My good friend Ryan Lewis recently did a write up about me on www.macklemore.com describing my involvement in their music since 2009 when they began their journey to the top of the Hip-Hop charts. Check it out!
http://macklemore.com/post/61266279718/d-sane-and-the-cant-hold-us-sfg-remix
I can’t even remember when I first met D-Sane, it feels like quite a long time ago. Maybe some time between 2007-08? He had grown a reputation for being a go-to producer for many hip-hop artists in Seattle. Lots of my friends in the Seattle community had gone to him frequently to master their records/beats.
I remember going to his studio for the first time. I was like “DAMN!” at the site of a Sony C800G, a Kanye/Beyonce/Rihanna-level microphone you did not see often in Seattle. I’d never seen one. D-Sane had great taste.
D-Sane ended up being a huge piece of the picture, a big part of the team, in the beginning of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. “The Unplanned Mixtape,” “The VS. EP,” “The VS. Redux” — all albums he mastered. Ben and I didn’t have much money and he always made sure we were taken care of. He’s the type of guy that would answer the phone at any point in the night only to hear, “is there anyway you could master these songs in the next 12 hours, we’re on a time crunch” haha. He’d always make it happen. He’s one of the premier digital mastering engineers. I think it’s more challenging to find full control of industry-standard volume, limiting, EQ’ing and tonal changes in a digital master and D-Sane has always impressed me.
From there when the live shows started picking up he continued mastering our live instrumentals. He was an excellent resource to making sure things were consistent and tailored toward a live sound system. He was also an excellent ear in the process of mixing “The Heist” to get a second perspective on the mix. D-Sane also introduced us to Wanz, who went on to sing “Thrift Shop.”
Long story short, I’m writing this to give props to a good friend of ours and someone that worked hard for us before we had any name or credibility. Someone that was part of this from the beginning, supporting us and offering his skills. Beyond mastering, D-Sane also makes beats. We’re excited to give shine to his official SFG Can’t Hold Us REMIX, he produced and mastered himself. If you’re looking for good family to work with, don’t hesitate to contact Not 2 Sane Productions and work with D-Sane.
– Ryan Lewis