Not many have what it takes to impress Beyonce and Jay Z, except if you’re MeLo-X.
The Brooklyn-based multimedia artist was called to produce the music featured in the interlude visual sections played throughout Beyoncé and Jay Z’s On the Run tour.
Beyonce was drawn to MeLo’s creativity instantly, after watching a live performance of his of “Drunk In Lust,” his remix to Beyoncé single, “Drunk In Love.”
“Drunk In Lust” is one of the four songs featured on MeLo-X’s EP, YONCÉ-X, which remixes songs off Beyoncé’s surprise self-titled album.
“I remixed her project [Beyoncé], and did a live beat video for it, which was filmed at the [NYC] Sean Kelly Gallery,” he tells Billboard. “She specifically saw the [live performance video of] ‘Drunk in Lust,’ a remix to ‘Drunk in Love,’ and wanted to involve me in what they were working on for the tour.”
MeLo-X worked closely with Bey’ and Hov to brainstorm ideas music featured in the On the Run tour visuals.
“They already had the story and the outline for the tour. The whole story is like you’re watching a film and it’s narrated by the music that they created together and separately,” he explained. “They had certain scenes throughout the tour, and they’d want a certain vibe for [each] scene. We’d sit and talk about that the sounds. Then I’d go and create something. It was a mix of my ideas, with Beyoncé and Jay Z. I’d try to compliment them. I’d try to find a meeting point of what I do and what they wanted.”
Nothing was too weird to explore for those involved. MeLo-X blended his signature eclectic and beautifully warped soundscapes with the power couple’s styles. “[For] the part of the car chase, the climax of being on the run, I took Kanye West’s “Hell of a Life,” flipped it and turned it into a 2-minute piece [on which] I chopped it up and turned it into other sounds, like trap,” MeLo gives detail of a memorable scene.
He also assisted on Beyoncé’s 2014 MTV VMAs Michael Jackson Video Vanguard medley, by producing the transitions for the 15-minute performance.
Skilled in multi-tasking, MeLo-X has been in the studio working on a few projects of his own. He’s working on a collaborative album with rapper MoRuf and a 2014 album with a few of his favorite rising artists such as Kilo Kish, Wynter Gordon, Gold Link and Luke James.
For those who weren’t able to experience Beyonce and Jay Z’s On the Run tour this summer, they can catch their Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 Paris shows special on HBO special airing Saturday, Sept. 20.