THE INTERVIEW with ADRIAN YOUNGE

Adrian Younge on Living the Dream, Learning Instruments, and Pure Creative Freedom:

When you have over 40 albums to your name, score hit TV shows, and run two independent record labels, taking a step back might sound tempting to most people. But for multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and Jazz Is Dead co-founder Adrian Younge, stopping simply isn’t an option.

Recently, HYFIN Music Director, Anthony Foster,  caught up with the Los Angeles-based music visionary to talk about his endless output, transitioning from hip-hop sampler to full-blown orchestra composer, and why making music with total creative freedom is the ultimate form of independence.

Key Takeaways from the Interview

Why He Traded the Sampler for Real Instruments:

Like many legendary producers, Younge’s musical roots started in hip-hop as a b-boy, beatboxer, and crate-digging DJ. Armed with an MPC 2000 and a Tascam 8-track back in 1996, he initially set out to sample classic records. However, he quickly realized that his real inspiration wasn’t just the hip-hop beats, it was the late ’60s and early ’70s soul, jazz, and cinematic compositions (from Ennio Morricone to Curtis Mayfield) being sampled. To capture that exact warmth, he put down the sampler and taught himself how to play drums, bass, keys, saxophone, and flute on analog gear.

“Total Disregard for What Other People Think”:

With two labels…Linear Labs and Jazz Is Dead (co-founded with A Tribe Called Quest legend Ali Shaheed Muhammad) Younge doesn’t construct records with mainstream radio formulas or viral algorithms in mind. Instead, he produces purely out of personal passion. As Younge put it during the chat: “We create from the vantage point of doing exactly what we love with total disregard for what other people think. And when other people like it, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Working with Icons Is Mandatory Chemistry:

Younge’s catalog is stacked with legendary collaborations, ranging from Ghostface Killah and Souls of Mischief to The Delfonics, Roy Ayers, and Tony Allen. But how do these dream team projects happen? According to Younge, it’s all organic. Because these are passion projects rather than corporate cash grabs, mutual respect and genuine human connection are mandatory before ever pressing record.

Vacations Don’t Exist (And That’s the Point):

While most people work for the weekend, Younge wakes up every single day ready to compose. Whether he’s writing orchestral charts for his self-titled album ‘Younge’, working on Afrobeat grooves, or scoring major TV projects like Luke Cage, Raising Kanan, Sugar, or Reasonable Doubt, his workflow is relentless. When asked if he ever takes time off, he joked that traveling to Vancouver or Japan to dig for records and perform IS his vacation, he wouldn’t know what to do on a beach anyway.

What’s Next for Adrian Younge?

Keep your ears open…Younge has zero plans of slowing down. Expect a brand-new release from The Midnight Hour (his collaborative powerhouse with Ali Shaheed Muhammad) along with a new collaborative project with London vocalist AL-ANI, both dropping on Jazz Is Dead.

Tune into HYFIN on Radio Milwaukee to hear tracks from Adrian Younge, Jazz Is Dead, and the best in progressive R&B, hip-hop, and global soul.