Hiphop Beat Battle #15: Voting and Feedback

[sezare56]

@drrumble

I have zero inspiration to make music these days

Me neither, I really had to force myself on this one, even if Ennio Morricone Western theme was very attractive. But I learned things again…

Some say when you don’t have inspiration you can prepare, select samples. That’s what I should do, prepare my sample chains for OT…
And finish my home studio which is just a big mess, nothing connected.

I probably won’t participate to next one, unless the theme is like “I can’t miss this one”.

[Yabba]

To be honest, the only beats I finish and mix are in these battles since it started, that’s why I take part every time or I would never finish anything, I would only do little musical sketches and loops otherwise

[monquixote]

Same here.

Having a mission brief and a deadline is huge for me.

[rhoslug]

Never underestimate the terrifying power of a looming deadline

[BLKrbbt]

What’s the turnaround for the next battle? I’m eager to go again.

I want to do way better next time. I think it basically got to be drop after drop. Try to get as much motion in 2 mins as I can.

[rockpapergoat]

there’s also this thread for non-battle discussion, feedback, etc.

just start churning out stuff and posting. you’ll gain more experience, and we provide encouragement and tips while listening to new music. everybody wins.

[1-2]

Turnaround is usually pretty quick, depending on the host. Every battle is different, and you usually have longer than two minutes. I like em busy too, but especially with accapellas i think some of the more straightforward simple beats work well and have been high on the list. I think the trick with keeping a simple loop type groove going is that it has to really hook you to sustain the track so it doesn’t get too repetitive

I can’t wait for the next one as well, I had to rush this one out a little, I feel ya.

Seriously though, don’t doubt yourself too hard
These tracks are SOLID

[1-2]

Good #7

Bad#12

Ugly#10

First the good and the bad
Like the staredown at a dual I wasn’t sure who was going to draw first, I like the both so much for different reasons #7 I knew in the first fifteen seconds it would probably be in my top picks, percussion got me on this- instant love. #12 kinda dreamy, really like the triplet synth bass (sounded stereo) & verby spring guitar- jammin track

10- classic, would love to hear some rhymes over this one. Sweet staccato strings layerd with the bowed melody & was that a filtered whistle- choice vocal bits drove it home

Pretty great all around here, what a listen.

A few standouts, unique tracks, & honorable mentions
#20 - organ was too good, in not usually a big fan of sidechain but the heavy compression worked really nice here. Props, great sound

#17 - fm style bass and general vibe reminded me of 16bit&ps1 era video game music. Nice melodic progression here. Has a different sound to it

Drumstylings of #5, slickness of #8, epicness#11 unique drums on #4 that captured the vibe nicely
The way the first few tracks kicked it off perfectly and flowed together so well. … And so much more

Also thought it was cool #21 ×!@ wasnt afraid to get real wierd with it

We even got a bonus, secret track 22 that had a cool dreary sound too it

Thanks to everyone for making these, listening to the creativity, skill, and variety in style is reward enough for me.

[Yabba]

THE GOOD

20
I don’t wanna say this one was slept on because it may be in everyone’s top 5 for all I know.
When I heard those chords and the drum pattern and the dark guitar drop in after a few bars i was sold on it.
As with the beats I make myself I really like a simple groove that can hold you for 2-3 minutes without getting boring and this is my kind of thing.

THE BAD

13
An all round classic sound, again I’m voting purely on musical taste and not what is the most complicated, and this one was nice with great vocal choices.

The UGLY

8
If it wasn’t part of this battle I would never guess that samples are from Morricone really nice work.

Also…
14 was really nice and I think this is the track that grows on you, I also like that little ghostly vocal sample in there.
12 is sick and really well made and I wish I’d set up the battle with four or even five votes to include this with the other.
11 is brilliant musical journey, and number 1 got us off to the perfect start.

All In all you all did brilliant without exception so big ups

[Yabba]

And those few that still haven’t voted, I know life gets in the way sometimes but if you do wanna vote you still have a few hours if you’re not too busy cleaning your horse down the local saloon bar with big Sandra

[flipinfantile]

‘big sandra’ made me chuckle heheh

[rockpapergoat]

you all kicked ass again. i found it really hard to get going or inspired for this one, so it was interesting to hear what people cooked up. with further listens, maybe my vote would be different, but here’s a first pass. you are all stars in my eyes. keep it up!

elektronauts 15

1. haha… a well placed gunshot starts us off. the whistle and guitar work well together as themes. i “dig” the short, gated drums. it’s a catchy little tune!
2. ooh, is this a digitakt joint? love the dirt, the organ chops, the little vocal snippets. this one just cruises along.
3. that classic flow and filter sweep makes me feel like we’re at the beach. dig the beat change-ups here. devolving into chaos there at the end was also cool.
4. old school drum machine toms and guitar? i am into it. good sample choices, you left some air around elements. i appreciate the fuller guitar clip at the end but was looking for a little more variation. it’s tough with these shorter tracks.
5. nice build, good vocal chops, the dnb breakdown is a nice touch. this one kept my interest throughout. really nice.
6. the drums are lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce. are these the same drums someone else used? solid track.
7. a plaintive bassoon? this one’s action packed. the main melodic theme carries things well. the bongos are a nice touch. vocal chops are really nice, too.
8. party at Morricone’s place! this one’s fun with the party vibe, background horns, etc. the heavily filtered background lends an underwater feel.
9. those horns are ominous. i was kind of waiting for something to happen in the first half. this would work really well with vocals over the top. with a little more variation, it could be a solid instrumental track.
10. now here’s a western vibe meets east coast. this one feels like sleepyhead. dig the bells, the vocals, the quavering background melody. really nice, classic feel.
11. those damn crows! you got all the western clichés in early. the piano riff sped up and slowed down is a nice touch. nice break down in the middle, solid use of dialog, the mix is pretty good. oh, i didn’t expect that change at the end. good work!
12. hey, i like the atmosphere. there’s a little bounce, a touch of western swagger, some modern synth bass. it’s a really interesting mix with those breathy pitches up vocals.
13. haha… love the intro. you smashed up classic verses, too… damn. i enjoyed this quick trip.
14. granulated to the max! could use more variation.
15. solid beat, good chops, filter sweeps… all work well together. another solid track!
16. those sped up trumpets are up to no good. this is some dub western. i can hear this actually appearing in a soundtrack.
17. deploy the seinfeld bass! dig the retro style. this was a pleasant journey.
18. boom bap drums, a solid bass line, solid vocal chops. the stutters fit, but i’m conflicted about them. overall nice track.
19. did you play in this bass line or is it from another song? all the pieces work really nicely here.
20. oof, i’m a sucker for a fat bass line like in the previous track, but dirty organs also do the trick. this one feels deceptively simple but slaps.
21. this feels more like an audio collage interlude. you do have some interesting chops inside, but it doesn’t feel like a full song to me.

votes

good: 10

bad: 12

ugly: 19

[Doug]

I honestly kind of forgot about this with all the election stuff kicking off.

The Good

Track 20 - Really well put together. I like how all the kind of rhythm parts, the drums, the bass, and the organ are kind of locked in but the samples up top sound like they’re threatening to kind of go off track, especially as they break up in parts. It’s a cool effect.

The Bad

Track 10 - Smooth. I like the layering and the vocal samples on the hook are a really nice touch.

The Ugly

Track 13 - I liked the scratching. I liked the way you used all those vocal samples. And I liked the way the beat was always moving around. That little break down towards the end was cool.

[Yabba]

Damn I was just writing post for the top three but someone else has just sneaked into third…

So gimme a sec and I’ll do some re working out…

[flipinfantile]

super curious to find out who made what

[Yabba]

Okey-dokey the names are up.
my bad I replaced the number of the beat with the name instead of adding it after the number so I’ve added the original numbers and scores below from my notes.

here are the top three, and it’s a bit of Deja vu

1 -Yabba

2 @1-2

3 @Blaize

Thanks for the feedback and votes, although it feels bit wrong announcing myself as one of the top three.

I must confess was a little bit self indulgent with the concept as I’ve always wanted to hear a beat tape made of Morricone western soundtracks.
I love that stuff, but never had the discipline to do it myself or even make a start of it, so you’ve all excelled in making the beat tape I wanted to hear so thanks!
I hope you all like it too and had fun in the process.

Anyway, I shouldn’t host again and decide on a concept twice in a row so it’s on @1-2 and @Blaize to conceptualise the final battle of the year and I hope to see you all, and the new guys paying an interest on it.

Salute 🫡

[flipinfantile]

Congrats guys, both on the win and on doing a fantastic job hosting the challenge!

[flipinfantile]

Dude you made a really special track, crossover material outside of the western challenge if you ask me!

[BLKrbbt]

I’m so happy to have been in this challenge.

I found it interesting that the ones I HAD to choose were also people whom I’ve had great interactions with elsewhere in the forums.

Thank you again for this.

[rockpapergoat]

seriously, this batch had lots of catchy tracks. it was really hard to pick. i kinda phoned in mine and almost didn’t submit anything. but, as they say, “perfect is the enemy of good,” and all that. practice helps. i hope everyone learns something new with each of these — i definitely do.