Michael Hegarty can often be found sitting in the Rat. A pre-med student, A&S’13, Hegarty spends much of his time working on physics lab reports and problem sets. While he’s not computing measurements, however, Hegarty can also be found in the music rooms on Newton.
No, he’s not there taking a voice lesson, although he does have a voice. And no, he’s not there taking a guitar lesson, although yes, he plays in his band Set Sail. Instead, Hegarty can be found recording two of BC’s newest rising rappers.
“I was never even into hip hop before, but I gained a new appreciation for it,” says Hegarty. “I’ve come to realize that you can get really creative with the recording part of it.”
When Hegarty bought a new interface for his computer this past summer that would allow him to record, he decided to launch the record label Transcendence, with the goal of developing it into something more professional in the future.
“The new equipment allowed me to get a sound quality that is good enough for people who are just looking to get a recording of themselves out there,” says Hegarty. “It’s not my goal to convince people that I’m making a super professional sound because I don’t have the facilities or equipment to do that right now.”
Right now, Hegarty is spending time with two of his former residents, rap artists Dan Luna and Frank Rizzo. Both artists are working on recording mix tapes, or EPs, and are excited about dropping their albums soon.
Luna, who goes by LG, is known for free styling over beats all the time, says Hegarty. He is on the verge of breaking out onto the scene. All he needs is a mix tape to start getting gigs in the area.
“That [Luna’s potential gigs] is really exciting for me. That’s exactly what I want, to help artists get their sound out there,” says Hegarty.
Luna has been working with Hegarty for about a year recording his EP, the LG EP. This ambitious young artist plans on tackling the music industry one way or another, whether behind the scenes or in the spotlight, and he is currently looking forward to the release of his newest dark, but upbeat track, “The Plan,” which drops Nov. 22 via the Transcendence Facebook page. You can also find the rapper on Tumblr and Twitter.
Luna has only positive things to say about working with Hegarty. “Tracking with Mike is chill because I feel like I can be myself throughout the whole recording process and just have fun with any project,” says Luna. “I feel as if I’ve had a better ear for sound and the nature of it since him and me started our sessions about a year ago.”
Hegarty is also busy with rapper Rizzo, and he speaks excitedly about one of Rizzo’s newest yet-to-be-titled tracks.
“There is this song that gives me the chills every time I listen to it. Maybe that’s because of where I was in my life when I recorded the song with him,” says Hegarty. “But that’s the reason I do this, to produce a song that gives me that feeling every time I listen to it. I would do this for free if I could.”
Although Hegarty has been very hip-hop centric, he says it’s not his intention.
“I want to record other things also,” says Hegarty. “I like recording hip hop a lot, and right now it works best for me to record that, or people who want to play acoustically, because of what I have right now facility wise and time wise, it’s easiest for me.
Right now, Hegarty is looking for other artists who are looking to record. Whether they have beats, a voice. or any other musical inclination. Hegarty charges $30 a song, but says with a smile, “I’ll only charge you $25 if you want to record a Christmas album…”
If you’re interested in contatcting Hegarty, email him at transcendencerecords@gmail.com or check out the facebook page!
Curious about these beats? Check them out for yourself!