by Chicago-based producer vincebyvince first landed on our radar back in 2021 and has continued to be a mainstay in our FUXWITHITFRIDAYS features. With a sound that blends rap influences with trap, bass, future beats, and beyond, his style is assured to evoke memories of the golden era of SoundCloud. The producer has been expanding his sound as of late and is hot off the vibey UK Garage groove ‘Out Out’ alongside Tophe. Kicking off the year in style, vincebyvince has blessed us with a fresh guest mix + interview.
The mix features unreleased gems from vincebyvince plus tunes from TF Marz, Dilip, Samsin, Olswel, Blake Skowron, zotti, and more. In the interview, we discuss the influence Chicago has had on his sound, his production process, advice for artists, building a community of like-minded artists, words to live by, and more. Dive in below.
Take us through the mix that you put together. Where are we headed when we press play?
I wanted this mix to capture the essence of the vincebyvince project while exploring some of the newer sounds I’ve been into. It moves through different moods and textures, but everything is still intentional. The mix pulls from fresh ideas, things I’ve been bumping, tracks from homies, and a few classics I always come back to.
How long have you been making music? What has the journey been like?
I’ve been making music for a little over 10 years now, which honestly still feels wild to say. But it really started even earlier than that. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents playing music when I was really young. I started taking guitar lessons at 8 and immediately fell in love with learning and playing. A few years later, around 2010, I went down a YouTube rabbit hole that completely changed everything. It was a dubstep remix of ‘Please Mr. Postman,’ and from there I just kept digging deeper into electronic music. I started DJing in middle and high school, playing at parties and any other random times I could. In 2015, I downloaded Ableton and started doing very basic stuff, but I was honestly overwhelmed by it. I even put out a track under a previous alias around that time that’s still floating around somewhere. It wasn’t until after high school that I really decided to take things seriously. I started spending hours in Ableton, and slowly things began to click. Around 2018, I started the vincebyvince project, and from then until now, it’s been a lot of ups and downs, but it’s the only thing that’s ever really felt right to me.
Music is truly in Chicago’s DNA. The city showed me that it’s okay for things to be a little all over the place, as long as it feels honest.
Has Chicago influenced your sound as an artist? If so, in what ways?
I 100% think Chicago has influenced my sound. I grew up just outside the city, but I was always tapped into what was happening. Being surrounded by a melting pot of sounds and cultures made it feel natural to pull from everything: alt-rock, punk, hip hop, electronic music, and jazz. I remember being shown Chief Keef for the first time in my 7th grade Spanish class. That was unironically my introduction to rap, and I had never heard beats hit that hard in my life. I’ve always been a student of different scenes, and that’s a big reason my sound is so varied and why I’ve never felt the need to stay in one lane. Music is truly in Chicago’s DNA. The city showed me that it’s okay for things to be a little all over the place, as long as it feels honest.
What does your production process look like? How do you go about bringing a song to life?
My production process is pretty spontaneous and has a lot to do with how I’m feeling in the moment. I rarely start ideas the same way twice. Sometimes I’ll start messing with drum elements or a specific sound that grabs me. I have a lot of fun working with different textures too. Some days my only focus is sound design, just building up my personal stash to pull from later. Once I have some material to work with, I’ll start to fool around and throw as many ideas at the wall as I can. At this point, I usually have too much going on in my projects. Then I’ll try to get a rough arrangement down and start stripping different elements back. It’s in these moments that I feel like the track really starts to breathe and come to life.
Listen to as much different music as possible, go to local shows, and surround yourself with other creatives. Never be afraid to ask questions, you’ll surprise yourself!
Do you have any advice for new producers who are looking to level up their music?
Something I always tell people is to be in your DAW every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s 15 minutes or 3 hours, consistency really goes a long way. Get familiar with the basic tools in whatever you’re working in. You don’t need fancy plugins, for the most part, everything you need is already there. Listen to as much different music as possible, go to local shows, and surround yourself with other creatives. Never be afraid to ask questions, you’ll surprise yourself!
It seems like you have a dope community of like-minded producers in palpa, ell1psis, ethanplus, samsin, and more. How did you all connect?
I’m really grateful to have found such an inspiring community of artists from all around the world through the years. I first connected with most of these people on SoundCloud or Discord. For a lot of them, it started with me being a fan of their work. Most of my close homies nowadays are people I met through these platforms, and I’ve even realized that a lot of them were in the Chicago area. I’ve also met some people I’d known online for years at shows and events, which is always a really cool experience.
What are your go-to Plug-ins/VSTs?
Honestly, loads of stock Ableton stuff. If you know me, you know how much I lean on Operator and Serum. They’re really my bread and butter synths. The Glue Compressor is a beast, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with the newer stock plug-in Roar for distortion. I’ve also been revisiting Massive, which was the first synth I ever used when I started producing. When I’m working on vocals, I still reach for Waves plug-ins pretty consistently.
I’ve had the statement, “You either quit or keep going, they both hurt,” posted on my wall for years now. It’s something that’s been near and dear to me. Another one is something Mr. Carmack said ages ago, “Make music like no one’s listening.” That one hits home too.
If you had to provide some advice to live by, what would it be?
I’ve had the statement, “You either quit or keep going, they both hurt,” posted on my wall for years now. It’s something that’s been near and dear to me. Another one is something Mr. Carmack said ages ago, “Make music like no one’s listening.” That one hits home too.
I love the contrast across different sounds, energies, and eras. That same impulsiveness in my listening feeds into my music.
What have you been bumping on repeat lately?
Oh boy. Lately I’ve been really diving into grime and darker electronic stuff like Sir Spyro, Mumdance, Sorrow, and Dark0. I’ve been especially drawn to the way those artists use space in their work. At the same time, my listening is pretty all over the place. One moment I’m digging through the depths of SoundCloud trying to find the craziest stuff I can, and the next I’m listening to Prince or The Beatles. I love the contrast across different sounds, energies, and eras. That same impulsiveness in my listening feeds into my music.
What are you most looking forward to in 2026?
This year, I’m excited to keep releasing music more consistently. I’m hoping to play a few shows too. I’m also looking forward to working with more artists from all over the world and here in Chicago. Shoutout Studio SHAPES in Chicago, which is a space I’ve been working out of and making music in for the last two years.
Any final words for fans?
Thank you. I don’t take any of this for granted, more waves ahead
vincebyvince FUXWITHIT Guest Mix Tracklist
*Vincebyvince – Last Day Of June
TF Marz – Thasit
Darko – Evisu
Vincebyvince – In Da Clurb
Zotti – Back Outside Flip
Blake Skowron – Yeek
*Vincebyvince & Tophe – Out Out (140 Mix)
Benga & Cokie – Night (Styn Bootleg)
Joy Orbinson – Hyph Mngo (MMEE Bootleg)
Gemi – Just Curious
*Brasstooth – Nothing’s Gonna Change (Vincebyvince Remix)
Silva Bumpa – Next 2 Me
Higgo – Energy (Vincebyvince Flip)
Lowparse & Karan! – Di Peeka
Vincebyvince – Done Goofed
Dilip – Shyne
Lil Keke & UGK – Chunk Up The Deuce
Blorba – Estey
Olswel – Knock Knock
Vincebyvince – Deep Dive
Samsin – Missing
* Unreleased
