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Sideswipe is a Philadelphia-based producer whose DIY ethos has guided his creative process since his 20s, when he made his first beat. “It was just something I knew I wanted to do,” he says. “It seemed like fun and I had no interest in rapping.” Now 40, the Bay Area, California native retreated from beatmaking several years ago, only to return with fortified conviction. He released his debut instrumental album, Bushido, in 2017 and with it came an official introduction to his dark sound. Citing early 2000s El-P, Pete Rock, DJ Dufunk of Third Sight, JEL, Alias, Sixtoo, Da Beatminerz and Lord Finesse as some of his inspirations, he prefers the eerie over the soulful and implements hard-hitting drums and unique arrangements to amplify his unearthly perspective. Soon, Sideswipe hopes to collaborate with MCs and vocalists in an effort to expand his body of work, though his primary goal is more modest. “I used to just make beats in hopes of them being rapped over,” he says. “Over time, I’ve learned that I should make beats for me and make them sound like what I want to hear.” A self-described perfectionist at times, he calls his sound “eclectic boom bap” and credits his ear for unusual samples with differentiating him from producers in his vein. “I usually find and use things that are slightly more eclectic that the average person,” he says. Entirely PC software-based, he uses Sony Acid, FL Studio and ProTools.