Elektronauts Hip Hop Beat Battle #6 - Tribe edition - Voting & Feedback

The Lounge Mission Briefs
#21

Winner

Sleepyhead - shit is elegant. Everything just fits together perfectly and sounds great. I like it a whole lot.

Runners up

Synu - I think in part because of the way you used the vocal, this kind of reminded me of Premier’s remix of Lady. But what it reminded me of most were those big Lord Finesse beats from the mid 90s. The Awakening era. Super dope.

Looms - I liked this one a lot. You gave it a completely different vibe. It feels updated.

Also, the “yeahs” on mine was crowd noise from the beginning of Yabba’s sample.

Honorable mentions: Yabba and rnzr, the performance was dope

7 Likes
#22

Ok, so I had to roll some dice here:

Winner:
@Sleepyhead

Almost winners
@rnzr
@PineappleDave

7 Likes
#23

Just listened to everything again in my studio… It was very difficult to pick a top 3 but here it is:

Winner:
@Synu Really great track. The bare structure of drums bass and stabs is enough to make this a banger. I love all the little details and scratching.

Runners Up:
@Yabba the quality of your stuff is consistently great. Love the chops on this one, and you made it sound like a the samples where made for each other. Great job!
@Doug This is one of my favourites from you. It sounds really full and detailed and the overall groove is great. It’s more ‘tribe-like’ than what you usually make, so props for doing that for this battle.

My notes on the others:

  • rnzr Dope video, great track, and great performance on the DT. I feel like I would like it better without the acapella though…
  • phaelam I like these drums a lot. The overall sound of your track really fits tribe, great job.
  • rockpapergoat As I said before, different from your usual style, but it still has that dirty and unexpected quality to it you always have. I laughed out loud at the ‘foei sax!’ (this translates into something like: Shame on you , sax!).
  • drrumble Love these drums a lot! This was very close to making my top3, but I like it better without the acapella as well I think. The beat itself has a very dreamy/nostalgic quality to it, which I would love to hear as an instrumental on your next DT beattape.
  • FNKSTRNG Cool buildup on the track. Yours really sounds like something original instead of like the samples you used, which is dope!
  • PineappleDave Great intro/loop! I heard that piece and was wondering of anyone would use it. The swing on this is very original. I think you’ll do great on the mpc if this is any indication.
  • Maisin: Dope sample chopping! I like the second loop you did very much, it reminds me of a homeboy sandman track.
  • looms Props for hosting this battle, and this is another great track from you. You seem to have a recognisable sound which I think is one of the best things you can have as a producer. You were also close to my top3 but I had to make a choice…

Overall great tracks again guys! Honourable mention to you all. I really like these more limited battles best I think, it really forced you to be creative, and I’m also more impressed by all of your tracks because I know exactly what you had to work with.

Peace!

10 Likes
#24

Hi everyone.

I think the standard was the highest this week considering the to tools to work with so to speak.

1: Sleepyhead
Great stuff, kind of like a 4th disciple beat
The sort of instrumental I listen too everyday.

2: rznr
Really professional sounding, love it.

3: Doug
Sounds like a tribe beat, which was the flex I was going for but wasn’t as successful as this lol
Nice work!

Quick other mentions

Looms
I couldn’t decide between yourself and the other runners up and I could easily change my mind on a different day.

Drrumble
love this, it’s quite similar to the track I originally made with the sample I posted, nice!

Phaelam
Nice quirky beat, fun to listen too.

And everyone else as usual amazing work by all, I’m gonna try comment for every beat next time round.

See you on the next one.

6 Likes
#25

1nce again (sorry, i had to), picking a top 3 was super tough. all of you stepped up. narrowing constraints for the contest really helped focus this one. it was interesting to hear people’s interpretations of the source material and getting ideas from how everyone chopped it up. shout out to all who stepped out of their comfort zone to contribute to this round, too. here are my top picks and feedback:

  1. @doug: my man, this is good. vocals flow. the chops are tight. i thought your last one was your best yet but was wrong. that little bass line in the back hits just right. great work, yo.
  2. @looms: damn, that’s a jam. i love that underwater vibe throughout. bass line bubbles underneath. vocals work really well over the top. really nice structure and mix here even though you said it was rushed.
  3. @sleepyhead: dang, these drums feel like dusty late night rhythms. in my mind, i can see the quilt in that bass drum. love the sax, the ghost-like phife, the space around elements. just straight up classic sounds from you, man. good stuff.

yabba: oof… those string plucks and background string swells go so well together. the understated old school bass line fits. the whole things feels so solid. love the chops and flow, the nod to tribe with the lyrics.

synu: rough and ready… drums are tough. i dig the airy atmosphere around the chops tying things together and the melding of lyric samples. i want a longer song! so tight.

rnzr: nice work with the DT! that rising bass line really brings something unique to this. good use of the acapellas. the chops all jive really well. i kinda wish the mix were a little brighter or more defined. solid, solid stuff.

phaelam: and you said you were the worst! sounds pretty good for a short and sweet entry. you made some nice chop selections. good work, and congrats on getting back into it.

drrumble: classic beat, airy chops in the background; i dig the vocal flourishes and clarinet or sax here. i’d like to hear a longer instrumental version of this.

fnkstrng: dig the arrangement. the chops are simple and effective. i agree about the beers messing up the acapella sync, though. i can totally envision someone flowing over the instrumental version of this.

pineappledave: oho, the music box intro! nice maiden voyage on mpc. is that bass line sequenced chromatic chops of the double bass? acapella works well over the chopped beat. i like the breakdowns in the middle.

maisin: comes out blazing with the strings and distant drums. this track covers a lot of ground despite its short duration. nice varied chops. dope track…

here are two more of mine that didn’t make the cut. one’s kinda disjointed. there were maybe 2 or 3 unfinished tracks from this session that i may return to later. we’ll see.


8 Likes
#26

That first one is absolutely amazing man… the drums and weird sample manipulation sound great. I actually like this one more than the one you submitted though I can also see why you chose that one.

1 Like
#27

thanks, yo. i really appreciate your kind words. the one i entered felt more cohesive, but there’s definitely more going on with that other one. it was a little more raw. plus, i forget what the processing on the bass was in my entry, but i kinda dug the weird psycho-acoustic feeling it had.

#28

Really tough to choose a top 3 there were some awesome entries, but here we go:

  1. @rnzr great structure throughout, enjoyed every part of it
  2. & 3) @rockpapergoat (drum chops and so many other neat little elements) and @Yabba (melody works well, horn chops were spot on)

Here are my other, brief notes from when I was listening (won’t @ everyone):

Synu - heavy bass frequencies, scratching was good to hear

Sleepyhead - loved the choral and horn chops

Phaelem - delay use worked really well

DrRumble - samples blended with the acapella great

Fnkstrng - ethereal vibe through the beat, scratching noises were a good touch

Pineapple Dave - loved the skittering drums and the descending baseline

Doug - nice, clean beat as usual, liked the repeats of “once again” to top and tail

Looms - track bounces! Smart use of the chops

I found this one though, but so many of you made dope beats, props!

7 Likes
#29

Aight so here we gooo!
Winner: @Sleepyhead!

This just works so well. Simple but effective bassline, well made chops, (I especially love the choir sample), great sounding drums, with the occasionally pitched down hi-hat and vinyl crackle on the snare, all tied together with a vocal sample delayed just right. Love the sense of space with the subtle reverb as well. All in all, bumpin’. (Love the video visuals too).

Runners Up:

@phaelam Dude this is sick. Kinda trippy, with a field recording/sound collage vibe to it. Sounds like something I’d find on an old tape bought in a thriftshop. I want more.

@rnzr Fits the a-capella like a glove. Enough variation to keep things interesting, but doesn’t distract from the vocals. Catchy sample chops too. I will say that it did sound a bit quiet to me compared to the other tracks, but I fixed the issue by turning my headphones up a bit. :slight_smile:

Everyone else:

Yabba – Ooo, I dig that sax sample my dude. Nice bass line too. You were definitely in contention for the podium. A bit shorter would’ve been better is the only criticism I have of it. Great work.

Synu – The scratching was the highlight of the beat for me, very cool. I’ve got a lot of respect for those of you who can scratch. Big up.

rockpapergoat – Not really one of my favorites from you, as the low end felt rather oppressive. But, once again, I can feel your style in your track, which speaks to your consistency. I did like the part with the female vocal, that sounded cool.

drrumble – Yo, if those drums sound “bad” to you, then the original version must have some insane drums, cuz this version was some slappin’ drums.

FNKSTRNG – Yeah, I can tell that the a capella is a bit off. :sweat_smile: But hey we all make mistakes so who cares. :grin:

Doug – You were also in the running, and eliminating you was quite difficult. You clearly have a mastery of the Digitakt. Much respect to you mate.

Maisin – I dig that harp section you got in the middle of the track. Good chops too.

Looms – I agree with you that your mix is a bit interesting (to my ears at least), but the song itself is well structured, with enough variation to satisfy the ear while the rappers do their thing. Cool intro too.

My general takeaway from this is that it gets harder and harder each time to pick a winner. :joy: and this is only the third Battle that I’ve been in! Big ups to everyone who participated! Can’t wait to see y’all in the next one. Many thanks to all of you who enjoyed/gave feedback on my track. :slight_smile:

(@rockpapergoat, the bass line is just what was played in the Youth sample. I actually tried to add in an actual bass line, but it sounded awful, so I muted it. :joy:)

Cheers y’all!

8 Likes
#30

i‘m really sorry, still in the hospital, the wifi is down and i barley manage to have LTE on my mobile. so i cant type a whole lot about my vote:

it was really tough as i struggled between a couple of entries.

my vote goes to @looms flip as it feels so fresh and oldschool at the same time; hard at words (especially on mobile).

the runners up are @sleepyhead for his crazy deep atmosphere, the lovely bassline and the clinical use of the AR (BIASED, i guess as i got myself a mk1 recently and cant wait to use it)

and @Yabba as it feels in my opinion the most authentic to what old school hiphop should sound like.

hope this wasnt too late, fun compo and thanks for the kind words. cant wait to take part in the next beat battle! big ups everyone, listening and ‚judging‘ was a pleasure.

7 Likes
#31

No problem man, I hope you’re ok!

Thanks everyone for taking the time to listen to them all, feedback and vote. I think I’ve added up points right but will double check and announce in a bit :raised_hands:

2 Likes
#32

Hope I’ve got this right :grimacing: (someone please step in if I’ve fucked it)

We have a winner! Congratulations to @Sleepyhead air horn air horn air horn air horn
Very well deserved :+1::+1::+1: Love that bass line :fire:

Not far behind is @rnzr in second, followed by @Doug and myself in joint third.

1nce again (sorry), well done to all. Really enjoyed everyone’s tracks and hope everyone enjoyed making them.

Big up and on to the next :doughnut:

11 Likes
#33

Damn guys, thanks for the votes and all the great feedback, I feel honoured! This round, I feel like all of us could’ve legitimately ended up with the most votes because the overall level of tracks was amazing across the board. I guess voting was a matter of taste more than of skill or quality, because some of you outshined me in those departments for sure!

I genuinely feel like these battles made me better at making beats. In the first few battles I never got close to the top 3 (and deservedly so) which really motivated me to learn new stuff and practice chopping samples on the AR. I learned a lot from all of you guys, so thanks for that. Special thanks to @looms for being a great host and also a big inspiration production wise.

I guess I’ll disqualify myself for the next one now, though I would very much love to be part of it in some way. I’ll check in with @rnzr for hosting the next battle, and I think we’ll take @rockpapergoat’s advice and give us all a little time to breathe before starting the next round. I really enjoy the new rules which give us less materials to use than the first couple of battles, what do you guys think?

9 Likes
#34

Props man! Your beats are always so dope!
I’m okay to stick on rules with not much samples :wink:

Here is the beat i made didn’t respecting the rules, this was my first shot, i was sad that i cannot use it for the battle🤫:

7 Likes
#35

Very nice!

2 Likes
#36

I think both are dope man, just a different vibe. Bass on this one is nice!

2 Likes
#37

Thanks for the kind words man :slight_smile:

This is only my second battle and both had the less materials rule and I struggle enough coming to decisions with these limits so may never finish anything given more choice :joy:

2 Likes
#38

I agree I much prefer less choice so I don’t end up making another beat for every sample I like that gets posted up during the week then not knowing which one to post lol.
I’m willing to use just one sample so I’m definitely happy with three if we are doing a similar thing again.

Also happy with more breathing space between battles but it would be good from a completely selfish point of view to get the battle up by the weekend as that’s pretty much the only time I get to work on stuff.

Well done to the winners this week :slightly_smiling_face:

5 Likes
#39

In the spirit of sharing our alt versions and outtakes thought I’d stick this up. The beginning is kinda where I was at before trying to integrate more of the samples and I still prefer it in some ways. Change up near the end with the Saxo sample taking the melody - some silly shit but was fun jamming :slight_smile:

7 Likes
#40

@drrumble this one is a bit cleaner sounding, but I actually really like the sound of that drumbreak you used in the other version. Great track either way.

@looms another dope one! Your tracks always sound very finished and complete to me.

2 Likes