TIME TO MAKE MOVES

Big Dre is one of the independent music industry’s hottest up and coming producers.
He has already established himself as a definitive presence in the West Michigan
music underground and only looks to further his legacy in the future. For the last
seven years, Dre has been working on a number of different projects, including
everything from rap to gospel. He is a lifelong musician who has been in constant
pursuit of his dream to become “America’s Next Top Producer,” a moniker he has put
to work for himself via his My Space page. Through his tireless efforts Big Dre has set
his own career in motion and is definitely on the path to success.

Born and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Big Dre has always had a strong focus
on music. Starting out early on, he first began playing drums at the age of four. At the
time he thought he would wind up playing drums his whole life, but his interest
slowly began to wane when he discovered the piano. By age 11 he began tampering
with the piano and almost 18 years later, it is still his primary instrument. While
growing up, Big Dre, known then as Andre Isom, always had the dream of one day
becoming a producer and winning a Grammy.

In Benton Harbor he didn’t see very much opportunity to do that, so he began seeking
out other ways to fulfill his dreams.

Shortly after graduating from high school Big Dre moved to Paris, California, just
outside of Los Angeles, to play organ at a church. While out in California he came into
contact with two producers who owned their own recording studio and record label.
They were Big Tone and Duv Mac, and their label was called G-Like Records. During
his stay in the golden state, the two producers allowed Dre to sit-in at their studio
and learn the ropes. All in all, Dre spent two years at the studio learning their
recording techniques, what kind of software they used, and basically soaked in all the
knowledge he could. After he had been there for a while, and had learned a fair
amount, Big Tone and Duv Mac began letting Dre run his own sessions.

In late 2004, Big Dre made his way back to Benton Harbor from California. His father
had just become the pastor of his own church, Word Up Ministries, and Dre moved
back home to help him out. Still very much interested in becoming a producer, Dre
eventually ran into an old high school friend who had just returned from the Marines.
His friend, now known as Reason, was a local rapper looking for someone to help him
record his songs. After initially setting up in Reason’s bedroom to record, Dre’s dad
offered him a room in his church’s basement to use as a recording studio. Since Dre
was already working at the church in their music department, this was a perfect spot
for him to set up shop.

By the summer of 2005 Big Dre had already been recording for a number of months
in his new location when he was online and noticed a contest Microsoft was
sponsoring. The “Start Something Amazing Awards” is a contest to find individuals
who were using their products creatively in their daily life. Dre, who was effectively
bucking the industry standard by using Microsoft products as opposed to the typical
Pro Tools programs offered by Apple, immediately became interested and sent in his
essay explaining how he was using their products. After a number of months had
gone by without hearing a response, Dre eventually forgot about the contest and
continued working in his studio, but the best was yet to come.

Not long after the contest had slipped his mind, Dre received an important phone call
from Bill Gates himself! The essay he had somehow managed to forget about actually
won him the top spot in the music category of the contest. As one of five semi-
finalists, Big Dre was able to fly out to Washington and meet Bill Gates, as well as
$5,000.00 worth of Windows Technology. While out in Washington he visited
Microsoft headquarters, where they had a mobile studio set up for him to show Mr.
Gates exactly what it was he could do. Understandably, this was an overwhelming
experience for Dre and it has only served to reaffirm his faith in himself and in his
dreams.

Now more than ever, Big Dre is motivated and in constant pursuit of his dreams.
Already a respected producer, he is well on his way to fulfilling those dreams. If you’
d like more information on Big Dre and the services he can provide, you can find him
online at http:// www.myspace.com/antproducer.