Description

Introduction that I wrote about Lisa Vazquez in 2019: Lisa Vazquez, a beatmaker, instrumentalist, & vocalist from Portland, Oregon. I got put onto her in April, when I stumbled onto her IG page, seeing a beat she made in homage to MC Lyte. 🔥 // @lisavazquezmusic has been involved with music for over a decade, doing backup soul vocals & playing percussion in hip hop groups in earlier years. She went to production school, & stepped into her own as a solo artist with live looping on a drum sampler. However, once she got her hands on an MPC, it was game over! She gives us 90’s boom bap, sample-based beats that linger between being soulful, eerie, and emotion-driven. She’s dope! Through the magic of record digging, button pushing, instrument playing, live vocal layering, & rapping, her musical brew will make your head nod, neck snap, & soul feeeel some shit. 🎶 She likes to showcase the raw creativity behind the process, too, through a series called Flip It Friday (can find 18 episodes on YouTube, so far). That series finds her selecting a random record, talking production, chopping samples, layering sounds, & flipping it on her Akai MPC Live to make new beats… basically, you get to be a fly on the wall, watching her do her thing. Instrumentals aside, Lisa is also a rapper & singer. Her debut EP, titled Gravity, released in 2017. Her lyricism is backed by soul, charisma, a good flow, & something valuable to say where subject matter focuses on personal experiences such that navigate through life, relationships, empowerment, & independence in many forms. As far as big feats this year: she went to NAMM in January; she performed at major music festivals like Soundset, SXSW, Summer Meltdown, & A3C (just a few days ago!); & she did the state-wide Run The Map tour with emcee E-Turn. What else? She was a finalist in last year’s Goldie Awards beat battle competition. She’s also a Board of Director at Friends of Noise, a non-profit that creates safer spaces for all-ages concerts, & teaches the youth production workshops & music business development. GET. FAMILIAR. Look out for her full-length album, too!

FYI: Lisa has released more new music since I last wrote this intro. Stream + purchase her Hit Like A Girl album now!