Artist Introduction
What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Andrey, I’m from city Yekaterinburg in Russia.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
“choco.bear” nickname simply emerged because of my love for the series “Scrubs” and in general there is no special meaning behind it and many times I thought about changing it, but it’s already stuck, so it is what it is.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
It all started with dabbling in the “HipHop Ejay” software that my brother once brought home one day and then by getting to know the works of J.Dilla, Nujabes, Madlib, Kanye West and many more I fell in love with sample-based production. And it went hand in hand with my love for cinematography, that’s why movie soundtracks, different sounds from them and dialogue snippets are the usual bricks of my sound.
Fan Engagement
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
My latest track was a dedication to Madlib and J.Dilla and it came out because I fell into some Youtube vortex of documentary works about them as well as some old footage and that’s where I found a video that captures their first IRL meet up and it was so warm, it immediately bring a smile on my face, so I decided to sample it as a background ambiance.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
To me making music is a way to meditate, a sort of escapism. I create this zone of tranquility for myself and hope it could become this place for someone else too, like a soundtrack for moments of reflection, relaxation or nostalgia. I often percept some of the tracks as stories without words, so it as well may be an invite for a listener to interptet and immerse themself in the mood and atmothpere that I crafted.
Behind the Music
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
My main challege is always technical, I don’t enjoy the mixing and mastering process. Can’t say I somehow overcame it but I’m trying lol
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
Andre 3000, Q-Tip and Yasiin Bey simply because they are my favorite artists and I would love the hear their music more.
Future Aspirations
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
I just hope to find my audience and maybe collab with some artists who will like my sound.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
My main goal is to finish and produce more music and not storing it in a desk as I’ve been doing for a long time. Also, I want to start making some video content as well, like tracks breakdowns, sample breakdowns, showing the workflow and other stuff.
Recent Work & Contact Info
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
My new music is on all streaming platforms, also I often share some demos in my Telegram channel (https://t.me/chocobear)
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
