Tonedeff and the QN5 crew have been working hard as of late. While he may not have released too much music as of late, he is letting it be known that he’s gearing up to release new material for fans soon. Tonedeff spoke to HipHopDX about upcoming projects and more.
Recently, Tone released “Warden,” [click to listen] a song inspired by Kanye West‘s “Love Lockdown.” However, instead of simply laying a few bars over it, Deff reworked the track altogether. After adding some of his own touches, he put it out. He spoke to us on how the song came about.
“I randomly got an email about a house version of ‘Love Lockdown’ that my man Chew Fu (a House producer out of Amsterdam) had done. He deejays for a huge radio show out on BBC Radio in the UK. So, I hit him up about his remix and told him that I had an idea for my own version of the song – but it wasn’t gonna be a ‘remix’…but I re-imagining of it. He sent me the house instrumental he had made, but I ended up making an entirely new version of the music from scratch and then laying the acapella to my own song over his remix instrumental… Basically, it started out as something entirely different and ended up as ‘Warden,‘” he said.
Tone also made it clear that the song shouldn’t be labeled a remix.
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“Personally, I really don’t dig the modern definition of the ‘remix.’ Everybody seems to think that adding an eight or 16 bar verse over a song in ProTools qualifies as a remix. I’d actually call that an ‘edit’, not a remix. So, I wanted to try something completely different..firstly by flipping the concept of a song, then using a key portion of the melody (in this case, the 808‘s and replayed piano) and building an entirely new song out of it. Even though I had a horrific head cold when I recorded it…I’m happy with how it turned out.“
Although he has taken a break from the limelight of sorts, Tone has been hitting the lab. Expect more than one project coming from Tone next year.
“Well, I kinda took a step back into the shadows working on everyone’s projects on QN5 the past few years. It’s been all ‘QN5‘ and not so much ‘Tonedeff.’ So, I’m now refocusing my energy on my personal projects. I’ve taken a break from touring and have just been writing and recording a lot of new material. I’m cranking heavy right now on Chico & The Man with Kno (of CunninLynguists) – which I’m hella excited about. And a few other tinkerings I won’t divulge right now. At this point, my head’s about to burst with the amount of ideas I have banging around in there. I’m just excited to get back out there and start knocking skulls around. I have a good feeling for ’09,“he said, with an emphasis on “good.”
Still, Tone decided to keep some secrets about why he feels good to himself. Before we were done, he actually shed some more light on one of those secrets and made an announcement.
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“In terms of 2009, besides Chico & The Man, I’m working on an all-sung singer/songwriter album. It’s been in the works for mad long, but I’m at the point where I can start talking about it. Lemme just say that I hate R&B music. So, get that outta yer heads.“
Without saying much more, he remained optimistic that heads would appreciate new projects coming from the QN5 camp.
For now, fans can catch QN5 artists on the Dirty Acres Tour. The tour dates and performers are listed below.
10.12.08 – CunninLynguists, PackFM & Substantial
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@ Gordon Best Theater – Peterborough, ON
10.14.08 – CunninLynguists, PackFM & Substantial
@ Babylon Nightclub – Ottowa, ON
10.15.08 – CunninLynguists, PackFM & Substantial
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@ Harper’s Ferry – Boston, MA
10.16.08 – CunninLynguists, PackFM & Substantial
@ Knitting Factory – New York, NY
10.17.08 – CunninLynguists, PackFM & Substantial
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@ Montclair State University – Montclair, NJ
10.18.08 – CunninLynguists, PackFM & Substantial
@ McDaniel College – Westminster, MD
10.19.08 – CunninLynguists & Substantial
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@ Carpool – Herndon, VA
10.20.08 – CunninLynguists & Substantial
@ Brewery – Raleigh, NC
10.21.08 – CunninLynguists & Substantial
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@ The Jinx – Savannah, GA
10.22.08 – CunninLynguists & Substantial
@ PS14 – Miami, FL
10.24.08 – CunninLynguists & Substantial
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@ Lenny’s – Atlanta, GA
(21+)
10.31.08 – CunninLynguists & PackFM
@ Cornell University – Ithaca, NY
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11.01.08 – CunninLynguists & PackFM
@ Vassar College – Poughkeepsie, NY
