Though the French producer Whatever51 came up making beats for rappers—among them: ian, kuru, and jackzebra—it’s not a total surprise that his new album Presence is a fully ambient affair. His beats have always taken a focus on texture, and Presence doubles down on that impulse, shooting his sonics into a realm influenced by modern classical and drone. We were curious to hear about the process behind this record and the producer’s current relationship with more beat-driven music. We also get a bit of a French scene report. Read our interview and listen to the new record below.

Could you talk a little bit about Presence? How was this record made? 

Whatever51: Presence was about blending modern classical, drone, and ambient. I wrote it over a couple of years while I was living in a house bordering the forest in Eastern France. The core of the process was really about the strings, I worked with a chamber trio in Spain to get the recordings I needed. I’d send them my pieces, they’d send back recordings and layers of violins. It gave me all this material to mess around with. I could just deconstruct everything and build new tracks from their takes.

What is the ideal context to listen to Presence?

It’s just whenever you can actually listen. I think that’s the best way to really get into it.

What is your relationship with beats right now? It seems like you’ve been gradually moving away from rhythmic music over the years, would you say that’s true?

I started making beats back in 2018, but after a few years, I just got bored with the basic structures. That’s why I put out EPs like Lost Islands and Final Sleep. I wanted more room to mess around with the drums and the overall vibe without having to leave space for a rapper. For a long time, I was forcing drums onto melodies that didn't even need them. They were just getting in the way, so I stopped. I still make beats sometimes, but nothing like back when I was just churning them out every day.

You’ve done a lot of collaborations with rappers. Do you have any favorites? What are some musical lessons you’ve learned from those experiences?

Southside Freestyle' with BeezyB & Serane for sure. The way BeezyB hits the track right when the strings and piano drop, I love it. I’d also say $amaad “fuck her life.” I love his flow on that beat. Lately working with Zel has been great because we’re on the same wavelength. He can hop on anything and it just flows. The biggest takeaway for me is that simplicity is key, you don't need to overthink it. Most of the time if you’re trying to add more, you’re probably just ruining the track.

Without revealing any secrets, what are some of your favorite ways to generate interesting sonic textures?

It's mostly just messing around with layers on different synths for hours until something finally clicks. I usually run everything through some Max patches to see how weird it can get, then bring it back into the DAW to mess with reverb or delay automations.

Are there any classical composers inspiring you right now?

Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, for sure. And Bernard Herrmann, that weird, tense cinematic feel he gets with strings is just incredible.

How about rap producers?

I’m not as tapped into the rap scene these days, but producers like outby16, eddiegianni, Brodinski and SOUDIERE are the ones who really shaped the way I make beats. Blank Body and Eric Dingus too. They’re still the names that inspire me the most.

Could you tell us about the corner of the French music scene? How is it feeling right now?

The scene for this in France is pretty small, but there’s definitely some great stuff happening. Eli-O’s album The Decline of a Faded Star is amazing. mh is also a crazy producer, his EP right ones is too good. thirdeye just dropped an EP called 12 days, and Brian Kra’s Upshot is great too. I’d also shout out nemo, who’s a great rapper and producer.