An Evening With Swaps


When it comes to accolades, this young man definitely deserves some. Swaps is the mastermind behind the mix of many hit songs of this era. From Yemi Alade to Kcee to Kiss Daniel, to Timaya and many more; Swaps has come a long way in proving he is indeed one of Africa's leading mix and mastering engineers.

The Audiophile Naija team spent an evening with this talent to know him better and hopefully get insight on some pertinent issues our readers would love to know about.

Though elusive and somewhat camera shy in person, his work is the direct opposite - dynamic, bold and loud. This exposé will no doubt get you acquainted with Swaps in no time.

A-9ja: Mr. Swaps, it's a pleasure having you on our platform. 

Swaps: Thank you for having me here. I appreciate it.

A-9ja: Before we jump into technical questions, can you tell us something personal about yourself, like your favorite soup? 

Swaps: My favourite soup is Afang because my wife makes it so well.

A-9ja: Cool, so how long have you been mixing professionally?

Swaps: I have been on this grind for about 8 years now.

A-9ja: Before the big names like Iyanya, Kcee, Reekado Banks and the likes, can you tell us other not so popular artists you've worked with?

Swaps: I have worked with Tee Songz, KayJay, Oyinkanade, SureBanty, and many more.

A-9ja: "SWAPS", any history behind that name?

Swaps: The name is made out of my surname 'Esuakpor' and this is because originally when I came to Lagos a lot of people found it hard to pronounce my surname and said it was not 'brand friendly', so a friend of mine came up with Swaps and it sounded nice.

A-9ja: You've been in the game for a while now and since we've known you you've stuck to just mixing and mastering; how has the journey been so far?

Swaps: The journey has been encouraging and rewarding so far because God has been faithful. Also, very few stick to just mixing and mastering.

A-9ja: You probably tried your hands on production, how did you know it wasn't for you? 

Swaps: On the contrary, I never tried production because I realised that everyone has their role to play. Also I was a studio engineer for a few years and so it felt natural to slide into mixing and mastering engineering.

A-9ja: Can you place a finger on the job that threw you to the spotlight?

Swaps: Iyanya's 'Applodisse' album in 2015

A-9ja: Can you tell us your favorite DAW, plugins and studio monitor brand? 

Swaps:
DAW: Cubase
Plugins: Waves
Studio Monitors: KRK Rokit 5

A-9ja: What's your take on the loudness wars?

Swaps: I don't see it as a war, I see it as each client's desire for their project, at the end of the day the 'customer is king'.

A-9ja: What will be your three most important mixing tips?

Swaps:
1. Achieve good headroom before beginning the mix.
2. You don't need to have a plugin in every track.
3. Mix like there is no mastering.

A-9ja: Your job is to make a recording airplay-ready. Any advice to producers and engineers on making better beats and recordings?

Swaps: For engineers, remember, if the recording is not good, the output will not be good, hence garbage in, garbage out.

For producers, tone selection is paramount. Also, when producing think of the left and the right of the stereo, also think of the mid and the side of the stereo in order to achieve depth, groove and width.

Finally, if the artist is not comfortable with something in the production, do not tell him the engineer will fix it.

A-9ja: How are you dealing with the fame?

Swaps: There is really nothing to deal with, because I live a private life; my face is not out there.

A-9ja: One last question, are there hit songs you have mixed or mastered that don't have your signature on it?

Swaps:
LOL, to name a few -
Kiss Daniel- Good time
WizKids cover of Kiss Daniel's - Good Time
Sheyi Shey - YOLO YOLO
Timaya - Ah Blem Blem
Iyanya - Baby Answer
Solidstar and Burnaboy - Girlfriend
9ice - Glass House

A-9ja: Mr. Swaps, thank you for your time. We intend to have you soon on our A-9ja forum so our viewers can ask you questions too.

Swaps: Thank you again for having me.


Interview by
Chidi "Tite" Nnadi

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