Gud in conversation with Jack Angell for 'Foreign Exchange'

How did “Foreign Exchange” come into fruition?

I’ve been listening to Rx Papi’s music since last summer. I had DM'ed him about a song of his he had on his Instagram story, and asked if I could send him some beats. His manager told Papi about me and what, and he was excited to do something, so I was like, “Let’s just do a whole album.” I sent him beats for 6 months, and we chose the 8 best songs.

What was the recording process like for “Foreign Exchange”

I would send him beats and he would record in Garageband and send tracks back to me as demos, but then he lost his computer, so we just ran with the demos. I did my best to polish and master the demos, and it is what it is now. It sounds good though, it has a unique sound to it. He has a sound to him already.

I mostly listen for flows and sounds, so it kind of took me a while to hear the lyrics properly. I’d say after a couple months of revisiting the tracks I actually heard what he was saying. I’m not a lyrics person at all, really. I just listen to flows and cadences and stuff. It kind of takes me a while to process the words and the meaning behind it. Lean actually was the one to sequence the tracks, so when he did that and I just started listening to the demos in sequence, I started to hear it, hearing all the pain and the emotions.

So how would you describe "Foreign Exchange" to someone who’s never heard of Sad Boys or Papi?

It’s emotional dopeboy music. Like Martin Scorsese music.

“The beats [we use] are very heavy and already have a story,” Thaiboy once told me. How do you put your own story into your beats?

I kind of stress myself out over that -- because it’s important. I think when I’m not making the music I should be making I get really pissed about it, I get really antsy. I just can’t make any type of shit. Picking the sounds out, everything has to be right about it and if it’s not, and if I can’t make it right, I get really frustrated and I just don’t make music for, like, 6 months. [Oftentimes] because the story is not right or the emotion isn’t clear enough behind it.

Say you are making a beat and it’s going really well, what’s the process like?

It’s usually melodies and chords for me first. Or it’s the sounds, the whole idea getting the right melody with the right sound. There’s a point where they become one thing. I feel with myself, [it’s] grasping something in my head, a foggy thought or an unclear emotion I know I want to reach. It could also be a scene from a movie i’ve seen or some sequence in my head that has emotional weight or clarity to it. Then you kind of make the music. You know, you try to get it where its got to go. Sometimes you actually get it there and you’re convinced. So when it’s a successful session for me, its like im fully convinced by the sounds and melodies. It comes together as one piece and you don’t hear the individual parts, you don’t focus on, “Oh I like the kick drum or the snare” or “I like this part,” it’s just this is a whole thing that is completely in itself, if that makes sense.

You working with new crowds and finding new creative partners is interesting, since that’s something you’re not really known for.

Nah, I wanted to work with very specific people, and I’m still like that. I’m not willing to work with anyone on just anything. Just when it comes to influences and ideas and shit, you need to be in the same space. And it’s kind of hard to find people who share that -- if you like the same shit you might not like it for the same reason. You need to see the same things in the same things for it to work.

Published on 19/11/2021

Business Controller

YEAR0001 seeks a BUSINESS CONTROLLER to join our office in Stockholm.

The Business Controller is our central economical foundation and is situation- and forward oriented, working with formulating goals and action plans.

Duties include:

— Perform a wide range of financial analysis including managing the general ledger & month end close, balance sheet reconciliations, royalty statement processing, account payable processing, account receivable collection, payroll, financial statement review, cash flow forecasting and project budgeting & approval.

— Review current processes and suggest and implement improvements to increase efficiency and enhance the control environment.

— Responsible for updating and adding accounting policies for the business.

— Evaluate financial reports and performance against budgets to determine how the company’s operations impact business finances and vice versa.

— Drive the analysis and reporting for monthly Business Performance Reviews and other specific financially-driven projects.

— Synthesise financial and non-financial information and trends to build budgets, short and long-term financial forecasts and provide input for strategic planning.

Requirements:

— Significant experience in a similar or related role.

— Degree level qualification in a Business, Finance or related subject (or equivalent industry experience).

— Experience creating revenue forecasts and sales reports and presenting these to senior management.

— Advanced knowledge of Excel and comfortable using complex excel formulas and building financial models.

— Proficient with statistics, data valuation and business modeling.

— Excellent business and systems analysis, critical thinking, commercial mindset and communication skills.

YEAR0001 is a fast growing multidisciplinary music company with management, record label, publishing and creative studio based in Södermalm Stockholm. Representing a range of artists like Yung Lean, Gud, Yung Sherman (Sad Boys), Merely, Bladee, Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital, Whitearmor (Drain Gang), V**gra Boys, Nadia Tehran, Dungen, Quiltland and more.

Non male applicants are encouraged to apply. Please send a covering letter stating how you meet the requirements along with your CV and a list of your 3 favorite releases of 2018 to jobs@year0001.com

Published on 01/04/2019

Full line-up presented for Wings Of Desire: London

Yung Lean. Wings of Desire. O2 Academy Brixton, 21st November 2018. A night of live music and art curated by Yung Lean, featuring very special guests and performers, pop-up shop and more.

Headlined by Yung Lean himself, Wings of Desire will also feature performances by Yves Tumor AV with visuals by Ezra Miller, Bladee, ECCO2K, Thaiboy Digital, a pop-up shop with exclusive Wings of Desire merchandise + much more to experience and indulge on site.

Wings of Desire art direction and concept by Victor Svedberg, press images by Gustav Stegfors and Gus Reichwald.

Tickets available at  wingsofdesire.year0001.com

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Published on 15/10/2018
YEAR 0001