Monday, December 31, 2012

Mailbomb Records signs J-Draztik


J-Draztik was born and raised in Richmond VA, (now located in Kingsport, TN) started rapping at the age of 14. Since then his style evolved into his own mix of gritty horrorcore /street sound, he performed at the the 2004 Gathering of the Juggalos, and at the same time put out the "Mind Of A Maniak" EP, in 2010 he created his most current body of work entitled "Draztik Timez Draztik Meazurez",and is now currently working on other projects, he loves to make music, and will collab with anybody that has talent.


BE EXPECTING A MIXTAPE THEN LATER IN 2013 AN LP


BE SURE TO HIT HIM UP ON HIS SITES!!!

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
YOUTUBE

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Assembling the Basic Beat, Step by Step



1. You can assemble the elements in any order you want, but I tend to work the kick drum track first, then the claps, hats, and snares into a good solid 8 bar pattern. 

2. Then I will put on the bass. Just pick one that has some girth. Later on you will have to find one that fits perfectly with the song.

3. Before going any further, it makes sense to try different grooves and find one you can commit to for the entire beat. Listen for a "lock". That's when you hear something that is so cool you know it can drive the song. There are lots of tricks here. Get to know how your sequencer can use a quantized swing template. Check out my notes on Groove considerations near the end.

4. Then you can add supporting orchestration. Remember, think of a metaphor for your ensemble.

5. Next, copy the 8 bar grooved pattern with its bassline and other elements to make it a 16 bar pattern. You might drop out one of the orchestrated elements for the first 8 bars so it only plays during the second 8 bars.

6. Then, copy the first 8 bar drum pattern to the third 8 bars an start developing a chorus. You might replace drums with others. Replace or alter the bass. Keep the kick but change the snare and claps, adding perhaps a different effect. Now add new supporting orchestration to the chorus.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

What are Beats?

This is the most important term to understand in Hip Hop construction, cause if you don't know it, you'll never understand what people are talking about. The Beat is basically, the whole song minus the vocals. It usually includes the following:

1. MIDI Drum patterns or audio drum loops, which comprise the complete drum tracks
2. A Bassline (MIDI sequence typically)
3. Supporting Orchestration (could be synth pads, string sections, horns)
4. Dubs and snips (samples that accent and give character)

The Beat can be long or short. In its shortest form it is 8 bars. If short, it is usually looped over and over again, for as long as the vocalist wants. If long, it may be comprised of different parts for the verse and chorus and may add an introduction, a break, and an ending. Often, the HH song follows classic pop form of Intro (8 bars). Verse (8-16 bars) Chorus (8 bars) Verse (8-16 bars) Chorus (8 bars) Break (2-8 bars) Verse or Chorus (8-16 bars) then ends in a fade out. This structure, called the arrangement, of course, is not written in stone. It can be modified to suit the piece at hand.

What do the vocal tracks consist of in a Hip Hop song?

1. Main vocal: The main vocalist performs the rap
2. Second Vocal: Some songs may have a guest vocal or second vocal that takes a verse
3. Background Vocals: Are often created to give a sense that a whole group is participating
4. Overdubbed vocals: During the chorus and at other parts that the artist wishes to emphasize, the main vocal may be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Vitiate Releases W.H.I.T.E. LP

Vitiate - W.H.I.T.E. CD's, digital downloads, and merchandise available here! I recommend checking it out! Lots of features!!! Amongst the artists to rap over TEKNODROME beats were Vitiate, B-Rhymezz, Celph Titled, & Steven Cooper! And that's just a small list of features on this album!!! [others include: Copywrite, Bekay, Diabolic, Klive Kraven, Evil Intentions & still more! And we can't forget the dope ass video for "Vintage" (another beat by yours truly!) Oh yeah the Itunes version of the album has the Lo Key featured track "The Killers"

SITES TO PICK UP THE ALBUM
If you want to pick up a digital copy to save some money, go here.


Sunday, December 9, 2012

FLy Jay releases album: "The Root"


"The Root" - full length grimey, gritty, street album from his FLyness definitely dropping tomorrow (or today, rather). Jay just promised a few of the beat makers he'd let them hear it first.  Featuring production by Melvin Junko, TEKNODROME / UGLY BEATS, Soleternity, Bravestarr, Platinum Beatz, DJ JB, Sinima Beats and Youngstown's own Mad Fame. Guest features from Jamez Bund, Cut The Check, and Sinima himself.

Free download and or streaming.



SEE LISTING OF WHO PRODUCED WHICH TRACKS HERE: