Crafting beats, community and creative freedom With King Grump
“Well, I guess in taking some years to make things for myself and giving up what I always most wanted (touring etc…) I realized that enjoying this whole process is the most important thing. ”
Nic, known as King Grump or formally Edison, is a unique voice in the world of beat-making, where humour, humility, and deep-rooted passion come together in every thing he crafts. Whether recording on a 4-track cassette, crafting beats on a Windows 95 setup, performing on the SP or using Ableton, King Grump’s creative journey demonstrates that the tools are merely extensions of his unwavering passion for music.
Nic’s love for hip-hop evolved through late nights, DIY gear builds, and countless beats, eventually finding success through touring and playing live shows as “Edison”. Chasing popularity and the nightlife grind left him questioning his place, leading him to step back, refocus on whats important, and realign his creative process.
Now, under the name King Grump, Nic has rekindled his love for music, producing beats with an emphasis on community, nostalgia, and sheer joy. He draws from a lifetime of influences—from classic cartoons to obscure movie samples—crafting sounds that are as unique as they are rooted in a shared culture of beat-making. In this interview, Nic shares his journey, revealing the personal story behind "King Grump," the lessons learned from the Edison era, and his renewed sense of purpose in giving back to the music community through hand crafted sample packs. With insights for young creatives and a vision for the future, King Grump shows us what it means to stay true to the art form.
For those who don’t know, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started on your musical journey?
Yodels! I’m Nic. I’ve been making music since I was around 8 or 9 years old. I love everything about music. From 4 track cassette machines, to making beats on windows 95’. It wasn’t till about 2001 that I fell in with some emcees that really took my love of hip hop and pushed me to try and make beats seriously.
The name King Grump where does that come from?
King Grump is a story that me and my son made up when he was 3. The short version is, if you lose your temper, you might turn into a large blue bird with a black feather crown (king grump), that tries to ruin everyones day. My son would turn into his alter ego (super doots) and defeat you and turn you back to your happy self.
Ha ha thats awesome.
Can you take us back to the Edison era and paint a picture of that creative world? In what ways has that project influenced the artist you’ve become today?”
Edison started around 2001-2002. I made beats and emcee’d poorly. Eventually I got better and found my crew. We made a few records as papervehicle. Things I’m still proud of and involved with today. But I really fell in love with doing instrumental records too, and performing live with finger drumming. Around 2007 I made my own midi controller, and started touring and playing out every week. Made some videos, got to travel all over, played some huge shows and got on TV. But, it all felt wrong. Chasing popularity, immature egos and feeling out of place in clubs and bars all night. I decided to quit, and start making things only for myself, focus on family and my long time, full time audio engineer career. I still recorded Edison records… i dunno… it took a long time, but King Grump is a reaction to all of that. Its me sharing again, and understanding why.
You’ve been making beats a long time now, what continues to inspire you and keep you motivated to create.
Since starting to share again, my favorite thing is to find beats on instagram/youtube/tiktok. Just appreciating the producers making dope noise.
I think in my Edison years it was “how do I stand out from these producers”…
Grump is pride in being one of these producers, and all the folks I try and share with each day.
We’re all trying to put our signature on production, and I’m just grateful to enjoy all these sounds and perspectives.
“Since starting to share again, my favorite thing is to find beats on instagram/youtube/tiktok. Just appreciating the producers making dope noise. ”
With the release of King Grump: Greatest Hits, you’ve delivered something bold and unique. What inspired this project, and in your view, what makes it stand out from everything else hitting the music scene today?
Well, I guess in taking some years to make things for myself and giving up what I always most wanted (touring etc…) i realized that enjoying this whole process is the most important thing.
So greatest hits was me truly having fun… sampling, breaks, live instruments and all the cartoons and movies I grew up on… just making something that made me laugh while nodding my head.
You have some of the craziest sample packs I’ve heard, very unique and experimental. How do you go about create these sounds, can you take us through your production process?
Ay thank you! I think making a sample pack is a tedious process. Making individual files and naming and mixing everything is boring shit.
Unfortunately for me… thats where I really shine haha. I can just crank things out. Muscle memory and repetition are my shit.
Usually I start with drums…. mixing software with live recordings… and the rest I mostly play live. Synths, bass, guitar, whatever! I try and break away from any kind of key and tempo and just play things that sound cool.
After that I’ll dip into the deep, terrifying recesses of my sample folders… 1960s-1990s movies, tapes and tv… and just chopping out rad notes and snippets.
You're offering your drum packs for free or by donation. With so many hours going into the creation of these packs, what motivates you to share your work this way?
I think that sharing recordings and having people react to them is what we do as a musical community. That within itself can be a rewarding process. But sharing recordings and having folks making something from them… To be inspired to make their own sounds from your recordings? Thats fucking dope. Its a new appreciation I’ve found. I only hope to do it much more, and be more involved in this amazing musical community along the way.
You’ve mentioned having a young son. What advice would you offer to aspiring young creatives like him trying to find success in their chosen path today?
Yea I got a first grader, he’s incredible. He challenges, inspires and changes my life everyday.
I guess my advice would be find that thing you want, and master it. You have to push yourself FAR to master it. WORK.
And always know that you are good at that thing…. to share it and help people with it. If you are practiced, authentic and humble, you can’t fail.
We really appreciate you sharing your time an creating this sample pack for the community, what can you tell us about this pack, and how did you go about creating these sounds
Well, first I gotta say I was so hype you asked for a pack. Always appreciate your sounds, and posts and use your breaks/drums often. You are inspiring, respect!
This pack was a lot of fun. It was all made in 1 day. Started with some digital kicks, toms and snares, layered with my personal drum kit recordings. Next, live recorded hats, shakers and hand percussion. Then played some bass, acoustic guitar and electric guitar. Then recorded a crusty fm synth. Last, chopped moments from some old movies and commercials. All of this is captured in ableton… and given liberal, secret grump efx sauce. I give everything insanely unhelpful names and call it a zip file.
Last words for the community, what’s your vision for the future of King Grump and where can folks go to learn more.
Last words, KEEP MAKING FUCKING BEATS. Future of king grump is… I will too. And cant wait to hear it all!
