Roger E Lear 
Member since: June 01, 2009
Total live articles: 13
In a place called “The Garden”, where inspiration is incubated in the womb of creativity, a producer sits with his soul reaching out to melodies. Melodies reborn as repetitions of head nods or hums hanging out of the mouths of someone blessed to catch a track by this “cultivator” of sound that makes living feel good. This Garden, a studio that sits in Minnetonka, Minnesota, is the place of solace for producer Roger E. Lear also known as R.E.L. In 1992 the Garden bore Smooth Composition Recordings, R.E.L’s response to a necessity for freedom from an industry that was slowly becoming the antithesis of musical creativity, an industry rife with redundancy and an abundance of “status quo” production. He began his journey into music as an Inglewood California deejay in 1979. In 1985 he joined the military. It was while based in Europe he found himself part of a band that had the opportunity to travel. While on tour he discovered that music is his “connection to heaven” where every keyboard or guitar intonation brought him peace. After returning from tour he began to produce music. When his fellow soldiers were hanging out, he was creating. His first demo production was done in 1986 and in 1989 sold his first track. With inspiration derived from producers such as; Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid and Babyface, Easy Mo Bee, Dr. Dre., Pete Rock, Quincy Jones, Narada Michael Walden, and Rockwilder, R.E.L has created his unique sound. A sound he calls “Smooth Hop”, tracks akin to sucking on rock candy dipped in honey. From Smooth Jazz to Hip Hop to Gospel to Funk Rock his paradigm of versatility as a producer is met by few. This is evident in his diverse collection of produced work for his Smooth Composition Recording imprint; K.O.S Killers of Society, (Welcome To Death Valley, 1993 and Can I Get My Rip On, 1994, Hip Hop), Extreme (I.A.I.M.A.S, 1995, Hip Hop), Krush (Lord Please Protect Me, 1997 and Friend or Foe, 1999, Hip Hop), Yotman (All Night/Huh What?, 1998, Hip Hop and Spiritual Warfare, 2001, Gospel Hip Hop), From The Vault (Compilation, 2000 Hip Hop), and Eastside (Against All Odds, 2001, Gospel). Also, in 1996 he released “The Collective”, which was touted by the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper as the “first ever hip hop compilation in the history of Minnesota”. It is this recording where R.E.L’s “Smooth Hop” is born. Since the 2001 Eastside’s release R.E.L has been in “The Garden” fine tuning his sound and producing for various artists. With a R.E.L. track you will be arrested by the “Head Nod factor”. Where many producers fall flat on production R.E.L follows what he considers “R.E.L Funkdamentals” to producing a track. A R.E.L track mesmerizes, hypnotizes, and leaves an imprint on your mind that translates into you “nodding your head until your neck hurts”. Teddy Riley had his “New Jack Swing” and the early Minneapolis music scene had the “Minneapolis Sound”. Now the new millennium has “Smooth Hop” growing and created in “The Garden”, cultivated by R.E.L. “…music is freedom. It is the womb I reside in where time is of no factor only the resulting sound is of significance” R.E.L, 2009
Self-publishing can definitely be a long scary process. But we are not alone; self-publishing is definitely a sign of the times. And thankfully, today there are several options. Let's take P.O.D (Print-on-demand) for example. I have come to understand that there are quite a few P.O.D publishers. Some of these P.O.D publishers come highly recommended by their users; others have scanty reputations.
The music business, as with most businesses, is changing rapidly. How does one keep up with all of the changes? How do you take in, analyze and apply all of the latest and greatest ways of doing business, make money and remain true to your art? In this article I'm going to touch on two things which are extremely important and very basic: prioritization and focus. To prioritize means to arrange or schedule in order of importance, and, focus means to bring into focus or to concentrate.
Change is constant and, for the most part, only young children fail to notice change happening. I'm sure they perceive change, yet their ability to adapt to change seems easy. Outside of the occasional temper tantrum, which tend to be more about a possession (such as a toy) then resistance to something new, they are ever quick to adjust and move on to the next thing. Left alone, most children will move from thing to thing and moment to moment without much regard for either. The sole purpose
Let me set this up before I get into it. If you are prone to pessimism, this could cause you to give up on your dreams of making it big in the music business. Read on at the risk of shattered dreams. For everyone else, this can stimulate the type of thoughts which breakthroughs are made of. Let us begin. This is not good or bad news; it's just news. Actually, it's not even really news because it's common knowledge to anyone paying attention to the current state of the music industry.
Are you prepared to persist after hearing "no" to a deeply personal question? What about after hearing "no" twice? OK, how about hearing "no" to the same question five times? If you are prepared to persist in the face of this opposition, then I believe one of three things is true about you:
Rarely is an artist objective about what they create. The creative process is pure, organic and should be free to unfold. (At least that's what I think.) I have said, "I become one with my creation, not seeking perfection, just a clear sense that when it's done, it's done." That makes sense to me. I love that about art. When it's just about art, I don't care what other people think; I don't do it with others in mind. Whether I'm making a track or writing a song, if it's just about art then
This comes from a recent experience, but I’ve seen it many times over the years. I know of at least one remedy for this problem. OK, so an MC I know and have done quite a lot of work with drops by The Garden (my studio) and hears a track I’m working on and says; “I’ve gotta have that”, because he is working on his album (for the last two years, and counting. Really?!?!?). I hook him up on four different occasions. He is on fire for the tracks at first, but he takes his time
In a book I read not long ago titled “Do You” by Russell Simmons, he shared the discovery he made regarding success and the pursuit of “things” as a benchmark of success. He noted an unnamed MC who spent lots of money on a nice car and rims. Inevitably, sometime after the purchase the question shows up; “Is this it?“ Russell noted what many of us have felt after the euphoria of the moment is over: a feeling of emptiness. Further back in history a King named Solomon, presumed to be the richest
Over the years I've had to sign a lot of documents while doing business, plenty of contracts stipulating the details of particular agreements, duration of service and consequences in the event of contract breach. I was fortunate to receive guidance early in my career from an industry vet who mentored me for a while. He made two very important points regarding agreements that have proven true for me:
This is no exaggeration; I have had this conversation more than 100 times with artists and groups I’ve worked with: who is your target audience? Much can be said about people not wanting to be categorized; however, like it or not that’s how things work. Categorizing helps finding a particular thing easier; check the library and see how things are set up.
Rarely is an artist objective about what they create. The creative process is pure, organic and should be free to unfold. (At least that's what I think.) I have said, "I become one with my creation, not seeking perfection, just a clear sense that when it's done, it's done." That makes sense to me. I love that about art. When it's just about art, I don't care what other people think; I don't do it with others in mind. Whether I'm making a track or writing a song, if it's just about art then
The music business, as with most businesses, is changing rapidly. How does one keep up with all of the changes? How do you take in, analyze and apply all of the latest and greatest ways of doing business, make money and remain true to your art? In this article I'm going to touch on two things which are extremely important and very basic: prioritization and focus. To prioritize means to arrange or schedule in order of importance, and, focus means to bring into focus or to concentrate.
In 1996 I was doing a hip hop compilation CD called The Collective for my production company, SCR Entertainment. There were 11 MCs and because I value the craft of lyric writing, during the album pre-production stage I decided that we, as a collective, would get together and critique the lyrical content of each song submitted for album consideration. I wanted to ensure quality in content.
Everything takes time, often more than we expect. In 1988 I bought my first four-track recorder and started learning to produce songs. Very basic stuff, but I didn’t wait for the perfect time to start producing music. I got busy as soon as I could afford the recorder; I didn’t wait until I had the skill to produce a song or an album before I started working on tracks. I sold my first song in 1990 and produced my first album in 1993. Between the five years from 1988 to 1993, all of the work ca
This comes from a recent experience, but I’ve seen it many times over the years. I know of at least one remedy for this problem. OK, so an MC I know and have done quite a lot of work with drops by The Garden (my studio) and hears a track I’m working on and says; “I’ve gotta have that”, because he is working on his album (for the last two years, and counting. Really?!?!?). I hook him up on four different occasions. He is on fire for the tracks at first, but he takes his time
Let me set this up before I get into it. If you are prone to pessimism, this could cause you to give up on your dreams of making it big in the music business. Read on at the risk of shattered dreams. For everyone else, this can stimulate the type of thoughts which breakthroughs are made of. Let us begin. This is not good or bad news; it's just news. Actually, it's not even really news because it's common knowledge to anyone paying attention to the current state of the music industry.
This is no exaggeration; I have had this conversation more than 100 times with artists and groups I’ve worked with: who is your target audience? Much can be said about people not wanting to be categorized; however, like it or not that’s how things work. Categorizing helps finding a particular thing easier; check the library and see how things are set up.
In a book I read not long ago titled “Do You” by Russell Simmons, he shared the discovery he made regarding success and the pursuit of “things” as a benchmark of success. He noted an unnamed MC who spent lots of money on a nice car and rims. Inevitably, sometime after the purchase the question shows up; “Is this it?“ Russell noted what many of us have felt after the euphoria of the moment is over: a feeling of emptiness. Further back in history a King named Solomon, presumed to be the richest
Self-publishing can definitely be a long scary process. But we are not alone; self-publishing is definitely a sign of the times. And thankfully, today there are several options. Let's take P.O.D (Print-on-demand) for example. I have come to understand that there are quite a few P.O.D publishers. Some of these P.O.D publishers come highly recommended by their users; others have scanty reputations.
Change is constant and, for the most part, only young children fail to notice change happening. I'm sure they perceive change, yet their ability to adapt to change seems easy. Outside of the occasional temper tantrum, which tend to be more about a possession (such as a toy) then resistance to something new, they are ever quick to adjust and move on to the next thing. Left alone, most children will move from thing to thing and moment to moment without much regard for either. The sole purpose
In 1996 I was doing a hip hop compilation CD called The Collective for my production company, SCR Entertainment. There were 11 MCs and because I value the craft of lyric writing, during the album pre-production stage I decided that we, as a collective, would get together and critique the lyrical content of each song submitted for album consideration. I wanted to ensure quality in content.
Consistent creative output can be challenging even if you have an established process and habit. However, if you don’t have an established process and habit regarding creative output it becomes tougher.
Everything takes time, often more than we expect. In 1988 I bought my first four-track recorder and started learning to produce songs. Very basic stuff, but I didn’t wait for the perfect time to start producing music. I got busy as soon as I could afford the recorder; I didn’t wait until I had the skill to produce a song or an album before I started working on tracks. I sold my first song in 1990 and produced my first album in 1993. Between the five years from 1988 to 1993, all of the work ca
This is no exaggeration; I have had this conversation more than 100 times with artists and groups I’ve worked with: who is your target audience? Much can be said about people not wanting to be categorized; however, like it or not that’s how things work. Categorizing helps finding a particular thing easier; check the library and see how things are set up.
Over the years I've had to sign a lot of documents while doing business, plenty of contracts stipulating the details of particular agreements, duration of service and consequences in the event of contract breach. I was fortunate to receive guidance early in my career from an industry vet who mentored me for a while. He made two very important points regarding agreements that have proven true for me:
In a book I read not long ago titled “Do You” by Russell Simmons, he shared the discovery he made regarding success and the pursuit of “things” as a benchmark of success. He noted an unnamed MC who spent lots of money on a nice car and rims. Inevitably, sometime after the purchase the question shows up; “Is this it?“ Russell noted what many of us have felt after the euphoria of the moment is over: a feeling of emptiness. Further back in history a King named Solomon, presumed to be the richest
This comes from a recent experience, but I’ve seen it many times over the years. I know of at least one remedy for this problem. OK, so an MC I know and have done quite a lot of work with drops by The Garden (my studio) and hears a track I’m working on and says; “I’ve gotta have that”, because he is working on his album (for the last two years, and counting. Really?!?!?). I hook him up on four different occasions. He is on fire for the tracks at first, but he takes his time
Rarely is an artist objective about what they create. The creative process is pure, organic and should be free to unfold. (At least that's what I think.) I have said, "I become one with my creation, not seeking perfection, just a clear sense that when it's done, it's done." That makes sense to me. I love that about art. When it's just about art, I don't care what other people think; I don't do it with others in mind. Whether I'm making a track or writing a song, if it's just about art then
Are you prepared to persist after hearing "no" to a deeply personal question? What about after hearing "no" twice? OK, how about hearing "no" to the same question five times? If you are prepared to persist in the face of this opposition, then I believe one of three things is true about you:
Let me set this up before I get into it. If you are prone to pessimism, this could cause you to give up on your dreams of making it big in the music business. Read on at the risk of shattered dreams. For everyone else, this can stimulate the type of thoughts which breakthroughs are made of. Let us begin. This is not good or bad news; it's just news. Actually, it's not even really news because it's common knowledge to anyone paying attention to the current state of the music industry.
