In Conversation with: the executives of Ashesi University’s Music Producers and Entertainment Industry Club (MPEIC)

A chance meeting at the inaugural Ashesi Creative Festival leads to an insightful conversation about learning, community, and process.

We first met Keli, a 1st-year student at Ashesi University, while at the Ashesi Creative Festival and struck up a conversation over music and the production process. He then introduced us to his friends and collaborators; Nana Siriboe, a junior studying Business Administration; Alvin, who is in his sophomore year and offers Computer Science; and Kelvin, also a 1st-year student who intends to offer Computer Science.

Together they make up the executive board of the Music Production and Entertainment Industry Club (MPEIC), a student-led club on the Ashesi University Campus. How did they become friends? What does MPEIC do?

Let’s follow their story in their own words.

Clove World (CW): Keli, how did you become Khxn Beats?

Keli (KhxnBeats): I was inspired by a Hindi movie about a superhero who was resilient and never backed down. Khan always beat the odds and I also wanted to do the same.

CW: How long have you been producing music?

KhxnBeats: I began the journey in April 2019 but doubled down in May 2020 and haven’t looked back since.

CW: What was your inspiration for doing music?

KhxnBeats: During the lockdown, I didn’t have much to do so I started watching YouTube tutorials about music production.

CW: Were you already a student at Ashesi University College?

KhxnBeats: Not at all. I was in Alpha Beta and had just completed my IGCSEs. I’m currently in my first year and studying Business Administration because of my interest in marketing.

CW: What is the name of the group you are a part of?

Nana Siriboe (Siribeatz): Our group is the Music Production and Entertainment Industry Club. It was formed in 2022 with 5 executives: Nana Siriboe (President), Keli (Public Relations), Alvin (Secretary), Kelvin (Vice) & Barimah who couldn’t join us at this interview. The aim of the club is to help creatives on campus harness their talents.

We provide a support system and provide access to school resources so that the course load doesn’t overwhelm our creativity. Our first major project is the amapiano song we presented during the Ashesi Creative Festival in response to the theme of “Innovation for Self Transformation”.

CW: Do you consider self-expression useful?

Siribeatz: I believe self-expression is absolutely important. During the course of our conversation, you ask questions with the hope that I’ll express myself in a way I understand. I’ll also want you to understand how I’m feeling at the moment as I respond. As humans, there’s a form of self-expression in everything we do. That’s why as a group we champion self-expression in our actions and in the music that we make. Our feelings translate into the music that we make.

CW: How did you come together as a group?

Siribeatz: I knew Keli before he came to Ashesi. We hang out in the same music producer communities online. We began by sending each other loops on Telegram and WhatsApp to now having placements together. Same thing with Kelvin. We went from URL to in-person studio sessions. Alvin and I used to make beats and battle each other on Discord.

I like to believe that its fate that brought all of us to Ashesi. The producer community in Accra is actually pretty small. Through the internet, we’d all been collaborating before we attended Ashesi so we know each other’s sound and growth. Therefore when the idea for the group first popped up I discussed it with my friends Alvin And Barimah. We went through the school approval process and now here we are.

Alvin (OkayAlvn): We just happened to be in the right space together at the right time and we’ve decided to take advantage of that.

KhxnBeats: Indeed. It was through Kelvin that I met Siribeatz. While I was listening to Joey B’s “Akobam” which Siribeatz produced, Kelvin mentioned that he knew the producer. I asked him to introduce us and that was the beginning of my friendship and collaboration with Siri. This wouldn’t have been possible without community.

CW: it sounds like MPEIC is the formalizing of a community that already existed. Is a sense of community something you cherish?

Siribeatz: When developing a craft, having a support system that provides honest feedback is critical. There’s always someone who has the experience that you need when you’re in a community. Being in a community provides a platform to ask for advice and support.

When developing a craft, having a support system that provides honest feedback is critical. There’s always someone who has the experience that you need when you’re in a community. Being in a community provides a platform to ask for advice and support.

Siribeatz

CW: Siribeatz, please share with us the story behind your “Akobam” placement.

Siribeatz: I was in a photo studio run by a couple of my cousins; one a photographer and the other a fashion designer when Joey B walked in for a photoshoot.
Kobla Jnr, a musician, and friend was present as well and invited Joey B to the recording studio next door since he wanted a verse from Joey. I ended up playing Joey B a couple of beats that he liked. Months pass by with no word when suddenly DJ Krept, a longtime friend and Joey B’s DJ called me.
He informed me that while Joey B had been out getting waakye, he heard the jingle for the popular balm called Akobam which stuck with him. Later in the studio, Joey B caught a flow with the jingle while listening to one of the beats I sent him. DJ Krept proceeded to invite me to Joey B’s studio because Joey B wanted to work with me. However, it was past 11 PM and I couldn’t leave home at that time so I kept stalling. I eventually got my cousin who doubles as my manager to cover for me and went to Joey B’s studio where he recorded what became “Akobam”.

CW: Such an instory behind your “Akobam” placement. It sounds like your community did play a major role in the placement.

Siribeatz: Undoubtedly. The reason I was in the studio where I met Joey B was that I was the in-house producer for a collective called Antisocial. In this collective, we had musicians, artists, lawyers, and investors and we were all passionate about being excellent and providing opportunities for each other.

CW: Do all attempts to work with artists and musicians always go so smoothly?

Kelvin (Beaticidee): Not at all. You tend to hear “no” a lot but you learn to take it on the chin. Music production and recording are such a collaborative process that there’s no point in forcing a connection.

Music production and recording are such a collaborative process that there’s no point in forcing a connection.

Beaticidee

CW: What was the creative process like when you worked on the amapiano song you debuted at the Ashesi Creative Festival?

OkayAlvn: We first agreed on amapiano as our preferred genre because it represented African innovation and excellence. Kelvin had the skeleton of an amapiano song he had begun producing. We then reworked this beat by contributing elements, instruments, and fusion ideas that fit the Festival theme of Initiating African Transformation. One of our course-mates recorded vocals on our final composition. We then presented the final production along with a short history of amapiano.

CW: Thank you for sharing your process. Do you have plans of producing more songs as MPAIEC?

In unison: OH YEAH!
Siribeatz: This is an exclusive but we have plans of producing a Lo-fi Beat Tape specifically to help students who enjoy listening to music while they study.

CW: That’s amazing to hear and we look forward to listening to it. On the subject of song production, congratulations Khxnbeats, we know you recently became a billboard charting producer. How did you earn this accolade?

Khxnbeats: I made a loop that was inspired by the Naruto theme song. I then bundled this up with other loops and uploaded it to YouTube as a sample pack. 8 months later a producer from the UK let me know he had used that loop for a beat which Digga D, a UK rapper, had recorded vocals over. This song got placement on Digga D’s album which went #1 on the UK Charts which is the equivalent of the US Billboard Charts.

CW: Wow, from enjoying anime to having billboard charting placements. How though do you deal with the legalities of sampling another musician’s work?

KhxnBeats: Well it’s not my responsibility to clear samples. As a music producer, I need to track my samples and provide the necessary info needed to clear it. The recording artist or the label who wants the placement then needs to make sure the sample is cleared.

CW: As a young producer what do you need to know in order to set yourself on the path toward Billboard charting collaborations?

Siribeatz: First of all you need to understand the ways in which a music producer can make revenue. 3 of these ways are producer advance fees, royalties from split sheets, and publishing deals.
You need effective contracts in order to benefit from these so it is essential that you get a lawyer as soon as you pro before you even get a manager.
You also have to regularly research music and entertainment industry trends and insights. Self-learning never stops.

CW: That’s a helpful perspective. As self-taught artists, how do maintain your individuality while juggling the rigor of the academic work at Ashesi?

Beaticidee: When it comes to creativity, I believe we’re all led by our curiosity. As a producer, your continuous wish is to get better at certain techniques like either crisp hi-hats or banging 808s. Such things take time to learn therefore a bit of daily practice goes a long way. That is why I regularly make time for my curiosity.

Siribeatz: Effective time management and self-motivation are required in order to develop a system that works for you. The good thing about being in Ashesi is that coursework is 70% student work and 30% teaching so it allows leeway to make time and space for your creativity.

OKAYAlvn: One of the lessons I learned from my parents is never to create or present half-assed work. This mentality encourages me to strive for the best in all my endeavours. I do what I need to do for school and in my downtime, I make sure to pursue my passions by watching process videos on YouTube.

One of the lessons I learned from my parents is never to create or present half-assed work. This mentality encourages me to strive for the best in all my endeavours.

OKAYALVN

Khxnbeats: When I first came to Ashesi, a friend advised me: “There are 3 things you can do on campus: study, socialize or develop your passion. However, you can only do 2 of them effectively.” I chose to study and improve my craft. This intentional decision has afforded me the time and space to be good at both.

CW: What do you feel that your next steps are; individually and as a group?

Beaticidee: This is only my first year in Ashesi so I’m working on an amapiano album as I adjust to life on campus. A few people predict that I’m going to struggle to combine a Computer Science course with my music production but I’m actually looking forward to it.

OKAYAlvn: I’m still in limbo as I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to be a full-time music producer. Right now I’m processing my options and learning as much as I can.

KhxnBeats: I definitely want to share my work more consistently and also expand my creative network. I worked on a beat with a producer friend from Switzerland who then got it to Yaw Tog via another producer in Turkey. I look forward to the world hearing that song when the placement comes out.

Siribeatz: As a group, we are setting up structures to achieve our long-term goals which are increased membership and a directory for creatives on campus.

CW: Thank you for granting this interview. Do you have a parting message?

Siribeatz: I encourage all emerging creatives to learn about the foundations of your craft before you can start earning. There is no formula to it but experimenting and exploring.
Due to the recent success of afrobeats and the rise of Grammy-nominated producers from Ghana like GuiltyBeatz our parents are now more amenable to a career in the creative industry as a music producer.

Khxnbeats: Trust the process once you commence your journey. Believe till you achieve your goals.

Trust the process once you commence your journey. Believe till you achieve your goals

KhxnBeats

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