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East Coast G House: How two NYC producers are leading a movement
There is a music movement happening in NYC — East Coast G House.
Being a music creative in NYC puts you in one of the most competitive landscapes for any genre. That’s why artists and producers who are able to carve out their own lanes and bring different energy are the ones who gain the most notoriety.
Two producers, in particular, are bringing something to the game that is sure to bring fans from two completely different genres together. DJ SANiTY and Kapo recently dropped Vol. 2 of their East Coast G House compilation albums.
What is East Coast G House?
East Coast G House is a new movement within the New York underground electronic scene has emerged in recent years. The fusion of gritty East Coast bars provides a musical soundscape for any city dweller around the world.
East Coast G House, Vol. 2 features several emcees who were willing to step outside of their comfort zone and create something different. DJ SANiTY spoke on the balancing act this presented in the records they produced saying:
We are trying to make g-house records that the hip hop artists feel mad comfortable with and co-sign enough to push and perform at their own rap shows too. Ghetto house existed as a genre for a while, but doing it in a way that pays homage to New York City’s vibe and aesthetic w/hip hop and house music fusion was my goal…especially growing up in the melting pot of Queens.
DJ SANiTY
Speaking on ECGH Vol. 1, Kapo says that putting together that first album was a learning experience and that Vol. 2 finally brings their true vision to life. It’s a true collaboration that had to be organic. He says:
The unique identity of East Coast G-House is that it’s artist-driven. It’s 50-50 DJ/producer and artist/vocalist. It doesn’t feel like the rappers on these tracks are out of their element…it feels right.
Kapo
With 24 artists featured on this project, and 15 tracks, SANiTY and Kapo wanted to make sure this felt like a proper album with an intro and storytelling.
This is capped off by a 10-minute visual medley of the album’s first five tracks – arranged and mixed in a seamless way that a traditional hip-hop cypher would be.
Graffiti art is also a huge part of East Coast G House – SJK 171 and Mike 171 (SANiTY’s father and uncle respectively) are considered OG’s in the graffiti art world and also bring other graf artists from around the world to curate art pieces and collaborate with on projects. You can see this art all throughout the video, directed by Blake DVS of Dreamtone.
East Coast G House Vol. 2 – “Cypher Medley”
Of course, both of these producers had plenty of inspiration going into this project. SANiTY has always looked up to DJs like Afrojack but has also been inspired by hip-hop records produced by the likes of Timbaland, Scott Storch, DJ Premier, and Swizz Beatz.
However, his first dream was to be a music executive and even had the opportunity to intern at some of the biggest labels in the industry. SANiTY explained his early beginnings:
I started DJing while attending Baruch college when I was about 19 years old. This was happening while I was also interning at a few different record labels. I wanted to be sorta like a music executive I guess? I was intrigued by the likes of Diddy, Rick Rubin, Sylvia Rhone, Scooter Braun, Sickamore and a bunch of others. I attended NYU’s graduate music business program to further my career, and it helped me land an interview for this dream A&R job I wanted at a big label. I was called back for a 2nd interview but I ultimately didn’t get the job. It was pretty crazy because my DJ career started to take off after that, so maybe it was a sign?
DJ SANiTY
This minor setback was the driving force behind him taking his DJ and producing career seriously. The idea of collaborating and bringing people together to create a certain sound was what interested him the most.
I always looked at the term “producer” as being more than just making beats. When I would come up with an idea for a song, I would seek out all different types of artists (songwriters, vocalists, instrumentalists, engineers etc) to collaborate with and execute it.
Kapo on the other hand was raised in Spanish Harlem and drew much Latin music as inspiration. Eventually, he grew to like the sounds of EDM artists such as Skrillex and KSHMR. This led him to appreciate the entire electronic music scene overall.
For him, it’s all about the love for the music. He explained how he got into DJing in the first place. He says:
Music was always like a hobby for me – I had fun experimenting with producing and trying to make different sounds and genres. I put in a lot of hours and naturally became pretty efficient at making whole tracks. When I first started getting booked as a DJ for my original productions, I knew it was something I would wanna do more often.
Kapo
Despite having a full-time career, Kapo is able to balance his work with his passion. He says:
I have a full-time job as a chemist and am currently attending grad school for business, but I’m never going to stop making music. If one of my tracks blows up and I start touring or something I’ll be ready for it. I love the idea of making people dance and controlling their emotions on the dance floor. I wanna continue to mix my NYC latin flavor into EDM and see how far I can push this.
Kapo
What’s next for DJ SANiTy and Kapo?
As this potent duo continues to evolve their sound and perfect their craft, they are staying busy with maximizing this entire project. Extended DJ mixes, remixes, and new visuals are to come!
On this entire process and reception that they’ve received so far, SANiTY says:
I’m grateful for the experiences the album-making process taught me. I not only produced songs on the album but executive-produced songs for some of the other artists, and pulled it altogether to create a cohesive and flowing listening experience. I’m so proud of the work we all did together — it was certainly a team effort and 100% organic. Oh, and besides music, I’m also launching a streetwear brand! Exciting things ahead 🙂
DJ SANiTY
As for Kapo, he is going to continue doing what he loves:
I’m going to continue to produce whatever I feel like in the moment. Whether it’s ghetto house, Latin house, moombahton, reggaeton, trap or a fusion of everything. It’s fun for me and keeps me inspired. Ultimately my plan is to always keep striving to get better, and of course, make you dance!
Kapo
Stream East Coast G House, Vol. 2 here.