South London based music producer/songwriter AITCHEIGHT has been known for his diverse sound on production for almost 3 years now. Working with many big names in the scene such as Ayrtn and G93 in 'Skyfall' as well as branching out internationally to artists such as 'Marco Luka' and 'Mayzin'. AitchEight has been establishing himself track by track. He was fairly quiet last year having only dropped 3 singles in the summer but being able to move to London from Exeter in early 2020, he is now in a perfect position to pursue his dream.
He is well known for his melodic UK trap/rap instrumentals with an alternative twist and has certainly found the types of styles he wants to put forward to the scene in the future. Back last year, in the epicentre of lockdown, Aitcheight blessed the people with two tracks in May linking up with East London's Marko Kun and South West's Misha Lotto.
'Maybe' featuring Marko Kun which dropped at the start of May, is a sanguine track that has that feel-good vibe to it where you can't help but have a smile on your face, even back then during the weird and confusing times. It was definitely one of the tracks of the summer so be sure to check that out!
Towards the end of May AitchEight dropped 'Right Now' featuring Misha Lotto, delivering yet again and showcasing what he is capable of. AitchEight has definitely found his craft to consistently deliver solid tracks for the people!
At the height of warmer months, AitchEight linked up with Tee for 'Roadside'. Another track of the summer contender having accumulated over 100,000 streams already on Spotify alone. This track really showcases his ability to be diverse and adapt to the collaborator's style, be sure to check out the visuals for the track below:
Music Video Directed by @harrysteelefilm:
Roadside comes with high quality and clean visuals as Tee and Aitch Eight wonder their way around rugged conditions in contrasting clothing. Flitting between shots on AitchEight's soul samples and progressive acoustic touches, Tee is a melodic match for the producer's style.
After reaching out to him we had the chance to catch up with Aitcheight to get a better insight of who he is, his influences and find out what's next for him in 2021. Check out what he had to say below:
UKUR: What made you start music/production?
AITCHEIGHT: "When I was 11 and leaving primary school, my teacher Mr D asked all the children what they wanted to be when they grow up. I said I wanted to be a music producer because I had watched a Dr Dre interview that he did in 1997 about his craft and it inspired me even though I had no clue what music production really involved! I remember I used to tell people when I first joined a secondary school that I was a music producer and I lived in LA when I was younger.... don't ask why, I must have thought that was a sick thing to say.''
UKUR: Could you tell the people a bit about yourself? AITCHEIGHT: "I'm 21, I was born in Devon at the top of Dartmoor where I grew up in a small village right between the city of Exeter and the coastline. I'm a big fan of fashion and have modelled for brands such as NorthFace, Collective Bikes, Pullin and many more. I love skateboarding, hanging out with my fam and friends and music obviously. I moved to South London to pursue my music career in early 2020, as I had been travelling back and forth and felt that I would be more productive living here full time. Moving here has given me the opportunity to meet and work with many of my idols and people I would never have imagined being in the same room with. My motivation level is sky high right now! I'm at my parent's house writing out these questions and I'm already itching to get back and pattern my sessions for next week. I am full time within music! I do sessions with artists 6 days a week and also engineer tracks for many artists as well. Music is my focus and always will be! You've got to find your way of making your bread in the industry if you wanna make this the thing you live and breath."
UKUR: What artists have influenced your sound?
AITCHEIGHT: "My biggest musical influence, to be cliche, would be Drake. I remember watching an interview with Drake where he said "I always make music to fit the vibe of driving through a city at night", which is something I've always stuck to when making music. But artists who inspire my sound the most would be Nafe Smallz, M Huncho and D Block Europe. These are my biggest idols in the UK rap scene, and I've had an interaction from M Huncho where he replied to one of my beats with a fire emoji which was a madness for me."
UKUR: How would you describe your sound?
AITCHEIGHT: "My sound is extremely diverse. I've had opportunities to work with major labels and brands such as Notting Hill Music and Virgin Media which involved me making gospel beats, and very mainstream soundtracks. My main sound, I guess, would be melodic beats within the UK trap/ rap scene. But I'd say my sound at the minute is very diverse and unique; I feel my production and the producers I'm around will be the future sounds you guys will hear."
UKUR: 1 million streams in a year on Spotify alone is insane, what’s your goals for next year?
AITCHEIGHT: "My goal for next year is to be bigger, better and to work with even more talented people! For me, 1 million streams isn't what I looked for as a successful year. My real achievement was my move to London, meeting all the artists I had planned to meet, and spending my 9-5 doing what I love. 2020 as a whole has been a major headache, not just for me, but the entire population so even though I am very happy and grateful for what I have achieved, I feel honoured to get this far despite the heartache we've all gone through."
UKUR: Love that attitude fr! Who would you like to collaborate with and who are you vibing with at the moment?
AITCHEIGHT: "My dream placement would be Nafe Smallz, which I feel isn't too far away!!! Lately, I have been listening to a lot of Florida based rappers such as T9ine and Hotboii. Their sounds are a huge influence on my work and I love melodic singers within that style. Hotboii - 'Don't Need Time' was a really powerful song for me and helped me get through some bad times I had when fighting mental health."
UKUR: How come you chose the name Aitch Eight? AITCHEIGHT: "The reason I chose the name Aitch Eight was because when I started my music journey, I was producing dance tracks. After just over a year of doing this, I began to receive a lot of hate and criticism towards my songs. This was mainly down to the fact the scene was so small and if your tracks aren't supported or liked, then you're pretty much pushed out as an artist. I was so angry and upset about the feedback I was receiving, it made me lose all love for the scene overnight. I had already realised that I wanted to make some serious money in production so I thought to rebrand myself and start producing more commercial tracks like I do today. When brainstorming names I was thinking of anything and everything I could relate to, which resulted in me choosing the reason I chose to rebrand, hate. Aitch Eight is a roll-off of the word Hate. H8 - Aitch Eight if that makes sense."
UKUR: What can we expect in 2021?
AITCHEIGHT: "2021 is gonna pop off! I have a track with Yung Fume and some other major artists that I can't wait to show you! Early next year I should have my biggest release yet out. I've also got tones more tracks dropping but that's the only one name I can leak right now. Just stick with me and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!"
We want to thank AitchEight for giving us his time to answer our questions and to be given the chance to get to know him some more, We really cannot wait to see what 2021 brings for him and we will be eagerly awaiting his next drops so keep an eye out for when he appears on our Instagram and Spotify playlist next.
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Be sure to follow Aitch Eight on Instagram!
Words by: Sam Pyke @sam_pyke
Follow us on Instagram @uk_undergroundrap
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