Interviews

Victor Nwasogwa popularly known as Spane5 is the brain behind “Mixline Studio’’. The Music producer cum singer is one of the numerous visionary and talented Nigerian youths who have not been reluctant to exploring their abilities and interests even as undergraduates. His home studio- Mixline, has been of great help  to many up-coming musicians in Nsukka, seeing that their aspirations of venturing into music become realities.  In this interview, he told our correspondent ( CAMPUSLIFE correspondent, The Nation Newspaper) how his journey to becoming a Music Producer started and the change he intends bringing into the music industry.

May we meet you?

My name is Nwasogwa, Victor also known as Spane5, a  400-level student of metallurgical and materials engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). I am a music producer. And have been producing for two years now, majoring in mixing. I have been combining it with my academics perfectly and I like it.

Do you sing also?

Yeah, I do sing, but I am in more of production majoring in mixing. I have singles, so many of them but just two officially released- “Sweet While” and “Serenade”. I am a tenor singer in the Catholic student Choir, UNN. Presently I am working on my digital album to be released before the year runs out.

How and when did the dream to become a music producer started?

The passion started when I was in SS1. That was in 
Federal Government Collage, Ugwolawo in Kogi state. I gained interest in the piano in the church, started teaching myself. With time I started getting help from people who know more than me and it was making sense. I really loved the keyboard very much. From there I moved on to getting myself a guitar and I joined the music class in my secondary school. I was so lucky to have a very nice music teacher, we knew him as Mr. Jang. He really helped me with materials for learning the guitar. Today I think I am even better with the guitar than the keyboard. So when I left secondary school in 2010, I was introduced to a music making software- “FL Studio”. That was how it all started. I started producing and was just surprised at the software: how I can just convert things I played manually with keyboard and piano to digital format. From then I was like, so I can really do things with the computer with not necessarily having the piano by my side. So I started working. Then I got admission the same year into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). From then I kept on pursuing. I stayed in the hostel, and then I had a studio in my father’s house. Around my second year, I started purchasing my own instruments, the equipment I use in my place now.

How were you able to procure those equipment?

 It wasn’t really easy, because then I had to save my pocket money, had to go on my old cloths for a long time so that I can save money to buy some of these equipment. And today I thank God things are moving fine at least I realised all my efforts from what I have now in my place.

Does your being a music producer in any affect your studies?

Yes. It affects my studies, but not so bad. It’s a kind of negligible. Not that it’s actually distracting me, no. But then, I know that if I can put all the efforts am putting into production into my academics it would have made a very big difference. But one fact remains that my academics is something I am kind of dragged to do, but music is something am dragging, something I am liking, it’s something I can do from morning to night and won’t feel hungry, wouldn’t even know that am doing work. But academics is something I will do for just like an hour and I feel like men! I am putting much effort. But then it takes my academics time small, especially now that the influx of people in my home studio is much. But then by God’s grace am putting everything together, and my grade point is okay while am still making it in my music. It is all about time management.

In other words you still take your academics serious?

Yes. Like during my exams, I hibernate my studio through the exam period, clear my papers then I continue again.

May we know your achievements so far, as a beat engineer?

Well I thank God things have really been moving fine. Like I have met so many people, my social life has really improved. For instance, if I need help now, I have so many people I can call on. My mixings and beats have made it to different music sites in Nigeria. I also create tutorial videos on singing and mixing for my Blog.  It is really- really projecting my name. I thank God.

What are your major challenges as a music producer?

My major challenge is separating my music, business, and personal life. Progress in music has a lot to do with fame, and fame brings with it lots of responsibilities. These are my major challenges.

Have you been able to produce beat for any notable figure in the music industry?

I have done a lot of jobs that will really take me to places. When it comes to singles, I have worked with Eclipse; he is also a graduate of UNN. And his record label really approved of my work. We (Spane5 and Eclipse) have many songs we have worked on that are yet to be released. But the last released song we did was “Holy Water’’. I have other student artists I have been working with in UNN, people like IHL, Fiziedeen, Kennybal, Mikyeva etc. but Mikyeva is the only gospel artist I have worked with.

Oh! You don’t work with gospel artists?

No (laughs). Is not like I don’t work with gospel artist; it’s just that 90 percent of the artists who come around to record with me are more of dance hall, hard core secular jams. But lately I did a song for my choir; it was produced by one of our choristers in my studio, Mixline, that’s the name of my studio. Recorded and mixed there. And we are hoping to do an album soon. So it is not like I don’t do gospel.

What would you like to change in the Nigeria’s music industry?

Well-well-well, I want to bring in dynamism! I would like to expand the industry. One problem we Nigerians have is that: one person does a song, the song hits and everybody begins to make the same kind of song, same pattern, same movement, the same flow, and same lyrics. But I want to bring in something: I want to make Nigerians understand that innovation really pays.

So can you drop some words for persons that may want to become beat makers?

My advice to them is to grab every wisdom that you can grab at any point in time. So many people like music but the problem is that not everyone is ready to sacrifice for music. It requires you to read many things, thing that you don’t even understand. Like me I didn’t really come out for any training, but I taught myself. How? By reading; I attended a lot of conferences; I joined the choir; I  stream tutorial videos on singing and mixing on YouTube; I spent sleepless nights doing the same thing, trying and trying and learning. My advice is that if you want to get there, go get the skill.

How has your family accepted your going into music?         

Initially my parents were not cool with it, thinking it is going to affect my education. But their reasoning changed as they saw that my grades were still maintained even till my 300-level. Today my Dad is way proud of my skills and strongly believes in me and  my music as much as he believes in my Engineering which I am not planning to practice if things work out well (rolls eyes).

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

By the next five years (smiles), I hope to be in a big place, I would have gone international by the next five years. Because in two years time I will be graduating from here (UNN), take one year to go settle down, another year to go viral in Nigeria and the next year I am hoping to go international: be heard in other countries.

What message do you hope to pass to the public through music?

The simple message I really want to pass to the world through my music is: be yourself, be innovative, do something different that is good, and it will always pay off.

I guess you have a role model?

Of course! But I have many of them. People like Noah40, Gotye, Don Jazzy, Justin Bieber  etc. are men that their works inspire me a lot.

Most Nigerian hip hop music have been referred to as being lewd and lacking in content. What is your take on this?

Musicians should know that making dance music or club music is not all about creating nude or sensual concepts in your songs, or through your lyrics. There are other things we can always say that will make people want to dance when they listen to your song. Let’s be more creative. Let’s try and sit down and think of something different. In other words positive innovations will always take us there. And again, we should try to promote our societal values through our music.

Thanks for giving us your time and for letting us into your world.

(Laughs) The pleasure is mine!
Follow on twitter @spane5alive