You want beats? We got 'em...

[kevinmathie]

Quote:I know nothing abut HIP hop but I feel its about 50bpm too slowJInteresting. That's the second comment on this thread about needing to speed this song up. So, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I didn't go quite 50bpm faster, but tell me what this does to the piece:The original was at 105 bpm, but here are two selections at:115 bpmand, as per kelysian's suggestion,132 bpmWhat do you think? Does the speed turn this track into something other than Hip Hop, or does it help? Should I push it to around 155 like Carr suggested?

[matto]

Quote:What do you think? Does the speed turn this track into something other than Hip Hop, or does it help? Should I push it to around 155 like Carr suggested?Kevin, listen to any Hip Hop station for an hour or two and you'll have your answer...that's what I mean by "getting into the style". Hint: You're very unlikely to hear anything above 120, and the bulk of the stuff will be below 100

[kevinmathie]

Hey Matto,Thanks for weighing in this. So, since this isn't really right for a hip hop listing, is there a genre that it would be good for with a little tweaking?It's not that I mind scrapping the whole thing -- god knows I have sheets and sheets of sketches in my music notebook that will probably never see the light of day -- but, if it could be made to work somewhere else, I don't want to overlook a possibility.Thanks!Kevin

[triviul]

It doesn't sound like hip-hop to me for a number of reasons. Tempo-wise, I tend to think of hip-hop as primarily 85-105bpm, and preferably 90-100bpm, so your track is already sitting at the upper edge I'd say. The drums aren't nearly loud enough or gritty enough, and you're using much too much reverb to my ears. Personally, I'd avoid reverb completely while writing, unless you're using the odd plate or spring as a special effect. You could probably argue that your strings sounds are too hi-fi for hip-hop too -- if you were programming on an MPC and a bunch of S&S sound modules, as many producers still are, then you're never going to get anything sounding as plush as that. A lot of hip-hop makes a virtue the cheesiness of the sounds its using. By the same token, the live drum fill would most likely come off vinyl in a hip-hop track, so I'd at least use a vinyliser effect of some type to give this impression, even if you aren't planning to sample off vinyl.Just my tuppence worth, and I'm not any kind of expert I'm afraid.

[mazz]

Hi Kevin,I'd put this more in the urban-influenced electronica/dance category. Just so you know: I have zero street cred when it comes to hip hop but I live in a neighborhood where I hear it a lot as some of my neighbors drive by the house or throw a party on Friday night. But I think everyone has given some good advice here and I would have to say that your track didn't sound raw enough. It had a bit too much polish and not enough slamming in the drums (lows and low mids hitting me in the chest). Hip hop is a huge business now but its roots are with people making beats and recordings on second hand equipment that nobody wanted anymore when the DX7 came out. 808s and 909s were going for next to nothing back in the day so those instruments became the root sounds of hip hop, along with the MPC and the Emu SP1202 drum machine. So low-fi (8bit sounding) samples, short string hits (not much memory on those old boxes), very little reverb, samples from records (or faux vinyl sounds) etc. are all the basic aesthetic that you start with and move from there.Your piece here is heading in the direction of The Crystal Method or Chemical Brothers although not quite as hard hitting. You might check those folks out because maybe there's something in there that you might click with. This is not to discourage you from making more hip-hop, just more food for thought if you want to check it out.I admire your bravery in stepping in to this style. Keep going and let us hear your progress.Mazz

[liamkelly]

KevinPlease come back to this thread and let us know if the track was forwarded or not. I'd be inetrested.In your favour, the listing asks for a broad range of urban styles and mentions possible corporate clients.Not in your favour is the offer of a 5 yr exclusive. Top bar.I think it's an interesting track. And I'm wondering if there's a screener who just might pass it on. It does sound a bit polished though.Liamwww.myspace.com/liamkellymusic