-garde jazz scene back to his roots in hip-hop production. Carlos shares stories from his time in the NJPAC Jazz for Teens program, watching a young Tyshawn Sorey play out-of-this-world piano, and cutting his teeth with heavyweights like Peter Evans and Steve Lehman. The conversation unpacks how Lehman’s Sélébéyone project and the psychotic work ethic of super-producer Cirkut pushed Carlos to team up with bassist Brady Watt and eventually work out of DJ Premier’s studio. They also tackle the debt traps of jazz education, the esoteric nature of channeling music, the 440Hz conspiracies behind his 2020 trio album, and the realities of collaborating with his wife, vocalist Jamie Homs.

Please go find and enjoy the music of Aaron Burnett, Brady Watt and Steve Lehman. A few clips of their music was reposted in this episode, Birch Grove Media does not claim ownership of these performances or musical works.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro: Couples working together & transitioning to hip-hop

00:49 - Growing up on 90s hip-hop and discovering sampling

02:03 - Entering the NJ jazz scene and meeting Tyshawn Sorey & Alan Bjorklund

04:51 - The intense contrast between playing with Peter Evans and Steve Lehman

06:26 - How Steve Lehman’s Sélébéyone brought Carlos back to hip-hop

09:27 - Classical piano lessons and the unique New Jersey jazz ecosystem

11:12 - NJPAC Jazz for Teens and Tyshawn Sorey's lunchtime concerts

15:33 - Berklee dropouts, the problem with jazz education, and college debt

22:57 - The Berklee networker who never paid tuition

24:12 - Reconnecting with Brady Watt and working out of DJ Premier’s studio

27:49 - Learning a "psychotic work ethic" from super-producer Cirkut

34:07 - Treating music like entrepreneurship and overcoming the fear of failure

37:22 - Is improvisation creating or channeling?

45:21 - The Theory Conspiracy: Lizard people, 440Hz, and spontaneous studio albums

52:39 - Navigating the industry and keeping collaborations organic with his wife, Jamie Homs

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