HIP-HOP/RAP, Music Reviews, New Fire Music, Producer, TRAP/HIP HOP
Producer Spotlight: JBanga Beats
Jul
New York-based JBanga Beats is a producer who often adds his flair to drill music beats by pairing it with eerie piano loops, guitar arpeggios, 808 slides, snares, minor scales, and hi-hats, to name a few. But as a whole, his songs carry the tag, J Got The Bangas, which is said by a woman. Other times, the “Dangerous” soundscape creator throws in soft melodies and other steady elements, making the beat more settling. For instance, his song “Bayside,” focuses on lush synths and ethereal sound effects with warm piano loops, steady hi-hats, and snares.
“My sound has many influences and styles of music,” he adds. “I mostly like to use live instruments, like the piano, guitar, or bass. I love aggressive and dark sounding beats, but I’m also a sucker for a beautiful melodic beat.”
In his career, JBanga Beats has worked with megastars like Pop Smoke, Rah Swish, Young Chop, Ron Suno, Fivio Foreign, Ciggy Black, Phi11a, and Jesus Honcho. Currently, he’s with SBL Music Group.
Some songs that he enjoyed creating were “Hustlin” and “Double Texting” by Rah Swish, “Murder She Wrote” by Young Chop, and “Street Professor” by Pop Smoke and Fetty Luciano, which is set to debut this year.
Javier Scheuermann, also known as JBanga Beats, is a 27-year-old Peruvian-American musician and producer. His moniker derives from his old Instagram handle and the first letter of his government name.
“My Instagram handle used to be @bangthemdrums, cause I’m a drummer, and what do drummers do? Bang them drums,” he adds. “My first name starts with the letter J, so did a coworker of mine. During a conversation, he said to me, ‘I’m JMoney,’ I responded, ‘what about me?’ He said, ‘you’re JBanga.’ That was where it all started.”
JBanga’s beat direction depends on the mood that he’s in. The sound varies between a dark and ambient, slow one. First, he’ll start with three melodies that he either creates or grabs from other producers/loop packs. Afterward, he’ll add in drums. If everything fits together, then JBanga will proceed by meshing in other sound elements like hi-hats, 808’s, kicks, snares, and claps. Lastly, he’ll do light mixing to make it sound as clean as possible before exporting it and sending it to artists.
“I feel like one of my strengths is making the drums knock. I’m good at leveling each drum sound, so they fit perfectly in the mix,” he says about his knack in beat-making. “I also like messing with loops/samples and flipping them to sound completely different from the original sample.”
Sure tracks include “Dangerous,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “ILOMILO Billie Eilish (UK Drill Remix).” At most, they all add a twist to the drill music movement.
On “Dangerous,” JBanga Beats couples a booming bassline with eerie piano arpeggio, hi-hats, and stellar 808 slides.
“Murder She Wrote,” on the other hand, carries a guitar loop, hi-hats, electro synths, and a warmer tone when it comes to the piano number.
Then there’s “ILOMILO Billie Eilish (UK Drill Remix),” which uses 808 slides, hi-hats, and snares. Billie Eilish’s voice is also altered mid-song. It’s also safe to say that the soundscape focuses heavily on drums.
“What inspires me about producing is the fact that options are endless when making beats. You can always try different vibes and put them together and see what happens,” JBanga says. “I also enjoy networking with other hardworking and talented producers, making dope collaborations, and simultaneously learning from each other.”
With producing, JBanga says you must be patient, social media savvy, and willing to sacrifice time. You have to learn music theory, marketing, and the business aspect of things,” he adds. “Nowadays, many people are trying to be producers due to the accessibility of DAW’s, drum kits, sounds, and online tutorials, so you have to find something that separates you from the rest.”
At the moment, JBanga is working on Ron Suno’s next project. But moving forward, he’ll be releasing a few more tracks with Phi11a sometime this year.
His advice to upcoming producers is to work their way up and to create relationships.