Death Tarot
By Paul Jimenez on June 7, 2013
Jack Crosby, better known as "Death Tarot", is a 19-year-old producer from Cardiff, Wales who relishes in creating both trap and hip-hop based beats. He has been known as "Death Tarot" for only a year and a half now, but first started producing roughly three years ago; after being inspired by a video that revealed some samples Kanye West used in his music. Jack loves to listen to and work with the upcoming talent. He has linked up with young rap artists like Jei Bandit and Donzelly, but the biggest moment he has had thus far came when AK of "The Underachievers" used his instrumental "Mayfair" for hit single, "Times Change". Now living in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire attending Buckinghamshire New University, Jack Crosby hopes to make producing a living and build Death Tarot into a world icon.
INTERVIEW
Who is Death Tarot? How old are you? Where were you born? Where do you stay now?
“Death Tarot is my producer name and it encompasses everything I do artistically such as music, art etc. I’m 19 years old and was born in Cardiff, Wales and currently live in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire where I’m at university.”
How long have you been producing for?
“For about 3 years, but I’ve only been producing as Death Tarot for about a year and a half.”
What inspired you to start making beats?
“Kanye West. I’m a huge fan of him and I started producing after discovering a video which showed the samples he uses in his songs and was inspired, which is why I tend to always use samples in my music.”
Talk about your hit instrumental “Mayfair” also known as “Times Change” with AK of “The Underachievers”. How did you and him get in touch? How was the overall experience?
“It all started from finding a sample from a song and then building it up from there, adding the bass and the drums. Once it was finished I was looking through twitter and saw that AK was looking for new beats so I sent him Mayfair, then about 2 weeks later he emails me the YouTube clip for times change and his flow on the song is insane. I got a great response from that track and it’s helped me reach out to other artists so I’m real stoked about that.”
What type of artists do you enjoy making beats for?
“I work with a lot of up and coming rappers such as Donzelly and Jei Bandit. I love hearing the new talent that not many people have heard. I’m looking forward to working with other types of artists though, like singers or even other producers.”
Talk about your latest EP. Have you received any feedback?
“My latest EP was me having a try at mixing my sound with EDM and I’m really proud of it. I’ve had some real positive feedback as well, which is always dope to hear. It’s still fairly new though, so who knows what could come of it.”
When it comes to making beats, do you prefer using hardware or software?
“I tend to use software, mainly Logic. But I have used some hardware; such as turntables, keyboards and even some live drums.”
Is there anything else you would like to do besides producing?
“I’d like to perform live soon, that’s my next goal. My dream is to go on tour playing my music to a crowd.”
Do you like the direction you’re currently heading? Where do you see yourself in a couple of years?
“Yeah, I mean I can only progress from here so I’m real excited to see what the future holds for me. Hopefully I see myself working with some big artists and making music my living.”