INTERVIEW WITH COSMIC
Q: Cosmic, can you tell us how you came up with your name?
A: One day I was on Google and literally just searched up “cool names” or like “cool sounding names”. And I came across this list and as soon as I came across Cosmic that literally just clicked. And I was like damn that shit’s fire, I can make that into a brand. I saw the vision in it you know. So I just ran with that and I’m glad I made that decision.
Q: Did you have any backup names before that one?
A: My first name was originally EMB because my first name is Eric and my last name is Matheus and then beat so like EMB beats but I never really made that public. It was kinda just like a thought but other than that it was straight to just Cosmic. But also Cosmic Beats.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit bout how you got your start?
A: So I’ve been producing for like 6 years. I started when I was 14, I’m 20 now. And it basically started when I was in the library one day. I was supposed to be studying for some final exam and then I came across this FL Studio Ad during my freshman year. I don’t know why but probably because at the time I was on Soundcloud a lot just looking up hidden talent, just a bunch of producers. Because there’s just so many on Soundcloud that are so good and they don’t have that many followers or anything. It makes you think like “damn there’s so much talent out there that a lot of people just don’t know about”. And what I would do is take all these songs and just put them in playlists on Soundcloud and make them public. And then for some reason, I was getting a following off of that. So I would take that following and then I got the idea of like “Yo why can’t I make this type of music or why can’t I do it myself”. So that’s when I got the idea, and I guess cause of the algorithms or whatever on Google they hear everything you say. So anyways I clicked on the FL Studio Ad and dowloaded the demo and found out it was a beat making software and I was like I’m going to take the opportunity to learn how to make beats. Not gonna lie, starting off it was kind of a struggle because the tutorials weren’t as present as they are now. So I taught myself along the way but I also had people helping me along the way. I had a few people that really came in clutch with giving me the right kits or the right sounds or like giving me tips and stuff that I still use to this day. I also started off listening to a lot of EDM, like hella EDM. A lot of Excision, Datsik, Avicii, Tiesto, Kaskade. I didn’t like rap music as well which was also really weird. I would listen to rap music but just for the beat. And then my brother started showing me trap music and that’s when I got hooked on that. I started making my own beats and that’s when I really started getting a lot of attention. Especially that one song Beat Slayer, like I didn’t even expect that. It’s one of my biggest songs and it’s about to him 1 million plays on Spotify. I didn’t expect that song to take off at all. I remember I had second thoughts on posting that beat because I thought it was just okay. I didn’t think it was crazy or anything. Later on when it started taking off, I was like “Damn people like this shit”.
Q: Speaking of starting so young, what advice would you give to young producers who are trying to reach the level you’re at right now and even beyond that?
A: I would say definitely to network more and to be more out there as a person or as a producer because a lot of producers I feel just like to stay in the background or are constantly seen as in the shadow. By being just yourself and putting the work in and practicing you can definitely make some moves and some connections that can literally bring up opportunities that can change your life for a lifetime. And you never know too. That’s something I didn’t do when I started because I was working with people all over the globe online which is also really good and something that you should do. But the thing that I was missing and what I do more now is that I link up with people more in person and I make music more with people around me. You can’t really compare it to online collabing. For instance, if your’e collabing with an artist over email and you’re just sending the beat and then just sending the vocals back it’s not the same as if you were to stand in the studio with him and go through like the whole process. And I would always 100% choose to work with an artist in person rather over email because you really feel out everything. In term of like what type of style he’s going for or what type of vocals or what type of effects to use and just like ideas too. You guys get to bounce ideas off each other.
Q: Can you tell us about your merch line you’re dropping?
A: So I plan on dropping merch soon. I’ve already got stickers, flags, rolling trays, ash trays, even a mousepad. And then I literally have grinders and I just got it all. We can actually go crazy with it. But also aside from that I want to drop hoodies and shirts and all that good stuff. I’m going to try to drop that July or August so it should be good to go.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your process when making music? You also have one of the catchiest tag lines. How did that originate?
A: In terms of my creative process, I just make whatever I feel during that day. Because sometimes I’m in the mood to make beats and sometimes I’m not in the mood to make beats but I’ll still make beats. So it just depends on my mood or whatever I’m trying to accomplish that day. But I always like to take breaks as well to have balance between your life and what you’re doing. Like go to the gym, take a walk, play basketball with your friends, or even game. Just do something else that you can take your mind off of music for a little so you can still have that creative flow. And for my tag, for some reason a lot of people were obsessed with this tag. I mean it in a good and a bad way as well. First of all the girl, her name is Hannah Hole, she actually goes here at FSU. She went to my high school and we had geometry class together and we started talking about Soundcloud and shit and she knew that I was going to do music. So one day I wanted to get a tag and my friend was like just ask a girl to do it and I thought of Hannah Hole because we were just talking about Soundcloud together. And I was like send me a recording of you saying “Cosmic” please. She was like what? And I was like do it please, trust me. Apparently she was working at the hospital or something at the time so she literally had to go on her break and go in the bathroom. She was doing like community service. She sent it back and I was like fire. For a while I learned how to reverse the vocal, I searched up some tutorial on how to reverse a vocal to get the fade in part. I just used gross beat, it was like 1/3 step or 1/4 step I think and then that’s how I got that tag. But then one day I was collabing with Lukrative. I don’t know if you guys know Lukrative but shoutout Lukrative. He sent me back my tag and it was just sauced up. Idk what this man did, he like EQ’d the hell out of it. The original tag, I didn’t really put that many effects because I didn’t know how to at the time. So it was kind of like “eh”, definitely not what it sounds like right now. Lukrative definitely sauced that up. Obviously now I have better modifications because now I know how to mix and master and edit all of that.
Q: What would you say your favorite region of beats are?
A: I’d probably have to go with Atlanta. They’re on the way, they’ve got that drip.
Q: What’s next for you Cosmic?
A: I’m actually working on developing artists and meeting new people. My catalogue right now is insane, like I have so many beats that need to be sent out so I definitely have to grind on that. I also want to pick up my Soundcloud posting and be more consistent with it. Just taking that up a notch in terms of my work flow. The more work you put in the more you’re going to get out of it. I’ve been meeting a lot of people regardless of the corona happening right now, but it’s starting to slow down. Don’t forget to wear your mask.
Q: What advice do you have for producers right now during quarantine?
A: You definitely want to come out of this quarantine better than you came in. You definitely want to improve in things like your skills or hobbies. Whatever you do, you want to get better at that. There’s no better opportunity than being stuck at home or wherever your laptop is to become a better producer. Or even a better person too, like stay in shape and eat healthier. Obviously yeah its going to be tough but you just have to adapt.