Today, French producer Brodinski and and D.C. rapper Shy Glizzy release their collaborative single “WOAH”, they have also shared a video on the making of the production and their creative process. As is often the case with artists featured in the #songsfromscratch series, the partnership came from left field. Even though they’re from vastly different places, and backgrounds, they made the kind of connection that’s hard to put into words. They both share a pure love of hip-hop, and they’re both fascinated by big, boisterous hooks.

They linked up late at night in a top-of-the-line studio in Glizzy’s backyard, in a kind of weird place; it’s right next to a lot where Bolt Buses are serviced and stored, and just to the side of a billboard advertising reruns of A Different World. The strange set-up surrounding their session makes for interesting background information.

At first he was just a kid at a computer. Born into a generation whose musical culture is forged in just a couple of clicks, Brodinski spent much of his youth creating mp3 files, first in his hometown of Reims, and then in Lille where he went to study.

This included techno, of course, from Erol Alkan to Andrew Weatherall, but also Nine Inch Nails-style rock and the slick and menacing rap of artists like Three 6 Mafia and their Southern sound.

From an early age, Brodinski began to see music as a vast world without boundaries, where artists are no longer restricted by categories, and what truly counts is their drive and passion. In Reims, Brodinski spent time hanging out in the studio of the producer Yuksek, alongside a group who later went on to form The Shoes.

In 2011, he decided to take his career in a new direction, launching the Bromance label with his manager Manu Barron. A name that is no coincidence: Brodinski sees his life as an organic whole, in which his career and his friends’ enjoyment are inextricably linked. The various artists who have made up the ranks of the label, Gesaffelstein, Club Cheval and the American Louisahhh!!! are all close friends, who share more than just a taste for the turntables with the DJ. At the helm of this team, the proud champion of French electronic music, Brodinski added yet another string to his bow. No longer just a DJ, he was a team leader, an artistic director, a conductor.

Throughout his career, there was only one box left to be checked: an album. A few months ago, after all these years DJing around the world, Brodinski, now 27, put the brakes on his frenetic career to set up in the studio and finally check that box. To translate his vision, Brodinski called upon two of his friends; DJ Kore, collaborator of a string of French rappers, as well as the behemoth that is Rick Ross, and Myd, meticulous producer of the Club Cheval quartet to help shape his musical productions as best as possible. This album is first and foremost a story of friendship; teamwork carried out in a relaxed and positive atmosphere.