RyanElektric's OCTAHOP Odyssey

RyanElektric · 2013-10-24T19:45:18.000Z

My quest to produce Hip-Hop with hardware featuring the Octatrack at the center continues. Short but sweet.

I know this isn’t really the right crowd for Hip-Hop, but it’s IDM enough that there may be a few listeners on the ol’ Elektron front.

RyanElektric · 2013-10-27T02:27:49.000Z

The Odyssey continues with an undefinable track that is kind of Ambient, kind of hip-hop, kind of a whole lot of synths and an OT with some drum looping (and some mild mangling) and FX.

I just hit record on some Prophet 12 sessions and just built around it. I’m no keyboardist, but I figure out some decent progressions in parts. Single take recordings (which i did without a metronome or a drum track playing or the OT synced to the P12- was just some harmless recording that became a 15 hour journey.

I took the time to properly mix and more attentively master this one- it paid off.

https://soundcloud.com/ryan-abrams/waves-and-wavs-not-waves

nedavine · 2013-10-27T02:56:20.000Z

Really enjoying these. The second one smells of madlib.

Nice and refreshing.

RyanElektric · 2013-10-27T03:25:39.000Z

Thanks man! I found myself just building projects in Ableton and on the OT and just walking away from them because I wasn’t tying to make the kind of music I actually like.

Fortunately, it seems like sample-heavy, downtempo house is becoming “a thing” in the wake of the Dub Step craze, along with Funk and Disco (without the “Nu”). I’m really enjoying a ton of new artists, and I realized it was because the groove/vibe of hip-hop is hiding in there somewhere.

I got serious about music relatively recently (the past 18 months) after spending my life up to my late 20s making music in my head and buying DAWs and not connecting with them. Honestly, just composing and recording something is a joy I feared I’d never know- and I’ve never felt more focused than I do right now.

…so, yeah. My J.D. is collecting dust and the $$ is running out, but it was all worth it!

RyanElektric · 2013-11-06T12:05:47.000Z

Saw so much good OT Hip-Hop being posted around here, I was inspired to sit down a throw together a little track tonight. Takes a minute for the beat to kick in, but I mangled up one of my favorite scenes in TV history in the beginning.

It got weird. Spooky existential meditation. But more fun than ever, especially if you watch Mad Men!

housewarez · 2013-11-06T16:47:01.000Z

word

RyanElektric · 2013-11-06T16:57:23.000Z

""housewarez"":

word

How’s Vietnam treating you??

housewarez · 2013-11-07T09:28:37.000Z

good why not just hit me up on imessages or facebook bro?

Barfunkel · 2013-11-07T09:37:39.000Z

""RyanElektric"":

Saw so much good OT Hip-Hop being posted around here, I was inspired to sit down a throw together a little track tonight. Takes a minute for the beat to kick in, but I mangled up one of my favorite scenes in TV history in the beginning.

It got weird. Spooky existential meditation. But more fun than ever, especially if you watch Mad Men!

SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

I liked it! Was the beat a loop from somewhere, or did you sequence it with the OT? Has a nice groove to it.

RyanElektric · 2013-11-07T10:08:21.000Z

Thanks man! I downloaded about 3 GB of breakbeats a few months ago and sit down with them and an MPC now and then. Normally I use one loop I mangle in the OT and blend in my pad sequenced stuff. I sequenced the one with the crash. Ideally, I’d generate all my own drum loops, but it’s so fun to blend two together and get random outcomes and I’m not one of those guys that can produce a great pad sequence in one take (I’ve been taught to just do two samples at a time and its much better than trying to be Aaraab Muzik). Getting little fills and stuff is not really something the OT does well, so my drum patterns are sounding more natural with some MPC work.

But I no longer just record cold from the OT and run with it- I do a lot more arrangement in Ableton after the fact to prevent drum overload. Most of the ideas start with one sample and the OT and grows from there- lately its been nothing else but OT shenanigans and the Prophet 12. It’s the love of my life (along with the OT).

RyanElektric · 2013-11-15T15:29:40.000Z

A quick one- I could do a lot more work on this one, but I’m ready to move on so I just uploaded it.

Used the OT, A4, and Juno 60, for the most part.

RyanElektric · 2013-11-16T04:23:45.000Z

Recovering from this morning’s so, so effort, I found an unfinished track from a few weeks ago and tidied it up.

Sampled some Italian Jazz

nedavine · 2013-11-16T14:23:02.000Z

""RyanElektric"":

SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

Recovering from this morning’s so, so effort, I found an unfinished track from a few weeks ago and tidied it up.

Sampled some Italian Jazz

I effing love this.Sounds like UNKLE. That piano is effing lush. MIND BLOWN. I recognaise that trumpet from an ableton live pack retuned.

RyanElektric · 2013-11-16T15:04:30.000Z

Yeah I just tossed it in when I thought to myself “This track needs a brass sample…” to see how it sounded and couldn’t imagine the track without it .3 seconds later.

Thanks man!

I decided to “take a break” from the Hip-Hop, which meant i stayed up all night making a House track!

RyanElektric · 2013-11-16T15:09:04.000Z

Also, @Nedavine- if you loved that, prepare to love something even more!

Check out the original track- Kekko Fornarelli is incredible. Italian Jazz musician. I would kill to play anything with such powerful smoothness the way he does the Piano.

First Hip-Hop, now Jazz? Man I’m really not on the right forums!

RyanElektric · 2013-12-21T16:24:47.000Z

Been a while, but this is probably the tightest quick little jam I’ve recorded.

A4+OT

BANDMASTA · 2013-12-21T16:40:14.000Z

Hey Ryan! Long time no see.

Nice track! I love the trumpet sound. Was it sample or A4?

It reminds me King Crimson.

Keep rocking man!

jamrod · 2013-12-21T17:43:14.000Z

Cool stuff, just caught up with these tunes. I also came into samplers through hip-hop - fun hearing stuff like this on OT. Love the most recent track especially.

RyanElektric · 2013-12-21T18:03:11.000Z

""BANDMASTA"":

Hey Ryan! Long time no see.

Nice track! I love the trumpet sound. Was it sample or A4?

It reminds me King Crimson.

Keep rocking man!

King Crimson? Ha that’s awesome! Now I need Adrain Belew on guitars…

The trumpets were a few rusty old samples I had layin around ha.

What’s up Kim? Thought you were out of the Elektron game. back for more?

RyanElektric · 2013-12-21T18:05:02.000Z

""jamrod"":

Cool stuff, just caught up with these tunes. I also came into samplers through hip-hop - fun hearing stuff like this on OT. Love the most recent track especially.

Thanks man! I got sidetracked with other stuff bit it’s back to some grimy hip hop for me.

Edit: oh and the recent one sounds better because I spent the past 2 months putting myself though a crash course in not sucking at mixing and mastering haha.