Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Subramanyam Nataraja & Phantom Legs Of Br00tal Productions. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Subramanyam Nataraja & Phantom Legs, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
Although we were raised in two extremely different homes, we can both agree that we were aware of our artistic abilities, and our abilities to see things differently than others from very early ages. We both used to draw and daydream a lot as children, write stories, create comics, do crafts, etc. Both of us were drawn toward music as well. We both played multiple instruments, and played in all kinds of bands, both of our individual lives revolved around art and music as it shaped us into the adults we became. Growing up in Miami exposes you to a lot of independent artists, musicians, and performers. From high end art galleries and performance venues to people pushing their art on street corners or markets, the freedom, independence, expression, and ability to touch the lives of others greatly appealed to us. We both knew from around the time that we were pre-teens that we wanted to pursue careers in art in all its forms. Those same passions for similar interests brought us together as friends in high school and eventually brought us together as partners in life and our careers.
Subramanyam Nataraja & Phantom Legs, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Br00tal Productions officially started in 2007 originally offering audio engineering (recording/mixing) and production services. Eventually within a few months the list of services expanded to include beat making, instrumentals, and artist development/consultations. In 2013, long time friend, partner, and artist Phantom Legs came onboard taking on much of the administrative and executive production responsibilities, while at the same time learning the technical aspects of production and engineering under the guidance of Founder/Head Engineer Subramanyam Nataraja. Nine years later Br00tal Productions has seen tremendous growth. We have merged under the same umbrella with BLVK MRKT (Record Label, Artist Development, Fashion, Art Collective,) We have joined creative, energetic, and spiritual forces with Music for Prophets (Label, Collective, Tribe), we have physical albums (Vinyl & CDs) being distributed by New Jersey based Cocareef Records, we have partnered on releases with the infamous Vasehead Records, and we have our own solo projects on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and major streaming platforms. As of 2022 our list of services has expanded once again! It includes Recording, Editing, Mixing, Mastering, Production, Beats/Instrumentals (both sample based and original), Logo design, Graphic Design, Album Artwork, Creative Direction, Artist Development, Consultations, and more! We also have an ever-growing resume filled with amazing and talented artists and clients that we work with which (mostly) includes underground and/or independent Hip-Hop artists, however we have always and still do work with artists of all kinds/genres (including our very own Phantom Legs!) Br00tal Productions was created by artists, is maintained by artists, and exists to serve artists.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The goal is and always has been to be of service to others. In helping the creative community (as a whole) achieve it’s goals, we are helping ourselves. The goal is to be in a position to be able to make large and positive impacts in the lives of others. The world we see is just a reflection, so it’s important to be the changes you wish to see in the world.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Go out there and listen to/buy music/art directly from the artist(s) making it! If the average person knew who/what is ultimately in charge of all of these multi-million dollar record labels, with the suit & tie wearing executives pushing their agendas, trying to tell people whats “cool” to listen to, they probably would want nothing to do with it. Just as easily as the average person goes out there and spends their hard earned money on products that make wealthy people even more wealthy, they can go out there and instead buy art/music from someone that will actually use that money to feed their family, pay for their kids karate class, pay their rent, so on and so forth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://il.ink/br00talproductions
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/br00tal.productions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/br00tal305
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTSKHVtn2xh4oeG-Mibh3AA
- Other: https://br00talproductions.bandcamp.com/ https://soundcloud.com/br00tal-productions
Image Credits
Poi$un