Written by Carlos Mbendera with help from Slowerpace Music
Barber Beats. After listening to the album known as, Barbershop Simulator, the YouTube algorithm has decided that I like “Barber Beats”. Initially, I thought that these albums were the love child of one artist or label. However, upon closer inspection I learned that the genre is actually a sub genre of Vaporwave, and that it became popular due to the artist known as “Haircuts For Men.” According to reddit:
“What happens is that they take lounge songs from other artists, lower them in pitch, slow them down or speed them up, add reverb and sometimes rearrange them a bit. Then they design covers with this awesome aesthetic and give the songs Japanese names. As far as I know none of these artists compose any of the songs themselves. They do usually state in their profiles that they don’t take credit and everything is plundered. As others stated, Haircuts For Men are the most popular of these artists and hence the genre’s name :-)” – u/Garvmast0RR
I wanted to learn more, and if you read my album review for Barbershop Simulator then you may recall that I promised you an interview at the end of that piece. If you haven’t read it, then check it out here: It’s really good. I recently had the pleasure of talking to the mastermind behind it. (Web Editor commenting here – I sadly could not put “Clapping and Cheering Sound Effects” here as Carlos wanted so please imagine, if you will, clapping and cheers erupting at this point in the article.)
So thank you for tuning back in, here is your reward:
It’s with great pleasure that I would like to introduce Slowerpace Music, an enthusiast from Brazil who describes themselves as “Just a boy doing vaporwave experiments. Almost everything is plundered, I take some credit but keep in mind nothing here is totally original”
* How did you start your journey as an indie music producer?
SP – I always liked playing with software and I love music, the rest came naturally.
* How do you approach the initial stages of creating a new track or project?
SP – I spend many hours working and listening to music. When I hear something that I think has potential, I do experiments in FL Studio. It doesn’t always have a good result. In fact, it rarely results in good material. After that, I save it to use on an album where the track will fit well with the proposal. I have dozens of songs saved to use in the future.
* Your album covers really set the atmosphere for the music. How do you go about creating or finding them? 香り and GUILT 罪 悪 感 are my favourite ones alongside Barbershop simulator.
SP – Graphic design is my real profession. I make them in photoshop and everything is easy and natural for me. In some cases the cover comes before tracks hahaha.
* As an indie artist, where do you draw inspiration from, especially when facing creative blocks?
SP – I haven’t had any creative blocks yet… When I’m listening to the edited tracks I have saved, an idea for a new story/album always comes up.
* Are there any other music genres or styles you are considering exploring in your future projects?
SP – Of course.. in fact I have already explored other styles and intend to explore as many as I can. As I said, this is all fun for me.
* Do you have any specific gear or software that you feel is indispensable to your production process?
SP – Youtube, Spotify, FL Studio and Adobe Audition.
* What advice would you give to someone looking to start their journey as an indie producer?
SP – I don’t really know, I don’t consider myself a producer, just an enthusiast and a guy who likes playing with software =)
Slowerpace Links:
