Interview With Sound Engineer Zeph Beats
As the silent hand behind a plethora of music, Zeph Beats has made a immense contribution to the South African music industry. Born Simphiwe Mhlongo, the producer/engineer has worked with Stogie T, Ayanda Jiya, KiD X & A-Reece and also handled the mixing on Riky Rick's gold-certified crowd favorite "Buy It Out". We caught up with him to gain inside access into his sonic mastery.
"You just have to have the ear," the producer begins, before offering a light-heated anecdote of his. "With Ayanda Jiya's song featuring A-Reece " Falling For You," the hook didn't sound how it sounds now. She had a completely different hook and I told her it had to be a bit more basic. She obviously didn't like my idea but when the song dropped, it did well and she was like "okay... cool".
Zeph Beat's inate ability to turn good songs into memorable hits has seen him helm numerous studio sessions and mix for the likes of B3nchMarQ, Zoocci Coke Dope and DJ Speedsta. "The relationship between an artist and an engineer is very important because we need to understand what the artist wants," Zeph shares. "We need to know their vocal range and understand the types of EQs that work with them. It's so crucial and how I manage these relationships is by making sure I understand what the artists are trying to achieve with their songs. It's all about striking a balance - making sure the song is clean, but also giving the artist what they want."
Becoming the go-to sound maestro has been quite the journey, with him having honed his ear over the better part of two decades. "My love for music started back in 2003 when I was in high school," he says. "Back then Windows XP was still in fashion and I was one of those guys who used to burn CDs for people. People would send me a list of songs and I would make mixes for them to listen to." The transition from music supplier to creator would take another five years when Zeph caught the production bug. "In 2008 I started making beats and pursuing a career as a producer. What drew me to engineering was my beats not sounding as big as they should have. I wanted my beats to match international standards. I’d play my beats then play J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Just Blaze or Kanye West’s and mine didn’t sound as full. That’s when I realised I needed to mix and master".
The decision to complement his beatmaking with audio engineering can be traced to a combination of rhymes catching Zeph's ear and his curiosity. "I'm a big Jay-Z fan and he'd always shout Guru out," he reveals. "I searched and found out he was Jay's sound engineer. I looked up to Young Guru and that's the person I'd follow in terms of engineering. In our era, with YouTube, it became easier to find videos of him mixing."
With unfettered digital access to an idol, Zeph did the work of developing skills to augment his gifted ear. "I started off as self-taught and when I realised I was getting good at it I went to study at The Academy of Sound Engineering," he says. "I thought of getting my diploma in sound so if I needed to get a job I would be qualified". Fast forward to 2020 and Zeph's body of work is his trusted CV, with contributions to Ginger Trill's "Money" and Ayanda Jiya's chart-topping "The Sun" under his belt. Taken off Ayanda's debut album Ayandastand, the success of "The Sun" is one of Zeph's crowning achievements. "I produced the entire album so I really enjoyed mixing it. It took a year and I took my time with it, unlike when I'm rushed by clients who need the album to drop in weeks." That care Zeph Beats shows the music is why artists choose him for their seminal releases. This is so for two of his other favourite projects to be involved in, A-Reece's first project after leaving Ambitiouz Entertainment From Me To You And Only You and Stogie T's self titled album from back in 2016.
More than these accolades, what keeps Zeph intrigued are the changing soundscapes. "I guess it's just the evolution of music on general," he says of what inspires him. "When I started making music, there was a different sound to what we're hearing now. Hip Hop was based more on who had the hardest raps and since the transition to Trap, probably from when Rick Ross dropped "BMF," young kids are now the dominant ones."
With his hands behind the soundboards, Zeph Beats aims to continue contributing to South African music's evolution. You can keep up with him on Facebook and Instagram.
