sightRIZE: This question is for Cise Star, Yo Cise! You have spit some crazy verses man your flow is real locked. Like an example is your verse in "Haze" off evolution fight. What was some inspiration off that?
CISE: Basically hope for humanity and the current state of affairs. It is the way I think people should view themselves and others. That was the basis of my verses on that particular track.
sightRIZE: This question is for anyone who can answer. My friend TONE+Chef really wanted to know what you want us to pull away with, like what is Cultivating Your New Experience?
SPECK: Our music is a direct expression of our personal experience. That may seem overly simplistic, but our music is rooted in the interpretation of our immediate environment -- our era, our work, our families, sociopolitical events, music genres, pop culture, human interaction, daily observations, etc... So, maybe we're hoping that our music can provide another perspective for our listeners.
sightRIZE: This is for the producers. So CYNE has Speck and Enoch as producers if I'm not mistaken. Please correct me if Im wrong. The beats are really unique and has a real nice sound to it for Cise and Akin to rap over. How did you come up with these?
ENOCH: Speck and I both have diverse tastes and we try to incorporate a lot of the different elements of the music that we love into what we do, while at the same time channeling it into our style and making something completely our own out of it. When we first started, the conception of a beat would more than likely come from a loop we found, but over time we have grown as producers and have learned how to better utilize other methods of sampling, such as chopping or sampling from less traditional sources, as well as live playing. Speck and I working together for a long time has helped us to be able to create beats that complement each other well in a larger body of work. At the end of the day, we are just huge fans of music, and i think that the both of us would continue making beats even if no one were to ever put lyrics on top of them. Luckily we have two incredible mc's who appreciate the sound we provide for them, so it works out pretty well for all four of us.
SPECK: Since CYNE formed, we've been growing towards a "sound" that feels like our own -- we're always learning and experimenting with methods of making and listening to music. One of the rewards of working as a group for so long (we've been releasing records since 2001), is that you develop a type of language. For example: if one of the other members lends me an album they're inspired by, I can understand how they might want to translate that into the CYNE songwriting process. Luckily, we've gotten to that level as a band, and that's a space where many of the songs come from.
sightRIZE: So do you have any inspiration for your albums, like what were your thoughts as you were making it?
AKIN: All our albums have certain themes that coincide with that particular moment of the creation of the record. So we try to translate these experiences as best as we can into song.
CISE: Everyday life experiences and the thought processes behind them. I find that life is really a series of experiences that if observed would weave a tapstry of the essence of an individual. How we react is the key of who we really are. If you can understand why you did what you did honestly, then you can truly be a whole person who can effectivly relate to others. I think that most people don't try to do that, or even care to do so. I try to understand myself through the
vehicle of spoken word and music.
ENOCH: Speaking in terms of production, Speck and I both make a conscious effort to keep improving on what we do and challenging ourselves. We try to keep it interesting to ourselves first and foremost, but we also both come from a generation where the quality and consistency of music, specifically hip hop, had a much higher standard. So in that regard, we are very conscious of trying to create a full record of material that flows and makes sense as a collective work. I personally have lots of albums that I love and will always think are timeless, and there is definitely a part of me that strives to achieve that same timeless quality... I would hope that someone could throw on a CYNE record in twenty years and still think it were relevant or interesting in one way or another.
sightRIZE: This is for Akin and Cise Star, So when you guys rap its really insane because Cise is really quick with his flow and Akin changes the tempo. It really has a nice feel to it. Was this intended?
CISE: That is the way we both complement each other. It brings together both aspects of one unifying theme of expressing ourselves though music. No it wasn't intended, it was just the way it worked out.
sightRIZE: So this is for Akin and Cise Star, What do you feel is the illest verse you have ever spit?
AKIN: I like all my verses the same cuz they all meant something to me at that particular time.
CISE: I don't really have an "illest" verse but some of my favorite songs we have done as a group are "Steady" and "400 Years."
sightRIZE: Recently you had a lotta featuring artists on Starship Utopia how was that experience?
ENOCH: Two of the songs with guest artists on Starship were recorded during sessions in Gainesville with our friends from Miami. Both took place in downtime around shows we had set up with all of the guest artists performing as well as CYNE. One of the songs comes from about 12-15 people being trapped in a house during a hurricane, which is sort of a one time type of experience that is cool to have documented in that way.
SPECK: In a few cases, we worked with sounds and contributions from friends in our community -- bands like Asshole Parade, ROM, Warren Hixson, and Deceptikon all had a hand in shaping that release. This kind of collaboration keeps things fresh, and it inspires challenge on our end. Some of the tracks were long-distance collaborations, some of them took years to complete. So, for all of that music to have developed into a cohesive record is really gratifying.
sightRIZE: Any upcoming projects?
ENOCH: There are always upcoming projects. As of now we have the Pretty Dark Things vinyl coming out in November which will come with a download card containing the album plus extra bonus songs and other material. After that, we'll have new and unreleased material that we'd like to release. We like to stay working on things, so there should be many projects on the horizon.
SPECK: We're always working. The three years it took to create "Pretty Dark Things" and "Starship Utopia" were never idle. Even tonight, we're working on new material... Other than that, we're hoping to tour in support of the album.
sightRIZE: Anything You'd like to end with?
ENOCH: Thank you to all CYNE fans. Go vote on November 4th
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