Interview with Potpurri

On a cool April evening, I got on the phone with Jeremiah Ayebare, alias Potpurri, to discuss his musical journey, inspirations and misadventures.

First of all, would it be accurate of me to call you a producer?

P: Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you called me a producer.

How did you get your stage name (if you have one)?

P: Oh, well, the name that's on my Soundcloud is 'Potpurri' -

Like the dead leaves that smell nice?

P: *laughs* well, it's either that or it refers to a medley...its usually to do with music, but it's to do with like a medley of ideas...that's why when you put all those dead leaves together they're not from the same plant; so it's meant to be the scents of all of them combining to make this 'other' thing.

Okay so that would be spelled P-O-T-P-U-R-R-I?

P: Yes, that's how I misspelled it.

So, why did you decide on that name?

P: Well first of all, it was a very last minute decision, but...I think on my birthday when I started the account, I was just going to use the name 'Miah', but then there are already some people who have kind of already reserved the right to that name so I thought just to leave it out of that. And to do with the account itself, I wanted something to represent that I didn't want to do one particular kind of music, like one genre - since I'm still learning there's a lot of stuff I'd like to post on this account.

How did you get into making beats?

P: This time round i started properly maybe 2 years ago, when I first started going to school in Canada in Grade 12. First time I ever laid hands on FL Studio was like back in St Andrews [Kenya]...so like maybe Year 9. I had it installed on my iPhone and I was just playing around...they had some pretty terrible stock plug-ins on there but it was fun to pass the time. So, when I got to Canada...to be fair I wasn't great at making friends at the time so I had a lot of free time on my hands. So what ended up happening was that I just started tinkering away with FL again. So yeah. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and it just kinda hyped me up to start producing again.

Just to be clear, FL is Fruity Loops, right?

P: Yes, Fruity Loops Studio. Started on 11 and currently using 20.

How do you come up with ideas for your beats?

P: Well, it's a little spontaneous, but also it's a little bit of...like I'll get a new pack from like Splice or something (Splice is just a place where you get sample packs). So I get something off Splice like a mini file, which is just the notes for a melody or like actual samples, like drums or pianos and or stuff like that. And then I just keep scrolling through it for the longest time till I find one which kinda jibes with me. And then from there either transcribe it to 'midi', which means I can change it to whatever instrument I want, or if I like it as it is I'll just throw it in and get to work. Theres not really a thought process each time, I don't sit down and think "Today we're making a house track"... whatever I hear, I just kinda just follow whatever idea was started there.

Okay, so who would you say is your biggest influence in music right now?

P: Currently? Easily Medasin. Wonderful, wonderful producer. Outstanding young man. First Medasin song I heard was like maybe 2017 maybe? It was 'Daydream', whenever that song came out. And then from there it was kind of like "I have to follow the path that this man has carved out". It's just very emotional, very electronic music. You know he's a producer as well - he's not singing - but I like that he can convey so much emotion despite the fact that he's not using any words.

Mmmh, the first time I heard a Medasin track was on Pink Polo, on that song he did with Masego. 'Girls That Dance'. For some reason I wasn't a fan of the other stuff but that was a lovely track.

P: Oh yeah I like that EP. No one listens to the other stuff but it's a good EP

So, apart from Medasin, who would you say were your top 3 producers of all time?

P: Ooh of all time. If we're talking like pure hiphop as it is right now, number one is Monte Booker with Zero Fatigue; number two would be Cam O'bi and number three...I want to say Kanye... but Kanye is in a weird place right now *laughs* I feel like I can't really count on him for stability so I think the third place would have to go to Pi'erre Bourne, easy.

Cool. So from those you mentioned I can see you leaning more towards Chicago [artists].

P: Oh yes. I love Chicago artists. They're great. Fantastic. Yo, the first time I heard Chance? Everyone I heard off 'Acid Rap' I immediately stalked. Oh my goodness.

I find that so interesting. That's how I got into Noname actually.

P: Yeah! I heard 'Lost' and thought "this lady's voice is kinda nice, not gonna lie". And then 'Telefone' came out and I was like "I have no expectations for this" but it is my favourite mixtape right now. Oh my goodness.

Really?

P: Yup. Hands down. 'Acid Rap''s really good but 'Telefone' the most cohesive projects I've heard for a long time.

That's true...but I actually want to argue this out with you a little bit because I had that same position. Like, for the longest time the one of the only projects I could listen to all the way through, like zero skips every single time, was 'Telefone'. And when 'Room 25' came out, I kind of wrote it off at first because it didn't immediately sound like 'Telefone'. It wasn't what I was used to at all...but then I went back and listened to it and I actually think it's better than 'Telefone' now.

P: Yeah no I get that. I'll let you have that. I don't know - when I listen to 'Room 25', I don't enjoy it as much as I do 'Telefone'. It's like the jump that Chance made from 'Coloring Book' to 'The Big Day'. In that time, those people did a lot of growing - Noname and Chance respectively. So it goes from 'Telefone', from the sweet beautiful, lovely but remorseful tellings of the life she's living to some very raunchy descriptions of how she likes to be intimate with her partner...I mean she's having fun, she's growing. I don't enjoy it as much, but that doesn't mean it's a bad album per se.

Okay, that's fair. So, if you could produce for any artist of your choosing, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

P: *laughs* What are these questions? Okay, um...let's see. This is a tough one. As far as rappers go, it would be amazing to work with Saba. Once again I love Chicago. Saba would be great. He's a bit of a producer...actually no he's a lot of a producer, so it would be him rapping, of course, but it would be a lot of collaboration. I feel like theres a lot to learn there.

That's a good answer. I feel like you're going to hate me for this question but what does music mean to you?

P: That's a thick question. I don't know. Objectively, it's just sounds, right? It's all vibrations. But it means a little bit different to everyone. I really don't know, there's no real descriptor for this. Music, as I listen to it, is a nice little escape. It's therapeutic but at the same time, it's a great avenue for storytelling, for experimentation, for a laugh. Like Playboi Carti, he's not telling no crazy ass stories...okay well he is mixing things up a bit but it's just that despite the complexity of other songs and the simplicity of another camp of songs, the one thing that ties them together for me is it's just these people trying to convey...I don't know. It's an art. It's an art in the way that anything is an art. You want to express some of yourself, your life, your experiences, how you view things...but you also want to put out a canvas for people to relate with the images you put forth. You just want to make sure that people don't feel so alone, and that when people listen to your stuff they can relate to you but at the same time they can own it themselves, you know?

Alright. Last question: have you got any advice for anyone that wants to get into music?

P: Well, first things first: before I started, a long ass time ago, I told my Dad I wanted to be a DJ. This was like in grade 6. EDM was my thing. And my Dad told me "If you love music, then do it - but you have to make the distinction between a hobby and a job", which has really stuck with me for a long time. So right now as I do it, it's more as a hobby. But if you do it as a full time thing or as a hobby, keep that passion. If it's pulling you, don't pull away; just fall into it as easy as you can. It's best not resist these things, because often when you resist, you end up regretting and it's best not to do that. A friend of mine, Alex, told me right before I got to Canada, while I was making music, he was like "Listen my guy: if you have the passion, make the juice". And as corny as it sounds, I think that's best mindset to keep if you're pursuing music in any occupation.

Interview done and written by Oluwadara Apampa

*This interview has been edited for clarity. Follow Potpurri's social media:

Soundcloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/po-purri

Instagram: j.aye.bare