Keyboardist and programmer Valdez Brantley has enjoyed a rich musical career, touring and recording with some of the top names in R&B and hip-hop. The Detroit native has built an impressive list of credits over his many years in the biz, working with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Keith Sweat, and Lil Wayne, to name just a few. Since 1998, he’s been the musical director for megastar Usher, and their worldwide OMG Tour was one of the highest-grossing concert series of 2011.

During a recent hiatus in his busy touring schedule, Insider had the opportunity to chat with Valdez at length. We discussed his long history as Usher’s musical director, as well as the extensive array of Roland gear he’s relied on through the years. Valdez also offered some excellent advice for up-and-coming keyboard players and aspiring musical directors, including how to stand out on stage, the background needed to get high-profile gigs, how to choose the right tools to get the job done, and more.

What is your role with Usher?

Keyboard player, musical director, show programmer…I kind of put together the whole show. Sometimes I do stage designing as well.

How did you get the gig?

Actually, I was doing a gig with Mary J. Blige. I’d just got through with her in maybe in ’95, ’96, and Usher was just coming on the scene. They figured, “This show is great, we should call this guy.” I remember getting the phone call—his manager then was his mother, and she called. They asked me to put together a show. That was in ’98. That’s when I started with him.

That’s a long relationship.

Yeah, since the beginning. It’s been a long haul, man. It’s kind of cool working with an artist like that for so many years. Prior to him, I did Keith Washington, Keith Sweat, SWV, Notorious B.I.G.…those are a lot of groups. So I had a lot of experience under my belt already before I actually got to Usher. He was the young new kid at the time. And here we are today, still going strong.

What’s in your current keyboard rig, and how has it evolved since you first started working with Usher in ’98?

I’m using the Roland JUPITER-80, GAIA, a V-Synth GT, [and] a Fantom-G. And I’m actually using some old vintage Roland stuff, like the SH-101 as a remote strap-on keyboard, along with the newest model, the Lucina AX-09. That stuff is great. I used to use a lot of the JPs. I never got around to the [JUPITER-8]; that’s the only keyboard I could never afford back in the day. Always wanted it, always listened to it on the records, researched everything about it. Woo! It was like one of my dreams to get a hold of that! And now that you guys have [the JUPITER-80], it's like a dream come true, man. I use a lot of that stuff very heavy in designing sound effects for the intros of the shows and whatnot. It’s awesome. There’s no other sound like it.

How is the JUPITER-80 making what you do for Usher and other artists easier?

The ability to layer many instruments and assign a different sound to each key with ease makes my creative work a lot easier and more effective. I’m inspired by sounds that can reflect both the past and the future of music, which I get from the JUPITER-80. This gives me the ultimate music flexibility when working with different artists.

Do you have any favorite JUPITER-80 preset sounds?

At the moment, I’m having a lot of fun with [01] B-5 Ballroom Swing, because it gives me a chance to create music in the style of 1930s jazz.

What is your work method for programming? When you get the record, how do you go about assembling the sounds and putting those all together?

I usually get Pro Tools files and sort it out. I don’t really use the record itself; I kind of reproduce the record. I work out the keyboards, replay the parts. When you get the raw stuff, there’s no EQ and stuff like that. So, I’m pretty much starting from scratch—get some synthesizers up, mimic the sounds, and make it better, like 10-20 times better. You can stay at home to hear the record. When you come to a concert, I really want you to get a new experience.

Are you using any other keyboards with your Roland keyboards?

I’m actually using a Minimoog Model D and an Oberheim OB-Xa. It’s awesome—it’s a great combination of sounds, because I have the vintage gear and then I have the new Roland gear. I’ve always liked to meld the two together, for the younger generation to see what was going on in the past with synthesizers and then today’s, so you can hear the difference. I like to compare them to see where we were and where we’re at now. And Roland has stood the test of time, being in this for so many years.

I started using Roland products in about 1980. I was 16 years old. I believe the first product I got my hands on that I could afford was maybe a JUNO, something like that. I remember when MIDI came out. Back in the day, you’d have at least five or six keyboards—you had to play the strings over here, you played the pads on a Rhodes, all that stuff. Now, with the JUPITER-80 and things like that, and multi-stacking and layering and everything, it’s incredible. You don’t need all that stuff anymore. But it’s cool to see it visually. I still like cats to see what’s going on. 

Your rig is really impressive. You were one of the first guys to do the slant on the keyboards, right?

Actually, I saw [that] in maybe ’85. [The players for] Sheila E. and Prince and those kinds of cats were doing that. I thought it would be cool to revive that. I see drummers and whatnot and how many hits they’re getting on YouTube, and there’s not a lot of hits for keyboard players. So, I figure the problem is nobody can see what you’re doing. If I could show the people what I’m doing, then they can get more into it visually.

Now, people have been giving me credit for it. I guess I can and I can’t [take credit] at the same time. I’m the younger generation that the people are seeing now. Lady Gaga’s group has been doing it, Rhianna, Jordan Knight, just everybody. When you ask the cats, they’ll tell you who they saw doing it first. That’s cool. It works great with the Roland products, having the D-BEAM in there. When I wave my hand across and [you simultaneously] see and hear [the sound change], it's like, “What’s that? That’s incredible how this cat does that.” It’s all in the keyboards, so that’s pretty awesome.

Playing the keytar gets you out front, too.

Oh yeah. That’s great.

Do you think keytars are just a fad that’s come back, or do you think they’re going to stay essential for keyboard players to use? It seems like there’s more emphasis on bringing the band back out on stage again, having the players out on stage, being seen and being part of the show.

It’s very important. The Roland keytar is great. It’s good to get around the stage and be seen. It’s a very powerful synth. People have got to understand—the keyboard guy doesn’t particularly want to have to hide behind all this gear all the time. That’s our freedom, to get out and move about. I’ve seen Jordan Rudess get his thing and he’s goin’ everywhere. And that guy can blaze, man. We need more cats like that doing it with the keytar, so the younger generation coming up can see what’s happening, that you don’t have to be stationary. I’m gonna keep on moving with mine, man. [Laughs.] As long as you guys keep makin’ ’em, I’m gonna keep using ’em.

What other production have you done?

I did some stuff with Al Hudson and One Way, and some production for the gospel group The Winans. I’m also involved with a movie called Sparkle. Not production-wise, but acting, actually. So I’m kind of tweaking into another little genre.

How do you collaborate with Usher?

He’ll start off with some ideas, and I’ll kind of finish up his thoughts. I’ve been with him so long, he can just tell me what he needs: “I need an outer space-type vibe, a man on a moon inside of a cave,” some weird stuff! [Laughs.] We have a lot of fun creating stuff. And I go back to the lab, I get on the keyboards and just imagine things, you know? Roll with the sounds, and tweak the knobs and all that stuff. And I let him hear it, and he either loves it or he hates it. But he usually loves it and it works.

On the OMG tour, I used the GAIA for the intro of the show. The earth-quaking, shaking sounds…man, it’s awesome. He comes in floating on this magic carpet thing. The DVD is out, so you can check that out. It’s just awesome. You’ll be able to hear all of the keyboards in there. You can go to iTunes, and it’s in Best Buy on Blu-ray. It’s called Usher: OMG Tour—Live at London O2.

What’s next for you musically?

I’m pretty much working on my own project now. I’m going to try to get a little jazz record going. I really like jazz. I’ve always wanted to be a self-contained artist, so I’m finally getting some time for me. And then I’ll continue on with Usher, and other clients that come along. But it’s cool. And I’m actually interested in programming synthesizers or creating more synthesis-type stuff.

I’ve been with this stuff since it’s been with me. It’s like family, growing up with the keyboards. I’m like old and young at the same time. I’m not too old where I’m not hip enough to be in today’s generation. I’ve worked with Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Sean Kingston, you know, those guys, back from Jennifer Holliday. That’s a big space, you know? And the keyboards have been there throughout these years. It’s cool, man. I want to end up doing that. I just love synthesizers. 

How do you see yourself using the JUPITER-80 moving forward?

The one from the past, the JUPITER-8, was so cool. The 80 is beyond imagination right now. I’m putting it in the shows, doing sound design for intros and segues. It’s amazing. I’m designing a new keyboard rig. I kind of want to do an old and new vibe. If you look on my website, I had an article in Keyboard magazine in July 2004, and they show my old rig I used to have called the “monsterpiece.” [Laughs.] I actually want to recreate that and make a digital monsterpiece now with the newer keyboards. So that’s gonna be pretty hot. I’m in the process of working on that now.

Where do you think music’s going right now? Things are really getting back to a lot of live performance, with less tracks and more live players.

Yeah, I think we’re definitely moving back into that. Everybody has reached their limit. We’ve got to get the creativity back in music, because the computers have taken over. We’ve got to get back in there. Sometimes you hit a button, and the keyboard plays by itself. We’ve kind of got to get away from that a little bit and get back to hands on. That’s what’s important about the JUPITER-80—it’s hands on. You can dig in there and see what’s happening. 

Yeah, that’s the whole vibe about it. It’s about you making it your own. Do you think audiences have a lot to do with the emphasis on live shows right now?

Yeah. The people want more for their money now. Anybody can stay home and watch a video. Even with YouTube and all that, you can see it, but it’s nothing like being there live in person. Even when you’re in the concert, the people are filming you through their phones to put it back on YouTube. It’s pretty funny actually, to see all these cameras, and the people are still looking through the screen to see you, even though they’re right in front of you. [Laughs.] It’s a weird deal. But I do believe that touring is going to come back in a big way. The visuals and [sounds are] very important; it’s very important in the future to get things going.

What advice would you give younger players who want to be a session player or a musical director? What should they focus on?

Go back and study the history of synthesizers and producers and whatnot, so they can see where things are coming from. You’ve got to know where you’re coming from to get where you’re going. So they should do research. We’re very blessed today to have YouTube, because now you can see it and hear it, and see people demonstrating and explaining things right in front of you. There’s no excuse for anyone not to get any information they need these days.

So people need to not only know how to play, but to know the history of the styles behind pretty much every genre of music?

Yes sir. Do your work. If you only know one style, then you're limiting yourself. You have to be kind of like a synthesizer, which grows and is organic. It can be anything, mimic anything. Anything your imagination can do, you can do. So, it’s a good time right now.  

Is there anything you want to add?

Study. Get in and learn your machine. You’re responsible for your machine, your machine is responsible for you. If I know my keyboard in and out, there’s nothing I can’t do. If I pick a terrible keyboard, I’m terrible. So I’ve got to pick the best keyboard, which is Roland. You better do it. I’m telling the truth. It’s like a war out here. You take your weapon of choice to battle with you. I know what I’m goin’ in with, and I’m gonna let you have it when it’s time to play. [Laughs.]

To keep up with Valdez, visit:
http://www.valdezbrantley.com