Elektronauts Hip Hop Beat Battle #9 - Motherland edition
Beatmakers and Elektronauts, thanks for your patience - “Once again its on!”
When the dust settled on our respective beat making gear since February’s beat battle, @Unifono and @surfacescan were given the honour to host this beat battle. We wanted a battle that had two elements: gave beatmakers a chance to reconnect back to the original motherland (Africa) and also contribute some samples (self made or by others) that represent where you are from. The goal is to create a bunch of beats that honour both “Where we are from AND where we are at” (in the slightly updated immortal words of Rakim )
We have heard that this represents our most ambitious battle yet in terms of rules and phases. So here is a quick breakdown:
Phase one is about sampling something local that represents where you are from, to be shared with this cypher.
Phase two is about combining these samples with some tracks from Africa to make your beat.
Phase three is a blindfolded beat judging that everyone who sbumits a beat, participates in…
Since there are a couple of new technicalities we are introducing in this edition to pull it off, please pay attention:
Phase one:
Sample local: Sample up to 15 seconds of sound (.WAV format) you would like to contribute to the battle. This should be something that represents where you are from. Keep your fellow beatmakers in mind when choosing. Imagine that you are contributing material you yourself would love to use in a beat! It can be:
a sample of something/anything you created now or in the past
a sample of another artist that represents where you are from
Post your sounds (one .wav file) in this thread and explain to the crew:
why you chose it - tell the story - add some meaning and context to the sound.
an image to go along with it (photo of your gear, landscape of the place, album/ cassette artwork - whatever)
where this sound originated
google maps location of the origin of the sample
[Deadline for Phase one: Tuesday March 15th]
Phase two:
Sample from the motherland:[Starting Thursday March 17th] @Unifono and @surfacescan will post two tracks from Africa that you will use in addition to any of the sounds contributed by the group (a .zip file that we will share).
Get busy - Make your beat
Rule 1: Must use two sounds that the group contributed (from .zip file)
Rule 2: Must use a sample from both African tracks submitted by @Unifono and @surfacescan
Rule 3: Aside from any drum sounds you want, no other samples to be used
As a second generation, these rules just sent me back in full identity crisis mode (half joking here). As someone living abroad either of my native and origin countries, it is the cherry on top of the cake (cake that was already a lie). Ok, I am game to find something!
For the sample from Africa, if suggestion are needed : Tabu Ley Rochereau - Pitié
He is the father of Youssoupha (French/Congolese Rapper) that take that track to make an tribute to his father in this song called My father’s records :
Yo this is a sick idea! Blindfolded beat judging will be really interesting to try.
Quick question though: Is the google maps portion necessary? I’m fine telling my general location but I’d like to keep where I exactly live private, know what I’m sayin’?
I love this one. For me there is no better way to learn than to dive deep into it and try to swim. Good luck everyone. I look forward to hearing these.
I really wanna do one of these, but I’ve just started a little techno project and my work-rate isn’t fast enough to do this as well. Have fun all. I’ll pop in now and then to listen to progress.
14 second edit of pops, tape mechanics, radio recordings and childhood aural curiosities from my first ever cassette tape, recorded on my first ever piece of music technology. (so these sounds were recorded over 1985-89 most likely).
meaning and context edit: i was a 4-8 years old, so the ability to capture time and play it back was a head blower. the tape contains some personal shit, my mum and dad, my first dog, friends, lots of fake radio shows with music off radio, dramatic stories, many fart noises. i must’ve recorded over it hundreds of times so some sections have this wonderful degradation and motor noise. for this challenge i thought editing out some of the Fisher Price mechanics, tape stretching and unit noise would be most interesting for hits and textures.
Great idea on this setup! I’ve already spent my journey home from work contemplating which sample to share with you guys.
Also looking forward to hear all the stories behind the samples provided, since I know all you guys’ music and ideas on music, but hardly anything about where ya’ll are from.
I’m in there like swimwear. Have a new piece of kit arriving in the mail tomorrow so this will be perfect for it (MPC Live). I’ve been making and recording a lot of hip hop both instrumental and otherwise so I’m excited to see what I can do. I’ll be back with contributions later today.
)
[Deadline for Phase one: Tuesday March 15th] 
beat listening 
and voting session 
which we will start in a new thread
