Name: Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker aka Gifted & Blessed aka Frankie Reyes
Nationality: American / Puerto-Rican
Occupation: Producer
Current release: Gifted & Blessed's new single “Yellow Ji,” featuring AFTA-1, is out via Stones Throw. Full-length album Heard and Unheard will follow on November 17th 2023. Pre-order here.
Recommendations:
Book: Sound Health by Steven Halpern
Art: The paintings of Miles Davis

If you enjoyed this Gifted & Blessed interview and would like to stay up to date on his music, visit him on Instagram, twitter, and Soundcloud. We also re commend our previous conversation with Gabriel in our Frankie Reyes interview.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in production and technology?

Most definitely! I was always attracted to interesting and unorthodox productions and recording processes. My earliest memory of this would be listening as a toddler to Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight" and loving the use of effects, synths, and electronic drums.

Prince is another one who comes to mind when I think of early experimental electronic artists who planted that seed for me. But the list of my inspirations in that regard is very long.

What were your very first active steps with music technology and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist/producer?

First, I took piano lessons for a short time as a child. Next, I bought two synthesizers from a local pawn shop (Crumar Orchestrator and Korg Poly-61) … next, an older friend in high school took me under his wing and taught me how to use Acid Pro and Cool Edit Pro.

That's where I learned to chop samples, create arrangements, and build tracks. (Go back to all my earliest work as Gifted & Blessed with the label Sound In Color, for example.)



Yes, one can train and learn being an artist … most have to undergo some kind of training at some point in their learning process.

Some artists have just had a knack for it and found their way to becoming great. But most of my favorites had teachers / mentors and trained hard in order to learn their craft.

Were/are you interested in the history of production and recording? If so, which events, albums, artists, or insights stand out for you?

I'm very much into the history of production and recording. Hard to pick specifics that stand out …

I have been interested in the history of field recordings for a long time, for example, through collecting records from labels like Ethnic Folkways, for example. Also, I've been interested in the evolution of studio techniques ... everything from jazz guys like Rudy Van Gelder to electronic pioneers like Terry Riley and Brian Eno to where we are today with DAW productions.

But I'm only scratching the surface there because I could write a book on this topic.

[Read our Brian Eno interview feature about Climate Change]

Making music, in the beginning, is often playful and about discovery. How do you retain a sense of playfulness as things become more professionalised and how do you still draw surprises from equipment you may be very familiar with?

I always try new approaches and techniques and don't sit down to make music with any specific approach in mind. Usually, the inspiration comes through me most clearly when I'm not overthinking my process. I play with music, like a child plays. I maintain a state of wonder and presence as much as possible.

Yes, I refer to what I know for certain aspects of my music making process, but I avoid letting my mind contrive the music. Also, playing with instruments that are unfamiliar to me or not yet fully explored by me make it easy to find happy accidents and surprises.

For your own creativity, what is the balance and relative importance between what you learned from teachers, tutorials and other producers on the one hand – and what you discovered, understood, and achieved yourself? What are examples for both of these?

Nothing originates with one person. I'm bound to draw from what I've learned directly from people and through listening. But again, I don't let the mind take the driver's seat. The inspiration comes from spirit through the heart. I use what I've learned to keep that inspiration expressible.

So I might reference a tutorial I saw on how to use a specific synthesizer, for example, but ultimately, that tutorial is not the source of inspiration.

How and for what reasons has your music set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear and software for you?

When I first started putting out music, it was almost entirely sample-based because of my familiarity with the software I was using to make it. And I had records, so those were my tools.

Then I became immersed in the world of analog synthesizers and drum machines and hardware sequencers. I started recording to tape so at one point, I wasn't using a DAW at all. (Go back to The Xpander EP and The Provider EP by Gifted & Blessed, as well as the Cool, Warm, Divine EP by The Abstract Eye, for examples of this process)



But now I use all of those tools I've used over the years, and I continue to stumble upon other fun pieces of gear all the time.

I'm a tactile person. I prefer hardware instruments that I can touch and feel. They sound different to me, more physical. I also now prefer hardware samplers.

But again, I don't limit myself when it comes to the tools I use. Anything goes.

Have there been technologies which have profoundly influenced, changed or questioned the way you make music?

The evolution of music technology itself, even just over the course of my own lifetime, is always influencing and changing the way I make music because I'm always discovering new ideas and approaches.

And also because the creators of these tools for making music continue to innovate, I no doubt glean from and incorporate their innovations.

Yann Tiersen, in a surprising statement, told me: "I feel more sincere with electronic instruments"; Is that something you can relate to?

No. For me personally, I will approach an instrument as sincerely if it's an acoustic or electric instrument as I would with an electronic instrument.

For example, if my compositions as Frankie Reyes (i.e. the Originalitos LP) were to be played on an acoustic piano instead of a synthesizer, I feel they'd be just as effective because it's about the compositions themselves more than the technology involved in creating the recordings.



Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that and the relevance of limitations in your set-up and process?

Not every musician specializes in creating complete productions. Some just play their one instrument and focus on mastering that only, which is just as important as any studio artist looking to explore the world of electronic sounds and textures.

Not all music calls for that. But, obviously, my domain mainly involves the use of electronic instruments. So I also enjoy the seemingly unlimited possibilities available to me within my area of music.

But electronic music has its limitations ... like, for example, as advanced as technology has gotten, there are certain instruments whose sounds simply cannot be duplicated electronically. And sometimes I much prefer the acoustic instruments they imitate.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, what does your current production workflow/process look like?

The process is always different. I don't have step-by-step go-to approach when working on music.

It might start with a rhythm. It might start with a chord progression. It might start with a melody. It might start with a synth texture. it might start with an effects processor.

If my process were to become rigid, I don't think I'd have as much fun doing what I do.

Rhythm, sound design, melody/harmony, something else – when do the different elements of a piece come into play for you?

Again, it varies every time.

In relation to sound, one often reads words like “material”, “sculpting”, and “design”. How does your own way of working with sound look like? Do you find using presets lazy?

Presets don't have to be lazy. There are some beautiful presets worth working with, and I'm thankful for those who design some of the presets.

But I do enjoy "sculpting" my own "designs" through sound / parameter manipulation. In the words of Sly Stone, if it feels good, it's alright!

What, to you, are the respective benefits of solo work and collaborations and do you often feel lonely in the studio? Can machines act as collaborators to you?

I never feel lonely in the studio. I enjoy working alone, but I also enjoy working with others (for example, with my group The Steoples, also on Stones Throw).



Working with others always involves a humble compromise, which I am ok with. Working alone allows for more individual freedom. Both are great.

And yes, machines can be "collaborators" as well, especially when they are running an automated or self-generated process.

To some, the advent of AI and intelligent composing tools offers potential for machines to contribute to the creative process. What are your hopes, fears, expectations and possible concrete plans in this regard?

I have no fears or expectations. I'll take their development as they come. I might not incorporate a lot of it, although I might.

One thing I'll say, though, is the overall quality of popular music seems to decline with the availability of automation/  AI / intelligent composing tools. I compare it to autocorrect when typing. Why bother learning how to spell if the phone or computer will correct your typos for you?

Same with music. One gets a deeper understanding from practice and study. Not everyone has the heart of a musician, though "intelligent" automated music tools will have us believe the opposite.

If you could make a wish for the future directly to a product developer at a Hard- or Software company – what are developments in tools/instruments you would like to see and hear?

I can't think of anything I need that isn't available to me when it comes to electronic tools or instruments.

My only wish is to continue to make using them more and more fun, however that might look.