The Big Elektronauts Hip-Hop Thread: production tips, sharing our music, feedback and inspiration

The Lounge
#1298

Gonna spam this thread with my new track as this is where most of the people I talk to on Elektronauts hangout. More of a lofi jazz/experimental project and all instruments, but my roots are in hip hop and sampling, so it’s got that vibe I think (Moog, Rhodes, bass, drum, lo-if piano). The guy I’m collaborating with is usually a guitarist (in punk bands) but he has a secret love for synths, jazz, and experimental music, and we bonded over Strata East here in Tokyo. :slight_smile:

Hopefully a chance to channel my inner Adrian Younge.

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#1299

@Sleepyhead @Sleepynumb

Holy shiiiiiiiiit! I found it randomly listening to a mix tonight (the whole mix is killer, btw!)

Vinyl copy is now inbound :slight_smile:

7:23 Hiromi Iwasaki - Campus Girl

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#1300

Eeey! Analog journal has some great stuff.

Something that’s been bugging me too since you posted the track that sampled it… is this also the same sample? It instantly reminded me of it but I’m not sure:

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#1301

Sounds like the same sample to me. A record collector buddy of mine was telling me there are a couple of great breaks on that album as well. I read that Babu used one on this mix, which is also a cool listen, btw.

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#1302

Nice one. Thanks for sharing the Babu mix!

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#1304

Another from me for @aarb420’s Bi-weekly record-diving sampling extravaganza. New one is also up!

On this, https://www.elektronauts.com/t/who-can-post-their-first-ever-electronic-music-recording - I’m gonna find my early attempts at hip hop beats and post em up here :grimacing: Reason 2.0 ftw! Anyone else got some real early stuff they fancy sharing?

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#1305

Holy sh*t, @looms, sounds sooooo good!

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#1306

Thank you! It was one of those ones that came to together fairly effortlessly. Doesn’t always happen but nice when it does. Listening back this morning I think it’s maybe a tad slow and a bit heavy on the compression but moving on :fast_forward:

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#1307

Dusted off the old hard drive and found 'em! Some gaps in the years haha.

These are the earliest from 2004/2005 made with a mate. Think they were done with Reason 2.
I remember us debating for ages over 1 or 2 bpm slower or faster on this first one :joy: -


Then 2007 - Ableton Live 5ish by then

This one complete with Powah Cutzzz at the end :smiley: I remember trying to ‘do a Pete Rock’ with this beat. It doesn’t sound much/anything like him ha.

Sorry if this is very self indulgent. Would love to hear other people’s early stuff too though :v:

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#1308

These are excellent! I’m not surprised, as your stuff is always amazing.

Last year I found a cassette with my earliest electronic stuff, from an electronic music class I took in college in 1997. I was using a Kurzweil sampler, tape loops, etc. I did some hip hop tape loops and chopped up the Amen break, which I had on a Zip disc. Lol. That stuff was all pretty terrible though. Haha. It was my first time touching this kind of equipment, and we only had an hour a week in the electronic music lab, which is just not enough time (that’s where I first began to dream of having a home setup).

I also found some of my early (2002-2008) home stuff done with an MPC1K. That stuff is much better (but not great), maybe I’ll share a few tracks later.

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#1309

Thanks man! It’s quite fun(ny) hearing them back. That’s awesome you still have that old cassette. I bet is sounds nicely fuzzy. Would be ace to hear that and your MPC era stuff. Also aware getting them digitised can be hassle though :slight_smile: I never had a hardware sampler until the 404 around 2011ish. Always wanted an MPC… still never had one!

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#1310

Dope man! I love the fact that you have a very recognisable sound (which does include heavy compression sometimes ;))

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#1311

Nice! Some of these actually sound kinda modern. The third one is amazing and would fit on any griselda album released right now.

The earliest stuff I have released is from 2007, which means the beats are probably made 2005/2006. All mpc 1k with some mixing in emagic logic 4 :joy:.

This one is straight up 9th wonder bitten/inspired:

I did the first beat on this project, which I made around 2007 or so:

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#1312

Wow man, you were making smashers right from the start. That’s a very very good 9th Wonder style! Really cool to hear. The second beat sounds recognisably you to me too. And aaah emagic logic before Apple got their hands on it!

Thanks! I do need to calm it down with the compression. It’s partly habit, partly liking the sound to a degree but I often don’t notice how far I’ve taken it until after considering a track ‘finished’ and listening fresh. Also partly lack of skills with mixing and mastering haha.

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#1313

So I recently got myself a Roland Sp-606 to complement the 404 MKII and the Live and it delivers character is spades

Here it’s used with a sample pack I’m working on…

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#1314

Thanks man!

Regarding mixing/compression i guess the grass is always greener on the other side if you judge your own music. I always dislike my mixes listening back but that might just be me being overly critical of my own stuff. This might be the same for you, as your tracks always sounds great to me, even if the compression is noticable its always good sounding!

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#1315

This is the first track off the first thing I ever got released:

A 7" on Sheffield-based 7Hills record that came out in 2002. I went by Waxfactor at the time (and until the mid-to-late-00s). It wasn’t the very first thing I ever made but it was from the first collection of tracks I ever finished. Previously I’d just made 16 bar loops that I’d practice cutting over or mix accapellas on top of. I’d guess I made it around 2000/2001. There was a CDR with a bunch of stuff on there that included the 4 tracks from this 7", early versions of the tracks that were on my 12" EP and some semblance of the track that came out on Lex on the Lexoleum compilation. I gave copies to maybe half a dozen people (outside of friends) and 3 of them ended up releasing my stuff. Not a bad hit rate, all things considered! I’ve potentially got some slightly older stuff (1999, maybe) - I’ll have a dig through the old CDRs in the loft and see what can find.

John Peel played this 7" :cool:

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#1316

Love that

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#1317

Thanks mate! :slight_smile: Yeah I’m definitely my own worst critic too. I think it’s good to strive for better and improve but when it goes to the side of ‘this is all shit’ it isn’t healthy!

@PeteSasqwax, great track man and I checked the whole release on the YouTube channel. All top stuff. And super cool hit rate and Peel show plays! You are a demon on the cut too :hocho: Think I said via DM before but that Lex compilation was awesome and must have felt great to be surrounded by other dope artists.

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#1318

Ah, that’s very kind of you, man - very much appreciated!

Honestly, between getting played by John Peel and appearing on that Lex compilation, I pretty feel like I got all the validation I could ever wish for. Being on a slab of wax alongside Madlib, J-Zone, Dangermouse & Sage, Tacteel and my friend Omar (Supersoul) was unreal, not to mention the rest of the people on the CD version!

A few years earlier I did some of the cuts for the Superdense Child 10" on Apeman which ended up also being on a compilation with the likes of Major Force West who were also massive heroes of mine. It’s pretty insane, looking back on it!

Lots of life happened after that period (I’m father to 5 children and have 2 grandchildren, plus I got my master’s degree in music technology) which often meant that making music got pushed down the priorities list, but I wouldn’t change any of that (and I’m starting to make up the time now).

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