I'm Focu$ed Man

Jay Focu$ makes his NatCave debut with a killer track for the ladies She Digs Me. For those of you who need a textbook definition of swagger, Jay spells it out lovely using his smooth flow and upbeat lyrics. The beat is perfect to vibe to while you're with your shorty. Mr. Focu$ has more in store and we're anxious to get his talent shared with the world.

Keemo Comes Through

Keemo's visit to The NatCave Studio is definitely a classic. His haunting southern voice casts a spell over his track No Fear. We wish we had more to say about Keemo but he's definitely the "making moves type and much like his lyrics, his personality is mysterious. We look forward to the next time Keemo drops us a line.

Feel The Breeze

Breeze makes his first visit to The NatCave Studio and what a treat it was. He drops an anthem track titled Never Slippin' The beat alone is sick and if you're not careful you'll miss all the lyrical gems Breeze drops on the track. One of the concepts that Breeze said he appreciates about the studio is it allows artists to get their work out a lot faster than trying to do it alone. There are a lot of artists that are drawn to learn how to record their own tracks but in the end it turns into a distraction from your original goal which is to entertain. With plans to drop a CD very soon, Breeze anticipates returning to the studio in the near future.

Bless You

Working with Blessed is truly an inspiring experience. It is immediately evident that he is possessed by an astonishing amount of lyrics and music. As soon as he walks in the door with his entourage they get right to work and lace the studio mic with one song after the next, no breaks allowed. They go hard and they go fast. With the formula he uses along with The NatCave Studio at his disposal, he literally puts an entire mix CD together in one day. It's an aw inspiring experience to see it in motion, be warned this technique is not for everyone, in fact be sure before you even attempt it, you're... Blessed. Check out his awesome myspace page at myspace.com/drestagg

The Wonder of Wayne

Mr. Magadawn stops by The NatCave Studio do get some Soca rhythms out of his head and into our hearts. He is definitely one of the coolest artists we have met running the studio, never putting pressure on time but instead energizing the time with good vibes. Ever since first day he came in to the studio he was singing and dancing to a song that was trapped in his head called "Follow Fashion and he decided it was time to create the perfect instrumental to support his fierce vocals. If you're a fan of dancing like there's is no tomorrow, this track is for you. While great music is always the goal in every session we have with all our artists, Wayne has a majestic way of expressing the energy he generated and constantly tells us not to focus on the clock and to focus on the music. What a genuine spirit, truly an artist worthy of grand publicity to support his quest to keep the world dancing.

Azeezy Baby

Azeez is a young Brooklyn rapper who is putting serious work into his natural talent. We had the honor of being the first official studio Azeez calls home and the first session he had with us about a month ago was just a taste. After blocking out an afternoon of time, Azeez drops three blazing tracks one after the other: "I Be Easy, I Watch You and I'm Illy. You probably wouldn't be able to tell meeting him face to face but trust us, this innocent looking young man turns into a beast in the booth. Azeez is defiantly on his way to getting the attention he deserves and The NatCave Studio is with him every step of the way.

Keep On Bangin'

The team from Bangas Only is definitely making their mark inside The NatCave Studio. They've been steadily increasing the momentum of their upcoming CD, not wasting any time while inside the studio. One of the unique pleasures that comes from working on this project is the flow of work that is performed. The same way performers rehearse before a big show, they have adapted the same principal to their studio recordings by going over the songs completely before stepping foot into the studio. It's an amazing process to witness as each layer of each song is applied in such rhythm, gracefully resembling a live play as actors step in and out of the spotlight and grace the audience. While we're familiar with the names of the members, we actually had the pleasure of meeting members face to face and experience the talent celebrated by the group. The energy in the sessions is priceless and we're counting the days until this masterpiece is available to the public.

Bux - Why The NatCave Studio Is The Only Studio I Use

Written by Bux Dolla for The NatCave Studio





In my opinion, a studio is a place to substantiate the creative process. In the optimal situation the studio should be used as a tool on your way to a final project.

The studio experience allows an artist to hear the culmination of all the aspects of a particular project and is the first place a project will be heard by others. It also allows for an artist after hearing their work to make changes to the minute, nuances that make a piece perfect to you and also to take in any input, ideas, or constructive critiques of your project. This by far places The NatCave Studio head and shoulders above the "other" studios.

I don't call them competitors because at The NatCave we are family, but first I'll talk business. State of the art equipment and programming from Pro Tools to FL Studio, isolated vocal booth and professional staff, not to mention it's affordable. Ok, business aside, let's talk about people and music. Why do you do music? I don't have one reason why I do it and I'm sure you probably don't either but for some reason I do it and I'm protective of it. Here at The NatCave Studio, creators of the music run the show, not musicians. A musician takes someone else's music and in order for it to be any good they have to make it their own, that's just the nature of the beast, music creators make their own music so they understand the creative process and can give input that will help you further you're own work. The music is your statement and we want to know who you are.

Let's talk flexibility. Have you ever been somewhere and missed one appointment or meeting and felt embarrassed to go back? Well The NatCave Studio understands that people are just that... people. They allow for you to easily change an appointment to suit your needs. This is your project and it will progress at the speed you want it to. I have witnessed and have been guilty of all night marathon sessions where we lock ourselves in and get it done because that is what's needed. You won't get a "No" at The NatCave Studio. As a matter of fact a question asked at The NatCave Studio that starts with"Can you...?" is usually answered with a big smile because I have yet to find something that couldn't be done.

Which leads me to my final thought, Nat. The NatCave Studio has Nat. Any studio without Nat is missing... everything. I can't explain it and if you haven't been to the studio I won't try. That's something you will have to experience for yourself. Once you've been through your first session here you're left feeling "After recording at The NatCave Studio, I will never record anywhere else again. Period." That in itself is reason enough. It was reason enough for me over 10 years ago and the new artist that come in today agree. The NatCave Studio is where ideas become reality.

Ami Is On Her Way

Amira has been back and forth to the studio finalizing her first single "I'll Live Up To Me". Her dedication is very rare, especially at age 14 and at The NatCave Studio we encourage every minute of it. Amira examines every element of the song in pursuit of a flawless CD release. One of the things we love about Amira is she her imagination encourages her to inquire all possibilities, yet remarkably stays focused on her original goal. She's had guest musicians contribute to the project and is always seeking critique from everyone involved in the sessions proving the ability to ad producer to her long list of titles connected to the song. Look out Amira, we're amazed at what she's accomplished and what's even better is this is jsut the begining to wonderful career in music.

Landmind Entertainment

Andrew is a long time affiliate of The NatCave Studio. He comes to us with original music and orchestrates his sessions with pure swagger. Andrew graced us with two new singles "Eternal External" and "War's Hell". You can tell just by the titles of his tracks that he is no ordinary rapper. There is so much content is his lyrics that you will be playing his music over and over to absorb his message deeper. Andrew reinvents himself during each visit and we are always excited to see him on the schedule. Once he drops this CD you will fully understand his remarkable vision.

Edidi's Passion

If every artist booked studio time like Edidi does, we'd need to publish The NatCave Journal on a weekly basis. Recently Edidi brought us some great surprises. He has a monster hit "Boma Ye" that we must have mixed and remixed over a dozen times, pluging in different beats and different elements to express the raw emotion displayed in Edidi's vocals. This song is definately a studio favorite.
One of the best things we like about working with Edidi is he is not selffish, he shares his studio time with all the artists in his circle and proudly sits in the producers seat. Every time another artists books a session adjacent to one of his, he instantly begins networking. Annie was no exception. While working on her single "Diffusion", Edidi recognized Annie's talent and soon began colaborating on a new version of Boma Ye.
Edidi has also invited Mizz P in on numerous sessions. Not only is Mizz P featured on some of Edidi's tracks but she has also worked on tracks she can call her own included two tracks partnering up wit Lenora (sister of Amira).
Edidi's hard work and endless persisitence is paying off. No one can deny the impact that he makes with his music.

Ene Is Back In Town

Ever since the day we met Ene and her husband Rommel, we've been truly inspired to give our all into their project. They brought an external hard drive to the studio hiding an absolute goldmine of powerful music. All the tracks were recorded in Philadelphia and while in New York they decided it was time to lay down vocals and start mixing this symphony of recordings accompanied by live musicians.
Ene doesn't play around with her studio time, she books her sessions in big chunks, in fact her last visit to the studio in August 2008 endured for a whopping 13 hours straight. We were amazed to discover Ene authored all the songs for this project as well as contributed to the musical composition. She won't hesitate to jump on the keys when she feels a track needed something more. Rommel is an incredible producer and has what we call in the industry the "Golden Ears". He knows exactly what each song's potential is and does what it takes to get there. Ene is just a alert, remarkably remembering individual takes and relaying to us what edits need to be made right from the booth, without the aid of the computer screen.
Ene has a host of valuable music and she is diligently working in the studio while juggling work, school and motherhood. On top of all this she has returned to Philly since first coming to the studio but the distance doesn't stop her ambition. Truly an inspirational artist to work with and we are anxiously awaiting the completion of her next project.

Bang Out Artists

What a treat. Every time the Bang Out Artists squad drops in the studio they're always cooking up something over the top and this time was no different. They put together a smash single simply titled "No" calling out those who don't know where they stand. If you haven't heard this team flow you're missing out on prime music and "No" is the latest and greatest so jump up on it. Check out this single as well as other tracks released by Bang Out Artist on NatCave Radio.

It’s A Suicide Thing

Suicide Records pays The NatCave Studio a visit after a long pause and we kicked it off in style. Fund$ and Capitol T blessed the booth with their hit song That Paper We had so much fun putting this track together. The beat hits you right on your back and the lyrical flow rides the track beautifully.
Fund$ is always in communication with the studio, keeping us updated with the progress of Suicide Records. We are grateful that Suicide Records works on all their material exclusively at The NatCave especially since they are coming out of Bronx, NY and we are located in Brooklyn. Any group that travels 10 miles (right through Manhattan) to find the right studio has to be the real deal. Check out their catalog on NatCave Radio.

Fresh Juice

The Juice is definitely fresh this season. Juice has been getting all types of media coverage due to his first release “International In 23 Days”. He’s been featured on the Steve Harvey radio show, as well as NY1. Every time Juice calls the studio we get excited cause he drops some unbelievable news.

Even with all the buzz about his first release, Juice Cannon has not forgot about his focus on number 2. He finished his latest single “Jeans Hang Low” and then in no time came back to the studio to crank out the exclusive remix. Both are straight up bangers and available to preview on NatCave Radio. On this song, Juice has female rapper Suko featuring on the track. Be warned, these two get into a serious X rated lyrical back-and-forth showdown.

This is yet another track Juice produced himself and we see that Juice has definitely graduated to a new level in his career. We are ecstatic to be along for the ride.

Funding Your Studio Project

Once upon a time, a young artist walks into the door of The NatCave Studio, partnered with the two other members of his group. Anxious to grace me with the work they have already conducted, he whips out a cassette tape (by the way, the year was 2007) and offered me the pleasure of listening to a sample of some songs they had already recorded. After dusting off my cassette player, I played the tape and mentally repainted the picture these young talented artists had created on the cassette tape. I invited them to use the studio for one hour at no charge just so they could get a taste of what the studio could do for them. A few minutes into the session is all it took to blown them away with the difference working inside The NatCave made. In less than an hour’s time, we had rerecorded their song and they were ecstatic to experience such a drastic improvement. All I kept thinking in my head was “Jez… I haven’t even begun mixing yet!” I won’t toot my own horn too loud, in fact I knew exactly what was to come from them remaking the song. A home stereo with a karaoke mode is no match for The NatCave Studio.
Completely gracious for the opportunity to use the studio, their excitement soon dissolved into stunned frowns. It is that magical moment where we cross over from music to business, hoping to cross back over to music… the studio rate. This is what separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls, the players form the haters and the ambitious from the quitters. They looked at each other, then looked back at me, thanked me for my time and uttered a painful phrase “We have no money.”
No money? Is it really possible to have… no money? I was so confused. I tried to imagine myself going to the grocery store, spending an hour filling up my cart, then pulling up to the cashier saying “I have no money”. For those reading this that have not been to The NatCave before, it wasn’t about paying for the session they just had, I actually encourage people to come in and record with us at no charge before making any financial decisions, but to hear afterwords “We have no money” just felt incredibly awkward.
First of all, having no money is impossible. I asked them how they got to the studio, low and behold, they weren’t even from the same state, they traveled from New Jersey into Brooklyn, NY just for us to meet. This required each of them to take the NJ Path train into Manhattan and transfer to the MTA to get to Brooklyn, How do you have no money? Not one of them showed up without clothes on their back, no money? For a second I actually felt insulted but then an idea popped into my head, maybe they don’t know what I know. What I know is everyone has money, the trick is deciding where that money goes.
To make a long story short, I told the leader of the group that if you truly feel you have no money then your next step is to review your resources. For young artists, there really is no better resource than their parents so I suggested they start there. Later that evening would you believe I got a call from the leader’s mother? She called to thank me for allowing them to come in and use the studio without charging them. After a short pleasant conversation, she stated that she now had a situation on her hands because her son now could not think about anything other than coming back to the studio. It turns out she was looking to enroll him in a program to keep him off the street and out of trouble but simply could not decide what he could seriously benefit from. The happy conclusion to this story is the mother pre-paid for 50 hours to allow her son and his friends to work inside the studio. The group soon released a 20-track mix CD, recording, mixing, mastering, artwork and duplication all worked on inside The NatCave Studio. They ordered 200 copies of their CD and between the three of them sold every copy within one week of receiving the CDs. My last conversation with the mother was a warm heart-felt thank you because her son had learned how to take his talent and churn it into a successful entrepreneurial experience. They made every dollar they invested into studio time back via CD sales.
One of my greatest joys running the studio is to see artists grow. The transition from potential to kinetic energy has become a guilty pleasure of mine and I love helping artists make that leap to jumpstart their careers. I have seen more than enough success stories to encourage every artist I encounter to push themselves to the next level. Unfortunately, I am not always that lucky, I can also recall people (not artists, people) booking studio time merely because the ad said “Free.” Instead of working on a music career, they see an opportunity to play out a fantasy and why bother paying for it when I can get it free at this guy’s studio. Talking to them about the studio rate is like reading the morning news to a dead person, I get more out of than they ever will, but the sad thing is I am not doing it for me.
This article is not for the general public, this article is for artists. Artists… don’t ever tell yourself you have no money. It is an immature lie that will ultimately push you further away from your goals. Financial resources are all around you. Family members, friends, banks, jobs, etc. I even give free studio hours to artists just for referring the studio to other artists. In fact, I have an artist that does nothing but refer other artists to the studio. To this day, he has worked on 30+ tracks at The NatCave Studio and has yet to pay for one of them, simply because he keeps our business cards handy while he is networking. While it is true, he has never purchased studio time with money, he has earned it by exercising his natural born networking and marketing skills. I have been happy to accommodate him as a thank you for his generous efforts.
Most of the time, the feeling of having “no money” comes from a psychological condition that prioritizes certain purchases you make as automatic such as rent, car payments, cell phone bill, etc. Many of these automatic payments are legitimate but if you look carefully, you will always find a few that sneak in there and rob you of the opportunity to work in the studio. In other words, the money is there but you can’t acknowledge it because somehow you know at the end of the month it will disappear regardless. Currently, our studio rate is $50 an hour. For veterans in the music business the rate seems like a hell of a discount. Even some new comers who do their homework and shop around see the benefit as other studios of equal quality post rates of double or more.
What I tell an artist that sees the $50 an hour rate as lot of money is try not to think of it in hours, think of it in minutes. Truthfully, a studio hour consists of a variety of tasks, procedures and instructions that the artist or engineer carries out during each hour. Not one of these tasks takes an hour, usually it is a matter of minutes and if your working with a professional a matter of seconds. $50 an hour actually turns out to about 83 cents a minute. That’s right, 83 cents. If you really want to hear something crazy, $50 an hour works out to about 1 cent a second. Granted, most people do not look at their finances like that but just image the next time you come across a penny, do not say you have “no money”. Say you are “one second” closer to booking studio time at The NatCave Studio.