Exclusive Interview
Mar 12, 2025
Produced by: Rudy Manager
Edited by: Rudy Manager & Andrej Aroch
Slim – “Do it for the passion. Don’t do it for the money—everything else will follow”
In this exclusive Studio Talks interview, Grammy-nominated music producer Slim opens up about his journey and the story behind his successful career in the music industry. From discovering the iconic Jay-Z & Linkin Park album and falling in love with hip-hop to being introduced to music production by his guitar teacher, Slim has come a long way, working with superstars on some of the biggest projects in music. Hailing from Germany, Slim has contributed to massive albums for artists like Travis Scott, Chris Brown, Lil Skies, and many more. In this conversation, we explore his creative process, his experiences working with global artists, and his tips for new producers. This interview was conducted via video call by Rudy Manager on March 3rd, 2025.
How did you first get interested in music, and how did you transition into music production?
I was always interested in music in general—listening to a lot of different types of music. My brother played American football in Berlin, and through that, he introduced me to hip-hop. But for myself, I was actually more into rock music as a kid, which is kind of funny.
Then there was the Linkin Park and Jay-Z collab project, Collision Course. As a 10-year-old, that’s how I was first introduced to Jay-Z, and through him, to Kanye West and everything like that. That sparked a huge passion for hip-hop music. Around that time, since I was also really into rock music, I started playing guitar when I was around 10 or 11 years old. So I always had these two passions—guitar-driven music and hip-hop.
My guitar teacher, who was studying music production, introduced me to DAWs. He showed me Ableton and walked me through it, and that’s how I first started recording guitar ideas and making little melodies. They weren’t great at first, but those were my first steps. I still clearly remember a YouTube video where Metro Boomin and Travis Scott made “Skyfall”—it was a studio vlog. I watched it and thought, This is super cool. I want to start making beats.
Metro Boomin was the first producer whose workflow I studied, and he really inspired me. Around that time, he had a bunch of videos with Razer—they sponsored him—and he showed how to make beats and everything. But all of his tutorials were on FL Studio, so I had to translate everything to Ableton, which took a lot of time. I started making beats at 15 or 16, but it took two years before I felt good enough to share them with artists.
By the time I was around 18, I felt ready to actually do this as a job, as a profession.
Were you working with any local artists at that time when you were just starting out?
Like I said, when I started at 16, I wasn’t very comfortable playing my beats and my music for other people because they just weren’t there yet. I don’t regret that at all because, honestly, they weren’t good at that point. But I put in the work and got better over time.
Around 18 or 19, I started making my first connections. I always liked US hip-hop more than German hip-hop, so I tried to work more with underground rappers from the States rather than local artists. I did that, but I had this one good friend of mine, TYM—he’s a German artist. We started around the same time, and he was basically the only guy from Germany that I worked with heavily. Obviously, I did a few tracks for other people, but besides him, I mainly focused on the US scene.
Working with him did a lot for me, and we still work together to this day. I learned a lot from that experience as well.
What was the timeline like? Did you first work with this German artist before venturing out to the US?
I’d say it was pretty much around the same time. Some of the first artists I worked with were connected to Lil Skies because I was going crazy on SoundCloud—finding people and DMing them. There were three people from Lil Skies’ camp or close to him.
One was my friend Nicky, another was Train, and the third was Sprite Lee, Lil Skies’ recording engineer. They were among the first to respond to my SoundCloud DMs. I sent them beats, they sent songs back, and a few weeks later, I started working with TYM from Germany.
So, it all happened around the same time—I had these two different lanes, I’d say. My German guy, TYM, and then those guys in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. And it all worked out pretty well.
That’s an interesting point about only sending three beats in a sample pack. Do you still do that today?
It varies. When I know the artist and have worked with them before, I never send more than three beats at a time. But I might send three beats today, three tomorrow—three beats every single day.
If an artist or my management reaches out, I’ll send bigger packs since I don’t know them well. In a session, I’ll play hundreds of beats until we find the right one.
In general, if I’ve worked with someone before, I never send more than three beats a day.
I’d like to ask about your process in the studio. When you’re starting an idea from scratch, where do you begin?
It varies. I rarely start with a specific idea in mind. Most of the time, I grab a guitar and play around until something sparks creativity, or I click through sounds on synths or plugins.
If I come up with something that sounds interesting to me, I’ll build on that idea. It’s the same with samples—I’ll click through loops, and if something catches my ear, I’ll go with whatever I feel in the moment. I think that’s really important.
I don’t box myself in. I’m not great at making beats on demand, like if someone says, Yo, I need a beat like this. I’ll do it, but I don’t enjoy it as much since it limits my creativity.
In your opinion, what makes a great hip-hop sample?
It’s similar to my own process. When I go through samples or listen to music, it just has to connect with me emotionally and make me feel something.
It could make me feel energetic, happy, sad—whatever it is, it just has to move me in some way. That’s the main thing.
I also tend to like simpler things. In my own productions, I keep things simple because I feel like you can reach more people that way. There’s complexity in making something simple while still getting your point across and delivering that emotion.
One of your biggest placements to date is “SKITZO” for Travis Scott featuring Young Thug. Can you share how this song came together?
So the song actually has three beats. Me and Nik Dean, a producer from Austria, made the second beat, which comes in around the three-minute mark—the harder-hitting part. That’s the part I worked on—I did the drums.
Nik sent me the melody, and it just sounded hard to me. It was just a regular day—I try to split up my work days. Before lunch, I make melodies; after lunch, I make beats. I was in my home studio making beats. I think it was around 1 p.m. when I made that beat—nothing spectacular, just at home, running through samples. I found one that clicked. It was like the second or third beat I made that day.
It was a quick one, too, because it’s not complex. Like I said, I like to keep my productions simple. I think it has like four or five sounds, and it was done in about 10 to 15 minutes, max. I made the beat and called it “Nothing Special” because that’s what Nik had called the sample. Ironically, it became something special.
I didn’t think much about it and just sent it back to Nik. Good advice—always send back beats when collaborating on loops since you never know where they’ll end up. That’s exactly what happened. I sent it back to Nik, and he sent it to Dougie, who’s a songwriter for Travis, Drake, and a lot of other people.
Then, I think it was around May, he told us that Travis used the beat. We prayed every day it would make Utopia—luckily, it did.
Is there a production of yours that holds a special place in your heart for any reason?
I love a lot of my work because each piece has a memory attached. I remember the time, the day, and how I felt when I made it. They’re all like kids to me.
But there’s one from 2019 that stands out. It was one of my first releases with TYM, the German artist I mentioned. “Lust” was one of the first songs we did, and it was a special time since we were just starting out. It was one of the first songs of mine that hit a million streams. Back then, it felt unreal.
I still remember when it pops up in my playlist—it takes me back to my early steps in the industry and that first million plays. So that one holds a special place for me.
What’s your advice to upcoming producers based abroad, outside of traditional music hubs like New York, Atlanta, or LA, who are trying to build their careers and work with established artists?
It’s more efficient to focus on making samples and loops and sending them out to U.S. producers. The chances of a producer responding to your DMs saying, “I want to send you loops,” are way higher than if you DM any established artist.
That’s a good way to get your foot in the door. Once you’re in, you can send beats to managers, A&Rs, or artists directly. It makes the process much easier.
Also, don’t sleep on your city. I’m realizing now that there’s always local talent, and you can learn a lot by working with people at your level instead of focusing only on the top 5% of artists.
I believe the right opportunities come when you’re ready for them. If you don’t work with emerging artists, you may never get the chance to work with superstars.
That’s great advice, especially because many producers forget about the place they’re based in and focus solely on the US.
Exactly. I feel like, especially in today’s day and age, there’s talent everywhere. If you come from a tiny village with only 30 people, you might need to move to a bigger city to make connections. But you can make great music anywhere.
There are good people everywhere, and everyone knows someone. Maybe you meet someone who, through a connection, knows the person you’ve always wanted to reach. So, don’t sleep on working with people in your area.
Also, do it for the passion. Don’t do it for the money—everything else will follow.
What are your plans for the rest of the year, both personally and professionally?
As far as my career goes, I’ve never been the type to say, “I want to work on this album,” or, “I have to get a Drake song.” I focus on making music I enjoy, improving, and continuing to create. There’s still so much I want to learn and improve on.
My career plans are about creating cool ideas and connecting with more people. I believe everything else will fall into place, as it always has for me. For example, I never specifically tried to get a Travis Scott song—I wasn’t making “Travis Scott” beats just to get that. It just happened, like the Chris Brown song. I make music I enjoy and want to keep doing that.
I want to explore more genres. Right now, I’m working heavily on country music stuff because I enjoy it.
Personally, I’m thinking about attending university part-time to study something that interests me. I feel it will help me creatively and give me a new outlook on life. Also, I want to be more present in the moment and spend more time with my girlfriend, family, and friends. Ultimately, my goal is to grow as both a person and a musician.
Follow Slim on Instagram: @slimxpharaoh
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