016 | Nike Said It Best w/ Faro

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Hello good people and welcome back to Life is Sound. Today I've got a lifelong friend pretty much. We've known each other since I was around 15 and this guy when he entered my life he was just a character that straight away I'm like this is a guy that knows what he's doing and it's probably someone that I've maybe I've not even told him this but like when I've seen you move through life and especially when we started doing music

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When we started as MCs, he was like, he's got it. I need to try and be great like that. And as I've seen him move through life and do different creative endeavours and ventures, he's just someone that I love to see do well because he's just been a consistent character in my life. So today I've got my brother, Faro, aka Karl John. So if you want to introduce yourself to the listeners, then we'll jump into it.

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intro, we're always touching, firstly, yeah. Secondly, yeah, I'm Karl, Faro, Karl John, whichever people know me as. I'm a videographer, creative director, stylist, host. Yeah, yeah. Many things, there's many strings to my bow, so to speak, but yeah, that's me basically in a nutshell. So I'm glad today that you've turned up

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Avirex as well because this was another guy in life. He was the first person I saw wearing an Avirex jacket in real life and I remember looking at it, at those times it just looked like such a beautiful jacket. I was like, A, where's this guy got this from? Because they weren't easy to get hold of back then. Also, how has he even got that? And you were the first person that probably, also like a connection to a different city because you spent a lot of time growing up in London as well.

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leaned into that at that time as well. So you were like between two worlds where, you know, those times, London was a whole world away for us. The internet wasn't really as, you know, active as it is now. Like things were very different. So you were someone that was like in two worlds as well. So yeah, when we started doing music, I remember the first time I turned up to where we used to rehearse at Dagga, Big Up Dagga, and I saw I was stepping into a new level of musicianship.

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coming from what I was doing, which is similar to what you were doing, but coming into another crew, into Knight Riders, turning up for the first time. You were the glue of that thing that I quickly saw, is like Farrell, even though everyone played the role, you were like the guy that felt like you were just on the mic a bit more than everyone else. And if someone didn't want to spit, you'd be the guy that would step up and do that. So I always looked at you like when I'd go home and listen to

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writing lyrics. I've always looked at you with that character, like, this guy just sounded in, he knew what he was doing. And I feel like you've really carried that through life as well. Yeah, I think, you know, like, I always kind of like give, I always have to pay homage to hip hop in it. I've come upon hip hop from when I was little, like my brother, my eldest brother is like 15 years older than me. And I've got two sisters as well that like I grew

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And music was just obviously a constant thing, innit? Obviously, my mom was playing reggae. My mom's Jamaican, she was playing reggae. Not necessarily Basman or dancehall at the time, but more reggae, rootsy kind of vibes, scar and thing. Brother, a lot of hip hop. So, from a young age now, when I've seen videos on the telly, like I've been zoned in. Obviously, we didn't have the internet then, and it wasn't even really a thing where you're constantly seeing music videos. It was a case that you might have gone to someone

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house or someone's got something on like VHS or whatever, do you know what I mean? And then like you're seeing things and it was like mind-blowing to see various, to see black people, some black faces, people like me, but from another city and you can, they encompass that city in their persona and the way they dress, the way they talk, everything, do you know what I mean? So I just

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like being in Manchester, I soaked it up in Manchester, I soaked it up in London. I thought Manchester and London were two places that even though we're in the same country, it's like pretty much worlds apart. They just seemed so different. Do you get me? And then when I went to London, like it was, my dad lived there anyway from when I was born, but I became more aware of it when I was around, I'd say five, six years old. Do you get me? Because I was always there, but I was too young to notice the difference. But then once

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I was, and it's crazy saying five, six years old, because my son now, he's not necessarily like that. He's not tuned into fashion and style and music and popular culture like that. But I very much was. So I was noticing things. I'm noticing that people have got certain things. They're rocking certain things that I've only seen in videos. Like none of the shops I go into with my mum, with my little five year old self, none of the shops I've got like bum bags or hammer pants or whatever. And in London, I'm seeing that. I'm seeing

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and pelly-pelly and this that the other and it was just blowing my mind, you get me? So from that and then actually moving down there for like the rest of primary school into secondary, I'm just soaking up a lot of culture, organic culture and I'm not realising that I'm kind of, as much as I'm not necessarily in the States, I'm here in the UK and I'm soaking things up organically, yes, but I'm right there where things are happening.

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So my primary school was on Nightingale Estate and that's where the cool FM tower was. So I'm listening to Jungle and I'm just thinking yeah it's just Jungle music, this is the new music Jungle. But I'm not realising that this is where it's birthed though, I'm there, do you get me? I'm there right in it and like I'm seeing like things go from the hip hop bashments sort of style addressing to more the jungle style. So man are wearing more straight jeans and Reebok classics and various things also but I'm just soaking up culture left, right and centre.

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kind of became ingrained into me naturally though. So then I kind of carried that through with say music and the way I am. I can't necessarily help that. So when it came to Knight Ryders at the time now, when I've met you fast forward to there now, it's a thing where it's mad to hear you say that because to me, bro, I'm just in the room like everybody else, but the difference is I'm thinking, yo, this is a crew that I'm trying to be a part of and I don't want this crew to come whack.

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Like, I used to go to school, bro, when I was seven years old, my dad used to have, my dad's an academic, my guy's got them little, is it like the Dictaphone thing? Yeah, Dictaphone. Right, where you got the little tape that's about that big. So he's got that and he's talking into these, like, you know, for his meetings and everything else. I'm jacking them, I'm like, yo, dad, can I take this tape? And he's like, yeah, I take the tape, I'm recording over that. And I'm recording like Maestro and sax and sound and all of that now and I'm going to school, bro, I'm seven and I'm just sat like, waiting to play two bench in like play centre

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with this bash man playing in my ears and hearing man on mic and all of them things there. Do you get me? So I've got all of those elements. So once I've come into a crew now, I'm thinking, yo, this crew can't necessarily come whack, not lyrically anyway. Do you get me? And also, what is it about the crew that can stand out? What is it about me as a MC or these man as a collective in it? So yeah, we've got lyrics and bars, but certain times it's not necessarily about lyrics and bars in it. So I'm listening to Heartless. How are they controlling?

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when there's certain tunes on and everything else, what a man saying on it. Certain man are saying things, but they're saying things, but kind of like landing in the pockets of the beat, not just chatting, but you've got the man that chat just over the thing and it's like, yo, this is noisy. Do you get me? But when you're landing in the pockets of the beat, now it's almost like you become an instrument within it. Do you understand? So I was focusing on things like that and certain times now with an R crew, man might have bars, do you get me? And

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wasn't it? Yeah, so that was more probably your role. There were certain people that were just like, yo, I'm just gonna spit. I'm gonna shell down. Yeah, I'm gonna, because it was a competitive thing as well, even though it's our crew. There's safety and we're all rolling together. It was like, oh, new lyric, I'm gonna have to go back and... That was the beauty of it though. Simeon's new lyric, Curtis's new lyric, I'm gonna have to go back and then Adio come in like with a vibe. And it was such a young competitive nature, but the...

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people are like, bro, we were killers, man. I don't mean in the physical sense. I mean like lyrical assassins. We were always being tested in a way. And one thing I've never asked you as well is what started your music journey before Knight Ryders? And also how did you meet that group of people? Cause I was the last into Knight Ryders. So you guys were, you were in. I was like kind of accepted in like more towards probably the back end of Knight Ryders.

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you got through. No one could come into that. Bro, it was like, it felt like football trials for a big team. I remember Sim, I was like, yo, Sim, what's happening? He's like, bro, trust me, man, like you're going to be in. You were live, bro. You came through, you came, this is what I'm saying. I kind of forgot this until I think maybe a few years, because me and you have connected, obviously, like spoke about the past over the years. Yeah, but you came in as a DJ, bro. Do you know what I mean? Like you was there, you went to DJ, you came with Couple Man, Couple Man was spitting and everything else,

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like, you know what, this guy, this guy fits in. Nobody else is really fitting in, but this guy kind of fits. It kind of works. And then next minute, like, you kind of, I can't remember if you stopped DJing or you do them both, but then you picked up the mic and then it was like, it's a no brainer, man. I think the DJing went really, I remember my hand was shaking, bro. Couldn't even put the needle on the vinyl. And you guys were over there in the room. I'm like, gosh, I'm trying to like steady my hand. And then I remember the DJing didn't go great. So then I thought, I'm gonna have to like grab the mic. Yeah, but were you already spitting?

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I was, but not with you guys outside or was. Right, right, right. So I was doing both. I enjoyed doing both. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, what got you into your music journey? It's a question I'm not even asked ever. I think from back in the day, like I said, I've always watched, I've grown up watching music videos, yeah. Getting magazines and everything else. And I kind of always kind of, I just love the art of spitting and touching mic, but I was always a bit shy and...

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just holding mic and being on the stage or anything like that necessarily. So then yeah, started writing some dead bars, very dead. And then at the time as well, UK, this is what I'm saying, we call it UK, it wasn't just hip hop, UK hip hop wasn't really a thing like that. Obviously like shouts the man like Rodney P and London Posse and obviously you got Black Twang and Roots Manoeuvre and all that, yeah. They were doing their thing, 57th dynasty as well. I can't remember what accent they spat in to be honest, yeah. But there

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American accents though, especially if you weren't in London. So it was one of them. So man used to put on some fake accent now and just be spitting, freestyling in bedroom and all them things there. Went to the studio and whatever else. And then we had like a crew and we would spit and we'd go to like Powerhouse like in Mosside and do like, I think we did like a show in there, did like a show in Seymour Park. Just like trying to do our thing, little recording and everything else, but like nothing really happened. Then

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college. So that was like year 11, say. Went to college now. And first year of college, I met this guy Jason now, yeah. Shouts to Jason wherever he is, because I ain't seen that my man since 2001. Did you ever meet Jason? That might have been a bit before your time. He looked just like Craig David, bro. So if you remember that, then you might have seen him. Jason B If you show me a picture, I probably would. He looked just like Craig David anyway, right? So he was from Trinidad. The first guy I've

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station was somewhere else. The bus station would have run through where foot asylum and next is and everything else. Yeah. And the market was somewhere totally different. So he had a, had an apartment opposite the print works. Yeah. Looking at the printworks back then. Right. P's. So we're in college. I've gone to this brother's house now. He's selling me his in some crews and a sound called lethal injection. Yeah. Sound from like Trinidad and whatever else. And he's got like vinyl. He's got, he's got speakers like, bro, in his yard,

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There's no furniture. There's speakers like Moss Side Carnival, speakers, sound speakers. You know when the speakers are high up, bro? Stacked. Stacked, right? Two turntables, mic, hella vinyl. That's all that's in there. Maybe some cereal, mattress on the floor. That's it, yeah? So, his gaff kind of became the spot and he was like, yo, bro, I've got to, I've got, what is that saying? I've got a show, I'm playing that band in the world.

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and I'm playing it here and I'm playing it there, yeah? Just doing like a little DJ set. Come down man, like touch the mic. I'm like, touch the mic. Like, I'm not really, right now, I'm not really even rapping. And I understand like garage is a thing, yeah? And it's a vibe, like Jason Kay and certain man had like rhythms, but Grime wasn't here yet though. So man was spitting, spitting, did you get me? Yeah? But I really don't know how to like do that and control that, right? So, around the same time, I've gone and checked Adio, yeah? Obviously me and Adio have jammed

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anyway for like the last three years, cause I met him when I was in year eight times, right? So last three, four years, me and Adio has been jamming. No matter his crib now, and he goes, yo, cause these times I'm the only one that spits in it out of them, man, and then I've got some other friends and we all spit. Adio goes, yo, I've got some bars, you know? Like, got bars? And he's like, yeah. So I says, go on. So he puts on like, it must've been like DJ Loco MC Neat or some kind of beat, and he puts that on and he starts spitting.

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This guy sounds like the guy on the tape, the guy's on the tape. I'm like, yo, that sounds sick. His voice was right for it. Everything, it blew my mind, didn't it? Yeah. So I was like, yo, you know what? I need to start doing that. But that's a UK thing. So it was weird. It was weird for me to change, change, change the lyrics, change the way the lyrics flow, change the flow, sorry. Change the pockets that are landing on the beat and everything else and adjust to kind of like 135 to 140 BPM.

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it was a bit weird, but I had to dumb it down heavily. So, because I'm not doing things for it to be like a recording artist now or to tell a story. I'm doing things to talk to a crowd and keep the crowd and energy hype and landing the right parts of the beat and also not talk over vocals as well. So no one to stop when the vocal comes in and just give the right things, instruments and spaces to breathe. So I've done that. And then I've said to my guy, yeah, you know what? I'll touch Mic, like when you go certain places.

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We went to certain places and I just like handled the mic and everything for him. And then I was like, so Adeo, yo, do you want to join this crew here? Like, he's lethal injection, but it's going to be like the garage kind of side of it. So Adio did said, yeah, cool. So it was me, Adio  my man. And Adio was like, yo, I've got this guy, Sugar B. And I'm like, Sugar B, yeah. So I've seen, I've gone to one place, one bar, which is like opposite the town hall where the town hall is now, like St. Peter's square size. We've gone downstairs, yeah. And we're in this room now.

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like just bare man this girl about and ting but there's bare man around this mic and ting yeah and then i've not touched the mic i'm just like i'm a spectator and i've seen Curtis now yeah sugar b grab the mic and starts going in but he's i can tell it's off the dome but he's free he's freestyling i don't know anything about football but he's naming football players i'm gonna go mad names mad german names dutch names sounding sick on the beat and i thought

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and got a booking for a show in Leicester now. And at the time, like, man weren't really playing outside of the city. These times we didn't work on radio or anything. Got to Leicester, we're on the same bill as Soul Solid and everything. We see Mega Man and them man pull up in TTs and Avirex’s and this, that, the other. And I'm just watching all these man and my mind's blown. Sugar's come with Simeon. Do you get me? Simeon's there and all his army fatigues. Bro, these times, I'm 16 years old. It's young. And it's mad that I'm saying this because I was with that man last night. These are my brothers today. All you man are my brothers today, innit?

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But this is how guys are around. So I'm seeing all this now and then next minute later on, Simeon's kind of joined the crew fast forward, Jason's gone to London and everything else. So that's changed. So now we're just MCs with no DJs. Gone and duppied at a Ridge Danyers college party and Dagga DJing. So we recruited Dagga. Then you've kind of come into play after that, you get me? And that's kind of like a fast version of how all of that came about. And then it was there. I'm in music. My name at the time, I was telling KSI.

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the other day. My name, I didn't have a name. I went through, I went through so many different names when I was younger. And I always wanted like certain MCs and rappers and stuff that I used to see that they had names or street names and I want a street name. How'd you get one like one that sticks? And I couldn't think of one. So in the end, I've gone to some Coronation Street. I was an extra on Coronation Street at the time. My dad was in prison. Yeah. And Coronation Street. I need to see this. We don't, I don't know where to find that.

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I can't remember, I think it was, might have been, is it Jim McDonald or something? Yeah, Jim, man like Jim McDonald. He was on some smoke and he was in jail or something, I think. Don't quote me on it, but we was in the background anyway. So while I was there now, I was like, yo, you know what? I'm emceeing, innit? And I'm trying to be doing these shows and everything, but I need a name. And like these times now, also Wiley's about, and you got Eskimo and this and the other, and things were to do with like temperature and that, innit? So I'm like, yeah. Someone's like, what about Celsius? And I thought, Celsius, Celsius.

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I sound like a Greek god, you know, I don't know about that. And then someone said, how about Fahrenheit? I'm like Fahrenheit? Kind of like Fahrenheit, you know, that kind of works. So I went with Fahrenheit. And then after a bit, people were like, Faro, calling me Faro for sure. I'm like, yo, don't call me Faro, bro. I don't like that. I hated the name Faro. That's crazy. Hated it. Yeah. But people called it me so much. I thought, you know what? That's it, isn't it? People have given that to me. That's what they call me as. I can't keep correcting people. It's Farrow, isn't it?

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stuck in it is to say today. It's crazy. Like we could keep in this music story, probably for the rest of this podcast. We've got rich musical histories that everyone went on to do individual stuff after Knight Ryders and people are still doing the thing as well, like to big scales, which is so beautiful to see. The crazy thing about like where we're at now, like we've come back full circle. Like me, you and Simien, we work together. We're in a very creative world and we get to create for a living, which is amazing.

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videography and you were popping up, you know, doing music videos here and there and like really strong music videos. And you've always been connected to the culture of like Manchester music and new acts and people that are coming through and helping them shape a vision. So all that learning that you probably did in your younger age where you're watching music videos and you're taking in fashion, culture, music, it's all like come together later in life with what you're doing now. So I just wanted you to like, I just wanted to ask you

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What got you into videography and what have been some of your creative struggles along the way with that? Because any creative adventure, we're going to have great moments, really difficult moments questioning do I need to keep doing this? Should I quit? Should I get a normal job? Should I just go and be like, you know, maybe I just need to do this because I need to earn money. But you've stuck on a path and now this is what I love seeing with people that have been connected to for so long. People earning money from something they're good at.

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thing to see and you're succeeding in it. So what have been some of like the difficult times when you've been in those creative spaces? I think I came into videography through my boy Vince, Invincible at the time. He was heavily on music and he needed to do a music video. Had a little camera, shot a little video while I was in work, sent it to me, told me like, yeah, this is my new

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like tomorrow or whatever. I decided that my sister had a camera, I'm gonna get this camera for my sister and I'm gonna shoot, let me shoot it, because I just wanted to see what it was like. Didn't know how to edit or anything else, put it on the timeline and it was blowing my mind, didn't know anything about frame rates or anything, like shutter speed, didn't know anything. Yeah, I was just shooting, thought it was like a simple thing, it wasn't. And then that transition

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at the end of the day, I wasn't necessarily getting paid. And because I didn't have that quite, because I wasn't at that level yet, I couldn't necessarily go out and charge. It wasn't people coming to me for videos or anything like that. So it was just something that I just picked up as I went forward with someone like a close friend who kind of trusted me to do something. Yeah. And then what I realized as time went on was that I might

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just shot it like last week and I'm proud of it because I know I've come on leaps and bounds in comparison say to my last video. But while my video is exporting, I've gone onto YouTube to just watch other videos and what's going on. And there might be a brother down the road from me and his videos just like smacking mine to pieces. I mean, you know, this is coming out tomorrow. He did that two years ago and it's, so what's going on? And I had that battle where it's like, yeah, my stuff's not good. Um, I don't know

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don't know what to do about this. I'm realising that it's kind of like a team sport. It's not an individual solo thing, but I don't even know how to get myself in the game. Like I just don't, I just didn't know in it. I didn't have any mentor, didn't have any guidance. And I feel like my, my, the main obstacle, like that was the main obstacle I faced. So I would lose confidence and I'll put the camera down. Then certain times I picked it up, like say for example, with Asleeps, I picked up the camera a lot with Sleepz,

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confident in it. But still, it wasn't enough for me to just go freelance. I tried to do the freelance thing. I just didn't know. I was just, wasn't prepared. So work wasn't coming in. So then that meant that I was just taking on anything that came through. Do you know what I mean? And I feel like that's a killer of creativity as well, because it's always best if you can cherry pick your projects and make it so that you're giving your best to it rather than taking something and it just feels like work. If you're going to just

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a bar, a shop, flipping out, I don't know anything that you want to do because really if you're creating, if it's a creative job, it needs to come from within, it needs to be something that you're passionate about. Any project that I've been given that I'm passionate about, I can't tell you where it's going to go. I can say, yo, this is my vision for it, but then that's just a little bit of it. The rest of it speaks for itself. So often I might go back and watch some of my favourite projects because I'm like, yo, wow, how did I even do that?

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and create that again, because I was just in a blind space. Do you get me? So I would say, yeah, my main struggles was self-doubt, not necessarily knowing if I was a... if I was worthy to get in certain work, not necessarily having the confidence to reach out and talk to people, and also Manchester being a clicky place, so to speak. So I can't just go over to these guys and just say, yo, guys, like, what's going on? Because they're not necessarily trying to help me, because sometimes from the outside looking in,

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have self doubt, some other people might think, yo, that's live. I would even know that you doubted that video because I'm rating that or whatever it might be, but it's like, nah, I know what I had to do to get to that certain space with that video and it was harder than you think and whatever it is. So, yeah, what was your question again? Just like some of your creative struggles along the path. One thing I know we spoke about recently is like consistency. How do you feel now, like,

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mountain where you're at you're doing really well but I know you want to take that even further and keep climbing. How do you like when you look back at where you've been in the past with those doubts and we still have them as creators, probably every project we have them or you know the consistency has got you to where you are now so maybe like in a bit of an advice way to people but how do you look back on things when you've seen yourself being so consistent to get you to where you are now?

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Through not being consistent, through not sitting down and doing all like the learning and everything else. I believe we've all got the potential to do, but some of us, and I've been guilty of that, we kind of stop ourselves due to not having the things that we feel, the tools that we feel we need to get to a certain space, so to speak. So that might be somebody who's not able to acquire a certain camera because it costs a certain amount that you can still do.

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that are some of my favourites. I was watching Sleepz One, I Sleepz One the other day, Wavy Dave 2. That's probably one of my favourite videos for me, just going in on the edit. And I did that with, I just got my Sony a7S II at the time, but like all the motion, the moving bits and everything where it's like him, he's fully in the shot. That was with like a DJI Osmo. And that's just a little basic camera full of grain, whatever it is. But I manipulated the video so that looks banging. So not letting things, not letting

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stop you is one thing. And then also for me, my thing was, the reason why I seem more consistent now or I am consistent now as opposed to back then was after lockdown, bro, lockdown came and all the self doubt kicked in. And everything that I was doing before, like little contracts and stuff like that, that I had with various companies and everything, like just fell by the wayside. And it was a case of, yo, what am I going to do when everything opens up?

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going to do with this camera because I know I want to afford a new camera and I don't know what direction I'm going in. I feel lost. In fact, I feel like I'm falling out of love with it. And also the failure thing, I find failures almost embarrassing in it. So I don't want to be out here failing publicly. I want to just fade to black. And I've been in this space before because I was in this space with music. Like I loved and lived and breathed music and I was trying to be a musician and everything else. And then it came to a point

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anymore, like I need dough to do this. Which we all have those battles along the way, it's a really tricky thing. Exactly, so at the time I remember quitting music and kind of going into the video thing and trying to come with like another pseudonym and everything else to try and hide behind the name because I didn't want people to know it was me, I was a bit embarrassed bro, you get me? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when it went later on now, when it got to after lockdown, I was thinking, yo, what do I do?

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After that, when I thought, right, you know what, I don't necessarily need to worry about like...

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not to say I was big, because it definitely wasn't that, but it just meant that I've got a constant, like, income now. Yeah. It's steady. So now all the other stuff that I get is like a bonus. It's stuff that I need to get, but it's like added bonus. Now I'm going to be always creating, because that's my day job now. I'm opening my laptop, like, every day I'm thinking about ways to start. I start in middle and at the end of this video, how to tell this story, engagement, attention

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I'm learning a lot about just social media, people, how people feel and feel, think and how they receive media. And then on top of that, I'm always constantly got to think of ideas and putting things together, putting treatments together. Then I'm learning on sets and this, that, the other. So then it's like, yo, you know what's mad? I'm now in a space where everything that I did is play, where I would open up my laptop while I'm watching a show and play on this laptop, play doing videos and everything else. This is life.

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comes life, it's kind of like become me. So everything I've grown up watching and everything else, I can kind of like now throw into things that had me inside vibrating at a higher frequency. Anyway, bro, do you get me? So now there would be a time when I might be at a table. See, so it's mad, you're saying, oh yeah, when I saw you, I thought this, that, the other, there might be other people. There's going to be people that's going to think, yeah, I see you and I felt that you as a guy. There's going to be other people, same time, with the law of averages. I saw you and I thought you was a bum. Do you get me? Yeah.

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Don't be all of that, bro. Not everyone's gonna think you're great, yeah? Even now, people might think that. So I would be in a room and because I'm gonna have my own insecurities, I'm not where I feel like I should be and I feel like I'm not even necessarily on the way there. Coming to a room, we all sit down, everyone sat across from each other, say it's a meal or whatever, and then these guys get into a conversation of, oh, so what do you do? And I'm thinking, yo, I need to divert this conversation fast, like, yo, how's your lamb? Is it all right?

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medium-rare old. So I'm trying to come up with something else, because I don't want anyone to come and ask me what I do. Because as much as I'm doing, I'm not proud of where I am. Do you get what I'm saying? I felt that many times, many times I can relate to that. Right. So once I felt like I was doing, I always knew that I wanted to create. I always felt like I vibrated at a higher frequency. Even the times when I was doing music, the harder times was when I was just simply in the studio. I needed to create and I needed feedback. I needed to put something out into the universe.

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universe and hear what people thought of this thing that I've put out. Do you get me? Yeah. And I would vibrate off that whether it was positive or negative energy, like I needed to create and put out. So once I got to a space where that became life, all I'm doing is creating, putting out work into deadlines and everything. Like that's me in it. Do you get me? Yeah. Then I just felt like I was just in a better position. And then now I'm just more able to think I can lend myself to projects. Certain times, bro, I still believe

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So I know I'm far from where I want to be, but I've come a long way. And then sometimes like someone might ask me something and I'll tell you like, yo, you know what, don't ask me, I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. But, and I'll start proceed to telling them something. And it's like, I feel like I know. So, have you seen that episode of The Simpsons? Back in the day, you know, where Bart goes to France. I can't remember. You've got a crazy memory. This is one thing about Farrell, his memory. He'll pluck something from like the depths of something. I'm like, how do you even remember? I don't even know, bro. But Bart goes to France.

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He goes on like an exchange trip to France and the guys, the French guys are being horrible to him. He goes to work on a farm, right? They make him sleep in a barn with donkeys and that. They're abusing him. They've got him working the land. They've got him crushing grapes, doing all that stuff while they're making wine and they're like, this is rubbish, throwing things at him. And he hates it. So then he manages to escape. Yeah. But obviously he's in France. He's a little kid from Springfield and whatever. He runs, he runs, he runs. He finds a policeman. He's like, sir, sir.

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Yeah, don't quote me on it because I can't remember exactly how it goes. Sir, sir. And then he just starts speaking, he's saying things in American, then starts speaking fluent French and it all comes to him. Do you get me? And then he doesn't realise, yo, I've been out here learning. And it's kind of like that, where I feel like I don't know anything, but then once I start lending my knowledge to things, then it's almost like, yeah, it makes sense. And do you have pinch me moments? So you do videography where we work.

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side, I've been doing music from, since we've done music. This is what I said on the last podcast to our guest, Marley, we were talking about imposter syndrome as well. And I've been doing music for the longest time, but then you end up in a space where it's like you're doing it on a professional level to deadlines, ideas, a lot of stuff on your shoulders as well. Like you, you've got to make this work. You know, this is going out on this day. Time's ticking away. Do you have pinch me moments?

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I go, I'm doing it. This is like, I'm creating. I get to wake up and create. Like, this is my job. And then the crazy thing is, these characters I've known pretty much my whole life that are around in the same world. That are messaging you first thing in the morning and say, yo bro, have you got the music for it? And it's mad in a corporate capacity. Yeah, but it's you. Yes, man. And like, even when you went to Mexico last year with Simeon, you shot there. I didn't get to go to Mexico, I stayed at home,

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out in Mexico, you shoot the visual. Like that's your, obviously there's a team involved. You bring it back. I'm looking at this like my guys I've known from day one, I've just been in Mexico and shot this big fashion campaign and now I've got to make the music to match it and it's a crazy, it's a crazy thing that we're in and it's definitely teaching us a lot, like you said, taking in social media, how that works, attention spans, deadlines, working quickly, getting out of your own creative mind of,

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not sure about this snare. It's like, you don't like you've got till Tuesday, like to let this go. It's not once it's out, you can go, actually, can I just take that back and just tweet that snare a little bit? So I feel like it's got us working in this machine mindset, which is really benefiting our skillset because I notice I'm just getting really quick at doing stuff and where I was two years ago, I wasn't this quick. How do you feel like the work that you've been doing in that world as you

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filling things in. When you now step outside of that world and go to do another project, how do you feel like the learning over here is impacting like the stuff you were doing before you were over here in the fashion space? Right, here's the thing now. So I'm going to answer both and the pinch me moments as well. The pinch me, so we're focused right now on fashion and shooting, but right now I'm also hosting it. So it's kind of going full circle from back in the day to now. Now here's the thing, the pinch me moments is mad.

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in a space where somebody else would look and think, yo, that's amazing. It's sick that you're doing that or getting to do that. I don't have those pinch me moments. You know, the mad places I have the pinch me moments, bro. Driving from the office to go to media dog in the car. A small thing like going to media dog in the car or I might be coming, sorry, plug media dog is, what is it? A rental company. Yeah, like hire equipment, like audiovisual stuff.

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Wait, hold up. Say I'm going to Media Dog or say I'm going from the office to a studio to shoot, yeah? I'm thinking, what day is it? It's Thursday. I'm doing this now. I'm going to this place. I'm going to do what I need to do here. Then I'm going to go back to the office and then I've got to go and do the school run or whatever it might be. But rewind, let's say a couple of years ago. I'm going into work and I ain't leaving until work's over. There's no flicking around in your car going anywhere to pick up anything or whatever it is like.

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this is before lockdown, so it's Monday to Friday. You ain't got no work from home, day. There ain't no day off or anything like that. And it's Monday and the same things day in, day out. So my pinch me moments more come when I'm just in transit going to places and I'm just thankful for this and it like, no days pretty much the same. Do you get me? Getting to travel the world. Yeah, and traveling. Maybe sometimes I'm on a plane or I've stepped off a plane and I'm like,

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something, like they're trusting me to shoot this. This is crazy. Yeah. Do you get me? Yeah. But that's more it. And then when it comes to the work now, the difference is a few years ago, I couldn't do, if you shout at me to do a project and you're on the deadline, you might shout me in April, see, your song is released at the end of May. Once you shout

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somebody might say, yo, I want you to do a video. I'm like, yo, I'm busy until the end of May. I'm busy until your deadline is. Yeah. And all I can do is lend myself fully to that. Because if somebody came and said, listen, I've got something that's going to come out in June. When in June? Are you talking about early June? I ain't got time. Because early June means I've got to start that in May. May's that project. I can't juggle. I don't have the capacity to juggle. I don't have like the skills to juggle. I don't have the headspace to juggle. I will panic and I'll be stressed. Now, all I'm doing is juggling. I'm juggling.

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loads. So now it means that if I step out, I can take on things and all I have to do is work to deadlines. I've got this time to do this, fair enough, it's a month, but really I've only got three days because more work might come in, I need to free up time. So I've got to just be more efficient and quicker. So that's the difference from being, from doing this as like everyday work. It just means that I'm quicker, I'm more efficient, I'm working smarter, not necessarily harder. Do you get me? And I'm able to do more and achieve more.

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say like, yeah, you know what, you don't stop and kind of, I'm kind of not stopping, but at the same time, what it is, is you've seen that a video campaigns come out today. You saw a music video come out yesterday. You've seen a hosting announcement come out for such and such a thing. And then you've seen some footage from when I was hosting at an event. So all of this has come out all in the same week to you, but this might have been something that I've just been doing over the last month, see. But then that vibe is kind of there,

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of a week, do you get me? But that's because I'm just juggling. And how do you feel being in this space where you've got so many things going on, but it's all like encompassing to things you've done in the past and things you've taken on as new things like videography, like going back and hosting. That was where like you kind of started as well, like with what we did with music. Now you see all these things and as we're getting like older in age as well and you just have way more appreciation when you see yourself doing these things. How does it feel to be in that energy?

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It almost feels like I've arrived, so to speak, if you know what I'm saying. It feels like I've arrived because it feels like that's who I was supposed to be anyway. I feel like I'm supposed to be further than I am and certain things have stopped that. Maybe a lack of self-belief, a lack of dedication, lack of consistency, certain life circumstances and everything else. But now it's like, yeah, I'm where I'm supposed to be.

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I'm supposed to be. I'm lending myself to the right project, so to speak. I'm going for the right things and this, everything now makes sense in it. All the things that I soaked up as a sponge, when I dip back into the memory archives, everything that I saw, yeah, it makes sense to where I am today and the spaces that I'm finding myself in, it just makes sense. It sounds cliche, doesn't it? But it's like everything has to happen in the way it happens,

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thing didn't there didn't happen the way it did that struggle didn't like appear in your life and speaking about struggles I wanted to like if you take away Karl the host, Karl the videographer, Faro, what's something in your life where you don't have to say exactly what it was but what was the time in your life as Karl the human that felt all walls collapsed around him and nothing

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because to see you here today, that's someone I've known since I was 15. We know we've been through stuff in life. What was a moment in life where you were like, well, nothing makes sense, but you're here today. You got through it. What were the things you used to get through that? I think there's two. Really, I'm a family person. So I draw a lot from just family and being around family and that kind of energy.

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We've got people who, friends that we call family. Do you get me? And we're outside a lot.

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around people and various other energies, but then we come home to family, Sunday, Christmas, Easter, special occasions, death, whatever it might be draws to family. And I've had that around me and I've fed off that like all my life. And then I went through something without necessarily going into it. I went through some stuff in, I'd say about 2014 times

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Yeah, where I lost, I lost family. And that was because that was self-inflicted. Yeah, some of it. And I had to kind of like navigate through that and adjust to life without that. And then it came to 2017 and I lost more family. Not necessarily, when I'm saying that, I don't necessarily mean deaths either. It's just like the people that I'm not around due to various circumstances

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beer and I had to kind of create a new world for myself so I don't necessarily have that solace so to speak when I need it. So now I'm here and I'm out here kind of, it kind of feels sometimes I come out here by myself but that's not a disrespect to the family members that reach out to me and that are there for me because they're still there, do you get me? Yeah.

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yo, do you know what, when I came into the world, this was like this. And when I was a teenager, that was like that. And in my early twenties, it was like this. And these are things that I thought would always be there and then not necessarily anymore. And I had to kind of like tap into self. So certain times it might be gym, to escape through the gym. Or sometimes I've always been, the, the mad thing is as much as I'm saying that, because I moved to London when I was younger and like certain family members were up here in Manchester,

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had to adapt and be by myself a lot of the time anyway, do you get me? So I spent a lot of time in my room watching videos or films or whatever it might be, yeah, playing music, sorry, playing computer games. Same with when I was a teenager because I'm the youngest, my other siblings are like, my nearest one that lived with me, my sister Taya, she's like six years older than me. So she long moved out anyway. So I'm in the house just

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And then once I got to like uni days and everything, like, I escaped a lot of the time on the motorway. I was always on the motorway with my dad. So that was me driving, just being in my own thoughts. I need to be left alone and just have my own thoughts and lock myself away from the world in it. Even now, so as much as everything might be going great, I'll be in that space where everything's going great. You'll see me and then we might say, yo, let's link up next week. And then before next week comes, it's like, oh, falling into this hole.

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It's just like, I don't want to be around anyone. And I can't tell you how long that's going to last. So I can be an extrovert, very much so. And I can be an introvert. And those two things conflict each other, innit? They're at war certain times. And then what that means is that, okay, so I've got this event, that event, that event coming up. I've also got this scheduled. I've got to put this post out, this, that, the other. But right now, I've made all those plans in my extrovert self. My introvert's now arrived. It's like, yo, can I swear on this?

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Fuck them brands. I'm not here for that. Yo, be on stage where? Show up where? Go into what room and direct to and chat to this person and that person and blah, blah, blah. Nah, I don't want to do any of it, yeah? But now what's happened is, because of where I am today, that introvert has been stifled, bro. He's kind of like locked up in a room and forced to be out certain times. He's got to come and sing and dance. He doesn't get a choice anymore.

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to just adapt and adjust to the new way of life now with family not necessarily being around too much. And it's, I feel the crazy thing is with this question, I feel like everything I went through when I was younger, where I was in spaces by myself has prepared me for now. Yeah.

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with the lack of family and not being able to talk to who I need to talk to. And do you know what I mean? Not being able to talk to my mum like I would like to be able to talk to my mum or my dad living away or whatever it might be. I'm kind of alone to an extent, to a small extent. And I wouldn't be able to handle that if I wasn't, if I didn't go through certain things when I was younger, which led me to be alone. I think it's a superpower to be able to sit with yourself.

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with, some people need to be out. Being with themselves is a very uncomfortable thing. I think when we've had chats, you know, I've got all this pressure. And I remember a couple of years ago, I was like, you like going on a holiday. And I knew what that was going to do for you. Cause I feel like we're very similar like that. We let things build up. We take a lot on and I'm very much like that. I can be, I can be extroverted and I can be very introverted. And just hearing you say the plans are making my extrovert self, the introvert

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just chilling at 11 p.m. going, I've got to do this on Saturday. Why did I, why? What, how do you keep that voice at bay? Like what, how do you, you know, keep your hand over that introvert's mouth and say, we don't get a choice? Is it because you know what spaces have looked like in the past and you know we can't go backwards? This is just a forward motion thing. That's very much where I'm at. It's like, I know what the dark spaces, the difficult times look

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too much because if I want to be successful and move through life with more freedom, you've got to push. You've got to keep going. I think that dark space is whack. It's not fun, isn't it? Yeah. Do you know what I mean? You're just there wallowing and the thing is it's a domino effect. It just gets worse and worse. So if I say right, bum.

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This Saturday, I don't feel like doing this job now. I'm gonna stay at home. I'll stay at home. And it's not like on Sunday, I feel great for not going. Drawing this boiler. It's not, I'll stay at home and what I'm gonna do, I'm not cooking. It's not like a, yo, listen, you know what? You know what, James? I'm gonna stay at home and I'm gonna really love myself at home, pause, yeah? I'm gonna really like go into myself and do everything that I need.

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better on Sunday and my skin's gonna be glowing because I've rested, I've done this. I'm going to stay home and I'm gonna self-indulge and self-sabotage though. So I'm gonna stay at home, I'm gonna eat some nonsense, I'm gonna binge lots of shows, it's gonna be hard for me to wake up the next day, I've missed the event that I was supposed to be at, people are talking about it and everything else and I missed out and I wasn't necessarily there. Now if I don't do that and I don't really wanna go, but I send myself to that event,

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Yeah. I get to do the resting that I would have done at, say, 5 a.m. anyway to get me. Yeah. I'm not full up of nonsense because I've just simply stayed in. Somebody else was at the event that's had a domino effect, and now I'm doing something. I might be shooting. I met somebody now, so now I've got the shoot scheduled somewhere else in a few months. Or another event that's opened up because they've seen me at this one. Or I've met somebody that I needed to meet. Like...

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out into these spaces, it just opens doors, not always, do you get me? But it just opens more doors than the doors that are going to be opening, would you sat in your yard, swallowing. Now sometimes you do need that, you do need that rest in it, but it's what does that rest look like? What are you putting into yourself? So the main thing is whether you're locking off or being open, what are you taking in, in that time? Lock off to lock off, but give yourself some good due time.

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all the nonsense that's going to make you feel bad about yourself or feel down or have the self doubts kicking in. Don't take in a load of media that's going to just leave you in a bad space and just feeling negative or anything like that for you to then wake up the next day and it be an unproductive rest time where you're going into the week now very tired and you're not vibrating at the right frequency. So that tired energy is going out there. So people aren't thinking that, you know what, I'm going to ask Karl

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wants to be left alone, let me leave him. I'm not going to come and bring this hosting opportunity to him or this event or you know what, no is Karl coming to the events tonight? Nah, leave him, he didn't look like he needed to be left alone. Oh yeah, you're right, let me leave him. Vibrations bro, do you get me? So it can go both ways, it can go, you can get that the right energy from going to the event, you can get the right energy from staying home, but it's just what you're doing and knowing the right time to switch off, but always make sure that you're doing good

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Because I think there's always something to be learned in that dark space. As long as you don't keep yourself there. Yeah. Like there's a learning aspect and if you can take that learning and now you're stepping out to the next event as a new version of you, as long as you're not in that space, always doing the work. Sometimes we need to do things that we know is self-sabotage. It's a really weird thing. I'm at a point now where I'm like, but what if I didn't need to do that? What if I could let go of the self-sabotaging things that just hold you back, maybe 5%?

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into Karl the Manifestor, James the Manifestor, the person that has drawn all these things into your life. Regardless of whether it's come through a friend or family or a connection, people are always going to bring opportunities to you, but it's your mindset that's got you on this path. So I mean, that's where I'm at. It's like, what if I didn't need to do these past behaviours that I've done and I can shift into this new space? What can life look like then? That's where I'm at right now. When I came into 2023, I've always got ideas and I've

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had them from when I was a kid. Most of my ideas come in the shower. Yeah. And it's like, I don't know if it's the water flowing, what it is, but what I've not done is get out, got out of the shower at the end and written them down. I think, yo, that was a good idea. And I go about my day and that's kind of gone. Some of them stay, but a lot of it goes. But what I've done this year is I feel like a lot of things, a lot of things have come to

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by me just going with the flow. I'm very much a go with the flow kind of person. How did you get into that? Yo, kind of found me. How about this? Kind of found me, you know? Yeah. And now it's like, right, you know what? You spent all of this time going with the flow and all of these opportunities have come. And a lot of the time you're celebrating other people's wins and everything else. I'm championing other people. Yeah. I like to be a motivator.

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I've not mentioned yet, but you're great. If you're on a shoot or you're around people, I've been stood behind you on a shoot and I've been watching you direct and get people to act a certain way. And I just took a moment, I'm like, obviously I've known you for ages. I'm like, I was good at this. You bring an energy out of people where you make them feel good to do the thing you need them to visually do. That is a director, that's a skill set. Yeah, but this is the thing though, that just comes from me thinking, yo bro, I think people are sick.

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All of us though, like everybody, even like the mundane guy that you see walking down that don't think he's sick or don't know he's sick. He's sick as well bro, you go and tap into him, yeah, and hear his story or whatever. He either knows some stuff or doesn't know that he knows some stuff or he's been through some mad stuff and it's like, yo bro, how are you still, he might look broke down, but yo, how are you still even taking a step today? That's amazing. And I feel like people are amazing.

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my friends naturally I'm always like gassing them up and I love to celebrate other people's wins yeah but then it's almost like all right I'm celebrating people's wins but I want some wins of my own yeah do you get me I want some I want to celebrate myself I want to be proud of myself I'm not quite there yet I am I am because I know what I've been through I know how far I've come so big up for that yeah but I'm not quite there yet where I've got those wins so now I have to create them going with the flows brought me so much what if

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in this boat, don't let it just simply go with the flow. And I can navigate through these currents, do you get me? That's my main thing now. I can navigate through these currents and I can look over there and see that's for me or that's not for me. And I can stir it to go to various places. I can go back if I need to, I can go forward or whatever. But now I've got an engine and a boat. So now I'm creating more of the opportunities and the beauty of it is when you've got the engine in the boat, you still kind of go with the flow and that, do you get me? But you can turn that flow to the side and you can take

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navigating, you can take that and then you can go here and create that rather than just go with the flow and grab this, grab that, grab what you think can come. That's a great analogy man, that's a beautiful analogy. So that's where 2023, that's where I'm at. I'm trying to create more, I'm trying to just be in that more of that space where it's like, yeah, I'm here, I'm in charge of this, I know what I want to do, I know what serves me and I know what doesn't and I know what I'm here to take on.

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that whole thing in itself brings more organisation, it brings more consistency, it brings more confidence, and it keeps, also keeps that introvert at bay, so to speak, because I'm more in control. I think the introvert doesn't like the lack of self-control. It's like the more you show up, the more shows up. That's exactly what it is. The more you put out, the more comes in. That's what it is, bro. It's literally that. That's exactly where it is. It's attraction, isn't it? The law of attraction.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah. When you go right, I'm letting you know this is go time now. But that watching knows whether you really mean it's go time. So when it observes you putting out, it goes, I'm going to send this person, I'm going to send this person, here's that opportunity. And that's it, bro. You don't know. You don't know. Plenty musicians in it. Like we know some. You have music. Musicians are very guilty of this. Creatives are in general.

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I think this is dope. Feel like it needs to go out, but certain things aren't right with it, so it will just sit. It will sit, it will stack up. You don't know what's going to come. It might not be that number one or that main stage or whatever that comes from you putting it out, but it could open a door that you... You'll never get to know what that door is because it's not going out. So with me being able to put certain things out, and it could be just a picture, bro. It could be...

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It could be a campaign, it could be a BTS of the campaign, it could be anything that I choose, yeah? I don't know who's receiving that and what they're thinking. And it could be somebody that thinks, you know what? I'm, oh my gosh, that's the idea. I've always wanted to do A, B and C. You're the person that's going to help me bring this vision to life. And then next minute people are just reaching out and things are coming and it snowballs, bro. Do you get me? And that's the beauty of creating. That's what actually we're here for, bro. We're here to put things out into the world and get these frequencies.

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drawing back in, each one to each one. That's how society's building, grows and... It's expansion, innit? Do you get me? That's it. So, yeah. Yeah, it's something I've been very aware of recently. Like, every time I've left my house, I work from home pretty much. So, during the week, I can be very in my house. I walk my dog, I speak to friends. But weekends for me is like when I leave and go out and connect and, you know, do this and see more people. I just noticed that the state I'm in, everything I'm thinking,

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person showing up and speaking to me about that thing. Not just once, like twice, three times a week, 10 times in two weeks. I'm like, this is a lot, but I've realised it's intention. You getting out into the world, not just sitting there at home going, I would really like to do this. I want to do that. You can't make things happen unless you interact and share and create, release all these opportunities. And a big thing for me is you never know who's watching. Someone could watch FarO for a year and a half and just go,

01:00:09

consistent, you know, they just might have some opportunity that they've been waiting to give to someone and they're happy to watch you for a year and a half and see how you work. And then all of a sudden you go, it's time. And then something comes in because you've consistently shared what you're good at or you're getting better at. Or not even that. It's might be watching, watching and not even really noticing or not realising. And then something comes up for them. And it's like, do you know what?

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child for this. Do you get me? And he was never thinking that he would connect with me in any kind of capacity, but that's now come because of the energies that's being put out. You just never know. What would you, what would be a bit of advice to someone who struggles with that, whether it's releasing or just getting a bit more active with the thing that they want to chase? What's the behaviour and patterns that you've applied to just make yourself more consistent,

01:01:09

as well, when you felt like you're not being consistent. Me on the other side, I'm seeing Faro drop a music video, maybe six months, another music video, maybe three months after that, another one. Now you're moving in this space, campaigns and you're doing all these things. Like you said, to outside perspectives that aren't in your daily world. You're consistent. Now you know what consistency looks like in your life, but the times you've not really felt it, even though you still put it out, it's not like where's Farrell been for five years, I mean, he just dropped a video, you know, consistently

01:01:39

been creative, what would your advice be to people that struggle to get into that space? Your Nike said it best man, just do it, isn't it? That's one of the best slogans. It really is powerful. It's never gonna stop. It's never gonna end. Free words. And I remember seeing that back in the day and thinking, just do it. What's that? You know what I mean? Yeah, but Nike said it best, bro. Just do it. Just start, isn't it? That's it, bro. Just start.

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is obviously, you're going to have bad things, you're going to have things that you need to work out and weigh up, but just do it, just put out that thing, that idea that you've got, go and work on that. That project that you're working on, crack on. And here's the thing, one thing that because of imposter syndrome, naturally we feel like when things are going wrong or not working or there's obstacles, this isn't meant for us, this isn't

01:02:39

Because when you see something that's out from somebody else, you were never a part of that creative process. So you don't even know. You just see the finished product and it all looks glossy. I beg you go and talk to anybody that has put on any kind of production. So it might be a Broadway play. A film, a music video, an outfit, like Tom Ford, whatever it might be. Nine out of ten times you might talk to that person.

01:03:09

And that product that you love, that product that might have shaped and changed the world, that product that's got everybody talking, walking, breathing a different way, wasn't really intended for that. That wasn't the person's goal. Or if they could, if it was up to them and it came out as they intended, it would have looked like something totally different. Do you get me? Yeah. Now here with us as creatives or whatever, we're there doing certain things and we'll get certain blockers and certain things in our way. And it's like,

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yo, why did you stop doing that? Ah, I couldn't get the beat right, man. Or like me today, I've got a blocked nose because I've got hay fever, I'm not going on that podcast, it just wasn't. But you don't necessarily know the work and who this is going to touch. And certain times you're not in control as well. You're in control to a certain extent, yeah. But depending on who you believe in, God or the universe, that's what's really stirring the ship. That's what's at the helm, bro. You might be there as part of the vessel, you're just one of the people on it, on the vessel.

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But, God's in control, bro. So you don't know where this is going or where it's gonna end up, and it might not be necessarily your intention. And it's great to have a big team and a group of people that can make certain things happen, sign things off and make it go out to look as near to the finished product as you wanted it to look. That's great, isn't it? Yeah, but sometimes that's not there. And basically, my main point is, you don't let hardships and stuff like that stop you from doing what it is that you wanna do and putting out.

01:04:39

Well, that's one thing that I would tell myself back in the day. You just took the words right out of my mouth. When you said that, if I could go back and tell young Jay, spent like 24 going through the toughest of stuff, I'd say those exact words. I'd be a lot further, bro. There was a time when I was, I'm watching things like, it's mad to watch that channel you documentary. I've not watched it all. Or when people are talking about the evolution of grime and where it is today. And I'm seeing certain people and certain people are in positions like they're in A&R

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label or CEOs or whatever and I'm seeing it and I'm thinking yo you know what I was always there you know but because I was in Manchester I was on the outside looking in but the reason why I didn't get across the board and for you guys to see me is because I was letting certain things stop me fair enough yes we didn't have the infrastructure yeah but it was little things like I'm making beats you were making beats I was making beats you make wild beats right these beats are sick bro I can still hear your beats in my head bro

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this job, I'm making peas, and I've gone and paid this guy that works in the IT department to come and give me a sound card, because I need this sound card and everything. This guy's going to put in this sound card, which is meant to be state of the art better than the sound card I had. Now my beats are sounding wild, bro, because the sound card that he's put in ain't as good as what it was supposed to be, and it's all changed everything. Oh, you know what? These beats are dead. Scraps. Dash them. Yeah? I've moved on to another

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where it's like, this isn't how I wanted it to be. I've kind of lost control of this. This is dead, I'm scrapping it. If it was like, no, let me work it out now. How do I get these back on side? Who do I go and talk to? Who do I tap in with? Obviously, it's easier now with the internet and everything else, but if you're hungry and you've got that determination and that real belief, yeah, turn those problems into solutions and just find the way. Jaws, bro. I'm going off on a tangent here. The movie Jaws.

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In that film, you was meant to see the shark a lot more than we actually see in that actual movie, bro, yeah? There was a problem. There was a problem with the mechanics of that mechanical shark and everything else. So what they did was they had to change it so that you saw barrels getting dragged in the water and stuff like that, debris and everything else. What did that do? That built up the suspense. That made the movie scarier. There's certain times when in films, you might be watching a film and there's a ghost in it or whatever. You're hearing noises and everything.

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all through it. Next minute you see the guy and you're thinking, yo, the CGI in this is dead. You're creating the fear and vision. Right. Now you get to see it. Oh, I won't be scared of that. I'll punch that. Somebody else might be like, oh, I'll be scared if I saw that in my house. But there's a man in that cinema that would think, and women, I'll backhand that. I'll punch that. That won't scare me. Like, my husband's scarier than that. Do you get me? Yeah. So now, my point is, certain times, things can just still go out as they are.

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You don't know it's art. Everything we're doing is art. Life is art and art imitates life. In anything though, your business, like I'm not just talking to creatives here, I'm just talking to anyone in general though. It might not be how you intended it to be, but how you intended it to be, might not be the finished article and the great thing that you think it is though. Let life do the rest of that and put that out and just see what it is and what comes back. And sometimes it doesn't hurt to hear, yo, that's not all that.

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and make this this. Like we didn't come out with iPhone, what are we on now? iPhone 14? Yeah, 15 soon. iPhone 15. When the iPhone started, it wasn't iPhone 15 at the start, you had to go through some bug iPhones to get to the iPhone that you've got now. So why is it that we feel like when we come out, it has to be the main event and the main thing and the finished article and they've got to look like this. Nothing in life is like that, bro. Even a human starts as a baby, bro. A baby can't do anything for itself.

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Do you get me? You get to an established adult and then you go back to not being able to do for yourself. This is just a circle of life and a life cycle, bro. Do you get me? So, there should be no more of that. This isn't how I wanted it to be. I can go out. Obviously, you've got legal things in it. Like, you can't just go and open up a kitchen and your kitchen's nasty and them things there and just put things out. Like, you've got to do certain things the right way. But my point is, don't let certain things hinder you. Your kitchen's not ready. Make certain things for your friends. See what your friends think. Whatever, whatever. People start talking about it.

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that energy and that feedback that people give, inspiring you to go and do more. You have to feed off things. Still, put out. You might not be ready, but put out and see what happens. You're a beat maker and you want to do a beat package. Nah, you know what? I'm not going to put out. My beats aren't ready. My sounds aren't good. Yo, put to this artist. You've got that artist, that guy. You wanted to go to rappers, but this is a spoken word guy. Next minute, this spoken word guy is talking over your sounds. You've not got a drum kit for him, so it just sounds like it sounds. But this has got now some new acoustic thing. You've just created a whole new genre.

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You don't know what you're doing. It's true. We don't know what we're doing. Everybody has imposter syndrome. I bet Martin Scorsese might all now say, yeah, I've got imposter syndrome because you've seen those films there. Yeah. And these are epics of Goodfellas and Godfather or whatever it might be. Yeah. But you ain't even seen the films that have had written that haven't come out yet. You've only just seen the low grade things and those low grade things have just shaped the universe. Do you get me? You don't know what we're doing, bro. None of us. The thing I love.

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gets to this energy. This is Faro, the storyteller. This is the guy I've always known. And when he's in this mode, there's just something, I don't know if it's nostalgia, it just takes me back to a moment where I just chill and listen and take it in. But the people that I've had on this podcast so far, a lot of them have been characters in my life throughout. I've had people that I had no connection with. I've had a few strangers that have come and done really impactful episodes. But for the listeners, these are people like Faro that's been in

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my life for a long time that brings a certain energy and just says like things have landed. I can hear them land now. So when I go back and edit this, I'm going to be like, wow, that's gold. So I just want to say a big thank you for coming today, bro, and bringing the energy because you're a valuable person that I've listened to from being young, even now. And I get to share creative spaces with you still. And I'm just excited to see where you go. And I think when, when we're these guys, guys that like to learn and think and process

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go into our own minds. Why have I done this? Why did I do that? Why is that person doing that? We're guys that really delve into this stuff. So it's just nice to have this space now to show people's mindsets that have been around me for such a long time and show up and do it. Cause it's not always an easy thing as well to do and have a conversation and open up to people. But I think a big thing is going to be inspiration from this conversation, just to get stuff done, just start it and let go of the outcome, detach from it.

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you never know where that thing can take you. So I just want to say a big thank you for this today, bro. And where can people find you doing what you're doing? First of all, thank you for having me, obviously. And yeah, you can find, what do you mean, like handles? Yeah, like your world. See where can they find you. If they wanted you to shoot something, if they wanted to just come and see what you do. So yeah, you can find me. Not in real life, guys, like a dress. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:12:09

So, you can find me at karljohn._ That's like my video page. Got some videos on there. I think I've deleted a lot, like I've stripped a lot back on there. Also Faro, F-A-R-O.underscore. That is pretty much my personal page. But when I say personal, that's just my non-video stuff. So like hosting, life, various other stuff. I'm pretty much on there. And then also I've got my page, The Way Up. I think that's The Way Up.

01:12:39

like you're weighing something up, dot underscore as well. And that's my page that's coming soon. I've got a few little bits on there, but that's for like podcasting, hosting and all of that other stuff because there's a lot of works that's running. Like I said, I'm now on my boat that's got an engine in it and I'm stirring it. So now I know the direction that things are going in. So I'm working on the things behind the scenes, fine tuning them before I put it out. But that's where you're going to find all of that stuff.

01:13:09

Yeah, I look forward to it. You getting in your bag on that stuff as well. So that's going to be exciting. And I think exactly what you said today, that's what this podcast is about. You know, life being difficult at times, but getting back to life, being okay. Life being sound, you know what, things are good. Things are okay. It's been a bit of a wild ride, but I think what you said today, just starting getting stuff done, that whatever it is, mental health, creativity, starting a business idea, getting life to just being good, being okay, being something

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sound and a big thing is starting. And being okay, being okay when things are not okay. And knowing that you're not the only person that's going through things. There's plenty of people that are there showing up and you would just never know like what they've either what they've been through or what they've just left. You've seen them often. Sorry, I know we're closing often.

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where, say you might even be at a till, and we're all guilty of it, yo, why did she just give me my change like that? Dickhead, whatever. Or you're beeping someone on the road or whatever, but you don't know what they have just pulled themselves out of. And this universe is a crazy place though. So, last night, plenty of people were going through some crazy stuff that you or I may not be able to even come back from. And they've had a shower in the morning,

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here and they've shown up and they've given you your change in a whack way. Yeah. So you feel like they, I'm going to go and complain to their manager. Now I'm not saying don't be a Karen and don't go and like complain if customer service isn't there, but just sometimes understand people in it and understand that not everything has to be a battle and everybody's fighting their own battles internally though. And it's okay when we're not okay.

01:15:05

not being okay feels like because back through connecting through connecting we get to appreciate the good times even more though. Yeah. You get me? Exactly. So what seeds are planted in that dark space and who do you want to be when you come back out to the light side? That is exactly how we wrap up. It's like me now I've got this coat on bro. I'm sat in here with this coat, do rag hoodie and I'm about to go outside. Yeah.

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I'd appreciate this coat, do rag and hoodie a lot more if I took it off while I was inside, before going outside. I'll then get to feel the warmth. I've climatized to this now. So it's almost like I don't have any of this on, I'm just going out normal. Do you get me? So my point is being able to climatize when you're in a certain space, in that dark space and being able to push through. So when you go outside now and you get that warmth

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is you embrace that so much more. It feels so much, you appreciate it more because you know what that felt like over there. But it's okay to go through that, you're not the only one, because there's plenty of people, even the person that you're looking at right now on social media smiling up and looks like everything's going well for them because it seems like they have all the things and the tools that you need in your life. That's what we notice more as well, other people having what we want. Yo, my man's got that jacket, I've been looking at that jacket for time. Did you get me? Yeah, we notice the things that we have missing,

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who is not even really watching that, they're not even seeing the jacket, they're seeing something else that you, oh my gosh, his teeth are straight. We're all, all perspective, bro. And like I said, art, art is life and life is art. So we're looking at it. We're all looking at things just like art connoisseurs will look at things in the gallery with their own perspective and how they see things. Do you get me? It's just okay. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to not have. That's the great thing about this, perspectives, different characters that I've known and now

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giving whole new mindsets that I've known, but just to hear. This is another thing, when have we sat down one-on-one for over an hour and just talked? There's a really powerful thing here. We're usually doing voice notes. Yeah, yeah, voice notes, yeah. On WhatsApp, and sometimes, right, here's the thing. We do it on voice notes on WhatsApps, and sometimes it's like, yo, bruh, there's loads of voice notes here. Why didn't we just pick up the phone? But it wouldn't have flowed the same Yeah, yeah.

01:17:35

to get me because we're able to put down, do what we're doing, think about it, play it again and come back. That's the great thing about voice notes, I think, because it's not one long continuation. You do, you go off, you have a bit of life, but oh, not reply to Karl, let me play his last one. I've got a new thought, so now there's an additional thought tagging that someone got. I love voice notes. If someone sends me a five-minute voice note and I've got like dishes to do or something to like walk the dog, I get a bit of excitement, but I appreciate it today, bro.

01:18:05

again. Same time next week bro. Be here every week. It's our podcast. Life is sound guys. Welcome. But yeah, big thank you and the listeners, your fearless energy from Faro and yeah, appreciate him a lot and remember the way we've wrapped this up when life is difficult, when you're going through it, you can't get back to that better space. So whatever you're going through, remember life is good. Life is sound. Thanks for tuning in. And we'll

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see you on the next one.