Baltimore-based producer and DJ, Schwarz will be spinning at this month's KAHLON and just had his new video and song, "Open Up Yr Mind" premiere over at Noisey. Check out his diary entry from True Laurels Volume 3 below and be sure to follow him on Soundcloud!
February 26, 2014
Even though the music i make and public image I keep up is overwhelmingly positive, I know for sure one thing: life is really hard. Everyone has their own individual struggles. I know I struggle a lot. Money is a constant worry for me and I'm always questioning my "lifestyle" of being a weird artist and not "growing up" and getting a "real job" or whatever. This is all on top of miscellaneous kind of struggles we all face with our work and our families and loved ones.
Music has always been the thing I've turned to as an artist and a fan to make sense of this world, feel good and learn to relax about whatever problems I have. This is a pretty universal thing. I think for most people, one of the primary functions of music is more or less an escape and a release.
This is partly why I connect so much with the music of Lil B and his #Based ideology. Sometimes a positive or important message is right at the forefront of his tracks. Other times, often like in his more silly like "bad" songs, the message is more to forget about the pain in the world momentarily and feel good about yourself. You know, "swag" "woop" etc.., sometimes it feels good to goof off and just feel confident.
I want to make music where people have a similar feeling I have with Basedgod's music. Where people really connect, and they can come away with a positive experience. Having emotion in your music and connecting to people and making them "feel some kind of way" is what I think is most important. Hopefully my music can be a therapy session of sorts for me and for my listeners.
A lot of the people who are critical of my music think that I am being insincere or ironic somehow because of how I come across. Feeling good to me is really serious and it's not a joke. There is no irony or joke or even "winking" in the art that I do. I really truly believe all people are beautiful and should believe in themselves, and even through rough patches when you are feeling down, it is important to remember life is beautiful and things always get better.
So I may question myself all the time "Why am I doing this?" "What is wrong with me?" etc etc. But I know really that what I am doing is important and I can feel good about it, even though I am a weirdo and I might come off as corny or crazy or "ironic" or whatever else people want to think. Sometimes it is really important just to do you. Lets live life. Let's Love.
MUCH LOVE ALWAYZ