Young Brits Doing Bits: AyChibs
[et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on"][et_pb_fullwidth_image admin_label="Fullwidth Image" src="http://between-borders.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/bbs3.jpg" animation="top" custom_margin="|||" /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" transparent_background="on" custom_padding="0px||0px|0px"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Details" text_font_size="14px" text_text_color="#a0a0a4"]
Music
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_orientation="center" max_width="1250px" header_font_size="45px" header_font_size_tablet="35px" header_font_size_phone="45px" header_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" text_font="PT Sans||||" text_font_size="52" text_font_size_phone="42px" text_font_size_last_edited="on|desktop" text_text_color="#1d1d1d" text_line_height="1em" use_border_color="on" custom_margin="10px|-100px|-20px|-100px" saved_tabs="all" inline_fonts="Bitter"]
YOUNG BRITS DOING BITS: AYCHIBS
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Details" text_font_size="14px"]
Words by Luc HinsonArtwork by Tom Shotton
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="18px" text_font_size_tablet="16px" text_font_size_phone="15px" text_font_size_last_edited="on|tablet" text_text_color="#44444a" text_line_height="1.5em" text_line_height_phone="1.5em" text_line_height_last_edited="on|phone" custom_margin_phone="|-15px||-15px" custom_margin_last_edited="on|phone"]
After the recent release of 'Grounded' we caught up with one of London's emergent creatives. Chibs is multifaceted, finding success with whatever he turns his hand to has become the norm, from songwriting and music production to graphic design and directing videos, he's a modern-day renaissance man. Following his latest release we picked his brain about his creative process and his hopes for the year ahead.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_orientation="center" text_font="neuzeit|on|||" text_font_size="11" text_text_color="#bababa" text_line_height="1em" custom_margin="||0px|" custom_padding="||0px|" inline_fonts="Bree Serif" /][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="2em" text_line_height_phone="1.5em" text_line_height_last_edited="on|phone" custom_margin_phone="|-15px||-15px" custom_margin_last_edited="on|phone"]
BB: You’re a man who wears many faces Chibs, tell us a bit about your creative process and how you manage to work across so many different mediums?
With music honestly I just open up logic and start playing in the hope that something that sounds beautiful happens. A lot of the music I make starts accidentally and then I tweak till it’s patterned. When it comes to visuals I usually see a vision of what I want then make it happen. It’ll either be one frame or a sequence that fully captures the vibe. Then from there I spend time dissecting the idea to convey it to my team if it’s a team project or I go ahead with creating the visual if it’s a just short clip or something.
The hard thing for me is staying consistent and motivated with all the different art forms. What’s helped has been giving myself random projects that help me sharpen my skills. Like the whole RnB Chibs moniker started as a joke but led to me delving into learning RnB chords, expressing myself emotionally and so on.
Over the past 13 years, I’ve spent time learning so many different disciplines, from music production to graphic design, to video editing and motion graphics, DJing, Creative direction, the list goes on. I’ve always just found new things to really get stuck into, and the result is always a new outlet for me to use to tell my story.
BB: Your latest single ‘Grounded’ features a video directed by yourself, how does writing and recording the song, and directing the video compare for you?
Both sides of that process were extremely fun and elevated me as an artist. I’m big on collaboration and altogether releasing this single had about 10 different people involved throughout.
The song-making process led me to be in the studio more and actually orchestrate the sessions, which is something that I’m not really used to. I’d usually just sit back and let the artist do their thing. This time I knew what I wanted to get out of each artist so I helped push them a little, whilst still giving them the space to do what they’d do naturally. Weyland McKenzie put together most of the song then I took that draft and had about 3 sessions with Penny Morr & Careless before the song was finished.
Making the video was epic too, I’ve been trying to get in my video director bag more recently and this was the second video I directed this year, the first being for Frenzy - Go, which I produced too. The initial idea came from the music video for Fatima Yamaha - Love invaders. I loved the silhouette shot and the look and feel of the whole video. That and the old iPod adverts. I put those two together and boom, there’s the concept. This was also the first time I worked with a set designer, in Holly Rollins, which was dope. She was amazing and together we made a little lightbox set that captured the projected motion graphics and created the beautiful silhouettes of me and my friends just skanking it out.
BB: Growing up, who did you look to for influence and inspiration: who were your role models?
Boy, I could spend whole days just flicking through music video channels and cartoon channels. Literally, whole days. I didn’t even stick to just MTV and Channel U, I’d end up on magic and kerrang and them channels there. I think seeing other kinds of music intrigued me. Ronaldinho was the first time I took notice of an artist because I didn’t know how much you could express yourself through football. He’d always play with a smile, even if he was losing, man just wanted to get at least one nutmeg in there. My number 1 inspiration growing up would be my oldest brother, he’s a music producer/artist/engineer and he opened my mind to music in general and increased my palette from young. Imagine, my first introduction to music was Neptunes and Timbaland. He even had me making beats on Reason when I was 9 years old.
Nowadays though I look more towards artists like JME and Tyler, The Creator. They inspire me because they redefine what an artist is known to be, or what they taught us in school. They fully just do their own thing and express themselves how they want, why they want, and when they want. I think we can all learn from that.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label="Code"]<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fbvSFE4jxI4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="2em" text_line_height_phone="1.5em" text_line_height_last_edited="on|phone" custom_margin_phone="|-15px||-15px" custom_margin_last_edited="on|phone" /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" disabled_on="off|off|off" header_font_size="37px" header_font_size_last_edited="on|desktop" header_line_height="1.2em" text_font_size="52px" text_font_size_tablet="48px" text_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" text_line_height="1em" custom_margin="40px|-60px|50px|-60px" custom_padding="0px|||" saved_tabs="all"]
"I’VE ALWAYS JUST FOUND NEW THINGS TO REALLY GET STUCK INTO, AND THE RESULT IS ALWAYS A NEW OUTLET FOR ME TO USE TO TELL MY STORY."
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="section" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" custom_padding="37.7969px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" /][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://between-borders.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/AyChibs-Press-Shot-2.jpg" /][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_font_size="12px" text_font_size_last_edited="off|desktop" text_text_color="#c1c1c1" text_line_height="1.5em" custom_margin_phone="|-15px||-15px" custom_margin_last_edited="on|phone" /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://between-borders.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/13550001.jpg" animation="right" align="center" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on"][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://between-borders.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/13550017.jpg" sticky="on" align="center" /][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="section" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="0px|0px|46px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="2em" text_line_height_phone="1.5em" text_line_height_last_edited="on|phone" custom_margin_phone="|-15px||-15px" custom_margin_last_edited="on|phone"]
BB: How did you get your start in the creative industry?
I don’t really consider myself to be a part of any industry to be honest, I always try to reach out to artists I really like in the hope of forming a personal relationship with them and hoping they like what I do as well. I started my own personal journey into creating when I was 11 and started learning how to use Photoshop. In fact, even before that, I used to design my own football boots and kits. Fam I even just mentioned that I was making beats when I was 9. Yeah, I don’t know when this all started.
BB: We know you’re the founder of ABOE, can you tell us how this came about and what you hope to achieve through the collective?
A Bit Of Everything started in 2015 when I began university. I wanted to give myself a project to do to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t just be relying on uni to run my life. At the time I was filming behind the scenes of shows and shoots and stuff and I thought it would be cool to put them all into little montage episodes. From there it grew and it allowed me to delve into other things that provide a platform for other artists to showcase what they’re about through events and focused projects and so on. The collective is made up of me and my friends that work together to put these things together. We’re currently working on a new project which also means NEW MERCH for everyone that’s always asking lol. We’ve been quiet for a while now because we’re all just figuring ourselves out as solo artists but the aim is to continue connecting amazing artists through unique projects and live events.
BB: How does your approach to work change when working collaboratively vs individually?
Really it depends on who’s taking ownership of the project, whose vision it is. I know how to work for others which makes it really easy for me to collaborate as that allows me to detach myself from my own ideas and focus on what we’re trying to communicate. I like working with people I consider to be friends or people I’m really comfortable around because I get anxious around new people which sometimes blocks me from saying how I really feel because I get caught up worrying about how they’d react. I can be very blunt at times so I understand how it can be taken the wrong way but if you know me you know it’s coming from a place of love. But yeah I’m working on it.
BB: What does home mean to you?
Home is where the heart is!! My home is a space for me to truly be myself and learn about myself without being looked at funny for wyling out. Safety and comfort! Very essential.
BB: What are your hopes for the rest of 2020?
Bruh I just want to go outside again and finish off this project for ABOE. I want to hug my friends and DJ in public. I want to release another song (maybe) and shoot videos!! Lockdown got me losing my mind but yea I’m currently making 1 beat a day during this self isolation period so I might drop a beat tape when we regain freedom. The health & safety of me, my family and friends is all that matters to me right now so yeah I’m just focusing on that.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" background_color="#f9f9f9" custom_padding="20px||0px|" disabled_on="off|off|off" global_module="30533"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" global_parent="30533" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px" parallax_method_1="off" custom_css_main_element="padding-left:30px !important;||padding-right:30px !important;"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" global_parent="30533" header_text_color="#ffffff" header_letter_spacing="19px" text_letter_spacing="1px" custom_margin="15px|||"]
READ MORE
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label="Blog" global_parent="30533" fullwidth="off" posts_number="6" meta_date="j M, Y" show_author="off" show_date="off" show_pagination="off" offset_number="0" masonry_tile_background_color="#ffffff" header_font="|on|||" header_font_size="20px" meta_font="||||on" meta_font_size="12px" meta_text_color="#939393" use_border_color="on" saved_tabs="all" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" background_color="#000000" custom_padding="0px|0px|-60px|0px"][et_pb_row admin_label="Row" custom_padding="38.3594px|0px|5px|0px" parallax_method_1="off" parallax_method_2="off" parallax_method_3="off"][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_orientation="center" header_line_height="1.4em" text_line_height="2.3em"]
CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_social_media_follow admin_label="Social Media Follow" link_shape="circle" url_new_window="off"] [et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network="twitter" url="https://twitter.com/borders_between?lang=en-gb" bg_color="#000000" link_shape="circle" follow_button="off" url_new_window="off"] Twitter [/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network="instagram" url="https://www.instagram.com/betweenbordersmag/" bg_color="#000000" link_shape="circle" follow_button="off" url_new_window="off"] Instagram [/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network="facebook" url="https://www.facebook.com/BetweenBordersMagazine/" bg_color="#000000" link_shape="circle" follow_button="off" url_new_window="off"] Facebook [/et_pb_social_media_follow_network] [/et_pb_social_media_follow][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_4"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]