At Slooply, we’re launching a brand-new series called Producer Spotlight – a collection of short interviews and features highlighting the producers who help shape our community and create unique sample packs for the platform. We want to showcase not only their music, but also the stories, inspirations, and creative processes behind the sounds you hear in their packs.
The first guest in the series is Aquila Beats – a producer from Houston, Texas whose emotional melodies, signature guitar work, and trap pain atmosphere have earned recognition from producers and artists around the world. To celebrate the release of his free pack “Leavin”, created exclusively for the Slooply community, we spoke with him about his musical beginnings, inspirations, and creative workflow.
Key Information
- Origin: Houston, Texas, USA
- Genres: Trap Pain, Emo Trap, R&B, Trapsoul Punk, Alt-Rock
- Active Since: Producing music for nearly 10 years
- Latest Placement: “French Drill 7” by Saamou & ASHE 222
- DAW: FL Studio, Ableton, formerly Logic Pro X
- Favorite Plugins & Effects: Omnisphere FX, EQ, Reverb, Dotted Delay Effects
Q: For people discovering your music for the first time – who is Aquila Beats? Where are you from, and how did your journey with music production start?
I am from Houston, Texas and I have been producing music for almost a decade (since I was 13 or 14 years old). One day, I randomly opened up Garageband on the family computer and threw random loops together and from then on I was hooked.
I have been posting my music since I was 15, so nearly every beat I have made since then is somewhere on the internet, so it’s always fun for me to go back and listen to how far I have come with music.
Q: Guitar is a huge part of your sound. How did you learn to play – were you self-taught, or did someone inspire you along the way?
I got my first guitar in 2019–2020 mainly because I was obsessed with Polo G’s albums Die A Legend and THE GOAT. The first songs I learned on guitar were “Martin & Gina” and “Chosen 1”.
I believe part of the reason guitar is such an important part of my sound is because of my influences; I didn’t grow up listening to Rock or Blues, so most of my influence is purely from hip-hop and trap music, which gives me a unique guitar sound.
I am completely self-taught and mostly use a Xaviere guitar. I like using guitars from more niche brands because it gives a slightly different tone from all of the more popular brands — and that helps my sound stand out.
Q: Your melodies often have a melancholic and emotional atmosphere. Do you feel most natural creating in the trap emo/pain lane, or do you enjoy exploring other styles as well?
As I was learning to make music, Juice WRLD was one of my favorite artists and that was mainly due to the emotional atmosphere in his music and beats — shoutout Nick Mira, the goat.
I naturally gravitate towards sad, emotional music because it’s the best way for me to express whatever I am feeling in that moment. Trap and Pain music are definitely my go-to genres, but I also love making R&B and Trapsoul.
Recently I’ve been listening to a lot more pop music, so I’ll probably explore that lane more too. Over the years I’ve experimented with Pop Punk, Alt-Rock, Boombap, Country and many other genres. Every style has its own quirks and ideas that can help you create more unique beats.
Q: “Leavin” is a free pack you prepared especially for the Slooply community. Does this pack represent the sound you create most often?
Yes! Leavin has some of my favorite pain beats I have made this year, so if you enjoy these sounds, you should definitely check out my other kits.
All of the guitars and vocals are played and recorded by me — and that’s something I do in most of my packs. If you’re looking for more vocals, emotional melodies or live guitars, there’s definitely a lot more where that came from.
I’d especially recommend my Karma multi-kit because it includes hundreds of guitar licks, vocal hooks, melodies and pain-inspired accents. No matter the genre though, I always try to make my beats sound professional and polished.
Listen to the “Leavin” Demo
Leavin from Aquila Beats is a free pain construction kit inspired by Rod Wave, NinoPaid, Hurricane Wisdom, NoCap, Toosii, Lil Poppa and other pain artists.
Q: A little technical sauce – what does your creative setup usually look like?
When I first started making music, I used Logic Pro X, but after switching to Windows, FL Studio became my main DAW. I also use Ableton from time to time, especially when recording guitar samples.
People often ask about my guitar chain and they’re usually surprised when I tell them it’s actually pretty simple. Most of the time I’m just boosting the highs with EQ, then adding some reverb and delay — I use dotted delays almost exclusively.
Occasionally I’ll use guitar amps from Omnisphere FX, but overall I prefer keeping my guitars very clean.
One of my favorite tricks is recording two takes of the same guitar and panning one hard left and the other hard right to create a much fuller sound. For building melodies, I usually start with a simple chord progression, then layer a constant two-note melody, a high lead guitar, a mid lead guitar and finally small accents.
That’s basically the formula behind a lot of my guitar samples. And if you want deeper breakdowns, I post tutorials on my YouTube channel every week.
Latest Placement – “French Drill 7” by Saamou & ASHE 222
Aquila Beats’ dark melodic style recently appeared in “French Drill 7” by Saamou and ASHE 222 — a hard-hitting French drill record built around one of Aquila’s signature emotional melodies.
The track blends atmospheric guitars, dark textures, and modern drill energy, perfectly showcasing the cinematic and melancholic sound Aquila Beats has become known for. The sample used in the production comes directly from Slooply and can be found here: French Drill 7 Sample
Below you can listen to the official Spotify release and hear how the sample was transformed into a full drill production.
Where to Find Aquila Beats
- Instagram — @aquila_beats
- YouTube — Aquila Beats YouTube Channel
- Slooply — Aquila Beats on Slooply
Final Words
Aquila Beats has built a sound that instantly stands out — blending emotional trap pain vibes with live guitars, clean melodies, and modern sound design. His free pack “Leavin” perfectly captures that atmosphere, delivering melancholic textures, spacious melodies, and inspiring sounds ready to spark new ideas in your next project.
This is only the beginning of our Producer Spotlight series on Slooply. More interviews, creative stories, and exclusive content from talented producers working with the platform are coming soon.
