Ever since I stumbled on the bliss-inspiring Chopped & Screwed version of Solange's 2016 album, A Seat at the Table, I haven't been able to escape the work of Houston's AudiTory. On that effort, he added his syrupy touch to already-amazing tracks like "Don't You Wait," which somehow sounds even better when Solange's hums at the beginning start to mirror the late Barry White's baritone runs. Solange ended up adding elements of her native H-Town's signature genre to her follow up, When I Get Home, which AudiTory eventually gave his golden touch to as well. Over the past few years, the Houston DJ has remixed albums from the likes of Masego, Justin Bieber, and Ari Lennox.
Today, The FADER is sharing a special mix by AudiTory, which instead of flipping one artist's work, compiles songs from some of his hometown's greatest exports: Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Don Toliver, and more. Below, a short chat with him details the thinking behind the mix, his C&S beginnings, and what else can be expected to get the slowdown treatment. Listen to the mix as you delve into his story.
My introduction to your work was when I came across your remix of Solange's A Seat at the Table album. How long have you been actively chopping and screwing full albums?
The first album I chopped & screwed was Kanye's Yeezus. So about 2013. I wasn't going to get into chopping but I got gassed up by my homeboy Los to start doing them. It helped that my first chop made it in the LA Times so I just used that as a sign to keep going. And here we are.
You made a conscious decision to only remix songs by artists from the Houston area for this mix, but was there any other central theme you had in mind while putting it together?
I really didn't know what I wanted to do when approached with this concept to make a mix. At first, it was going to just be a mix of some of the hottest songs out right now that could be chopped, but I figured I'd give my city some shine seeing that we have a multitude of artists that are in the game doing big things. It's been since 2005 that Houston has been acknowledged as a city with a powerhouse of artists coming out of it so I figured it would be right to utilize this platform to let people know that Houston is back on the map.
Is there anything in particular that feels exciting about what's coming out of Houston at this very moment? Obviously, Megan is the most visible, but who are some of your other favorites that may not have made the cut this time?
The fact that we have so many different sounds coming out of Houston is the most exciting thing about it. Houston's known for slowed-down music and our rap scene, but we should also be recognized for other sounds. Especially R&B. The other artists that are coming out of Houston that you need to be on lookout for are artists like:
KenTheMan
Lenora
LeeLonn
The Suffers
Jack Freeman
Big Baby Flava
Eiramal Sol
OTB Fastlane
Devante Hunter
Tony Del Freshco
Tobe Nwigwe
Mike Checc
What albums, if any, are you eyeing right now to give the Houston treatment? What you did with Ari Lenox's Shea Butter Baby gave new life to that project for me.
Definitely will be chopping Maxo Kream's Brandon Banks album next. I still need to do IGOR, Goldlink's Diaspora, Leven Kali's Low Tide. Maybe the Dreamville album. Just to name a few.
Tracklist:
Don Toliver- No Idea
Megan Thee Stallion- Shake That
Young Deji- Got It Bad
Peyton- Ride
Maxo Kream- 8 Figures
Megan Thee Stallion ft. DaBaby- Cash Shit
Ugly God ft. Lil Pimp- Hello
Travis Scott- Who? What?
Lizzo- Truth Hurts
Khruangbin- Friday Morning