The duo known as FnZ might be some of the most underappreciated producers in Hip Hop today, at least from a fan point of view. Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni have been lacing artists with excellent beats for the last decade yet don’t have their names bandied about like others with similar résumés.
The Australian natives have produced for everyone from Big K.R.I.T. to Chris Brown, so the respect runs deep in the industry. But the more widespread recognition is long overdue, especially considering FnZ’s work in 2018.
So far this year, the duo is responsible for much of Denzel Curry’s critically acclaimed TA13OOalbum and A$AP Rocky’s long-awaited Testing LP. So, what better time to catch up with FnZ than now?
In part one of HipHopDX’s conversation with FnZ, the producers discuss their career journey and lessons learned from Jim Jonsin. FnZ also provide insight on the making of Testing and describe Rocky’s hands-on approach to production.
AD LOADING...
HipHopDX: For anybody who’s just seen your name on a production credit, let’s touch on y’all’s origins. How did you start in music?
Zac: I was playing piano when I was a kid. Then when I was about 15 or something like that, one of my brother’s friends gave me a copy of Fruity Loops, and I just started messing with it. At the time, no one else was really making beats. Like now everyone’s making beats, but back then, it was kind of a weird– not weird, but it was something different. I just kind of took to it and kept doing it. It was something that I could do if I kept going with it. It was fun. Me and my friend, Martin, were making beats in high school. Yeah, that’s how it started.
DX: How about you?
[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
AD LOADING...
Finatik: For me, it was kind of similar. I started out pretty much as a scratch Hip Hop battle DJ when I was like 13. I got into that from watching Mix Master Mike, the Beastie Boys and that. Then from there, I just became really infatuated with scratch DJing: DJing clubs, battle DJing like DMC, ITF, all that sort of stuff. Did that for a few years and then got a little bit bored with that and wanted to start focusing on just making beats. Looked up to guys like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Alchemist, the more real Hip Hop kind of shit.
From there, I just started making beats like FL Studio and had a MPC and then had Logic and went through a bunch of different things. Then I just started sampling a lot, making beats and along the way, I met Zac in Perth. We just started collaborating and pretty much making beats every week. It was a thing of ours to get together whenever we had time during the week outside of work and bang out as many beats as we could.
DX: You mentioned how you first linked up. Can you take me back to those early days in Australia? What was the scene like there?
Zac: Shit, there wasn’t that much of a scene. There was a couple of little rap crews, and they started doing beat battles and stuff like that. But it was really pretty dry out there, to be honest. There wasn’t that much going on. We’d just get inspiration from listening to stuff online. We weren’t really messing with that many artists out there. There wasn’t that much to it. Like I said before, there wasn’t that many people making beats back then. It wasn’t …
AD LOADING...
Finatik: It wasn’t a cool thing to do.
Zac: It wasn’t as popular as it is now. You know what I mean? I don’t think people really knew what it really was.
DX: I’m imagining the internet was a big tool for helping you link up with other artists. Can you recall the first big name or even just a notable rapper that y’all connected with and got beats to?
AD LOADING...
Finatik: One of the first was Serius Jones. Back in the day, that was the first one that was notable, that was like, “Oh shit, he’s gonna get on a track!” Someone from the U.S. who was a big deal to us and that. That’s who I’d say would be one of them. Zac, who else do you reckon?
Zac: Definitely him. And there was Clyde Carson.
Finatik: There’s another one! Clyde Carson. This is going way back.
DX: What would you guys say was your big break? I know y’all linked up with Jim Jonsin eventually. Was that the pivotal moment for your career?
AD LOADING...
[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
Zac: Working with Jim was good. He taught us a lot. When we first started working with him, he just had us on the side developing. But eventually, we were working with him in the studio. We just learned lots from being around him, seeing how he interacted with artists, seeing how he moves. It was just exposure to someone making music and making money in the industry.
Finatik: With Jim, it was more so learning with him how to work with artists in the studio because we had such a background in being in our own studio at home or just lounging around making beats. It wasn’t all the time working with artists. So working with him, he helped shape us in the area of working one-on-one with artists and adapting to that.
And then learning how to be able to sculpt something the artist is looking for in this spot. Regardless of if you have a bunch of beats prepared, if they want to do something from scratch, [you’re] ready to go and able to read what they’re after as well.
AD LOADING...
But, I think the pivotal moment would be producing along with A$AP Rocky on “L$D.” What do you reckon, Zac, in terms of that?
Zac: “Long Live A$AP” was dope because that started the relationship with Rocky, and that’s still going strong today. It wasn’t from the ground up because he was already doing his thing, but it was still pretty early on. That lead to a lot of stuff. It’s been good.
DX: Touching on that process with Jim Jonsin … Was that y’all’s first time leaving Australia to be in America working or had y’all done it before then?
AD LOADING...
Zac: No, that was the first time.
Finatik: That was in 2009. Early February 2009, right?
Zac: I think we visited in 2009, but we didn’t have visas or anything. We just came over and were feeling it out or whatever.
Finatik: Three months here and then got back.
AD LOADING...
Zac: A year or two later, we actually moved over properly and started living in the States.
[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
DX: With such a big move, was there any kind of culture shock or was it a fairly smooth transition for y’all?
Zac: Some things are different, especially Miami. It’s the other side of the world, but it’s still pretty similar. We’re speaking English out here, it’s nothing too crazy.
AD LOADING...
Finatik: [Laughs] It’s definitely pretty similar. I think the craziest thing going from Perth to Miami was the first day we met Jim, he took us to a Pitbull video shoot. Going there and seeing Pitbull in the flesh and a bunch of other artists is a shock to see these type of artists that are on TV and on the radio back home. To see them in person is a whole different thing for us coming from Australia.
But in general, like Zac said, everyone speaks English here. But just in terms of the rap culture being so heavy and so dominant in Miami, it was awesome to come to a place like that where there’s more producers, more beatmakers, more artists, more writers.
DX: Y’all mentioned working with Rocky. Obviously, y’all are a big part of his new album, Testing. Can you tell me about the making of that album and how often you were in the studio with him?
AD LOADING...
Zac: With Rocky, we don’t get in the studio with him that often, but when we do, it’s for three weeks straight and we just go in. And the way he works, he might pull up an idea that he started with someone else, and he’s like, “We want you guys to put your thing on it.” We’ll work off that for a bit, then we’ll pull up something that we started with him two years ago. He’s like, “Let’s finish this.” It’s kind of all over the place but in a cool way.
Finatik: You don’t know what to expect.
Zac: It’s hard to explain how the process is with him. We get in and make music, and even when we’re not in the studio with him, we’re keeping him in mind. We have ideas and put it to the side like, “This could be cool for Rocky.” We put it in the folder for when we get a chance to play it for him or send it to him. It’s pretty much like that.
Finatik: I think with our first Rocky sessions, we went in that session with a bunch of beats ready. He was like, “These are cool,” but he wanted to make something on the spot, so we all chimed in at different parts and banged it out on the spot. I think from that point forward, and onto this album, it’s like that.
AD LOADING...
We go into the studio, we have some ideas prepared. We won’t have beats already fleshed out because we know he likes to be a part of it, so we’ll have ideas and some chords or a vocal here or there, and then pull it up for him when we hear the right time in the studio. Then we bang it out on the spot, and it’s part of a vibe together as opposed to having a bunch of beats ready just to hit play on. It makes it more of a special, creative process with all of us being involved together.
[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
Zac: He’s super hands-on with it.
Finatik: Exactly. Super, super hands-on, in a good way. Knowing to add this little sound here, do this, do that. It’s definitely a whole ‘nother creative level in terms of having the idea to get some sounds of footsteps and then sample that and put it in this part. He did that with “L$D,” same thing on “Long Live A$AP.” Just getting random little sounds, little soundscape things that just fill out the track more and make it more like a movie.
AD LOADING...
Zac: He cares about sonics more than most artists.
Finatik: Definitely agree with that.
DX: Is an artist like that an asset to you? Do you feel like when they know exactly what they want, it brings out the best in you?
AD LOADING...
Zac: Definitely. Everyone works differently. We just adapt to whatever situation we have to. But It’s always fun working with an artist that cares like that about the sound.
Finatik: Exactly. What I was going to say is even working on tracks with him in the studio, we’ll usually start an idea, but until it’s ready to the point that he feels ready to lay vocals in, then he’ll go.
He’ll fine tune the drums or the chords, the 808s and that. He wants to be a part of that. Then once that’s all done, he’ll go in and do the vocals, which is cool because some artists are just like, “Throw on a beat” and jump in the booth.
But with him, he wants to be a part it of every step of the way and make sure it’s the best it can be. And it brings out the best out of us because we’re like, “Fuck, we to make sure these drums are crazy.” Or create some really random, abstract sound, whether it’s a sample or someone singing. And we make everything sound really unique, in its own way, for him. So, it definitely brings the best out of us producing with him in the studio.
AD LOADING...
Check back for part two of DX’s interview with FnZ covering Denzel Curry’s TA13OO, their Jaden Smith collaboration and the duo’s career aspirations.
Follow FnZ on Twitter (@finatikNzac) and Instagram (@finatik and @isaacdeboni)
[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
