In between Smog LA's trapstep bassacre and Bromance Records' "Trapped in the Maxtrix"-style soundscape, I sat down with Jean-Baptiste de Laubier, AKA Para One, to talk his new remix EP and his crushing ghettotech collaboration with Cam'RonNoisey: So, "Every Little Thing," your newest release with none other than Cam'Ron himself, is officially my favorite R&B track of the moment. Tell me about how it came to be.
Para One: Well, we've been huge fans of Dipset and Cam'Ron, obviously…Obviously…
…And I remember Busy P telling me, "I love that track, you should have a huge featuring on it. If you want to bring it to the US, you have to grab somebody really big." And then I said, "Yeah, but with the sound of the moment… I really want somebody who means something." So we had a meeting, and one guy said he could contact Cam'Ron's manager, and I said, "Fuck yeah, let's do it!" And so he liked that track, and we were amazed that he accepted it.Well, Shlohmo just released a track with Jeremih. Do you think this is a new trend of forward-thinking dance producers working with OG rap stars?
I hope we start a new trend with this. It totally makes sense. I mean, we've been huge hip-hop fans, and for us, it was kind of our motto: to put together ghettotech, house music, and hip-hop in the same parties—sometimes even in the same records, if possible—so that's definitely what we're trying to do.You started playing hip-hop, didn't you? So are you bringing that stuff back into these productions?
With TTC and Institubes ten years ago, we basically did hip-hop, and then we discovered the club culture, and we were always in between the two. But sometimes, we were focused on the club, and now's the time to go back and restart collaborating with hip-hop artists.How'd you decide on the remixers for the EP?
I wanted a Canblaster remix for sure, because I knew that he was gonna be able to fuck with it; he's one of my favorite producers. We work next door, literally. We have studios together, and Girl Unit… I'm a huge fan of Girl Unit, so that was kind of my dream package. I said, "Okay, for once, I'm gonna have exactly who I want." So that's who I tried to gather on the same EP.The strange thing about it is that it's the same chorus, the same hook, but each track stands on its own.
Exactly, it's like three different songs. They were the perfect remixes for the song, and each totally brings it to a different zone.So seven days ago, you also dropped your Miamix. Tell me about the vibe you were going for, and why you decided on the tracks you did?
I wanted to do a mix that would represent what I was going to play on my US tour, and what I like to play at the moment. I'm focusing on DJ sets now, I'm gonna do a live show after, but I really wanted a good selection that went from house to higher tempos, mixing it with hip-hop and ghettotech… So yeah, I wanted to represent all that, but with a flow to make it natural, so that people realize that it's somehow all the same music, because it always has been. We're not labeled as one specific genre, we like to mix stuff together.That's what I love about what's going on with Bromance, Marble Players Live Show… I read in an interview that you guys might return to that. Is it in the works?
Not really, just because we're at work bringing a new season to Marble, including parties with the best lineups we can imagine, the best DJs we can pull together… You could say the Marble All-Stars. But it's not gonna be a live show, we're gonna have our solo live shows each, and maybe an EP collaboration with everybody.I love that. My real question, though… I'm a filmmaker, you're a filmmaker, and quite a talented one at that. Are you planning on returning to the director's seat?
More than ever. I've just been sent a book for an adaptation and maybe I'm gonna accept and work on it. It would be a feature film, and, reading the book, and knowing that producers want you to adapt and direct it… It's the craziest thing! I'm not sure it's gonna work, but I'm looking forward to it. So I'm not entirely sure, but that's hopefully going to be my next project in the movies.Check out Para One featuring Cam'ron below (as well as the accompanying remixes), and be sure to catch him on his American tour this summer!
Para One: Well, we've been huge fans of Dipset and Cam'Ron, obviously…
Advertisement
…And I remember Busy P telling me, "I love that track, you should have a huge featuring on it. If you want to bring it to the US, you have to grab somebody really big." And then I said, "Yeah, but with the sound of the moment… I really want somebody who means something." So we had a meeting, and one guy said he could contact Cam'Ron's manager, and I said, "Fuck yeah, let's do it!" And so he liked that track, and we were amazed that he accepted it.Well, Shlohmo just released a track with Jeremih. Do you think this is a new trend of forward-thinking dance producers working with OG rap stars?
I hope we start a new trend with this. It totally makes sense. I mean, we've been huge hip-hop fans, and for us, it was kind of our motto: to put together ghettotech, house music, and hip-hop in the same parties—sometimes even in the same records, if possible—so that's definitely what we're trying to do.You started playing hip-hop, didn't you? So are you bringing that stuff back into these productions?
With TTC and Institubes ten years ago, we basically did hip-hop, and then we discovered the club culture, and we were always in between the two. But sometimes, we were focused on the club, and now's the time to go back and restart collaborating with hip-hop artists.How'd you decide on the remixers for the EP?
I wanted a Canblaster remix for sure, because I knew that he was gonna be able to fuck with it; he's one of my favorite producers. We work next door, literally. We have studios together, and Girl Unit… I'm a huge fan of Girl Unit, so that was kind of my dream package. I said, "Okay, for once, I'm gonna have exactly who I want." So that's who I tried to gather on the same EP.
Advertisement
Exactly, it's like three different songs. They were the perfect remixes for the song, and each totally brings it to a different zone.So seven days ago, you also dropped your Miamix. Tell me about the vibe you were going for, and why you decided on the tracks you did?
I wanted to do a mix that would represent what I was going to play on my US tour, and what I like to play at the moment. I'm focusing on DJ sets now, I'm gonna do a live show after, but I really wanted a good selection that went from house to higher tempos, mixing it with hip-hop and ghettotech… So yeah, I wanted to represent all that, but with a flow to make it natural, so that people realize that it's somehow all the same music, because it always has been. We're not labeled as one specific genre, we like to mix stuff together.That's what I love about what's going on with Bromance, Marble Players Live Show… I read in an interview that you guys might return to that. Is it in the works?
Not really, just because we're at work bringing a new season to Marble, including parties with the best lineups we can imagine, the best DJs we can pull together… You could say the Marble All-Stars. But it's not gonna be a live show, we're gonna have our solo live shows each, and maybe an EP collaboration with everybody.I love that. My real question, though… I'm a filmmaker, you're a filmmaker, and quite a talented one at that. Are you planning on returning to the director's seat?
More than ever. I've just been sent a book for an adaptation and maybe I'm gonna accept and work on it. It would be a feature film, and, reading the book, and knowing that producers want you to adapt and direct it… It's the craziest thing! I'm not sure it's gonna work, but I'm looking forward to it. So I'm not entirely sure, but that's hopefully going to be my next project in the movies.Check out Para One featuring Cam'ron below (as well as the accompanying remixes), and be sure to catch him on his American tour this summer!
@emersonyeah