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Meet KataraK

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Today we’d like to introduce you to KataraK.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Absolutely! And by the way thank you for featuring me in your magazine. I always love reading about everyone’s success stories; its super motivating. So my story, though probably not a brief one, has to go back to me as a kid. Music has always played a pretty big part of my life. It’s funny because if you sit and talk to my parents long enough I guarantee you’ll hear stories of me as a three year old singing my heart out in my car seat to songs I probably had no business knowing. As far as playing and creating music however, that came way later in life. If I can remember correctly, I think the very first song I ever wrote was when I was about 13 or 14, and I recorded it with the microphone on my phone used for making voice notes. I can’t really remember what it was about though. Probably heartbreak; like I knew what that meant back then.

Anyways, coming from a military family, moving was always on the list of “things to do,” though I never really got used to it. it was always such a hassle. For example, I was born in North Carolina, moved to Oceanside, CA then to Arvada, CO then to Temecula, CA, back to Arvada, and this kept going until I was about 16 years old. That’s where the whole musician thing really began.

So, at age 16 I had just moved back to Arvada, CO to live with my mom while my Dad was on deployment, at this time I really didn’t know too many people in town, and starting a new school like that is always interesting. I ended up finding a skatepark a few blocks away from my high school, and every other day or so, I would leave school and cruise down to the park to skate.

One day I’m at the park just minding my own business and some kid comes skating by, playing Hip Hop instrumentals and freestyling and asks if I wanna play a game of S.K.A.T.E. which for those of you who don’t know is basically the skateboard equivalent of H.O.R.S.E. so we get the game going and start skating and I don’t know how it came up, but he started talking about how he recorded his own music and how he and his friends from “back home” in Michigan collaborate on music all the time, then he invited me over to make a track. I was intrigued. I never really knew the proper way to record music, but me being me, I was down to learn. So me and my boy Jess Velasquez go to his uncles house and he pulls out one of those Snowball microphones that connect directly into the computer and boom, I recorded my first song. Anyways, after this first song we made, I was hooked. I had some extra money from a car loan at the time so I actually went to Guitar Center the next day and bought me a mic stand, a microphone, and headphones. And so it began.

After about a month or two of persistently writing and recording songs, me, jess, and about 15 of the people we’d always hang out with at the skatepark would start congregating at the park for freestyle cyphers. It was awesome. This continued for quite some time and eventually we created the music group R.B.A.D which consisted of Jess V, Pookie Jay, TokeMo, Cuban, Matt Barz, myself (I went by J-Money back then) and like 15 other people. Our “home base” was at Cuban’s parent’s house which was right behind the skatepark, and it was always a hilarious and chaotic scene in there. We’d usually have about six people in a bedroom recording and mixing a song, ten others in the living room hanging out , more people in the front yard freestyling or throwing beer bottles at each other, it was crazy. I’m pretty sure if you surf through YouTube for enough time you may come across some of our “Day in the life” videos.

About a year or two passed and R.B.A.D kind of fell apart. Partying became more important to some, while music became a priority to others, and sometimes that’s just how life goes. After the split of R.B.A.D, Jess, Pookie, Matt, and I created another group; TBMG or Team Barz Music Group. This is where things really started to progress musically. We would literally be either recording music, finding instrumentals, mixing songs, recording videos every day. The work flow was insane. At this point, I realized this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I ended up getting my GED and applying for colleges so that I could get a degree and further my knowledge on what goes on behind the scenes.

I was about 18 or 19 when I got accepted to The Art Institute of Colorado. At the time, I had been in the hip hop scene for a few years, performing at multiple venues and making music constantly, so when I showed up for my first week of classes, I realized I knew a bunch of people at the school already. Small world I guess. During my four years of college, I met and learned from some of the most talented producers, audio engineers, videographers, and so many other artists, it really opened my eyes to the way you have to work in order to be successful. I ended up teaching myself how to make beats and added a few other tools to my arsenal. I entered college a rapper but left as a business man with a Bachelors Degree in Audio engineering with a minor in Videography.

Toward the end of my college experience, I ended up signing to Likewyse Productions LLC as a recording artist/producer. Since then, I have released my debut album “Arrival” along with multiple singles, and music videos. The team and I record, produce, engineer, and perform on a regular basis.

Has it been a smooth road?
I believe nothing worth having ever comes easy, no matter what it is. My journey has definitely had it’s ups and downs, but I try to stay positive about things, though as an artist, there are plenty of things that can keep you from living a happy and prosperous life.

When I was younger I definitely started going down the wrong route. Hanging out with the wrong people, doing things I shouldn’t do. It took me a long time to get myself out of my rut and get back on the right path. My life was kind of a rollercoaster for a while, but honestly I wouldn’t take most of it back. It made me into the person I am today and though I still got some work to do, I’m pretty happy what I’ve done so far. With my journey as a musician however, there are some different ups and downs that have a huge effect on an not only me, but any artist fighting for a spot at the top.

Rejection was always a tough pill to swallow. Matter of fact, taking any L definitely hits me in the gut. Naturally, I’m a super competitive person, so I’m always trying to be the best, or do something new, but in this game, so is everyone else. Most people in not only the music industry, but art in general have to be competitive. You’ve gotta have the passion and the drive, because with the amount of shit that flies at you in this industry you’ll get knocked off your horse if you don’t have something to hold onto.

Self doubt is another thing I’ve definitely struggled with. I think a certain level of ego is needed to be among the greatest, but I’m sure even the biggest artists have gone through a time where they wondered if they were wasting their time. its always an uphill battle when coming up in the music industry, especially in 2020. Music is super easy to record, which means a lot of people are doing it, which then makes it a lot harder to keep someone’s attention. And some days, it just feels like your running in circles. All in all though, I try to take an optimistic approach when confronting my struggles. I feel like as long as you continue pushing through and learning from every valley, there’s always something great at the other end.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
KataraK is an American recording artist, producer, and audio engineer based out of Westminster, CO specializing in Boom Bap rap, RNB and Hip Hop instrumentals, and professional mixing and mastering services. KataraK has worked with many local and national artists including Fortune in Fallacy, Austin Brown Band, Wyse, Mark Battles, Bella Carlson, Vinnie T, Lil Debbie, Black Pegasus, and many more.

As a recording artist, I pride myself on the meticulously placed lyrics and original compositions incorporated in my songs. I try and add a level of complexity when writing lyrics down, while also keeping the flow easy to follow and fun to listen to. Now a days, hip hop has been flooded with a lot of very autotune based music, where as the KataraK style veers more toward the: “Golden Age” of hip hop music. A lot of my style comes from the music I’ve always listened. I guess I’ve found my sound by learning from the best.

As a producer, I’m a little more loose when it comes to genre. I specialize in Hip Hop/Trap and RnB songs, yet I’ve definitely done some weird experimental instrumentals as well. Unlike writing and recording, producing instrumentals is an everyday thing. I only write and record when I find a beat I can’t live without. I literally have thousands of unused instrumentals in my hard drives, which is why I decided to start selling beats to other musicians. If I spent that much time creating them, it would be a shame to let them go to waste. Most of my production style is self taught. I mean, I’ve definitely binge watched YouTube channels like Mass Appeal’s Rhythm Roulette or Maschine Master’s On The Spot, just to see other people’s work flows, but most of what I do within the DAW is all me.

As an audio engineer, all genres are welcome. I’ve had the opportunity to record and mix everything from Trap to Punk Rock to Bluegrass, the list goes on. There’s just something about the things that happen inside a recording studio that infatuates me. The energy inside a place like that is baffling. Most of what I’ve learned in the audio engineer world is due to the awesome professors that taught at The Art Institute. We as students were lucky enough to have a industry standard recording studio as a classroom. This place was crazy, it had like 30 different microphones, outboard gear out the wazoo, guitars, drum sets, pianos, the thing was amazing and to add to that, we also had a smaller studio up on the 6th floor where most of us would go to make beats. These studios were free to use, we just had to check it out like it was a book in a library. During my time as an audio engineer, I’ve learned worked both in studio, and in live music venues, working with people including Rittz, Apathy and Celph Titled, Mark Battles, LSP, Twisted, Lil Debbie, Mr Criminal, etc. I’ve had an absolute blast throughout my career and I’m super excited to see what the future holds.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Denver is honestly super awesome. Where I grew up, music wasn’t a very big influence on the town because there were so few music venues locally. It makes sense that my move to Colorado sparked my musical career, because it’s so accessible out here. The opportunity for musical growth is awesome. I mean if you think about it, here in Denver, we have Cervantes Ballroom, 7th Circle, The Other Side, The Roxy, The Ogden, First Bank Center, Red Rocks, Mile High Spirits, The Gothic, Larimer Lounge, and those are just off the top of my head. Music is everywhere and the talent in our city is tremendous. Throughout my time here in Denver, the amount of artists I’ve had the chance to meet, both musically and not, way surpasses any other place I’ve been to. Plus as of right now we have platforms like Callywood TV, Turnt Up TV, and multiple music moguls that spend a lot of time trying to help up and coming artist fulfill their dreams of being heard, It’s almost like the city realizes that, if one person eats, we all will eat, and it’s really cool to be a part of.

Another thing I love about the area is the culture. The people that live here love that they live here and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I think the amount of pride that this city shows is amazing. Plus there’s a certain duality that lives within Colorado’s borders. you can enjoy the perks of living in a city, while being 30 minute from the Rocky Mountains. Denver is definitely one of a kind.

Pricing:

  • Mixing and Mastering – $75 – $150 per song
  • Instrumentals – $50 – $300
  • Recording Sessions – $30 per Hour

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Photo Credit: Dane Michael Pearce

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