Meet Cudimitsu | Producer, Engineer, & DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cudimitsu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cudimitsu, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I didn’t realize how much I needed to sacrifice to truly dedicate my life to what I’m most passionate about. My work is my life. My passion is my lifestyle. Music is my first love, its constantly in my head, and I don’t know if I could be away from it even if I tried.

Time management is a simple answer of course but the real thing that changed my life was letting go of the pressure to perform for the outside world and focus on my personal goals. Allowing myself the time to rest when my body and mind is tired. Giving inspiration the opportunity to find me rather than chasing it. I also found that having the ability to change my perspective on perceived set backs has given me the ability to reimagine my environment and myself in how I balance work and life. I’m finding gratitude in solving challenges both in work and life and I’m passionate about that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
T-White, The Whitest said telling someone they made a really good beat is like telling someone they fried a really good egg. Growing up with five older siblings, I’ve been blessed with a wide range of understanding sonically. Music gave me the ability to process grief and life challenges. The most important thing for me above all is how a track makes me feel. I extend that into both production and engineering when working with other artists. I think that’s why people like working with me, its not about the science or the numbers, we are creating a vibe. I also think its important to be flexible and easy to work with, I learned that from watching Kenny Beats.

I’m constantly learning and evolving. Its hard putting yourself in a box but as a producer I tend to blend ideas of modern abstract and 90s-2000s Stones Throw-esque hip hop. Producing and collecting vinyl for me goes hand in hand. I spend hours at record shops exploring in search of interesting sounds, reggae, soul, rock, and funk. I’ve been fortunate enough to engineer songs featuring artists like The Game and Ghost Face Killa, but what I’m more proud of is being a big collaborator in the underground alternative hip hop scene in Los Angeles, having production credits with My Favorite Color, Diani, Kwame Adu, and Elijah Bank$y to name a few.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first thing we are gonna do is head up to the studio and listen to music of course.

If there’s one thing I love almost as much as music its food, and as far as tourist stuff goes I’m not interested in any of that. First place we are going for breakfast or lunch has got to be Grand Casino in Culver City. Grand Casino is an amazing Argentinian restaurant, with delicious empanadas, and caprice salad you could die for. Next, because we’ll be in the area and my buddies and I like to hike, I love the views you get at the top of Kenneth Han Park. You can see across the whole city from the coast to downtown while enjoying a pocket of seemingly dense nature in the middle of the sprawling urban environment, all while juxtaposed with oil rigs pumping sludge from deep beneath the earth.

I gotta say K-town is underrated, I cant get enough of Somi Somi, and the food court across from H-mart in the K-town Plaza is amazing they have a bit of everything in there and its affordable.

For night life if I’m not performing or have friends who are performing at a show, when it comes to me speed I got to shoutout Melody lounge in China Town. Weather its Reggae punks, people spinning vinyl, or hip hop head playing beats Melody is super under rated and one of my favorite low key spots and I can go Kick it.

Lastly please don’t let me forget but my favorite restaurant in this city is Dan Sung Sa. Themed after the TV show M.A.S.H. you slide into a small dimly lit bar with wooden booth covered in graffiti surrounding the kitchen in the center of the restaurant. Just about everything on the menu is fantastic, a great place to bring a party, and its open till 2 am.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Through any doubt I’ve faced, my brother Nicholas (Dolphin) has always been my biggest supporter. The undoubtful trust and belief I’ve felt from him is something I am eternally grateful for. My nickname and artist name was given to me by him. When I first started putting music together one of the first things my brother did was connect me to his friend Seth Steelo (my mentor) who had been an avid hip hop producer in our area for years who in turn took me under his wing. When I needed a computer for music production my brother put his money together and convinced our dad and my mother to help buy me one. He spoke highly of me to family when others may have had doubt or confusion. He’s helped my source equipment, make money when I’m broke, and helped me tear apart my car multiple times to keep me on the road. I’ve always received a mountain of love from him and its something I carry with me always.

Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0RfL7RRpwggIjW1SO38cQT?si=e67guvawQk-p-F_j-14BiQ

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cudimitsu?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Image 3 Clement Thomas