Everything but the Girl

This song was written, produced, performed and recorded by myself, Dujon Walker. It was recorded at my home studio, which I call ‘Studio DHB’, in Toronto. It was then mixed by Darius Szczepaniak, and mastered by Steve Benford at Rouge Valley Studio, also in Toronto.

The song was created in the summer of 2009, while I was working on what was going to be my first official album. As I was going through my collection of old beats and half-finished songs to see if there was anything album-worthy, I came across a beat I made a couple years before. I felt that it had some potential if only I changed a few things and worked on it a bit more. Using my MPC1000, a MIDI controller, a few soft-synth plug-ins and Cubase SX 3, I tinkered with the beat for hours. By the next day, it turned into a completely new beat, which really liked, and inspired me to write lyrics to it right away. After I spent a couple days penning the words, I rented a Neumann microphone and started recording.

The way I record when I’m by myself is to set Cubase to loop infinitely while I recite the lyrics, keeping only the last take. So I would press record, run in the booth, and record a vocal part over and over again until I’m satisfied with my performance. Cubase also saves all the previous takes so I would usually cut and paste parts from previous takes if I’m still not 100% satisfied with the last one. Once the song was recorded, I immediately called up a former college professor of mine, Darius Szczepaniak, to mix it. Darius is a platinum award winning producer and engineer, who’s worked with the likes of Sum 41, Aaron Carter, Kardinal Offishall, and many more. Needless to say, working with Darius was not cheap. Because of that, I told him that I would mix the majority of the album myself and I only needed him to mix the songs that would be released as singles, and this was one of them. And with that, I took the session to Rouge Valley Studio to be mixed on a big, beautiful SSL mixing board with tons of shiny outboard gear. It was mastered a few days later by Steve Benford, another former college professor of mine. Like Darius, Steve is also a world class engineer who’s worked with many artists from major labels. On June 22^nd, 2009, the song was released to radio through AM to FM Promotions to be played on all major radio stations across Canada. It was simultaneously released worldwide on iTunes and all other major online retailers through Tunecore.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Listen to the song on YouTube

The project continues to showcase Dujon as an experimental multi-talent, both alternative hip-hop artist and producer. The Intro is an electronic-sounding production piece that features Dujon’s typical lazy and laid-back flow. If U Were Me is a chilled-out, introspective jam with supporting vocals by Ashley Nicole. The production and rhyme style on Hollywood Luv are characteristic of Dujon’s unconventional rap style that features melodic production landscapes and a flow that blends seamlessly with the production landscape. Everything But the Girl is more fast-paced than the rest of the EP but retains the signature electronic and relaxed tempo feel that encompasses the EP.

To read the full review, click this link.

Also be sure to read their review of my “19 Steps to Success” mixtape while you’re at it!

Check it out:

CFBX 92.5 FM 350 Watts
Kamloops, BC
Specialty Charts for Late January 2010
* indicates Canadian Content
** indicates a local artist

Artist – Album (Label)

Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums
1)Hugh Jarvis Hitchcock – Funkmeister (Independent)
2)Suspence* – Therapy Sessions Vol. 1: Examination (Independent)
3)Jimmy Current* – Is… (Independent)
4)Kid Sister – Ultraviolet (Downtown)
5)Darkhouse* – Mr. Happy (Independent)
6)Inez* – Singsoulgirl (Letsemote)
7)Dujon* – 19 Steps to Success (Independent)
8)Brawler** – Worse to Better EP (Independent)
9)Swollen Members* – Armed to the Teeth (Suburban Noize)
10)Eekwol* – Niso EP (Independent)

Shout outs to Steve, the music director, I appreciate the support!

My debut EP, “Success” is now available for $5 on all major online retailers (iTunes, Amazon, etc).

Click here to listen to the whole thing online for free.

Album credits:

Illi Intro

Written by Dujon; Produced by Dujon for DigitalHeart Beats; Recorded by Dujon at Studio DHB; Mixed by Dujon at Studio DHB; Mastered by Steve Benford at Rouge Valley Studio

If U Were Me

Written by Dujon; Produced by Dujon for DigitalHeart Beats; Recorded by Dujon at Studio DHB; Additional vocals by Ashley Nicole; Mixed by Dujon at Studio DHB; Mastered by Steve Benford at Rouge Valley Studio

Hollywood Luv

Written by Dujon; Produced by Dujon for DigitalHeart Beats; Recorded by Darius Szczepaniak at Rouge Valley Studio; Mixed by Darius Szczepaniak at Rouge Valley Studio; Mastered by Steve Benford at Rouge Valley Studio

I Hope Ur Bad

Written by Dujon; Produced by Dujon for DigitalHeart Beats; Recorded by Dujon at Studio DHB; Mixed by Dujon at Studio DHB; Mastered by Steve Benford at Rouge Valley Studio

Everything but the Girl

Written by Dujon; Produced by Dujon for DigitalHeart Beats; Recorded by Dujon at Studio DHB; Mixed by Darius Szczepaniak at Rouge Valley Studio; Mastered by Steve Benford at Rouge Valley Studio

Executive Producer: Dujon A. Walker

Because the the whole “Dukon” fiasco with the last mixtape, the folks at Coast 2 Coast mixtapes have graciously offered me a spot on the latest mixtape, hosted by Ester Dean. This time, I sent them the single from my “Success” EP called “Everything but the Girl”.

Check it out on Youtube:

Click here to view the embedded video.

But why are you still reading this? Download that Snooptape right now!

Download link: Dujon – 19 Steps to Success Instrumentals

And if you still haven’t heard the “19 Steps to Success” mixtape, ask yourself why you’re living under a rock and then check it out at 19stepstosuccess.com!

Here’s a snippet of what they had to say…

One of the best tracks on the tape is the first joint titled U Know What Time It Is where Dujon displays some Lloyd Banks swag for a minute and ten seconds.

Ha. I’ve never got a Lloyd Banks comparison before. Thank you

Read the full thing here: http://crediblemusicreviews.com/2009/10/29/dujon/

But Dujon?! W….w….Why is called “19 Steps to Success”?

First of all, stop stuttering. Second of all, its 19 tracks and my album is called “Success”, DUH!

Download it here: www.19stepstosuccess.com