Scott Storch has been around for a minute. Though a battle with addiction left him seemingly down for the count, the producer managed to bounce back, emerging on the other side clean and reinvigorated. Now, Storch took his first trip into Canada for a lecture with the Red Bull Music Academy, and those interested in his story will find much to appreciate here.
Reflecting on his formative days as a piano scholar, Storch admits his early teachers deemed him "unteachable," citing a lack of interest in music theory. "I'm not a normal piano player," says Storch. "I have my own system, I play the piano like a drum. Very percussive." Though perhaps unconventional in his approach, Storch's golden touch on the keys was once a seemingly endless resource for those seeking hits. During the late nineties and the early millennium, Storch found himself in Dr. Dre's inner circle, working on 2001 and collaborating with Snoop Dogg, Beyonce, Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, and more.
Storch reveals that he left home at fifteen after befriending the manager of The Roots, and soon found himself signing his first record deal. Storch actually goes in detail about the time he auditioned for the band, bringing his Fender Rhodes to the Roots' jam space. "Questlove went crazy, he couldn't believe I was using that keyboard, says Storch. "It was culture shock for me. I was catapulted into this neo-soul, native tongue world of hip-hop and Philly. I'm just a little white boy from South Florida."
For more insight from Scott Storch, including his experiences working with Dre, Beyonce, and more, peep the full interview below.
