Kasuwell adds "Make It Rain" To "H.W.P.O.2" Mixtape!

You may remember my previous post about the collabo track between Kasuwell, KMajor, The Gramzz & Myself. Kasuwell - Make It Rain Ft. The Gramzz & K-Major (Prod. by TEKNODROME / @UGLYBEATS ) made its place on H.W.P.O.2 Mixtape! Hope you guys enjoy as I'm working towards another collabo with Kasuwell! You can download the mixtape below.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

HOLIDAY DEALS ON LEASE & EXCLUSIVES!!!

R.O.C.A. Man (of The Ghost Smokers) Collabo- "Donkey Kong"

R.O.C.A. Man (a.k.a. Solwell) and I met through a mutual friend (Ed) and spent many hours of smoking blunts, listening to beats (my older ones), and playing Tekken. We always talked about doing a collabo, but he eventually moved back to Columbus, OH. After a few years we finally re-connected on Facebook we linked up and decided to do the long awaited collabo. This is the second of the collabos we were working on. Hopefully you guys enjoy!

R.O.C.A. Man - Donkey Kong (prod by TEKNODROME) by TEKNODROME / @UGLYBEATS

8 Tips A Producer Can Live By

1. The Producer, Not The Gear, Makes The Music

A producer who doesn't know what he's doing cannot produce golden sound, even with the best gear on the planet. Give a great producer even just decent gear and he'll still manage to produce quality results.
The point? New gear won't make you better. Work on your super-ninja production skillz first! Learn how to use the gear you have, learn and use different mic techniques, study the basics of acoustics, computer recording and mixing. Apply this knowledge and refine it as you go along.

2. Crapola In, Crapola Out

You've probably heard of the fix-it-in-the-mix mentality by now and you also know you should avoid that line from ever entering your mind. Heaping on the effects or compressing the living life out of a track during the mixing stage won't give you the fat sound you lust after.  A low-level recorded or weak signal will be much closer to your noise-floor. Adding compression to this weak signal during mixing will pull up the noise along with the signal.  The same goes for out-of-time-or-out-of-rhythm instrumentalists. Headache to fix in the mix.
The point? Always aim to get the best possible signal down while recording. Don't settle for less-than-great takes unless you're absolutely pressured to do so.

3. S.O.S (Save Obsessively Silly!)

Computer music production is great, no doubt. Computers and software however like to sometimes crash.
It sucks to get a mix just right, crash and then realize the last half-hour of your work has vanished into the abyss where all non-saved work dwells. The point? Develop the save often habit into a compulsion. You may find yourself hitting the save shortcut (Ctrl+S) even while browsing the web! That's fine. At least your work will be captured. This is one of those music production tips you don't want to learn from experience. ;-)

4. Close Your Eyes To Open Your Ears

The visual sense takes priority with most of us which means that while your eyes are open the ears are pushed to second place. The visual aspect of computer-based DAWs makes music production much more of a visual activity, often at the expense of good sound. The point? Close your eyes to make your ears into the top priority sense. Trust your ears when hunting for a good sound. If it sounds good to you, it probably is good.

5. Record Dry, Add Effects Later

This one's simple: You can add all the effects you want in post-production. Removing effects is much harder.
The point? Keep your recordings clean on the way in and the mixing stage will offer many more possibilities for creative work.

6. Order Is Freedom

As an artist you may draw inspiration from chaotic environments. This changes the moment you put on your producer cap.  Tidiness, whether it be in your studio, your computer file-system or your DAW session, will allow you to be creative.  The point? Keep things tidy so you won't get overwhelmed or bogged-down with technical issues or searching for files when you want to be creative or productive.

7. Inspiration Comes While You Work

Pros sit their behinds down every day and work. This is what makes them pro. They don't sit around waiting for inspiration to strike.  What you focus on grows. So, when you focus on music production the inspiration will arise in that area. Ideas will flow and things will happen.  The point? Work your craft daily and the Muse will visit you often. Waiting for inspiration is a fool's game.

8. Give Me a Break!

Your ears and brain need a little R&R or they cross over a threshold where they start to shut out incoming signals. No, I've not scientifically verified this. I'm sure the papers must be out there in some academic journal. ;-)  The point? Take regular breaks every 15 to 20 minutes to avoid brain-fry and cloth-ears, especially when mixing. This will save your ears, give you more perspective and boost your output.

R.O.C.A. Man (of The Ghost Smokers) Collabo- "Ready, Set"

R.O.C.A. Man (a.k.a. Solwell) and I met through a mutual friend and spent many hours of smoking blunts, listening to beats, and playing Tekken. We always talked about doing a collabo, but he eventually moved back to Columbus, OH. After a few years and finally re-connected on Facebook we linked up and decided to do the long awaited collabo. This is just one of the end results with another one close behind! 
R.O.C.A. Man - Ready Set (prod. by TEKNODROME) by TEKNODROME

Chino XL shouted out to me on Twitter!!!

/////gratitude!!!

Yes I am a fan of CHINO XL!!! This is a big deal to me-- I always love when respected artists acknowledge my presence in the hip hop world.

mc chris race wars remix contest

Found out mc chris was having another remix contest, figured I'd take a crack at the whole album. Follow me to see if i can get it done by the deadline! 

ONE BEYOND Collabo "COST OF LIVING"

Follow him @OneBeyond

Another game-changing collabo with ONE BEYOND "Cost Of Living" All the real fans will recognize the instrumental-- It was many of the 'flips' from my "Flippin March Madness" promo last March. Hopefully everybody will be feelin' the lyrics being spit to this track! I know personally that ONE BEYOND has been puttin' that work in! Thanks 1B! Enjoy...

Producers: Are you actively pitching your beats to Artists?

I just read an article about a songwriter detailing a few of the different ways he’s pitching his songs to artists in his hometown. A couple of things that stood out.

1. He had no problem spending money to get his music heard. He mentioned pitching to listings he gets through a paid tip sheet and how that works and also the fact that he’s hired a professional song pitcher to get him access he couldn’t get by himself.  Most times you hear about how you should never pay to get your music heard or pitched. I won’t tell you that there aren’t scams out there. I’ve been got and know people who have been got just like me.

My point. Spend money wisely on PROVEN opportunities. If the site or service sounds too good to be true, it probably is. ALSO, a site shouldn’t have to be over the top with 50 celebs all over the site to pull you in if they’re offering real value. Look for testimonials and verifiable credits.

2. This guy was not sitting at home writing songs and waiting for the checks to hit the box (like most part time musicians). He was actively out playing his music and had albums for sale in iTunes, Amazon, etc. Also, he had an active blog that was connecting him with other people in his songwriting community. Basically, this guy was keeping it moving. He was writing new songs and getting them out there with or without a label.

Now I don’t know if this guy has ever had a major credit of not. But he is handling his business in an inspirational way.

There are a lot of producers that make beats – and let them sit on their hard drive. Never taking their business seriously. If you are in the BUSINESS of making beats, shouldn’t you be actively pitching those beats to artists any way you can?

It’s one word people: Grind.

Scarface ( #NewSchool Instrumental) FREE DOWNLOAD

• play
• pause

volume

SCARFACE.mp3

So I had recreated the synth parts to the original soundtrack slapped on a beat threw in some samples at the beginning and made a track out of this. Free Download for people to use for promo use. 

Vitiate collabo track "Pathological Killer" On "Premeditated Murder" Mixtape

 So this marks the second collabo between Vitiate and myself. If I may say this track fits his style more as he is looking to do more hardcore sound. I'm excited as I can't leak too much into details about our next collabo-- as I'm REALLY anticipating to hear who's guest featuring! I'm jumping ahead of myself. Anyways I hope you enjoy this track as you probably remember this instrumental from the "Flippin March Madness" promo I ran last March.  I'm really excited to see that I'm listed on someone's cover as I know I seen the other artists I've worked with were kinda either B-Sides or just Singles or whatever!
Vitiate - Pathological Killer (Prod. by TEKNODROME / UGLY BEATS

Thomas Ian Nicholas followed my ThRob UGLY Twitter

Kinda rad! If you remember him from "Rookie Of The Year" or more recently The "American Pie" Movies (the originals, not the shitty extras!)

Cognito Followed Me On Twitter

He followed me earlier this month like the 11th or so. I can't remember the exact day! Pretty dope!

Were both Raiders fans.

Be sure to follow him @therealCognito and follow me @UGLYBEATS

D LOC of Kottonmouth Kings S/O's to Hambandits & MailbombJuggalo!

Each member is a fan and fellow smoker!

As head representative of the Hambandits it was kinda dope to get a  S / O back!!!

MailbombJuggalo is the ULTIMATE street teamer!

Be Sure To Follow My New Twitter @UGLYBEATS

I started a brand new twitter from the ground up until Twitter fixes this situation with these thieves.

My Twitter has been hacked and stolen!

As I rounded up on 15,000 followers I made the mistake of using a follower site I had never seen and used it twice cause it malfunctioned- and I wanted to be sure. Well sure enough I try to check my account from my phone and it keeps rejecting me. So I try online- nothing. I open my @ThRob_UGLY account and do a search for #followaninja a has tag I created-- and found my account with a new name! When I searched the crew that my account was now promoting I started putting them on blast so I responded with this:

They retaliated with this: 

Now I'm no elite hacker but I know my way around the internet, I can figure out things-- like who owns sites that their tweeting that I used just a few days before that 'didnt work' such as:

And to add insult to injury my girlfriend reported him to Federal Government for Phishing across statelines (FEDERAL OFFENSE) and his site to BBB-- which I continually keep issuing as he tries to ignore it! Heres more proof he did it:

then steals @TEKNODROME this i.p. is in ATL -- I checked!

So you mean to say this account was made the same day as mine? haha

As you can see thats my reply with a different name!!!

Vitiate collabo track "Killin You"

The first of many collabos between the two of us! Vitiate is a dope artist outta New York City with a range of flowing over old school hip hop to growling over horrorcore. We found each on Soundcloud by way of commenting each other's tracks and decided to collab. Like I said be expecting to hear alot more from the two of us & some others? Enjoy!


Be sure to show him some support!
http://soundcloud.com/vitiate
http://www.youtube.com/user/MCVitiate
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vitiate/112443098803545
http://www.reverbnation.com/vitiate
http://www.datpiff.com/profile/Vitiate

How to get out of a "Beat Block"

Writers block is a problem that shows up in a different form for music producers. It’s rare for us to not be able start a project. Most likely you hit the problem of not being able to get in the groove producing anything that you consider a “banger.” In these times, consider these 3 tips to get it moving again.

1. Work on an assignment. I call this technique going to fridge instead of waiting for someone to cook. Sometimes I work free form, just letting the music flow. Other times I work on assignment. A client will ask for a specific style, genre, or sound. In those cases I have a brainstorm in mind and a basic framework for what the end product should be. For me that’s sometimes tougher but exciting. I find that once I get going on this type of assignment, my creative juices take over and I eventually end up with a banger.

The trick you can use is to create the assignment for yourself. Who says you have to have an outside client to challenge yourself. You can give yourself an assignment within a genre, style, and sound and get to work. The key is to get the assignment planned out before you step into the studio to work on it.

Get the idea as fleshed out as much possible in your mind. Detail what the end work will sound like and the feeling it will bring when you hear it. If you go that far with it, you push your mind to call up those creative juices to create that feeling. Now when you hit the studio, you have the energy and path to run down.

2. You don’t always have to start from scratch. Another trick I’ve used is almost like remixing my own work or creating variations of a previous work. Start by calling up an old project in the studio, giving yourself access to a ready made pallet of sounds, tempo, song structure, etc, then scrap everything you recorded except for a few elements. If you work using a midi sequencer (or FL user), this is as simple as creating a copy of the project under a new name and deleting everything except for a simple element like the snare pattern.

At this point, you’re already a third of the way down the road to creating something new. You’ve got a "template" and a tempo and a snare pattern to build from. By the time your done, you might have ditched the original snare and found the session has pulled you in a new direction. And that’s what you wanted in the first place. Something new.

3. Call on The Masters. Some days, for me at least, the above two methods don’t get me going the way I want and the energy level still needs a boost. This is when I like call on The Masters. Depending on the genre I’m working in, I’ll play a few of the masterworks that convey the type of emotion or energy I’m after and also some tracks that are completely different.

For example, if I’m working on an R&B ballad and nothing hits the mark, I might throw on some of the classic Janet Jackson joints produced Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and something instrumental like a passionate cello piece by Yo Yo Ma where the emotion is there without lyrics at all. Or some Billy Joel or Debussy, or Missy Elliot, or The Roots, or… you get the idea. Whatever you play, make sure it’s material you consider to be excellent, that sets the bar in your mind for what you want in the end from yourself. Throwing in some varied styles points your brain in new directions away from the roadblock you’d been facing and gets you shooting for the stars.

So there you go! 3 ways to get out of your "beat block" ultimately flowing toward your next musical masterpiece. Have fun with it see what your get.

DJ Bobby B Of Kottonmouth Kings Is Following Me On Twitter!

Nothing like one of your heroes telling ya good job!

He also posted this one later:

No longer my account-- but dope nonetheless!!!

I later decided to check out his website and was lead into more info about one of my favorite djs! Be sure to follow him if youre a KMK fan or just a fan of DJ's in general!

Suggestions to break into the Music Industry For Music Producers

If you are a music producer that specializes in Rap Beats, Hip Hop Beats and R&B Beats and would like to make money from your catalog then I suggest taking bold steps to creating the right relationships to get you closer to your goal. With the marketing machine of radio, television and internet many music producers outside of the industry think the people running record labels are the same people they see in videos and hear on the radio. I hate to burst your bubble but this is not the truth. The Bentley’s, Jewelry, Models and Mansions are mostly rented for the video shoots. It’s like watching a 4 minute commercial to get you to buy something.

Most record labels are huge corporations that are publicly traded on the NY Stock Exchange just like Ford, GM and Nike and the artists signed to those labels are just products on a shelf. Record labels have huge marketing teams, accounting offices, legal teams (in-house & contracted) and support staff. So decisions to release new projects are based on profit and loss projections not how fire your beat and raps are.

Many music producers still believe in the old fashion way of sending a CD full of hip hop / rap beats to record labels hoping they select beat(s) for upcoming projects. This is like standing in line to get picked for the next episode of American Idol.  Let me be the first to tell you, this is an absolute waste of time. I live in Los Angeles for a few years and have friends in VP of A&R positions and they’ve told me first hand that this is a waste of time.

So if you receive a letter back from a record label thanking you for your submission but declines to use your beats this is just a part of their job. Don’t take it personal.

Problems associated with submitting beats to record labels:

1. Record labels establish their roster of new releases in advance based on past albums sells of existing artist and hot new artist they are looking cash in on.
2. A&R’s give producers who are in the loop and have a relationship with the label what’s known as a one-sheet. This one-sheet details the exact type of music the label is looking for their artists and the timeline of when the project is expected to be completed.
3. Many A&R’s have boxes and boxes of CD’s in their office that they never get a chance to listen to them…nor do they have the desire.
4. Many A&R’s have a Blackberry roster of producers they like to use and can call at a moments notice. Many of these producers are friends and people they see on a regular basis at industry events.
5. Record labels are losing tons of money from illegal downloads and bootleg cd’s and use in-house producers for projects.
6. Many times your CD is lost in the mail room.

Like every problem there is always a solution and despite what many people think, the record industry is not some huge maze to navigate. It’s actually a very small community.

9 Ways to Break Into the Music Industry as a Music Producer

1. Move to New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta or Houston.
2. Sign up with eSessions and create profile.
3. Post your business cards at all of the popular rehearsal spots where artists and bands rehearse. (This only works if you can actually play an instrument or write songs)
4. Hang out at all of the popular clubs, bars and restaurants where industry events are held.
5. Contact management companies that represent other major producers.
6. Contact law firms that represent other major music producers and artists.
7. Look for intern jobs at major record label, studios, management companies and law firms.
8. If you are really good at mixing and mastering then I suggest applying for a job or get freelance work with one of the major studios in the cities I named above.
9. Attend every seminar and event related to the industry.

LEGION OF TUNEZ / TEKNODROME UGLY BEATS - DR MINDBENDER FREE DOWNLOAD

The Video sounds different cause at the time I made it, it was just a sample snippet that's why the quality is different not to mention the time length. I didnt know I was gonna make it a free download, then just decided its commercial sounding enough for cats to use for promo use.

• play
• pause

volume

TEKNODROME_/_@UGLYBEATS_-_Dr_Mindbender.mp3

RUN DMC - Peter Piper ( #TEKNODROME / @UGLYBEATS REMIX)

• Runplay
• pause

volume

Peter Piper ( TEKNODROME MIX ).mp3

This is a remix I've had laying around my archive that I would occaisionally mess with. Its my way of payin homage to a trio that REALLY inspired me to love hip hop. They knew no boundaries-- which enticed me! Anyways here ya go free download. I know I been slacking on em-- but I got a few comin ya way!

My review of @SatiliteRok1 's "Rise Of The Underrdogg"

Follow @SatiliteRok1

10 tracks from the get go, Im skeptical cause I'm used to 20 tracks but then I thought no fillers sweet! So I get through as I'm changing brakes on a Ford Taurus, Im listening through my phone and headphones-- my IPOD had issues...

Anyways, people kept coming out asking me questions so I pop out my headphones and play it on the phones speakers, still sounds incredibly polished!!! What also impressed me about the mixtape was that most of the tracks were produced by SatiliteRok & or other in house associates of Hazmat.

The track that stood out the most to me was the led zeppelin sampled "Love Is A Drug" simply just an ingenius way to incorporate such an epic sample! The song's lyrics pull you in as Rok flows-- if you were to compare him to any industry artist hed be up there with B.O.B. & Lupe Fiasco (which Im fan of both).

Later after the second playing as I was fighting rotors off the second vehicle I was working on my girlfriend came out to hold the flashlight for me as it was getting dark. She had asked me if it was either of the two artist's I listed earlier! I chuckled and told her it was the cat I had been talking to online via FB, TWITTER & whatnot.

As far a producer's stand point this mixtape was completely on point, as it completely rides into the brand that Rok's been working on. All the vocals were crisp locked in exactly where they were supposed to be. I didnt hear a sour note by anyone-- I can tell Hazmat and Rok been working on this mixtape. All in all this will be a staple in my playlist for the summer, can't wait for videos to support the tracks!

You can download the whole album yourself right here! 

Rise Of The UnderDogg by SatiliteRok

Kasuwell - Make It Rain Ft. The Gramzz & K-Major (Prod. by TEKNODROME / @UGLYBEATS )

Collabos at their best!

This started out as a collabo between Kasuwell and two other rappers on the facebook group Artist In Need, a month or two went by and I contacted the three and they had agreed for me to tak the hook out. A few more weeks went by and Kasuwell was the only one of the three to respond back- He had recorded his verse and linked up with Gramzz and K-Major then hit me back with the finished track! 


Kasuwell - Make It Rain On Em Ft Gramz, K Major (prod. by TEKNODROME) by TEKNODROME

I GOT TO MEET TECH N9NE & STRANGE MUSIC!!!

slideshow | Viewer

It was exciting to receive all the free swag (I'm using the word correctly!) I got so much Strange goodies it's crazy! What you didn't get to see in the pictures is I talked to Travis O"Guin as well tried hinting around. Figured all in due time anyways! 

Anutha Sunset On Crenshaw ( #WestCoast ) FREE DOWNLOAD

• play
• pause

volume

TEKNODROME @UGLYBEATS - Anotha Sunset On Crenshaw.mp3

Well here's a free download

Showin my homie Cinikill some luv!

So Urban Underground Weekly Hosts shows every weekend at The Airliner, in Los Angeles. My homie Cinikill had a another show lined up here and the first time he was in I went out to see him-- but we didnt get to meet at the show. It was really crowded and my tooth was bugging me again. Now secret is I'm trying to lock down a collabo track with him as he was one of the first artists in CA. to reach out to me back when I got here!

Chase Carter collabo track "Wut U Kno"

Follow @CartierCarter

Like I said before you'd hear more from Chase and I and was I right! To let you know more about Chase Carter- he's a fellow artist from Ohio! Yeah I know right? I'm magnetically drawn to people back in Ohio! As you should know by now that's where I moved here from! So I'll just say it again you will hear more from the two of us!





Chase Carter - Wat U Kno (Prod. By TEKNODROME) FREE DOWNLOAD by TEKNODROME

Chase Carter collabo track "Closer To Real"

Another member of Artist In Need I met on Facebook, that day the moderator of the page was asking who all was collabing with one another I quickly jumped out and said I willing to put in work (Chase was one of the first cats to hit me up after One Beyond.)  He's also working on another one of my beats that should be released sometime soon! So keep your ears open for that one! Be sure to visit his Reverbnation.


 
 
Chase Carter - Closer to Real (Prod. By TEKNODROME) FREE DOWNLOAD by TEKNODROME

Indaba Music's Saigon - Bring Me Down Remix "TEKNODROME REMIX"

Saigon - Bring Me Down (TEKNODROME Remix) by TEKNODROME

I saw Phur Cat and Silent Stepchild (my homies from back in Steubenville.) talking about a remix on Indaba a site I forgot about since the contest I entered the year before! (see: Gone Hollywood) So I decided to enter it cause the prize would have REALLY helped! So I restructured an older track I had made called "Alien Abduction." I had to match the tempo with the vocals and move some of the instrumentation. I changed alot of the one shots as well and made it have a grittier feel like the vocals were. I had hoped and promoted the crap out of it on twitter and facebook and made it to 85th place! Out of 396! WOOOO!!! Oh well it was fun-- and i made it a FREE DOWNLOAD!

Flippin March Madness #25 "The Man With No Name"

Every morning I release a fresh flip created the night before or that very morning. I've posted the tracks I've done up to now, and every day it will updated.

Flippin March Madness #20 Eva 01

Every morning I release a fresh flip created the night before or that very morning. I've posted the tracks I've done up to now, and every day it will updated.

Flippin March Madness #19 "L.A. Lady"

Every morning I release a fresh flip created the night before or that very morning. I've posted the tracks I've done up to now, and every day it will updated.

Inspiring Words From Canibus

So I check my reverbnation messages after seeing Canibus made a profile I decide to leave a comment. I get this  message in response. 

I know you probably think the same thing I did, that really aint him well turns out I checked the stat numbers from facebook & myspace and the numbers added up correctly!!!

Nate Dogg Dead At 41

Nate Dogg, the hip-hop artist best known for his collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Warren G. and Dr. Dre, has died. News broke this morning that the artist, whose real name is Nathaniel Hale, passed away last last night after suffering from a variety of health problems since 2007 and 2008.

Dogg was born and raised in Long Beach, California where he died. While the official cause of death has not yet been released, Hale suffered a massive stroke in 2007 which left his left side paralyzed. This was followed by another stroke in 2008 for which he was undergoing therapy for the past several years.

Reacting to this great loss in the hip-hop community, Snoop, Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Xzibit took to their Twitter accounts to share their grief:

Snoop: I miss you cuzz I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up wit u and I will c u again n heaven cuz u know d slogan.

50: I just landed nate dog is dead damn. GOD BLESS HIM R.I.P he meant a lot to west coast hiphop. lv always been a fan of it. 50cent

Ludacris: There is a certain void in hip hop’s heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together.

Xzibit: We lost a soldier, a father, a legend, a homie. My condolences go out to Ms. Ruth and the entire family. Celebrate

In the news in 2002 and 2008 for drugs, weapons, and criminal mischief charges, Hale has been mostly out of the spotlight since his medical ailments began, working behind the scenes with current rap and hip hop artists. Before his rise to fame, Hale began his music career singing in a gospel choir. He also spent three years serving in the United States Marine Corp.

As soon as I heard about this news, I started digging through my music collection. This song brings some memories back of my middle-school years, and despite what the nature of the song suggests, I was already a delinquent. But thats here nor there.

R.I.P. NATE DOGG