Producer Dame Grease tells his preference for hardware equipment, but still likes to use everything ranging from the Akai MPC 2000 & 3000, Fruity Loops, GarageBand, and Reason. Later on he offers a beat critique and advises producers to keep in mind that a vocalist will eventually need to be heard over a track.
Oddisee talks about his working on Jazzy Jeff’s album The Magnificent, production equipment, and tastes in record digging. He claims to use only an ASR-X and dig for records by cover art… judging by his work it’s not a bad way to approach things. Check the full interview.
Illmind, Roddy Rod, and Fel Sweetenburg take to the stage at Beat Society and give us a taste of live production. Anyone else catch the George Benson sample?
Harlem producer Ron Browz tells of getting his start as a producer with equipment left behind by incarcerated label owners, working with Big L, and surprise of finding out that his track for Nas’ "Ether" was targeted at Jay Z. Read the complete interview
Producer Ron Browz (Ludacris, Nas, 50 Cent, Jim Jones, Joe Budden) talks about the importance of studying production (drum patterns, tempo, eq, instrumentation, bass, etc.), keeping your ear to the street, and staying in touch with trends.
Sampling producers and DJ’s may want to check out the latest offering from MIT Press entitled Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture. The book examines remix culture and remaking of derivative works through a collection of essays from such notable artists like Chuck D, DJ Spooky, Saul Williams, and more. The book also comes … Read more
Last night June 23rd, 2008, The Beverley Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles hosted the 21st Annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards with guest presenters MC Lyte, Ne-Yo, and T-Boz on hand to see superproducer Timbaland awarded Songwriter of the Year. The award represents the third time Timbaland has been honored, with this time being recognition of … Read more
DJ Premier talks about his original name Waxmaster C, the importance of preserving elements of original Hip-Hop, and talks about which Gangstarr album is his personal favorite. He even goes on to lightly address his relationship with Guru and his signature sound. Gotta love Primo… when pressed about how large his vinyl collection is he … Read more
Didn’t you know that Legos make you beats better? Brickshelf hooks us up with flicks of a lego reproduction of the Nord Lead synth. And you though circuit bending was next level. [via Boing Boing]
Beatsmith Nicolay hits us off with his version of what a Top 10 album list should look like. The usual suspects like Abbey Road, The Mothership Connection, and Rumours are covered, but he didn’t hesitate to throw in a surprise like The Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up to keep us scratching our heads. Check the full … Read more