I use an MPC 1000 with the JJOS installed.. stacks of vinyl, my cheap record player, and sometimes Reason for synths. To me, the gear really isn't too important. I can make beats with Reason and a midi keyboard or a trigger finger, i can use Fruity Loops... Whatever. Music is music, the gear isn't really the important thing in my opinion. I know it's gotten kind of "cliche" to say that, but i really believe that it's not the equipment, it's the brain.
"Sample based" beats vs. "played from scratch" beats ... where do you stand ?
They both have their own place. Sampling is an art form, but it is heavily abused in modern music. I play bass and I made most of my music with Reason and a midi keyboard for two years. I can read/write music, and i love doing that. I don't look down on people who compose their music 100%. At the same time, i feel as though sampling actually gives you a lot of room to be creative and make something new. Creating a completely new piece of music with bits and pieces of 5 or 6 records is really an amazing thing, and nothing else can compare to it.
Why do you think yours was the winning beat of BB002?
I actually have no clue. I literally turned on my MPC, played the sample from my computer to my "record in's" and i chopped away. I only have 1 minute and 16 seconds of sample time on my MPC, so i couldn't load the whole song up. I chopped the song and the drum break and put together a beat in about 30 minutes or so, and then sent it over. Just did it for fun, and i had a lot of fun while doing it. I guess that's what matters the most.
Whose beat of BB002 would you see win the contest? What were your top 3 picks?
This is a hard one - I really like how Ron Capone worked the samples, but I wasn't feeling his drums at all. CarpeDiem's beat had a real dope 90's hiphop vibe to it. TheMind also had a real dope flip, but the drums sounded real robotic. I dunno, there are plenty of real cool tracks in here. If I had to chose a winner, it would definitely be Mr. Frodo.. that shit is just too dope! Good work man, great instrumental.
How much time do you spend on your music, how many beats per week/day do you make ?
I spend about an hour or so a day during the week, and about 3-6 hours a day during the weekend. It all depends on school, work, social life, etc. I'm only 18, and i dropped out of high school last year, so i'm working real hard to stay sober and get my diploma... I have to stay focused.
When did your production start to happen ?
I started playing bass when i was 10, been playing for about 8 years. Started making beats when I was 16 or so, and now i've had an mpc for about 6 months. I just love making music.
What are you working on presently ?
My music - http://myspace.com/essentialknowledge email : essentialknowledge@gmail.com ) I'm working on an instrumental album of about 30 or so 1 minute songs. Totally out there. I'm also producing for a couple cats across the country, and working on an album with my man Ethic in Critical Theory. ( http://myspace.com/criticaltheoryrr)
What is more important : diggin skills or the chopping skills?
That's not really a fair question. They go hand in hand - without one, the other is worthless. Being able to dig for good samples, being able to FIND a good sample on a record, being able to chop/loop/layer/whatever to perfection is all important and i try to constantly focus on all those aspects..
http://myspace.com/essentialknowledge
http://myspace.com/criticaltheoryrr
essentialknowledge@gmail.com