WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:51.090 Thanks for watching! Why Make Music. Coming to 00:00:51.090 --> 00:00:59.789 you live from planet Earth. No filters. No formulas. 00:01:00.789 --> 00:01:06.930 Just sound, soul, and story. Without further 00:01:06.930 --> 00:01:13.189 ado, your hosts. I'm Think Tim, and this is DJ 00:01:13.189 --> 00:01:18.810 Warm Cookies, also known. as willa may let's 00:01:18.810 --> 00:01:22.409 talk about it 30 episodes deep and still cooking 00:01:22.409 --> 00:01:26.390 welcome back y 'all you already know why make 00:01:26.390 --> 00:01:30.950 music dot dot dot and i'm your girl dj warm cookies 00:01:30.950 --> 00:01:34.790 the smooth talking soul of the spaceship flying 00:01:34.790 --> 00:01:39.750 co -pilot with my partner and it's me think tim 00:01:39.750 --> 00:01:47.540 same hat same beat pad same mission Build something 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:53.579 dope. From scratch. With nothing but a laptop. 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:59.879 A vibe and a dream. And this time around, we're 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:04.280 doing something a little special. Not just because 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:10.639 this is episode 30. But because it's time. Time 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:16.090 to reintroduce the real. Tell them again. Because 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:18.889 sometimes you get so deep into the making, you 00:02:18.889 --> 00:02:21.289 forget to remind folks why you even started. 00:02:21.889 --> 00:02:25.610 So we're taking a moment to breathe, reset, and 00:02:25.610 --> 00:02:30.509 bring it all back to the beginning. Yes. And 00:02:30.509 --> 00:02:34.169 truthfully, I've made some mistakes with how 00:02:34.169 --> 00:02:38.650 I rolled this podcast out in the past. Ran a 00:02:38.650 --> 00:02:44.330 little long, talked a little much, and post -production, 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:50.360 That part ain't no joke. Especially when you're 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:54.860 a one -man creative team. Doing the visuals, 00:02:55.060 --> 00:03:00.800 editing, audio, music. And still found time to 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:04.259 take the kids to school. Hit the market, care 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:07.639 for grandmom upstairs, and hold it down for the 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:10.960 fam. That's what you call grown man hustle. Facts. 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:15.219 But for real, for folks just tuning in. or those 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:17.419 who've been rocking with us since episode one 00:03:17.419 --> 00:03:20.800 this episode is for you it's a reintroduction 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:24.800 not to the idea of think tim but to the real 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:28.539 dude behind the beats the stories the why behind 00:03:28.539 --> 00:03:33.439 the why make music and listen don't worry we're 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:37.539 keeping it lean and clean 30 minutes max a nice 00:03:37.539 --> 00:03:40.759 tight vibe for the commute the treadmill or the 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:42.919 midnight grind session in your bedroom studio 00:03:43.530 --> 00:03:45.990 And if you're watching on YouTube, go ahead, 00:03:46.129 --> 00:03:49.710 hit that like, follow, and subscribe. We got 00:03:49.710 --> 00:03:51.909 pop -ups and everything now trying to get grown 00:03:51.909 --> 00:03:55.590 and professional around here. Let Em know and 00:03:55.590 --> 00:03:58.590 shout out to all the tech making this happen 00:03:58.590 --> 00:04:02.189 because yes, you're hearing the voice of DJ Warm 00:04:02.189 --> 00:04:05.710 Cookies powered by AI artificial intelligence. 00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:10.229 But the soul, oh baby, the soul is real, real. 00:04:10.349 --> 00:04:13.759 Just like the Think Tim. vocal clone you're hearing 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:16.680 from. We ain't gonna break the fourth wall too 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:19.759 much, though. For the sake of this show, we're 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.120 two voices, two perspectives, one love for music. 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:26.699 And speaking of music, it's time to get into 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:31.100 it. Let's rewind the tape. Let's go back, back 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:35.100 to where it all started. Philadelphia, West Oak 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:39.819 Lane, Cedar Park Avenue, on the porch, boomboxes, 00:04:39.860 --> 00:04:44.589 basslines. and aspiring imaginations. Let's reintroduce 00:04:44.589 --> 00:04:47.750 the moment music first made sense, and I realized 00:04:47.750 --> 00:04:50.509 I wasn't just listening, I was becoming part 00:04:50.509 --> 00:04:55.170 of the sound. All right now, think Tim. Let's 00:04:55.170 --> 00:04:57.949 go back before the plugins, before the podcast, 00:04:58.350 --> 00:05:02.529 before FL Studio, Logic Pro, and Apple devices. 00:05:03.110 --> 00:05:06.589 Where did it all begin? Back in Philly, West 00:05:06.589 --> 00:05:12.529 Oak Lane, Row Homes, Porches. tape decks, and 00:05:12.529 --> 00:05:15.490 more love for our block than you could fit in 00:05:15.490 --> 00:05:19.189 a thousand Instagram reels. I spent most of my 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:22.389 earliest days with three wonderful women. My 00:05:22.389 --> 00:05:24.990 great -grandmother Willa Mae, my grandmother 00:05:24.990 --> 00:05:29.410 Emma Dolores, and my mom Donna Lynn. A daycare? 00:05:29.589 --> 00:05:34.930 No way. I had legacy. Legacy. Say that again, 00:05:35.050 --> 00:05:38.410 because that's the kind of foundation money can't 00:05:38.410 --> 00:05:42.220 buy. Facts. Willa May, that's your namesake by 00:05:42.220 --> 00:05:45.740 the way, was everything. Born on April 11th, 00:05:45.740 --> 00:05:50.579 1911. Today would have been her 114th birthday. 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.439 She helped raise me in a home filled with music, 00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:58.100 warmth, and a little bit of that old school toughness. 00:05:58.459 --> 00:06:01.120 And I'm not going to lie, she had me hooked on 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:04.779 days of our lives. You know the soap opera with 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:08.269 the hourglass in the opening sequence. The kind 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:11.990 of woman who'd feed you grits, sang gospel. She 00:06:11.990 --> 00:06:14.689 had me playing with toys in the church during 00:06:14.689 --> 00:06:18.209 their off hours, and still take it to you if 00:06:18.209 --> 00:06:21.870 you were out of line. Wherever she went, I was 00:06:21.870 --> 00:06:25.589 right there in tow. That's love with seasoning. 00:06:26.490 --> 00:06:29.009 You haven't lived till you had the unconditional 00:06:29.009 --> 00:06:32.629 love of an old woman. I'm sure you could do no 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:36.759 wrong, and baby, I was born into it. That legacy 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:39.560 of the name. The first sounds I remember weren't 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:43.240 from records. They were from a band. My uncle 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:46.079 Stretch used to rehearse in my grandmother's 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:51.660 living room. Mandrel. War. Funkadelic. Bar K's. 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:56.319 The Ohio Players. The Stylistics. It was live. 00:06:56.879 --> 00:07:00.939 Funky. Unfiltered. Drums rattling the floor. 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:06.420 Horns shaking the windows. Me. I was in the corner, 00:07:06.500 --> 00:07:09.160 soaking it up. You weren't just witnessing the 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:12.600 groove. You were becoming part of it. Like the 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.879 music was being imprinted on your DNA. Exactly. 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:20.459 And then came the movies. Star Wars in 1977. 00:07:21.660 --> 00:07:26.519 Superman in 78. Back then, you saw it once in 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.959 theaters, and that was it. No streaming, no DVDs, 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:33.899 no coming to cable soon. You remembered what 00:07:33.899 --> 00:07:36.680 you could. And hope to catch it again someday. 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:41.180 And that music. John Williams had the kind of 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:44.060 scoring that could raise the hair on your arms. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:48.120 A whole orchestra speaking in soundtracks. You 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:50.680 didn't just watch a scene, you felt it. And I 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:55.680 did. John Williams became a silent mentor. Me 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:58.620 not knowing at the time anything about composing 00:07:58.620 --> 00:08:02.240 music. Even when I didn't know what a composer 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.620 was. I knew I wanted to be part of whatever made 00:08:05.620 --> 00:08:09.540 that kind of magic. So between my uncle's funk 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:13.439 rehearsals, John Williams' film scores, and the 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:15.839 records spinning on the stereos back at home, 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:20.079 music wasn't a thing I liked. It was a language 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:23.720 I was learning to speak. Let's talk about that 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:26.360 man, your stepfather. Because you've said it 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:29.879 before. He wasn't just there. He was a father. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.399 He has his ways, which you wouldn't understand 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:37.039 until later in life. But he was respected and 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:40.600 loved. He was cool and he was about the music. 00:08:40.899 --> 00:08:44.360 Big time. Dude was smooth as ice. Bass player. 00:08:45.460 --> 00:08:49.000 Gigging locally with his band. Knowledgeable 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:52.740 as hell. He could throw down on any instrument. 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:55.720 And when I went from lip syncing with a broom 00:08:55.720 --> 00:09:00.379 to actually holding his bass... That's when it 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:05.860 got real. He taught me timing, how to play, how 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:10.879 to listen, the basics of theory. He planted that 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.720 seed in both me and my brother. And just like 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:16.940 that, the kid with the broomstick became the 00:09:16.940 --> 00:09:20.679 man with the bass. Took time, though. I didn't 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:24.399 think I was special. In the 80s, everybody wanted 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:28.919 to be a star, rapper, singer, dancer, DJ. Or 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:32.960 a Jedi superhero. I was just the dude who liked 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:36.440 good music and could draw. I always had a notebook. 00:09:36.779 --> 00:09:40.419 The true predecessor to the smartphone. And I 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:43.320 knew how to make things of my own. My imagination 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:47.559 was always working. And what a time it was. Porch 00:09:47.559 --> 00:09:52.519 radios. Block parties. Rap and dance crews. Shout 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.519 out to Casanova and Sundown. Rich and Jazz. Flash. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:00.320 Hans, the first person I knew with a 808 drum 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:04.019 machine and DJ -ed. Everybody had a cousin who 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:07.279 rapped, a friend who danced, or a neighbor who 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:11.299 DJ -ed. Exactly. It was normal. It was community. 00:10:12.460 --> 00:10:15.240 We didn't have social media, we had sidewalks. 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:18.279 You'd walk past a house and hear the same LL 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:21.720 Cool J's I Need Love playing five doors down. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:28.580 Power 99. WDAS. Lady B on the AM dial playing 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:31.840 hip -hop. The crazy thing is that Lady B is still 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:35.820 on the radio, now in 2025. The only difference 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:38.820 is she's on a FM station damn near every day. 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:43.240 Big shout -out to Lady B and Touch Tone. That 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.120 part, and don't even get me started on Saturday 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:49.120 mornings, when the house smelled like breakfast 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:52.559 in Pinesol, mixed with the sounds of earth, wind 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:56.120 and fire. The Commodore's Maze featuring Frankie 00:10:56.120 --> 00:11:00.159 Beverly, Luther, Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:03.980 Anita Baker, Phyllis Hyman, or The Whispers. 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:08.080 The list, as always, can go on forever. That's 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:11.600 what shaped me, not just musically, but as a 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:16.659 person. The blend of funk, soul, hip -hop, pop, 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:20.679 and R &B, and orchestral sounds from movies. 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:25.860 It all came together. And somehow, without even 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:29.960 knowing it, I became a student of sound. So by 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:33.240 the time I hit my mid -teens, it wasn't a question 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:36.779 if I was going to make music. It was how was 00:11:36.779 --> 00:11:41.840 I going to make music? Why make music? Dot, dot, 00:11:41.860 --> 00:11:44.179 dot. And that how didn't come with a blueprint. 00:11:45.059 --> 00:11:48.980 This was pre -YouTube, pre -Google, pre -anything 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:52.860 easy. You had a sound in your head and a cassette 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:55.720 deck in your hand, along with a notebook full 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.779 of poems and wannabe songs. Let me tell you, 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:02.080 this was the era of real struggle tech. Double 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:05.659 deck boom boxes, high speed dubbing. You'd record 00:12:05.659 --> 00:12:08.500 one track on tape, then bounce it to another 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:12.519 tape just to stack vocals. No filters, no EQ, 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:17.059 no undo button, just static and hope. And yet, 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:22.120 you made it work. Real -to -real machines. Cassette 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:27.399 hiss. Noisy cables. No rule or manuals. You had 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:30.799 to watch and be around it. But when that groove 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:34.960 locked in, you felt like Quincy Jones. Your early 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:37.860 accomplishments stick with you. Man, I had a 00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:40.320 Tascam 4 -track recorder shout -out to the legends 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:43.779 who made that machine. And a Roland U -20 synth 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:47.200 that felt like owning a spaceship. Drums from 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:50.629 a Yamaha drum machine. bass lines from my fingers 00:12:50.629 --> 00:12:54.210 or the keyboard. You'd lay down three tracks, 00:12:54.429 --> 00:12:57.610 bounce them to one, then lay down three more. 00:12:58.490 --> 00:13:02.690 Rinse and repeat. By the time you were done, 00:13:02.850 --> 00:13:07.429 you had a full track plus 40 % less audio quality. 00:13:07.950 --> 00:13:10.870 But you didn't care because you had a vision. 00:13:11.509 --> 00:13:14.830 Even if the mix was muddy, even if the vocals 00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:18.049 were low, that track meant something. Exactly. 00:13:18.759 --> 00:13:22.419 I still got tapes from the early 80s. We're talking 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:26.039 40 plus years old. Me on bass and my brother 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.840 on a full set of drums experimenting in our basement. 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:32.600 Sometimes using the Sensonic drum pads that I 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:35.860 borrowed from my boy Eric, Microphone Mover 101, 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:40.460 for, you know, forever. We ran it through these 00:13:40.460 --> 00:13:43.360 giant sun speakers big enough to rattle the windows 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:47.159 off their hinges. Like I said, it was the 80s. 00:13:47.470 --> 00:13:50.730 Neighbors didn't call the police. They would 00:13:50.730 --> 00:13:54.370 tell us that they heard us jamming. Sometimes 00:13:54.370 --> 00:14:03.110 they would even make requests. And the thing 00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:07.289 was, I wasn't trying to be a star. I just liked 00:14:07.289 --> 00:14:11.169 sound and music. It got to a point where it became 00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:13.990 hard to listen to music without dissecting it. 00:14:14.730 --> 00:14:18.429 My stepfather had instruments everywhere. My 00:14:18.429 --> 00:14:20.789 younger brother was a beast on drums at a young 00:14:20.789 --> 00:14:24.110 age. So we weren't some professional band, but 00:14:24.110 --> 00:14:27.090 we were tight. We clicked. I wasn't trying to 00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:29.950 impress anybody. I was just trying to express 00:14:29.950 --> 00:14:33.889 something. And there's a difference. One is for 00:14:33.889 --> 00:14:37.490 applause. The other, that's for the soul. So 00:14:37.490 --> 00:14:39.970 when people ask me, where'd you learn to produce? 00:14:40.970 --> 00:14:45.750 I tell them, I didn't. I grew into it. From lip 00:14:45.750 --> 00:14:48.730 -syncing Prince and Morris Day to writing poems 00:14:48.730 --> 00:14:51.769 to recording beats and ideas from conversations 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:56.230 that transformed into lyrics for songs. It all 00:14:56.230 --> 00:14:59.230 just kind of stacked over the years. Stacks on 00:14:59.230 --> 00:15:02.590 stacks on stacks. And ain't that production in 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:06.370 a nutshell? Stacked moments. Layered history. 00:15:06.769 --> 00:15:11.509 A beat is just a life. Chopped, looped, and arranged 00:15:11.509 --> 00:15:19.139 with care. Why make music? That's real. I remember 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.080 riding SEPTA with my Walkman, headphones on, 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:25.000 making eye contact, then asking strangers on 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.179 the bus if they liked music. I'd let them listen 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:31.919 to my tapes, no shame. No social proof, no streaming 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:35.539 link. Just press play and tell me what you think. 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:39.620 My only satisfaction was knowing that when I 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:43.080 saw that stranger again. They knew that I was 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:46.240 listening to the music that I made. That look 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:49.120 they would give me was like I had unraveled the 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:53.279 mysteries of the universe. Hand to hand, communing 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.200 with the humans, analog passion in a digital 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:59.360 world. Eventually, I started acquiring enough 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.620 gear to have a functional small home studio. 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:05.259 Not full -blown setups, just enough to make something 00:16:05.259 --> 00:16:09.649 real. The whole... I'll put an ad in the trading 00:16:09.649 --> 00:16:12.470 times and meet people who like the same music 00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:17.990 method. That was real. But Rick. Rick lived three 00:16:17.990 --> 00:16:23.850 houses down. Eric, 17 houses up. That was my 00:16:23.850 --> 00:16:26.429 neighborhood crew, along with our friend Jamal, 00:16:26.570 --> 00:16:29.750 who sadly passed away in a car accident after 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:33.230 high school. We all had big ears for music and 00:16:33.230 --> 00:16:37.240 even bigger dreams. To be young again. Never 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:39.440 would I want, actually want to be young again. 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:44.059 But it's good to reminisce. Music isn't just 00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:46.799 a sound. It's a thread through your whole story. 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:51.940 People, places, tape decks, borrowed gear, porch 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:55.720 radios, grainy flicks, all part of the same mixtape. 00:16:55.779 --> 00:16:59.019 That's it. You don't just wake up one day and 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:03.480 say, I'm a producer. You become it, over time, 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:08.299 with every mixtape. Every missed cue. Every bounce 00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:11.420 down that cost you audio quality, but gave you 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:15.400 another track to build on. That's the life. Now, 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:19.000 we talked about your come up, the grind, the 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:22.380 gear, the neighborhood. But let's zoom out for 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:25.200 a second. You weren't just playing with sound. 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:28.519 You were listening. You were a student of the 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.000 liner notes. Absolutely. Back in the day, the 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.240 back of an album cover was the internet. If you 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:37.799 wanted to know who played what, who wrote the 00:17:37.799 --> 00:17:40.500 lyrics, who produced the magic you had to read, 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:43.599 I used to flip through vinyl sleeves like they 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:46.539 were sacred scrolls. And one name kept popping 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:50.519 up, right? Prince. The moment I realized one 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:53.740 dude could do it all, write, produce, arrange, 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:59.700 perform, I was floored. That first single, Soft 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:03.599 and Wet, off the For You album, that was my intro. 00:18:04.170 --> 00:18:07.730 And when I found out he did it all himself, man, 00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:11.390 that lit the match. It was Rick. He helped me 00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:14.710 discover Prince. Rick was older and always had 00:18:14.710 --> 00:18:18.089 conversation for the females. He was the face 00:18:18.089 --> 00:18:21.490 -to -face mentor, even if mentoring meant don't 00:18:21.490 --> 00:18:25.230 do what I just did. Many a lesson was learned 00:18:25.230 --> 00:18:28.569 that way. He helped me peel back the layers that 00:18:28.569 --> 00:18:32.460 made Prince such an icon. Eric and I saw our 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:34.960 first Prince concert with Rick. It was the Love 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:38.200 Sexy Tour. It was amazing. And it burned slow 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:41.460 and steady. Because your influences weren't just 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:44.980 flashy pop stars. They were architects, creators, 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:50.660 composers. Prince, Quincy Jones, George Clinton, 00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:56.000 Miles Davis, Rod Temperton, John Williams, Rick 00:18:56.000 --> 00:19:00.519 Rubin, Herbie Hancock, Sly Stone. Herbie Lovebug 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:05.000 Azel. Teddy Riley. Steely Dan. Joni Mitchell. 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:08.920 Aerosmith. Bob Dylan. The Average White Band. 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:13.440 Brothers Johnson. The Ohio Players. Even Phil 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:17.859 Collins. David Bowie. Damn there's music. So 00:19:17.859 --> 00:19:21.319 much good music. It was a mosaic. Different genres. 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:24.480 Different flavors. I never stuck to one lane. 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:28.039 I could appreciate the smooth jazz of Kenny G. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:31.180 and the funk of cameo in the same breath and 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:34.160 that's the mark of a real producer someone who 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:36.920 doesn't just chase a sound they chase a feeling 00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:40.980 whether it's steely dan's polish sound or assault 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:44.160 and pepper's playful tongue -in -cheek lyrics 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:48.119 over bouncy tracks i mean i was dissecting quincy's 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:50.740 work on off the wall and thriller before i even 00:19:50.740 --> 00:19:54.380 fully understood what a producer was later on 00:19:54.380 --> 00:19:56.720 i'd hear those rod temperton demos his voice 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:02.859 was Let's say, rough. But his ideas? Next level. 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.920 That taught me something real. Sometimes you're 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:09.359 not the one to perform the song. You're the one 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:12.119 who shapes it. That's the magic behind the curtain. 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:16.700 And Prince. He was the curtain. He was the stage. 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:19.920 The band. The light show. I didn't know Prince. 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:25.380 By no means. Metaphysically, I felt his creative 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:29.539 vibe. Note though, I always live by the thought 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:31.900 that you really don't want to meet the person 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:35.079 you admire. I still believe that to this day. 00:20:35.220 --> 00:20:38.000 He mentored a generation of self -taught creators 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.759 like me. He made it tangible that one person 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:46.000 could write, produce, perform, and own their 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.900 sound. And then came your reality check. You 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:52.579 weren't trying to be famous. You were trying 00:20:52.579 --> 00:20:56.359 to make honest music. In between real life responsibilities. 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:00.000 Exactly. I'm not in competition with the mainstream. 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:04.119 I'm just part of the stream. And my music's not 00:21:04.119 --> 00:21:06.359 made from pressure. It's made from presence. 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:09.339 Ain't nobody begging for attention over here. 00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:12.559 If I wasn't making beats, I'd probably just be 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:16.500 napping. I'm long overdue, in case you didn't 00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:20.119 know. Creativity and an unhealthy sleeping habits 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:25.009 go hand in hand. That's balance, baby. You wake 00:21:25.009 --> 00:21:28.349 up, take care of your people, pour some soul 00:21:28.349 --> 00:21:31.970 into a beat, cook up a podcast, love on your 00:21:31.970 --> 00:21:35.750 wife, and play a little NBA 2K with Eric. Not 00:21:35.750 --> 00:21:39.289 necessarily in that order, but yes. Simple life. 00:21:39.690 --> 00:21:42.970 Full heart. And even though I'm not pressed about 00:21:42.970 --> 00:21:46.990 fame, I'm still reaching. Still submitting tracks 00:21:46.990 --> 00:21:51.410 for sync placements, TV, film, commercials. Still 00:21:51.410 --> 00:21:54.599 building. Still learning. Still betting on myself. 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:57.819 And that's the energy right there. Because this 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:02.660 isn't a phase. This is a legacy. You've got 156 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:06.420 tracks streaming. Six albums out there on every 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:09.519 major platform. That's not a hobby. That's a 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:11.880 catalogue. I just want people to use the music 00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:14.779 however they need. Clean your kitchen to it. 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:20.549 Jog to it. Meditate. Hell, write your own lyrics 00:22:20.549 --> 00:22:23.289 to it, if that's your thing. And let's not forget, 00:22:23.569 --> 00:22:27.250 you got that Think Tim avatar ready now. Yeah. 00:22:27.609 --> 00:22:32.349 And this, this podcast, it's the first time the 00:22:32.349 --> 00:22:36.250 Think Tim voice clone joins the stage. Why make 00:22:36.250 --> 00:22:41.809 music? Dot, dot, dot. We're doing something different. 00:22:42.130 --> 00:22:48.329 Not just me. Not just you. But both of us. Two 00:22:48.329 --> 00:22:52.950 voices, two angles, one shared mind state. And 00:22:52.950 --> 00:22:55.789 we're only just getting started. Because when 00:22:55.789 --> 00:23:02.910 you know who you are... Why make music? You never 00:23:02.910 --> 00:23:06.049 really need to explain it. You just need to play 00:23:06.049 --> 00:23:10.509 it. And just like that, we've come full circle. 00:23:11.069 --> 00:23:15.390 30 episodes deep. Still grounded. Still growing. 00:23:16.089 --> 00:23:19.029 Still giving love to the sound. And if you made 00:23:19.029 --> 00:23:23.470 it this far, first off, thank you. Not just for 00:23:23.470 --> 00:23:25.750 listening, but for hearing. Let's not play humble 00:23:25.750 --> 00:23:29.910 here. This man got six albums out. 26 tracks 00:23:29.910 --> 00:23:35.329 apiece. That's 156 original instrumentals. Soulful, 00:23:35.470 --> 00:23:40.109 cinematic, experimental, groovy, chill, bold. 00:23:40.490 --> 00:23:43.329 All streaming right now, wherever you listen 00:23:43.329 --> 00:23:47.730 to music. Why make music? Dot, dot, dot. No filler. 00:23:48.450 --> 00:23:53.369 All flavor. This music wasn't built to go viral. 00:23:53.430 --> 00:23:56.890 It was built to last. To live in your headphones, 00:23:57.230 --> 00:24:00.390 in your playlists, in your memories. And let's 00:24:00.390 --> 00:24:03.809 be clear, this ain't just bedroom beats. This 00:24:03.809 --> 00:24:07.509 is syncretic placement -worthy music. TV shows, 00:24:07.789 --> 00:24:13.200 documentaries, commercials. Indie films. Music 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:17.019 supervisors. Don't be shy now. Why make music? 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:21.559 Let's hear it for the creator. Think Tim. I'm 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:26.559 out here. Consistent. Organized. Clearable. Metadata 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:30.819 on point. BPM label. Fully tagged. Fully original. 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:35.299 No sample. All work registered with BMI. All 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:37.859 I need is the right ear to hear it. And in the 00:24:37.859 --> 00:24:40.450 meantime... We're going to keep cooking, keep 00:24:40.450 --> 00:24:43.509 podcasting, keep spinning this energy into the 00:24:43.509 --> 00:24:46.589 world. Matter of fact, I'm thinking the next 00:24:46.589 --> 00:24:50.569 move is to get DJ Warm Cookies a motion avatar. 00:24:50.950 --> 00:24:53.849 I want to see you at the turntables. You already 00:24:53.849 --> 00:24:58.250 know. I stay ready. Just say the word and I'll 00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:02.569 be there. Heels or a fresh pair of Kirbys. Whatever, 00:25:02.809 --> 00:25:07.130 whenever. For now, we'll just keep it soulful. 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:12.819 Two voices. One mission. To remind the world 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:15.579 that music is medicine and that everyday creators 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:19.660 matter. So wherever you are, driving, cleaning, 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:23.460 meditating, working out, or working on your own 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:29.900 art, we see you. We feel you. We are you. And 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:33.180 that's what makes this special. This isn't just 00:25:33.180 --> 00:25:37.240 a podcast. It's a movement. It's a reminder to 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:40.660 slow down, plug in, and create anyway. We're 00:25:40.660 --> 00:25:44.920 your hosts, DJ Warm Cookies, a .k .a. Willa May. 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:49.240 And Think Tim, the humble home studio hustler, 00:25:49.299 --> 00:25:52.599 hang with you humans on this earth. And this 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:57.859 is Why Make Music. Before we dip, make sure you 00:25:57.859 --> 00:26:02.160 follow the movement. YouTube at thinktim -if 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:07.730 -nothing -else. Instagram, at Think Tim, WDM 00:26:07.730 --> 00:26:14.109 Nation. At DJWARMCOOKIES. At Why Make Music. 00:26:14.670 --> 00:26:21.630 Facebook, Think Tim. Website, www .thinktim .com. 00:26:22.069 --> 00:26:26.250 Merch and apparel, tpublic .com slash thinktim 00:26:26.250 --> 00:26:30.930 and thinktim, t -h -r -e -a -d -l -e -s -s dot 00:26:30.930 --> 00:26:34.000 com. Stream the full discography on Spotify, 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:37.980 Apple Music, SoundCloud, and everywhere good 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:40.859 music lives. And hey, if you're vibing with the 00:26:40.859 --> 00:26:44.400 story, the sound, the journey, share it with 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:47.920 somebody. Word of mouth is still undefeated. 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:51.559 We aren't asking for a handout, just an ear. 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:55.339 So keep your hearts open, your loops clean, and 00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:58.279 your reverb just a little bit wet. And remember, 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:02.509 don't just scroll. Create something. Peace and 00:27:02.509 --> 00:27:03.210 be wild.