Kyle Buck (otherwise known as Koncxpt) is an aspiring London-born/Nottingham-based musician and artist. Citing that he was raised on MTV base, an eclectic range of musical genres that spread throughout the family and having a father who was a record producer/engineer, a pirate-radio host and a DJ, you wouldn't have to look far to find where a lifelong passion for music manifested! Much of Koncxpt's intentions as an artist can be defined by the content itself; there is no definitive way to express a certain emotion or elicit a certain mood. Regardless of the genre, or whether the piece is delivered as an instrumental, a rap, a spoken word piece, a singing arrangement or even a chant, it's all an expression nonetheless. Hence, the content of each recording is genre-defiant and delivered in a different way each time, as if they're each an individual concept. Koncxpt often promotes his latest releases, projects (in the works) and other musical content through his Instagram account: koncxpt. Recently, Koncxpt introduced the world to his record label/collective, NouGen; a neo-declaration of the meaning of musical freedom, where the new genre is de-categorisation and the artist (at their disposal) can release what they want, when and where they wish to release it. Having said that, NouGen is slowly transcending into a community, more so than a label; one where like-minded individuals with a passion for music can connect and make a statement through their art. Instagram: nougenrecords
I see music as a tool that can be used to express the true passion and emotion that an artist or musician is trying to exert through their art. Whether it's through playing an instrument, singing, rapping or even editing the sound in a way in which the song brings about a sense of sonic personality or creates a mood, I don't think of there to be a 'right way' to approach music. Hence, I don't think of music by genre per-se, only by whether it's good or bad; we all use the same 12 notes and have our own unique way of developing our own sound with them.
Although its the type of answer I've heard many of my musical peers and heroes say, my musical dream is to develop a connection with as many people as I can, through my music; a universal approach to music if you will, whatever the genre I'm involved in at that period of time, or ethnicity or gender that's come across my music, I just want to have a strong connection with my audience.
If I could change the world, I would start off with the most general emotion we all must face at one point in our life. Pain. The pain of losing family members, friends, the people you looked up to. The pain of seeing others suffering from illness or other affairs they've crossed paths with and even the pain of you suffering from it yourself. The pain of your past life and the things you've experienced. The pain of wanting something for yourself and it being out of sight, or the pain of working towards your dream, ambition, or whatever you're trying to achieve and it suddenly falls apart. The pain of knowing that 'nothing lasts forever', however you interpret it. If I had the power to eliminate all pain, I would in a heartbeat.
Damn I don't even know where to start! Well, when I was about 4 or 5 my mum had this mixtape which was given to her by a relative and it contained a range of Soul, Funk and Disco songs from the 70s. She would play it pretty much whenever she had the time to, but one song that I would always ask her to play over and over again was 'Inside My Love' by Minnie Riperton. Minnie's signature whistle register vocals, Leon Ware's songwriting; it all just came together perfectly. But what stood out to me the most is Joe Sample's Fender Rhodes solo during the bridge which has been sampled by many of my musical influences, particularly A Tribe Called Quest and J Dilla. That justifies my reasonings even more as to why its my most memorable song, because it's stood the test of time; I loved and appreciated it then and the fact that some of my favourite artists have used it (and still do to this day) makes it even more memorable.
I'd like to think I'm open arms when it comes to the music I listen to, which means it's hard for me to have ONE favourite artist or band, or even a favourite song for that matter. I try to appreciate and take inspiration from as many areas of music as I can to ascertain what changes have been made to the way that people create music, produce it, and perform it. But if I were to pinpoint some of the most significant musical influences upon me, I would say: Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Ray Charles, Rod Temperton (as a songwriter-producer) and Cannonball Adderley. These artists in particular all possessed this democratic attitude towards music where genres don't matter and they shouldn't hinder what you're capable of doing with your music; whether its the style that you're working in, to the way that you convey the message/emotion to the audience; singing, rap, spoken word; it all starts from the same place. One artist who I look up to a great deal (to this day) who had transcended further than his identity as an artist is Michael Jackson, but I could talk about him for days either way...!
My creative process varies considerably from project to project. Sometimes I start out writing out a chorus, verse or melody that comes to mind and develop it as time goes on. On a few occasions I will come across something I've made and I may feel that some lyrics that I had written out how ever long ago, would be a more adequate fit for the production that's going on behind it. But more commonly, I start out with a set of chords, a melody and a harmony and build up the rest of the song from there. The inspiration behind my music is often based off of things that are happening around me; whether I'm experiencing these things myself or they're happening to someone I know, or whether I've happened to have been a fly on the wall in the past and seen things unfold for others. For the most part, i'd like to think that the best part of my inspiration for creating music comes from things that we are all experiencing, or have experienced.
As far as I'm concerned, the message I would want to send with my music would wholly depend on the narrative of the content that I'm creating. But ultimately, when my audience take the time out to listen to my music I would love for the experience to be personal, but relatable one. Personal, in the sense that it's my personal perspective and that it could become personal to the person whom it's told to, and relatable from the outlook that the listener almost becomes a part of the story; even more so if they've been through a similar thing themselves.
As of yet, I haven't done any live performances as a solo artist, but that's due to change throughout the whole of the next year and the remainder of 2020. But I'd like to think that I'm gradually over-coming my fear of stage fright. During my penultimate year of high school, every Friday lunchtime a group of friends and I would have a jam session/cypher where a few of us would play instruments and a couple of us would freestyle. Even with the small number of people around, I still couldn't muster up enough confidence to perform. But as time has gone on and many a freestyle have occurred in and out of school and having my first taste of performing at a school gig, I'm making small steps into easing up my focus on the fear factor of performing and directing it more towards enjoying the show.
The musicians' reality....I feel that the current state of music is one where the industry has become so money driven and so technological, that anybody could really consider themselves an artist or a producer if they have the necessary tools to do so. Whilst the culture of seeing the process of a project through by writing a song, performing on it and gathering a portfolio of studio musicians to help create the song, has long faded away. So now people have a tendency to frown on people who try to get into the music industry because much of the attention has been drawn away from authentic artists and musicians and more derived from people who can deliver a high-charting single; making it even harder to get a big break. But what I say is this; regardless of the current state music is in at the moment, or the constant grief that musicians face or the way people look at those who are wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, you are doing it for a reason. You're PASSIONATE about it and your passion will always see you through if you stay true to it. Hence, a lot of these newer artists have no real passion or integrity towards the actual music, but the fame more so and they don't stick around too long.
I love Drooble! Although I haven't found the time to use it too much as of yet, I've found that it is a great way to interact with as many different musicians as possible, from all over the world. I will definitely be using it more as time goes on!
One of the most frustrating thing for me (which I think most musicians and artists can agree with) is writers block. Whether you've ran out or are running out of ideas, or you're working on something and the next part that you're trying to come up with just isn't hitting the nail on head; the real challenge out of that is overcoming it and persevering with finishing the lyric, the melody or the early foundation of an idea...which is easier to say than do. Another thing I find frustrating as a musician, is also the attitude people externally have towards your passion. Always referring to how hard it is to make it in the industry and what you're going to fall back on if this doesn't work out how you've planned it and vice versa. A LOT of the time these are the same people who's talking points are often what music they like to listen to at the moment, or how music is their favourite past-time amongst anything (as much sense as that can make). But like I said previously, we're all in this thing for a reason; it's OUR passion; for us, by us. That passion will see you through if you stay true to it.
During my time in Nottingham which has amounted to almost a year now, I've found the musical climate of the city to be incredible. Aside from being renowned for having one of the most widely-respected clubs in the country (Rock City), Nottingham has a wide array of bars, clubs and venues where many open-mic nights and small concerts alike are held. Many of which a few friends on music course perform at. Having said that, whenever a few people I know of are having a gig within the city centre, I will often go through to where they're performing and sit in.
Remaining a dream that he told me this directly, there's a quote from Quincy Jones that I always refer to when thinking of/discussing the qualities that a musician should have, period. During his time in Paris whilst learning with the great Nadia Boulanger, Jones was told that: "Your music can never be more or less than you are as a human being." As a musician, I find that I NEVER stop learning from my peers and heroes and I'm always discovering new artists and try to grasp how they hone their own unique sound(s). Hence, regardless of how long I may have been involved in music for, I could never think of myself as superior or inferior to any other artist or musician. Because for all you may know, you don't know! There IS a difference between arrogance and confidence and the audience will be able to pick it out for you if you can't! Furthermore, I feel that you should show gratitude to your fanbase (however big or small) whenever the opportunity is fitting for you to do so . Develop a real relationship with the people who support you, rather than keeping it distant. Finally, one of the most important rules for me as a musician, is to think beyond the boundaries of genres and appreciate all music to the best of your ability.
There's this three-piece grunge band called Marvin's Revenge that I've been listening to a lot recently. They're based in Derbyshire but two of the three members are studying music related courses at the same campus as me in Nottingham, so I've been able to go to see a few of their concerts there. My favourite song of theirs is either 'Lisa' or 'In Your Mind', although they do have this cover version of Britney Spears' 'Toxic' (it's only been performed live and it's barely been performed to my knowledge)! But they're on all streaming services, so I'd definitely check them out. There's this R&B/Soul group called OXP which I discovered the other day in a record store and I've just gotten into their catalogue and I recommend you'd do the same! I recommend starting off with their song 'California' or 'Let Go'. Finally, my guy Ethan (stage name Cfx0) from my collective NouGen, just dropped a track called 'Glitch (Never Meant to Be)' on all streaming platforms. It'd mean a lot to him if you check it out when you find the time to!