About a month ago, the music label Alter/Ego launched its second release Genesis, a noteworthy four-track EP. The novelty and creativity of this EP stem from its roots. Hex Cougar, the founder of Alter/Ego, uniquely collaborated with three other music artists, Pauline Herr, So Sus, and Sejo, to produce Genesis, with stunning cover art from the skilled kdboi.

Hex Cougar spearheaded the project during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing all four artists to connect from all over the continent. “I’ve had this idea of getting a bunch of different producers together,” Hex explained. “So Sus, Sejo, and Pauline had all sent me demos independently, and I thought it would be a dope concept to combine all three tracks (plus one demo of mine) into one project and have everyone work on all the tracks simultaneously.”

Since I don’t normally make this sort of music I thought it would be a bit of a challenge but it ended up being a lot of fun.

– Pauline Herr

“Being able to work on Genesis was a dream. Each song has a piece of all of us in it,” Pauline shared, “it was both challenging and gratifying.” So Sus detailed the process, “essentially we all came with an idea and every week or two we would switch projects with each other… We never discussed where a song would go, we just gave each other room to play and trusted in each other’s process.”

Upon reading of this distinctive production concept, I wanted to learn more about the process. I asked the artists a few more questions, and in the spirit of Genesis, here are some collaborative answers from the talented producers.

Sam: “What was the biggest challenge with this unique EP concept?”

For Hex, the biggest challenge was also the project’s biggest strength, working simultaneously with 3 others. “I usually work by myself, so it took a little while to get used to each artist’s production style and how they create in Ableton.”

For Pauline, it was getting out of her comfort zone a bit. “Since I don’t normally make this sort of music I thought it would be a bit of a challenge but it ended up being a lot of fun.”

So Sus cited a small bit of contention about the wording of a song, but reflected that “the fact that that was the most heated point of conflict goes to show how easy the entire process really was.”

Sejo admitted “everything flowed pretty well. I think the only thing that might’ve been challenging was stripping back and not adding too much to the project with having four artists on one record and just making sure to leave space for the next artist to work on.”

Sam: “Is there anything you would do differently?”

Pauline replied, “I wouldn’t do anything different as everything went really well and each of us got to contribute an equal amount.”

Sejo agreed, “the reason the project worked so well was that we all had an open mind… so no I can’t say that I would do anything differently.”

So Sus praised the process and the leader. “It was a combination of the right people, good organization. Honestly, I think it was a masterclass in running a collab…  and I have to credit Hex with giving it that structure.”

Hex was a little more critical, saying “I would have each artist submit a very rough idea to kick off the creative process… other people would’ve been able to contribute more if each track started out as a simpler, bare-bones idea.”

I had a chance to see how to accentuate other people’s strengths instead of making my own ideas shine all the time. Working with three other people makes you consider how you add your own touch to something, while also being considerate of what other artists have done with the songs. It’s all about finding a balance between your contribution and everyone else’s.

– Hex Cougar

Sam: “What did you learn about yourself as an artist by collaborating with this many people?”

“I learned how easy making music can be when you have the right people to work with you,” So Sus shared. “Going forward I’m definitely going to be more selective in who I make music with because now [I] know a collab… can be fun, easy, and organic.”

Pauline opened up about learning to conquer her nerves, “I used to be a bit nervous to do production collabs just because I haven’t done a lot and have a very particular taste but this collab EP really showed me that I can still add my own touch to music that I wouldn’t normally make on my own.”

Sejo lauded the project, “It was so sweet seeing how different everyone’s workflow was… I can’t stress enough how smoothly the entire process was and I hope to collaborate with them again.”

And finally, from the project lead, Hex thoughtfully commented “I had a chance to see how to accentuate other people’s strengths instead of making my own ideas shine all the time. Working with three other people makes you consider how you add your own touch to something, while also being considerate of what other artists have done with the songs. It’s all about finding a balance between your contribution and everyone else’s.”

Thanks to the artists for allowing me the chance to see how this Genesis EP came to be and to find the right balance of the artists’ answers. To keep up with all the latest from Alter/Ego, surf on over to the links below.

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Sam Wolloch

90s Club Kid . Multi-Genre Journo . ChelseaFC Stan

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