New York producer Stan Rapoport has been perfecting his craft for many years, and his most recent undertaking as electronic-pop project Black Coast is one he's experienced some great success with. First two songs "TRNDSTTR" and "Enough" really got the project started in the right way, and now today he's solidifying his work with new single "Ride" that'll be the last of three songs featuring the lovely vocals of fellow New Yorker M. Maggie. Of course, with the success he's had working with her, we're sad to see the joint artistry end, but we know Stan's on a bright path ahead. To see just how bright, we conducted an interview with him that you can read while you stream his fantastic new track below. Obviously, our team here at Hillydilly is very familiar with you and your work, but for those who might be seeing your name for the first time, could you talk a little bit about who you are and what exactly your musical project is all about? Black Coast is my solo producing / recording project of about 6 months. What this means is that I pair up with various singers and we write songs together. The first three releases are with M. Maggie, but more songs are in the works with other singers as well. This project came around from a need to write and release music. I've always been a band guy - my main instrument is drums, playing in rock and hardcore bands. Because of that, I've always been reliant on other people to create music. Black Coast has become my outlet to be able to work on music on my own terms, on my own time (and in my own studio apartment). Over the past few years, we’ve been noticing an influx of talented producers who are almost completely self-taught. Do you fall into that category—or do you have a deeper musical background contributing to your sounds today? While I haven't had any official schooling in music / production, I do come from a musical background - I studied (and later taught) drums. I played in a number of bands growing up. Aside from gaining an understanding of how to write and arrange a song, I really learned a lot about what it takes to take a project out of the garage and into people's ears. Every band I've played in, we've always had to be self reliant when it came to everything - producing, marketing, distribution, press and touring. I've taken that work ethic to Black Coast as well. I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to this - I want to do as much as I can on my own, because I care about my music more than someone who gets paid to do the work. However, more and more, I learn to let go of certain aspects when I can... and when I can afford it. Because your work is on the cutting edge of a very fresh electronic-pop sound, would you say that you've replaced some of your old inspirations with your own creative drive at this point? If you try to maintain a balance between the types of motivating forces, who (or what) would you say propels you forward? It's true - I come from a somewhat different background - hardcore and rock bands. At the end of the day, though, a song is a song. Whether it's rock, pop, country or hip hop, the principles of writing a song are still the same. The things that have changed are the tools and my taste... and also real estate. Playing in a rock band in New York City is a bitch. As for inspiration - I'm inspired by anything minimal and cinematic. If I can visualize a song, as if it's part of a movie or a music video, that means something is right. Because each of your three songs feature vocals from M. Maggie, we're curious to hear about how that collaboration came about and what your experiences have been like working with her. A friend of mine suggested Maggie and passed on her contact info. I heard one of her songs that she released with her band, which was a jazz / R&B type sound. I really loved her voice. We then spoke on the phone and started writing together, entirely over the internet, text and phone. We'd just send stuff to one another back and forth, and keep transforming the song. It was really casual and free, which is why there's a difference in how "Trndsttr" and "Enough" sound. Maggie is an incredibly talented writer and she works fast, so there's always a momentum to the process. And her voice! You're going to see her name more and more... trust me on this. Is there any chance that you two could form a duo in the future and go by the name that you use now? It has definitely been confusing for everyone to see three songs come out back to back from two collaborators who aren't in an actual band together. I think Maggie and I are enjoying the freedom to constantly write with other people and be able to switch things up. Free streaming services like SoundCloud have been shifting the landscape of the entire music industry, and you’ve, yourself, already built quite a buzz on the internet. Can you tell us about how you've gained such impressive online attention and how that publicity can transfer to offline opportunities? Soundcloud is a great platform to release music for a newcomer like myself. But it wouldn't be what it is without the huge online community of music blogs. The combination of the two is really the formula that allowed me to have whatever success I've gotten with these releases. It's really a matter of hustling and being proactive about doing the legwork. You can't just sit around and expect others to do the work for you - the opportunities are there. The online buzz has definitely changed what my email inbox looks like these days, and it's incredibly fun to see progress in that way. I've had a few meetings with labels and publishers, but I'm still at a point where there's tons of work to be done by me before I can expect things to fall into my lap. Finally, what can we expect from you for the remainder of the year and beyond? Well - I'll definitely be writing, producing and releasing music. I'm working on new material with new people at the moment, so there are more singles on the horizon. Aside from that, I have NO idea - and that's the most exciting thing about music.
Black Coast