Meet Tony Slumz | Producer, Writer and Engineer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Slumz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Honestly, this is something that is a constant especially when you’re the one who essentially does everything. From recording, producing, mixing, writing, mastering, figuring out the marketing, cover art or any of the other numerous steps that come from releasing any type of body of work it can feel daunting at times, even impossible. I think its important to always remember the why, and to honor the moment. This is especially true with certain songs that may take longer to release, at times we can outgrow that specific sound or topic but I always try to at the very least honor the moment of creation, and with that, it usually pushes me to keep going and moving forward with the ideas that had been set by a former me.
At the same time, the act of giving up is never as bad as it’s made out to be, with my history in business management, one of the biggest strengths I have is the ability to let go before something becomes bigger in my mind than it is. A lot of times we can hold on to certain feelings or moments and avoid the conversation that is needed and we make things bigger than they truly are, and if we are talking about music, then anything that we may give up on today doesn’t mean we can’t bring it back to life later. I can’t count how many times I’ve scrapped an idea just for it to come back to the forefront years later, better than anything the former me could’ve thought of.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a producer, writer, and engineer, which means I’m an artist who’s forced to be self-sufficient. I began making music back in 2003, learning how to make beats on fruity loops 4 and recording on a cracked version of COOL EDIT Pro. I am based out of a small town in southern California and honestly in terms of what sets me apart from most artists would be my tenacity and the fact that I’ve been very truly blessed to create without anyone telling me what to make or when to release. If asked about how easy it is, I mean I love to create, I would do it without any recognition and I have been, the challenges that come from this are minimal if you’re not looking for anything to come out of your music outside of just therapy. I’ve been really lucky in that, these therapy sessions have come out as decent songs and beat tapes that I can be proud of.
This next step is something I’m a lot more excited about and that is this podcast/blog that I hope to release soon under the moniker of EmptyLot Carnival.
I’ve always enjoyed writing down my thoughts as essays and holding conversations with those around me who just happened to be some of the most talented people I’ve met. So with this new interview series title “VOICENOTES” i will be interviewing my friends on a podcast as well as writing my thoughts on anything and everything in a more stream of consciousness, I hope I’m able to connect with anyone who decides to give me even a minute of their time, but similarly to my take on creating music, this is something that I will do even if no one ever hits the link.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Okay, so living in the Imperial Valley, there’s a few things that need to be discussed.
first things first if you have NEVER been to the Valley, you should NOT visit during the summer unless you’re visiting a friend with a pool, and even then that’s a gamble between you and the Sun God Apollo.
Second, how do you feel about traveling to Mexico, just saying if you’re a hop, skip, and jump away from some good GOOOD Mexican food, then you might as well make that trip down and eat up.
Lastly, if you’re visiting me specifically, then just make sure you bring some ends to pick up a sixer for my pops, we’re going to cook up some carne or pollo asada, or both and we are also going to play some games, like dominoes or malia which is a Mexican version of spades, and if you’re my partner in either of these games, you better be on your P’s and Q’s because I hate losing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Being i JUST got off the phone with them I’d love to give a shout-out to my friend and frequent collaborator, Jasmine Alvarado, she’s a singer based out of LA and is truly a talent that’s just on the edge of being seen and heard by many. Now if i can just rattle off a group of friends who’ve i been blessed to meet, work and grow with well here goes:
CHDDVR, SIAN MCMULLEN, FABI HURTADO, CABEZITA LOCA, MILIO, PAZ EL PANA, RiCC, KAJIA, SICK THE 6’2, ILL.STATIK, PABLO LLAMAS, J GHOST, TAD GHOST, L BOOGIE, SLIM THE SAGE, A.ROCHA, JUNI, SERGIO OF MIRAGE, AND SO MANY MORE.
Also a shout out to my partner in this life Corrina and my family, without them I’d be lost and bored with this life.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tony.slumz

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tonyslumz

Other: https://tonyslumz.gumroad.com

Image Credits
All photos taken by Shot.by.Fabi