Producers within the European rap hemisphere are slowly but surely finding their feat as artists in their own right. Stepping out beyond their sonic identity as musical directors and curating their own sound rather than merely complimenting the vision of rappers, it’s a refreshing evolution for a craft that is oft overlooked.

In steps Ghost Killer Track. Raised in Gonesse in the suburbs of Paris, the beatsmith, songwriter and industry frontrunner has risen as a polymathic presence within the French and English music scenes respectively, carving a name for himself amid the drill and rap scenes.

The trailblazing producer is tomorrow (Friday 12th April) releasing his debut project, “Time Will Tell”. A sprawling, sonically diverse project that forays across a variety of sub-sounds and envelopes the listener into its sonic atmosphere. At this point, Ghost has amalgamated a peerless cacophony of connections across the French and UK sphere, and calls in a couple of favours, bringing esteemed names like AJ Tracey, Blanco,, Lil Macks and WeWeWraiths to the impressive body of work.

As he looks set to cement his name as one of the most prestigious producers in European rap, we connect with Ghost, discussing his rise, the differences between the French and UK scenes, and the making of his new project.

Listen to the project’s latest single…

Read the full interview…

Who and what influences you?
I feel like as a producer a big part of my art comes down to being very open-minded to different musical genres. However, it has always been difficult for me to pinpoint a specific influence. I feel like I draw inspiration from my curiosity and constantly being aware of what’s going on across the musical scene. I’ve been drawn to the UK music scene for a while now because there is a real uniqueness to it, something that makes UK rap very special. There is no secret that UK music inspires artists around the world. To me, there are three main unique scenes in music, the ones everyones looks up to: France is one of them, the US of course and then the music made in the UK. I’ve been a producer for a couple years now in France, and it was really important for me to start working with and for people in territories that inspire me. This is why coming to the UK to work on a new project has been so special to me.

How did you first develop an interest in production?
It’s actually quite funny because it all comes down to opportunity and it was kind of an accident at first. I grew up in a family in which music held a special place. My brother was already starting to make music on his own and started rapping. When I was around 14 years I really started looking up to him and developed an interest in what he was doing. At that time, no one around me knew how to produce music, but my brother was already kind of a geek and he started showing me that you could actually create music on a computer. To me it was completely new, because I always thought that you needed physical instruments to make music. Once I got into it, music became an obsession for me, so I started to teach myself about softwares. Youtube kind of became a school for me, with endless videos to learn how to develop my art.

How would you describe your production style?
To be honest, it’s very difficult to describe my style. I really feel like I’m not stuck in a production style, I’m very open-minded and always trying new things. I would say that my music is very intuitive, I love to play around with different styles and to go out of my way to produce unexpected beats. My upcoming project for example could be described as a bit more melancholic than what I’m used to I guess. I like having fun when producing so I’m always crossing and mixing up genres, to me it’s what makes music interesting.

What is your usual creative process?
I feel like I spend a lot of my time listening to music from all genres and eras, so there is quite a big chunk of my time invested in cultivating my curiosity. I’m intuitively very invested in getting to know what’s coming out and what’s trending, but it’s really important to me to get to know new things all the time. To me, it is central in music-making, you need to be open to a multitude of genres, in order to merge them into an original creation that resonates across styles and ages.

Within a day, you can find me listening to EDM, rap, electro, classical as well as African music and mix all these inspirations together. It also comes down to the people I’m working with that are a big source of inspiration for me, and take a part in my creative process always.

What are the differences between the French and the English scenes?
That’s a complicated question, to me there is something really different about UK-rappers compared to the artists in France in the way they make music. I would say that artists within the English scene have a more intuitive connection to music, they know where they’re going when they step into a studio. Another thing I noticed within the French scene compared to the English one is the difference of mindset, I feel like French rappers are more open to collaborations where English artists are more selective.

Do you feel that you can connect more with the style and outlook of the UK scene?
I’ve always been drawn to the UK scene and I guess there is a reason for it. I would say that the artistic culture and mindset is way stronger there than in France, which makes me naturally more connected to it. There is something very special about it, I would say that artists are more respected there. To me the place of an artist within a culture is very important, and I guess we still have some work to do in France about this.

Congratulations on your new project, “Time Will Tell”! How are you feeling about the release?
I feel really good about it! It’s been a long process and I’m really proud of the music we’ve created with all the artists who have supported this project. I wanted it to be a symbol of a new chapter in my life, so it was important for me not to rush. I took the time to meet the right artists, to find the right connections in the UK and in the end I’m really glad I took that time. We’ve done a lot of work and now I want the public to appreciate the results of it. And as the saying goes, “Time Will Tell”!

The project hosts a wealth of talent from UK rap, what is it about the scene that draws you in?
The UK scene is a true hive of talent and I wouldn’t say that there is one UK scene, but definitely many of them, which all have their audience. It was essential for this project to reflect this diversity of genres and talents.

How did you pinpoint who you wanted to feature?
All the artists on the projects are artists that I personally listen to.
Musical affinity is essential when you want to make good music, I guess there is something more authentic about listening to music that flows from a real connection between artists. That’s why there is a wide diversity of artists on this project. As I said, I listen to all kinds of music, so it is natural for me to have all kinds of genres represented here. But to be honest, I feel like the collaboration and success of the tracks with D-Block Europe really opened up the borders for me and made it easier to connect with the artists I listened to and wanted to make music with.

There is great diversity in style across the tape, was that sometime that was intentional?
The tape is a true portrait of the UK music scene, so it is natural to have all sorts of styles on it. I also needed to represent my relationship with music and I define myself as a very open-minded producer, so I couldn’t release a project that wouldn’t be diverse.

What are you hoping to achieve with the project?
This project is about sharing, crossing-borders to make music, opening up to new territories. For me, the very essence of music is sharing and that’s what I wanted to show with “Time Will Tell”. All the artists on the project, regardless of their degree of recognition, deserve to be in the spotlight, and I wanted to make this a collaborative project that I now want to share with the public.

What are your goals for the future?
There’s no time to waste and we’re already thinking about the next project!