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HL Thompson

HL Thompson

SlyFox Entertainment Group

H.L. aka HLROCK aka The Slyfox - original dancer and collaborator for legendary group GangStarr. Former artist on ill kid records - a label founded by Guru from GangStarr (R.I.P. Guru). HL has been around music all of his life: studying through college after GangStarr, HL started Slyfox Entertainment so he could continue his music journey. He loves creating new ideas and developing new artists - introducing people to the next big thing in music is innovation. 

Where are you based?

Bronx, New York.

Where do you work? What do you do?

SlyFox Entertainment CEO: artist development, record label consulting, Creator of the SlyFox Fest Rio.

What are you listening to?

I listen to various artists and types of music all the time. Nothing specific unless it’s something new that’s grabbing my attention – then I’ll listen to that particular new music to see if the artist has that extra special talent for me to then share around.

How do you discover new music?

I learn about new music in various ways. My ears to the street are listening to the radio in the car, checking videos on YouTube, browsing through music on streaming platforms and on social media but I love coming across great new music. It’s like a treasure hunt and when you find a golden nugget, you get excited.

What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?

I usually listen to new music via streaming services like Apple Music and Amazon Music when I want to hear the entire album. I still own thousands of CD’s, so if it’s something from the past and I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll get into my zone from that era of golden hip hop and R&B 

“I still own thousands of CD’s, so if it’s something from the past and I’m feeling nostalgic, I’ll get into my zone from that era of golden hip hop and R&B”

Where do you do most of your music listening?

I most often listen to music whilst at home cleaning, doing things around the house, exercising in the gym, driving and when I’m traveling – which is often.

How do you find and listen to pre-release music?

Normally if it’s something I’m working with and something a specific producer or artist wants my opinion on. That’s usually the only time I check out pre release music – and most commonly that’s sent via email as an audio file.

What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?

It can be excessively hard to download and then upload audio files – they become clustered. It’s hard to transfer again if they’re really large.

How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?

It’s difficult if I don’t organize with folders!

Do you tip other people off to new music? How?

Yes! People I communicate with that are into music – I give them a heads up about good music I know of / have discovered.

Anything you want to “promote”?

Records people might not know about?) I’d rather promote a specific Independent label that I work with: P.U.R.E. Records @pure_records_music. Check out all of the artists that are released from that label – you know it will be good music!

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