Talking to Harrison Robinson on Checkpoint Titanium
Harrison. Checkpoint Titanium
Toronto based producer Harrison Robinson speaks with a sense of comfortability that resonates similarly to his latest record Checkpoint Titanium. The latest project to be added to his discography of future funk and hip hop inspired production comes off as a standout record from his other pieces of work. Harrison opened for fellow Canadian producer Pomo a couple of months ago in Montréal. He’s returning back to the city on Saturday, October 29th at Theatre Berri alongside electronic artist Cashmere Cat to perform his new tunes for our lovely city folk. Harrison explained the process behind the making of Checkpoint Titanium.
“At first I was thinking that I should maybe stick to a theme, but then I felt like sticking to one theme would be restricting. At the end of the day I started making whatever I wanted and it started to form,” Harrison recalled. He explained in more detail how the process of making the album came naturally to him with what made sense to leave on the record.
“I started sifting through the songs afterwards to see which would make sense to put on and which wouldn’t. It wasn’t a process of sit down and write the record, it was more like I’m going to sit down and write music and see if I can form a record out of it,” Harrison explained.
Harrison has a line of work that largely revolves around genres like future funk that are influenced by certain aspects of house music. Checkpoint Titanium fits into the similar style of his past records but with a fresh and polished style that creates a riveting atmosphere all over the tracklist. Harrison elaborated on some of the music he’s been influenced by while making his latest LP.
“I listened to a lot of Toro y Moi which also influenced the direction of the record as well as this group called D Train. I also listened to a lot of 80’s records that had their hand in influencing the sound,” Harrison explained. He delved into why his latest record has the sound that it does on Checkpoint Titanium.
“I own synthesizers and there is so much you can do with them. There are endless things you can do with them, so I started to play a lot more with synths. I’ve been noticing people were really good at utilizing synthesizers so I wanted to get better at using them myself,” Harrison described.
In a recent interview with The Fader, Harrison alluded to the idea of wanting to work more in the world of jazz. He wants to learn more from his peers then to take classes on the genre. The producer talked about who from the world of jazz he would like to collaborate with in the future.
“The BADBADNOTGOOD guys! I actually know all of the BBNG guys, they’re all really nice after having met them several times. They asked me to swing by the studio once and I still need to go!” Harrison elaborated. He continued to explain why he’d rather learn alongside a peer then go to school for jazz.
“I don’t wanna misinform anyone about higher education, because I do believe in it. But I don’t necessarily believe that higher education has to come from school. A teacher is a teacher, so learning from them (BBNG) I’m still being taught something,” said Harrison.
Give Checkpoint Titanium a listen before you head to the show this week so you can get an idea of what to expect from the young artist. With luscious production that is coated in beautiful synth work, there shouldn’t be a reason that it won’t be a good time!
The Toronto based producer will be making his way to Montréal this coming Saturday, October 29th at Theatre Berri along with Cashmere Cat, Zora Jones, Ryan Playground, and Dojo. Tickets HERE. $30
