[FEATURE] VIPER PRESENTS: XVR BLCK
One of the go-to producers in the UK’s black music landscape, XVR BLCK recently released his first body of work ‘The BLCKOut (EP) Vol. 1’. Get to know him with his VIPER interview…
What five words define your sound?
Nostalgic, Unorthodox, Timeless, Eclectic and Expressive.
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
A unique factor when it comes to the creative process would be the fact that I only spend a day on a particular song. I feel when creating down to the vibe I’m feeling on the day or any other factors that may add to the process, by tomorrow I may be in a different headspace so it’s important that I capture the moment.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
Regarding the project, it’s very hard to pick a favourite. If I had to choose, it would be ‘Too Deep’, because on this track, I am showcasing my ‘Talk Box’ skills, it feels like I’m featuring on my own track in an unconventional fashion rather than just vocals. Not only that but I love the retro sound it portrays as I grew up on ‘90s and ‘00s R&B and I would like to revive that sound. If I’m honest, I have too many songs in the vault, there’s a lot I would like to showcase soon.
What inspired you to make that song?
The inspiration for ‘Too Deep’ and the project at large is to highlight hidden gems in the R&B scene in the UK as it gets overlooked. I want to show that there is still an audience for this genre. We haven’t had a male singer break in the UK since Craig David, which is also the reason why we made the EP all male vocalists to showcase more of this to the masses.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
The most vulnerable would be when I vocal on songs. With beats and producing, it’s second nature to me, I could do it in my sleep. Whereas when I vocal or demo songs for an artist, I can turn into an over perfectionist, even if it’s just a demo.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Because I’m mostly behind the boards producing, I haven’t performed in a professional capacity yet, but I’m hoping to do so with this EP trilogy.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
I wouldn’t say there’s a particular artist that made me want to get into music, but there’s a few that I’ve been inspired by such as Timbaland, Swizz Beats, Jermaine Dupri and Quincy Jones. I’d say that it’s more so the process of developing a new artist, especially starting from scratch, which made me want to make music.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
XVR BLCK Is abbreviation of my Government Name XAVIER BLACK.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
If I wasn’t doing music, I’d probably still be in the creative field somehow. Ages ago, when MySpace was a thing, I was creating page designs for people, so I’d most likely be doing graphic related work.
What’s success to you?
Success to me would be breaking an artist and God willing, turn that into breaking multiple artists and being the top hub for R&B music in the UK and worldwide.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
Honestly, the fact my 20’s are almost over.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
My socials on everything is @XVRBLCK.
