Hi, I'm producer Clams Casino. AMA

Could you ever see yourself and XXYYXX doing a collaboration? I've been wanting this to happen for so long.

yea never met him but hope to soon

Hey Clammyclams, loving the new album and really appreciate you putting all the instrumental tracks on there as well. I noticed a lot of people on YouTube seem to exclusively like your instrumentals though and I wondered how you feel about that?

its cool with me i ilke that people enjoy different things about my music

What DAW do you use?

sony acid pro 7.0

What's some tips you have for producers? And when are you and rocky gonna have a collab album?

be original dont copy other producers...dno but hopefully we get a chance to do a full collab project

Any plans on continuing to sample Imogen Heap? Several of your beats that feature her work are my absolute favourite. Heard Sparks?

i tried to work on something original with her for my album but didnt end up working out

How is Lil B like? I mean like in person. And is he fun to work with?

he is very inspiring and fun to work with yea

How'd you manage to collab with A$AP Rocky, and lil B?

i sent them messages on twitter and myspace to get their emails then sent beats

Any reason you use a lot of nature sounds in your production? They sound phenomenal and add a lot of interesting depth, particularly on your EP.

thats the reason ha

Most important question : When will you be working with Kanye ?

whenever he hits me up but im not tryin to make a beat with 20 other producers

Is 32 LEVELS gonna be on Google Play Streaming anytime soon? Was looking forward to listening to it when it dropped on Friday but wasn't available :(

it will be available on all streaming servies including google play on friday

How do you typically come up with a beat? Is it something that just has to come organic (inspiration, everyday events, etc...) or do you just have to put yourself to working on one? Thanks in advance for taking the time to do this, big fan of your music!

usually comes organic but also have to a lot of time and work in for that to happen.....so both

Did you land any production on Staples' Prima Donna EP? "Norf Norf", "Summertime", "Surf", and "All Nite" were instant favourites from you two guys' respective albums.

Not be the kind that wants artists to stick to the same stuff, but any chance we'll ever hear a "Just For Now" sample again? "I'm God" is very aptly named.

How come you didn't produce anything on At.Long.Last.A$AP? Felt that album had something missing because of it.

i didnt work on prima donna ep.....the song on my album BE somebody was actually supposed to go on ALLA at one point

Clams, what kinds of jobs did you do before doing production full time? Did you ever just say "fuck it" and quit so you could focus on making a living off of beats alone?

i had a bunch of shitty jobs mostly at resatuarants my first job i was a bus boy , i delivered pizza for a few years, i did stocking at a liquor store, worked at a gas station and a lot more

Thanks for all your questions. Here's a behind the scenes look at the music video for "All Nite" featuring Vince Staples

what are your tips for getting into the game? like how to start working with more "big" names and that kind of thing, finding those connections? (personal stories would be great if you have any)

also, love your music, please keep it up.

start trying to hit up and work with other people that the artists u cant get in touch with also work with. then maybe eventually they will hear it and if they like it maybe will wanna work with u

General question, but what's your thought process when working on a song? How do you start with nothing and end up with "Ghost in a Kiss?"

Thanks!

the demo of that song was completely different....i got stuck for so long trying to finish it that just had to delete everything except the vocals and build it back up around only sams vocals

Clams, love your work.

What's your favorite video game?

thats tough..maybe donkey kong country SNES

is that your real name?

yes

What was your initial connection to the Bay Area and how did you link up with guys like Young L, Deezy, Lil B, etc.?

i first got really into bay area music when i heard the pack for the first time....and then i reached out to a lot of those artists on myspace to try to work with them

Any chance of a Clam and Araab Muzik collab?

araab did a remix of gorilla a few years ago but never came out... shout out to araab maybe in the future we can do something original together

How was producing for Lil B like?

it was extremely rare

Will we ever get "the album with Clams" that Squadda B mentioned on the song Fakest Year Ever? Do you still keep in touch with Main Attrakionz?

i just kicked it with squadda in the bay a couple months ago when i had a show out there

What's your opinion on your old songs having music videos be made by your fans?

Ps love the album

love to see fan videos and how they interperet what they hear visually

Besides samples that you found or made yourself, what do you use to produce music ? (vsts, etc.)

i use my ipad a lot and iphone a lot...there are a lot of dope music making apps out there

Good Afternoon Clams,

I've given Lil B music to use on one of his projects. When he used the music I sent I never really felt like I was given the credit that I was due. Did you experienced the same issue, and what made you continue to work with him?

i gave myself credit and stayed on top of making sure my name was attached to whatever music i put out....if the artists didnt do it...which usually they didnt

I've noticed that you've used a lot of field recordings from nature in your production. Is there some specific reason for this?

Still haven't had a chance to listen to 32 Levels but based on your previous work and the singles it should be lit

it helps bring life into the music

I know this is a longshot, but is it even possible for proper vinyl releases of all your instrumental mixtapes?

not really..mostly because of all the samples prob

When will 32 Levels be on Spotify?

in the US it will be on spotify on friday.....everywhere else it already is on

hey clams I started listening to you a few years ago and your beats inspired me to start producing so I just wanted to say thanks for that. I was also wondering if there's a way for people like me to contact you to try to work together in the future?

thats really cool..twitter

Hey CC, how do you go about sampling, do you record your own samples, or where do you get them usually?

nowadays mostly i make them myself recording on my ipad or phone . then run them through hardware fx pedals and things like that. i used to just download mp3s to sample

Clams, if you could create the original soundtrack for a videogames of a renowned videogames franchise, which would you pick? I understand you are a fan of Mortal Kombat and The Legend of Zelda.

yes exactly both of those would be my first choices probably

Are some of the songs on 32 Levels scraps from other artists' projects, or were they all made specifically for 32 Levels?

What do you think pushed/inspired you to finally release a full studio album under your own name?

some were made for other projects, albums or films

What's up Clams! Big fan of your stuff.

What inspired you to flip that Imogen Heap sample so many times? Shit's crazy. Also do you actually eat clams casino?

one of my friends sent me a song of hers to sample...i tried but couldnt make anything good from it so i searched for more of her music. then i found that song and flipped it a bunch of different ways

also yea i eat it sometimes

As far as production goes in value as a job, I am about to take up audio engineering and hope to work with artists and producers like yourself, what would you say an engineer needs to have to find themselves in quality recording sessions?

a lot of patience

Why did you upload the new album onto spotify and not the others? Any chance of uploading them to? Also: would you ever produce an official movie soundtrack ? You the goat love u clams!

which ones u mean the instrumental mixtapes? they all have a lot of samples that are uncleared so i wouldnt be able to put those up....yes going to score films eventually

How to improve arrangement skills? I cant do but produce really tiny loops of beats and just polish them in terms of mixing and shit. Cant do anything longer out of that.

that was a big problem for me forever too....not being able to take things out of loops... just try put them to the side and work on other loops, some shorter some longer then work on different combos of the order u put them in

Two questions: do you think the Nutley Raiders make it to State this fall, and do you own any rare Nutley Raiders gear?

i dont know how they are now but i think they were pretty bad when i was in school

What is your favourite song off Rocky's first mixtape?

theres a lot i dno .. maybe bass

Clams, huge fan. Can't write a whole lot because I'm on my phone, but your production on Live.Love is what got me into hip hop. I only have time to write one question, so I guess: do you find it easier or harder to work with artists who are very involved with production? For instance, Mac makes alot of his own beats, but someone like Rocky or Lil B work mostly w others production wise. Do you get alot of feedback from artists? Is it ever a collaborative process?

i find it easier sometimes when they are involved....so if i get stuck or something and they give feedbackit can help give me ideas

Hey Clams!

Was going over the liner notes on "32 Levels" and noticed Mikky Ekko has a lot of additional production credits, most surprisingly on "Blast" which I would've figured was just you. How does that collaboration work out in the studio? Who provides what?

Also: Would you ever consider fully producing an album for one rapper? I always thought a Rocky/Clams or Lil B/Clams full-length would be massive, but wanted to know if that's something you're even interested in.

Thank you for your time and of course your great music!

i recorded mikky playing keyboard samples then flipped them and used some for blast. also for into the fire he did a lot of the production

When are you coming to Albany? Upstate NY loves you.

i was supposed to do a show with lil b in rochester a little while ago but couldnt make it

Which rappers have you personally worked with that you really enjoyed? Like, not just sending them a beat, but actually working with them in the studio.

ferg is really fun to work with in the room because he is very involved in the production process and loves to experiment

Will you go on a US tour?

yes

What do you think of the current state of underground club music(a la the intersection of bmore/jersey, nugrime, organjc signals and countless other genres) and where it's possibly headed?

i dont really know much about them

hi clams love your work, "I'm god" is my favorite song, it's just simply a masterpiece the sounds everything! and also "Angels" from Mac Miller that you produced I guess?Any way I just wanted to say I love your work and to thank you for your music helping me out in the hardest times of my life hope to see you soon in portugal <3 :')

thank u i hope i get to come to portugal soon

Clams! Big fan! Its obvious through your name and social media posts that you really into food. Have you ever thought of doing your own food show? If so who would you choose to co-star???

andrew zimmern or bourdain

Hey clams, albums great. What do you think of the average and lukewarm reception of the album by critics? Also do you care about critics opinions?

na haha

What's up Clams, I'm really liking the new album, and I'm God is one of my favorite, groovy-est songs I have in my music collection. What I want to know, is do you make your songs with a certain mood in mind, or do you toy and tinker with a sample/sound until you get something you vibe with? When I listen I always think you're either the smoothest, most transcendent dude in the world, or a magical wizard, or both!

Thanks for doing this AMA!

i dont have a certain mood in mind usually i start flipping the sounds and samples and that will direct me where to go with it whatever mood comes out of it

How do you usually start a song ? Do you have a melody before getting into it or do you just do random stuff until it sounds good ?

i usually start with samples and melodic stuff first then drums usually come afterwards

What was the first actual tool/instrument you ever obtained that was capable of producing legitimate music?

my first sampler was a yamaha su200 ... i think it ws called. a cheap little hardware sampler but was dope and thats what i made my first beats

Have you met Killa Cam? or if youve talked to him, is there a potential Killa Clams collab?

also, been a fan since I heard live love asap and have had hella angsty moments listening to your rainforest EP

another question... whats your relationship with drugs, if any

thanks for doin this man, hope to meet you if you do any shows in NY

i tried to work with him on my album but didnt work out

Clammyclams do you se yourself making music for films in the future?

def

Is the Clams x Rocky project you mentioned in this AMA just something you want to do, or has any actual groundwork been set up for it?

no someone jsut asked me if i would...its not in the works

Hi, what are your favorite synth plugs, and effects plugins? Thank you for all the real good stuff you dropped

i dont use any synth or fx plugins with my DAW

I have one more question for you about the album, if you don't mind me asking. I love Level 1 and Skull and was wondering how they came together? Like what samples you used and how you found them.

level 1 sample is from a polynesian traditional song meditation cd.....skull i played the samples out on a keyboard

What do you think about the fan made videos of your music?

love the fan videos keep them coming i like to see how the music inspires people to make visuals

Hi Clams,

I saw you two days ago at PS1 and you kicked ass! Even though your aesthetic is so different than the garbage that came before you at the show, everyone immediately jumped on board.

What inspired you to compose in the style that you compose? I know that's kind of a vague question, but you have such a distinct sound and I'm curious where it came from.

thanks for coming out to ps1 that was fun.....the sound it just came from years of experiementing and then eventually finding what i thought was the most interesting and new and exciting to me.. then continuing to keep going with that once i found it