Postie Media Blog

Catching Up With Doc P

Jan 30 2022
By Postie Media Staff

In 2017, Doc P released Direct Intent (Freshly Baked Beats vol. 1), which of course implied that a volume 2 would follow. We catch up with Doc P to find out what he has been up to in the meantime, and when we can expect the next release.

Q: The preview for this article basically asks “Where is Doc P?” After seeing you feature with different groups, and put out some smaller solo releases, we got a full length solo LP from you in 2017, but have heard nothing in between now and then. Have you been working on music since then?

Doc P: Oh yeah, I’ve been working on music. Actually, right after volume 1 came out I was working on two different things, a set of mix-tapes which never came to be, and another kind of a side-project, but it’s a solo thing. I don’t want to talk too much about it, because it will actually come out soon, and I don’t want to spoil the idea – the premise for anyone. On top of that, Postie and I did remaster volume 1 of course, to bring those songs up to the sonic quality of what everything else has been, since our capabilities have improved a bit since then.

As for quote-unquote "regular" Doc P music, at one point I was thinking I might use a selection of Postie’s instrumentals as the backing for my vocals for the next release, but I’m finding that doing that is better in small amounts. A song or two per release, maybe. There’s a specific Doc P sound that gets lost if I don’t have my hand on the wheel enough, and then it doesn’t work anymore. And really I just couldn’t help myself. I just have to make some beats now and then. So right now, I have a handful of beats mostly made by me ready to record vocals as soon as I can find the time to put in on the mic.

Q: So that’s going to be volume 2 then?

Doc P: No, and yes. I’ve been looking at how people are releasing their music now, and it seems to me like it depends a lot on who you are and when you came up. Established acts will probably go from LP to LP, and especially if they have been around since music had to be physically distributed around the world, because that’s what they’ve always done. That’s what their fans expect. It’s different for those still on the way up though.

I’m proud to have done volume 1 as a full LP, because I do remember back when that was the standard and anything less was only for small-time acts, but now there really is no reason to stick to that. My distribution is all digital! And if you listen to volume 1, it kind of sounds like a compilation album... It’s all over the place. At times gritty and moody and dark, then it’s uptempo electronica, and later some kind of pop-rock with saxophones in there for some reason, because again I just couldn’t help myself... There’s a lot going on there.

So my idea is to release singles and EPs and singles as a standard mode of operation, each featuring songs of a similar style and feel. That way, everyone wins. The releases can come out quicker, I can still make the varied kinds of songs that I like, and the listener has an easier time getting to the parts that they like, without having to sort through the stuff they might not like.

For example, the EP I am about to record vocals on is very heavy. Distortion and guitars – I even made the drums more rock and less hip-hop, but the next one will be like old-school 80’s or 90’s rap. Like what if I made music in that era instead of now? After that, maybe just regular modern Freshly Baked Beats. I’m not sure, but the point is after a couple of smaller releases, each with their own theme, I can take those songs – add a few new ones maybe – and master them all together as one album, which would be volume 2.

So to get back to your original question: In a way it’s just the next EP, but it’s also the first part of volume 2, since those songs – or at least some of them – will be featured on that compilation. It’s better this way, because as it stands I am entering the final phase of making this EP. If I were making an LP, I would be just barely getting started still.

Q: That leads me to the big question. When should we expect to hear more music from Doc P? It sounds like you’re pretty close.

Doc P: It’s hard to say, the next EP – which I am thinking will be a self-titled project – has the instrumentals and lyrics all ready, but the other side-line project I said was on the way might be ready first. Vocals are a tricky business for me, I am currently working in a less than ideal studio setup, and I can tend to be a perfectionist about my delivery anyway – to the point where I keep doing retakes until I am too hoarse to even try anymore. I’ve gotten better about that over time though.

If I had to bet on it, I would not be surprised to see both of them out by mid to late ‘22, though like I said, I’m not sure what order they’ll be in.

In our next post, we'll continue our chat with Doc P about his time in podcasting, YouTube, and more.

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