New Music Friday Minus One

Rather than spend all my entire night studying for a physics exam, I'm going to tell you about the music that's hot on the SBlock playlist right now.

Aesop Rock - Zero Dark Thirty: a standard Aesop Rock track. Off his most recent project, Skelethon, Zero Dark Thirty uses the Tragedy of the Commons to illustrate a theme that's been common to many of his songs: the clash between "unsigned hype" and the beast that is the music industry.

Yonas - Drive It like It's Stolen: this dude came on the radar a few days ago from a friend (props Brad). He's got a free mixtape on datpiff, which is pretty dope; this song's beat is from the Glitch Mob, Brother Ali is featured, and there are some other familiar covers. He's got a great flow, some wit to go along with it, and makes good use of cultural references without being over the top most of the time. Oh, and anyone who takes shots at hipsters is a-okay with me... "RIP hipsters I'm a backpack killa". Not that I hate hipster, they're just easy targets.

Tornado - Kill the Noise (remix): found this near the top of beatport's dubstep chart this week and have been bumpin it ever since. I really like the use of the slow attack bass to signal a change in the song is coming. The percussive, bell at the high end/organ at for the lows synth is what makes this song awesome - great sound design indeed. My one dig is it does have a very stereo typical intro and outro (so friggen long), but it's still a great track.

Next week look forward to some scotch and more Scott Block.

New Jam Friday

CRUEL SUMMER!!! I'm all about that ish, so here is a new track that hasn't been dropped as a single yet that I dig, feat Raekwon

"Morning" -Good Music, some of everyone on this joint!!

"Unnecessary" - Childish Gambino Feat. Ab Soul and Schoolboy Q.
As I mentioned last week I am all about this tape.  Little late to the party with this one, but its soooo good "pinot grigio the lean will go in that n****"

"Fly" Sugar Ray
And to go totally off topic, I had this stuck in my head last night and I feel like spreading a disease haha.  Boom!

Reverse Reverb Special Offer!!

Reverse reverb is now at your finger tips and can be included in your bangin beats today!  

TESTIMONIAL:

"I have done reverse reverb before and I enjoy delicately placing it on vocals as well as samples, but until now it was always a big hassel with aux sends, recording playbacks, and multiple tracks!"

Andrew Pike
Principle, 4D2D Productions

Not anymore!  With Abelton, and the guidance of this 3 minute video you too can be adding this amazing effect used by the pros to your own music!  Act now and receive approving nods from me, and adoring fans alike.

  

Jams of the Week

Back again, sticking to the script ya'll, meeting deadlines and all that.
My best 3 jams of the week is going to be hard this week.  I have been practicing for a live set, so I have been bumping my own jams for the past week but I think I can at least find 3 amazing songs to peep.

"To The World" Kanye West ft. R. Kelly
Off the highly anticipated Cruel Summer album by G.O.O.D Music and I must say I love this jam.  Shots at Romney, and the illiterate Kelly flexing that vocal range.  Good thing no word in his part was no more than 6 letters....(fact checkers needed on that, I'm to lazy)  Seriously bang the shit out of this

 "Bitch Bad" Lupe Fiasco
Since I haven't made a Lupe related post since my last one and I think 4 singles off F&L2 have dropped since I think its only right I include one here.  Dig this, so pumped for next Tuesday y'all!!

"Make It Bun Dem" Skrillex & Damien Jr. Gong Marley

So since I didn't want to throw up an old track from Royalty which is another CD I've been pumping recently I just did a youtube search and found this gem.  Peep game homies 

DELTRON 3030

Location: Cervantes in Denver
Acts: Input, reMINDers, Air Dubai, Paul Basic and Deltron 3030

This place was poppin on Saturday!  Sold out show featured some of the best local acts Denver has to offer and a legend playing the classics.  One of the more interesting things about this show to me seemed to be how many different ways you can put on a hip hop set. 

INPUT
http://www.facebook.com/#!/InputHipHop

Opened up the night with producer Broken on the MPC.  I have been a long time fan since I heard some of his work when we both attended UCD for Music Production.  This is the first time I have seen him live and was very interested to see how he set it off.  Broken I think stole the show, opening on an amazing dubstep remix of the talented and beautiful Lights. 
Input then took the stage to play cuts off their new album Never Heard of Ya.  The style through out the set remained constant, hard hitting drums and passionate raps.  What they were about?  I can't say, when rapping the fast paced, at times angry lyrics to the crowd the message did get muddled over the speakers. While I am sure more avid fans knew the set, I was excited to here Oh My God, a single off the new album about partying until the apocalypse.  That my friends is the way to go out, on stage and on earth ya heard?

The ReMINDers
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-ReMINDers/71614875812

The second act of the night took the stage next door.  Unfortunately due to lack of un contaminated air in the venue, I needed to step outside.  I did come in to hear the last 2-3 songs in the set.  Now the more conventional set up, 2 emcees and 1 DJ.  I must say from what I heard, they killed it.  It was like watching Lauryn Hill and Mos Def rock a stage together.  A perfect blend of reggae, soul, and hip hop all mixed up with emotion and substance.  Check them out if you haven't already.

Paul Basic
http://www.paulbasic.com/

I am new to his music, a Colorado producer doing his thing on the APC and drum pad.  Paul like Broken was pounding those pads, but most of the crowd was ready for the headliner, or next door for Air Dubai.  I did hear a few tracks, that were unfortunately chopped up due to technical problems.  Wasn't sure if this was Paul's doing or the sound man, I believe with all that button mashing a wrong one or two was hit in the set grinding the giant tracks to a screeching halt.  From what I heard before moving next door this is a guy on the rise, and am going to check out more of his music online.      

Air Dubai
http://www.airdubaimusic.com/

Another great local rap/rock groups that pumped the other side way up.  I have heard this group before, this was the first time seeing them live.  A full band, drums, guitar, bass, keys and 2 emcees both with some range.  They rocked the house for real, it was great to see a front man with that Mick Jagger/Steven Tyler stage presence and flow like oh i don't know, like his own!  The last few tracks suffered from a mass exodus to next door for Deltron's set about to take off.  Smoking cig's in the spotlight was about as rock as you can get, and they and The ReMINDers killed the other side of the venue!

Deltron 3030

Now for the main event, you would have thought it was 15 degrees out by the way Del took the stage.  Winter coat, winter hat, and massive glasses.  Accompanied on stage by Dan the Automator, drums, guitar, bass and as I learned from the Westword, DJ P-Love subbing for the unavailable Kid Koala.  No better way to start off the set with "Its 3030, I want ya'll to meet Deltron 0, and Automator!"  They proceeded to rip through the classics from the album as well as assurances that the new disk is soon to come and several new tracks, set 10 years in the future making him Deltron 3040.  The oft-delayed project sounded the way everyone had hoped.  Filling the indie rap, concept album hole our hearts have been longing for.  The interesting part of the night for me, was seeing a legend of the game, wearing sunglasses inside to hide from the audience we was basically performing Karaoke all night.  A prompter with lyrics was taped to the back of the stage speakers flowing through his set.  It was a carefully organized show, with Dan the Automator playing the part of conductor.  Count downs for the drummers, DJ, and string players matched up with the set laid out in Pro Tools on his lap top. I have heard of Deltron's tendency for getting a little to drunk and not remember words, and I am sure Dan was not having any of that.  He looked like the old guy in the room trying to make sure kids stayed off his lawn and kept his rose bush in tact.  Mission accomplished, the rest of the crowd that was not on the side of the stage had no idea Deltron was reading all his ryhmes, he hit all the flows, catching up if any line fell off beat.  The propped up iPad on stage captured the whole gig, and the night went off without a hitch.  The crowd was chanting for 0 to hit the stage after the last track and went nuts when he dropped "Clint Eastwood."  This, his launch into the mainstream under the guise of the Gorillaz brought the house down, and burned out what was left of my vocal cords.         

NEW TUNES FRIDAY

So after much delay, I need to put together a schedule of posts and stick to em with this blog.  Sorry for the delay follower(s)  \\ so with out further adieu my 3 tracks I have been bumping non stop this week

These 3 come from a mixtape put together by vDIME to bump in my rental Impala I had for the week.  Never been much of an American car guy, but I sure did like that whip

"Nibiru" by Ab-Soul
Blew my mind, now I am all up in this whole conspiracy doomsday theory.  You have been warned people!

"WOH" by Curren$y ft. Styles P
The beat man, so so sick.  Plus the line about "Axel Rose in my Bose" was what did it for me.

"Swimming Pools" Kendrick Lamar
I think I am a little late to the game with this one, but seriously I can't get it out of my head.  This is my jam, dope song, dope beat, combination of that club banger, and a song with a message.  Boom

-AP Out

PS - Stay tuned for our first ever concert review, I am going to see Deltron 3030 tomorrow!!

Watch The Throne

Awesome behind the scenes look at one of my favorite albums of the past few years! This is like some of my all time favorite stuff, the behind the scenes look at how an album came to be. Wish all my recording sessions looked this baller.

Dubspot and Ableton 30/30

Dubspot provided me with yet another reason to toute their website. The advice provided in their blog's posts and the youtube tutorials are easy to understand and have expand my horizons in many ways. Dubspot is a music school in New York city that specializes in DJing/performing and all aspects of production. I first discovered Dubspot about two years ago while browsing the internet for production tutorials and have been avidly visiting and watching since. Having just bought Native Instruments' Maschine a few short months earlier, my production progress plateaued to somewhere above semi-terrible. Enter the Dubspot. I watched as many videos as possible, thus developing my current style of music. A video that directly influenced my production stems from a sound design segment about layering synths. Now listen to my beats. My synths now go HARD, like shatter 1 and a 1/4 inch lexan hard.


Fast forward to a week ago. I'm taking a break from my creative destruction using my current opiate of choice, facebook, when this link popped up in my feed: a free course from Dubspot on Live. Are you serious? Normally these course run over $4K. Not surprisingly, I signed up. I've never taken a music class before and always wanted to. The biggest draw to the course for me, besides it coming from Dubspot for FREE(!), is that it covers the basics of Ableton Live, a program I'm unfamiliar with. The other two members of 4D2D put Live to good use and it has a unique interface for music making (clip launching), therefore there isn't really a choice in the matter. This clip launching function gives Live individuality among other, more simple programs *cough*fruityloops*cough*. This allows for slick recording and performance, something I would like to try my hand at so I don't perpetuate the era of "Pressing Play" (more on that soon). After I finish the 30 lessons, a short overview and review will be in order for those wondering if it was worth the investment time. Hopefully, I don't end up like Kevin Durant after the finals - disappointed.

Music Process

My goal with this blog is to provide you tips and ideas to boost your production skills and make sure you stay up on the game.  Today I stumbled upon a great article by one of my favorite producers Blockhead.

http://phatfriend.com/2011/03/22/how-my-music-is-made-fuck-the-bullshit/

Turns out his set up and process is pretty simple.  But one of the key things I got out of the article is that everyone has their own style and work process.  Back in the day I didn't want to waste time learning a new program, or trying something new because I get so set in my ways.  I am glad I finally got out of my 'put 2 samples together and call it good' rut and learned so much more about mixing editing and composition.  But at the end of the day find the process that clicks for you.  Usually that process is the fastest, and there for more productive and lucrative.

While studying Abelton and learning more tricks and tips from online videos or articles I am realizing that almost every step in your music creating process can be done in so many different ways.  Pitch shifting and chopping up samples alone each have 3-4 different ways to get accomplished in Live.  Just remember on your quest for the number one spot, go with what works for you, what you feel comfortable with.  Once you get that base skill set to crank out hits like I did back in the day with just 2 samples you can learn and build and soon be making hits with 20 tracks in Pro Tools with all sorts of routing and plug in's as easy as it was when you first started.   This process you develop helps create your sound, your personality as a producer and musician and is what you can build on to seperate yourself from the thousands of other "hip hop producers" in the world.

-AP

Now I know you all are up on your "Throne" game, if not you should be.  The new video dropped for "No Church In the Wild" last night.  Here in all its glory for you to watch.  Throw it up full screen and zone out.

This is video number 3 from the album, all breaking the usual cookie cutter slow mo, money, hoes, rapping format of everyone else's videos, with the exception of "Otis" which I think has all of those aspects but adds a sick remodeled Maybach and makes it all cool with me.  But this is the more story oriented one of the trio.  I didn't read to much about this video but from what I skimmed I hear Illuminati talk, OWS, riot inciting drama brewing.  What do you think?  

NEW LUPE!!

"Around My Way" off Food and Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1


I have been a fan of Lupe since Food and Liquor and recently every single idiot on Youtube and Facebook has the same thing to say, 'Make another Food and Liquor.'  I understand LASERS was more mainstream than his previous efforts and sort of alienated his fan base that are on his nuts because 'he is real and doesn't spit about cars and bling and hoes.'  But I enjoyed LASERS, its called progression people!!!  It's not like he abandoned his style for LASERS and started talking about that stuff, I think they are mad cuz the beats and hooks are too "pop" for their stupid asses. You gotta move and adapt, or die off with all of the one hit wonders who are too stuck in their ways to try anything new.  He could have pulled a Jay - Z and said "Niggas want my old shit, buy my old albums." But he has 3 albums called Blueprint so take that with a grain of salt.  


So Lupe comes back with the first single of his next highly anticipated album that has every hip hop head droolin.  Finally those same idiots can go cop what they have been complaining about since 2006.  But they still gotta complain about something so they are going off on using the beat from Pete Rock and CL Smooths "T.R.O.Y"  I don't care too much about that, cuz Lupe kills it.  I can listen to this forever cuz each line packs so much info, double entendres and meaning that at first listen you wont get it.  But let Lupe tell it how it is.  Peep this interview from Complex.com on the subject and check out the related articles to see how the whole Pete Rock drama unfolded.  Then listen to this jam a million more times until F&L2 drops!!!


-----------------------EDIT-------


Peep the rap genius explanation.  Tight
http://rapgenius.com/Lupe-fiasco-around-my-way-lyrics

New Gambino Music

"Mr. Talk About His Dick Again" is back with a new track.  After going on a Twitter rant about haters, and his own life and how this whole Childish Gambino thing started as a joke and just blew up he drops a link to the new song "We Ain't Them."  Now he is hinting that he wants to make this a full time gig.  Or to quote him "I don't think anyone person on earth should strive to be 'just some dude.'  I don't wanna be that.  or a coward.  Those are the worst things you could be."  Great advice to all people, not just artists.  No longer is he going to fool around with this hip hop scene, he is going balls to the wall now. Rappers without their "Luxuries of Subtleties" have the voice to tell it like it is.  We don't need to veil all of our feelings in metaphors if we don't want.  There is a new wave of very introspective rappers talking real live problems on beats like they are writing in their diaries.  

I have always enjoyed his style, his honesty and stream of consciousness raps mixed with real lines to make you stop and think.  This track is one of those where thanks to Twitter you can really see where he is coming from. The last line on the track "Im the best . . . " even references a part in his original post about claiming your the best rapper.  In this linked in world today even the semi famous and under microscopes, being bombarded from all sides with love and seething hate simultaneously.  Makes you expect to see a few more Britney - esq meltdowns.  Or if your a rapper, tell it like it is and keep doing your thing.       

So looks like things are changing for this comedian, writer, actor, artist.  With talks of "Community" being canceled, put on hiatus, moved to Friday nights, I don't see this show on NBC much longer.  Bummer to fans, but for Donald? "Back of my mind I hope the show gets canceled, maybe then I can focus."  Sounds like home boy is settling into the rap game, and I am one fan who welcomes you!

http://www.iamdonald.com/1

https://twitter.com/#!/DonaldGlover

DRUM BREAKS

What up gang?  Its been a min since our last post here and I think its time for a useful little post on drum loops.

So as we all know it was a sad day on Friday with the passing of MCA.  So I was listening to some Beastie Boys on the way home from work and heard some good drums I hadn't made note of in my collection at the end of "Electrify" on Hello Nasty.  I figured this would be a good time to make a post with a few of my favorite loops from songs that I like to use in my production. Here is a couple of the tracks that have the drum samples at the very beginning.  Enjoy!

Asher Roth "La Di Da"

Atmosphere "Struggle Song"

Biz Markie "Return of the Biz Dance"

The Darkness "Love is Only a Feeling"

Eminem "Amityville"

Immortal Technique "The Illest"

I can't give away all of my secrets just yet, but here is a little list to get you started.  Stay tuned for Pt 2!

For downloading the files I recommend keepvid.com, just copy and paste the youtube address and you can download the mp3 to your computer.  Enjoy, look forward to seeing what you come up with.

-Pike

Upping the quality

Composing most of my music using a pair of Shure SHR440 head phones has left me wanting more. While I love the head phones and think they're a steal at around $80-90, they have their short comings. Mainly, it's the low end.

They have killer mids and highs but try to give justice to my 808's though and you're left feeling like Dostoevsky in the face of a Tzar - sentenced to death. This means I have to turn to my Panasonic ear buds and cheap Altec Lansing speakers for a cross reference. Even then, it's difficult to ensure the warmth and punchy-ness that's associated with bass.

This juggling act between two sets of head phones and speakers is annoying and isn't the best way to ensure sound quality. Enter the KRK Rokits. I found a set of them on clearance from Guitar Center and what a difference they've made. A set of monitors, like the Rokits, are a necessary things for every home studio to get at some point. The sound quality they provide allow your production to move up to the next level. This is especially true for my low end production. A test run on the hardest hitting dubstep and hip-hop tracks I have in my library did not leave me disappointed.

The underlying principle for production here is sound depth and quality. The higher the sound quality, the more detail you can put into each track. The depth of sound that monitors provide allow a degree of fine tuning that you just can't get with headphones or cheap speakers. This translates int0 better over all production quality. Again, it's the great little things the make great producers.

Mixtape Review


"Blue Chips" - Action Bronson, Produced by Party Supplies

Featuring: Roc Marciano, Meyhem Lauren, & Kool A.D.

Download for free HERE

Who?

Action "Bronsileno" is a chef turned rapper from Queens.  He is legit.  He has a dvd that sells for about $13.  He has drawn comparisons to Ghostface Killah, which he apparently resents, yet ironically makes more obvious by sampling Ghost on "Tapas."

My Impression

Bronson flexes his lyricism from beginning to end, peppering in plenty of impressive culinary wordplay while also making endless references to hookers and his "manhood."  The latter could be construed as a negative (I don't particularly care for it) yet Bronson's skills on the mic and solid production by Party Supplies overcome that issue and make this project a solid listen all the way through.  Roc Marciano drops a strong guest verse on the refined "Pouches of Tuna," while Kool A.D. from Das Racist also stops by and goofs around for a minute and a half or so on the laid back "Arts & Leisure."

Highlights:

"9-24-11" - Best beat on the whole tape and Bronson kills it.  There is also a bonus for you producers out there as towards the end of the song there are some drums just begging to be sampled.  "Tan Leather," "Double Breasted," "5 Minute Beats 1 take Raps," & "Blue Chips" are my other favorites.  Dope beats, dope rhymes.

Should I download this?

Yes.  It's free, you idiot!  Bronson also sells music for money.  You should probly buy it.

Freq Map

Thanks to Future Music and Dubspot for providing this simple frequency map. Obviously, each person is going to have their own preferences when it comes to all aspect of production. However, a general template or preset to fall back on works well in sparking and perpetuating creativity. A generalist approach, like creating your own default presets for everything from snare reverb to mixing and matching freqs like we have above, really comes in handy when you find yourself brooding over minute details and spending hours on something that's just making you frustrated. Rather than getting caught up in the small details of whether your chorus should mix at 31 or 32%, you can keep the creative flow going. Assign a general preset now, something that's familiar, you know has worked before and sounds good enough, and then coming back and fine it later. The only catch is you have to come back and tweak it to perfection. While there is nothing wrong with presets, what separates good producers from great ones is the attention to the smallest details. That means putting time in for the little things.

BEAT BATTLE!!!

We have been trying this out a few times and this sample got some good responses and we had 3 people get down. 

The Rules are as follows

-Everyone agrees on the sample to be used
-Each producer gets 90 min to make a beat
-They must use the sample in the beat anyway they choose
-Final beats will be posted to this blog for voting

This week we used a track that would make my ma dukes proud.

The Flips!

PIKE

Sblock

vDIME

To everybody out there, download the track and follow the rules and you can join.  Post your flips in the comment section!