radio
Would like to know more about why KEXP sucks. They seem to me like npr’s World Cafe metastasized into a full on station: gatekeepers and a bit out it touch.
Awesome track, got my head bopping and you did a great job with the bookend vocal samples!
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Open battle winner!
- Microtribe
- Annihilation Squares
- 1-2
0 voters
Thanks for the kind words. When I first got that sample I thought I’d be using way more of the words and allowing some obvious passages of the sampled music but you see what I ended up with. It was fun though. This is the first beat challenge I’ve ever participated in and it’s because the prompt was so potentially interesting. “Here’s what record you get to sample” is not so exciting as a prompt for me. So thank you for devising this! I know the turnout was low but I had a great time and I enjoy the other three tunes in here.
About KEXP. I’m going to do my best to keep it short. First of all, amongst all the radio that currently exists in the USA, KEXP is just fine. In fact one of the best by my reckoning. The main thing really is that KCMU was so so SO much better. You’d hear far more variety in a day and there was much more of a local focus. The whole vibe felt very down to earth and now it feels like pretty close to the same stupid popularity contest as the rest of mainstream media but they’re pushing this smarmy smartypants hipster vibe. As a for instance, a few years back the host of the Saturday night metal show said multiple times on social media that they didn’t really give a shit about metal but was into having a cool job. What in the dadblanged fuck? And Rap Attack! That used to be the most positive culture forward thing on the radio. Maximus Clean was all about lifting up everybody and really trying to help further hiphop in Seattle. Which was the lord’s work because this has always been a town that’s low on actual hiphop content. Anyhow, they started talking all this Paul Allen KEXP business whenever it was and it was just in one ear and out the other. Even after they started calling themselves KEXP it was business as usual for a minute. Then one day I went to tune in my beloved Rap Attack and what I got was Street Sounds. No more Maximus Clean pumping everybody up and pushing a continuous “stop the player hatin’” message. All of a sudden it was goddamn Kutfather and Mister Supreme talking about how motherfuckers was stealin’ their light out at the club. Instead of a cool mix of hiphop from everywhere and from every level along with an AWESOME weekly phone-in rap battle we got whatever garbage these two were trying push on their mostly weakass label, mainstream bullshit, maybe a little something indy that was hot enough to break through these two dunderheads’ wall of image crafting dipshittery. And so much stupid fucking banter. So 20 years later now, the whole thing feels as though it’s been co-opted by some sort of weird hipster elite who are more into showing everybody they’re up to the minute with all the same shit that’s already well known to be ‘cool’ on the internet. If you live and make music here you can pretty much forget about all that live in studio video stuff. That’s strictly for already famous people. I mean I think they do like one event a year where they act like they care about local music but again, it’s gatekept tenaciously and you’re far better off simply knowing somebody who works there than building up a situation where your band (or whatever) regularly sellout local venues to the point where people who actually pay attention to local happenings would realize that your band (or whatever) is indeed hot.
I COULD GO ON. Forever. So I’ll shut up. Also I hate when I’m all negative like this so I’ll probably not comment further on KEXP.
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Listening to the John In The Morning Show back in 1998, time for a station ID
“Hi, I’m John’s girlfriend, and when I’m having sex with another man, I listen to the John In The Morning Show on 90.1 KCMU”
Hilarious.
Or is it 90.3? I can’t remember…
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That was absolutely beautiful.
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Oh snap! We have a tie?!? Well I’ll let you guys figure out the next one. Congratulations @1-2 & @Microtribe!
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Voting has only been open a day. Might be a good idea to make a seperate post with the entries, and the poll. Give it a week ?
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I’m cool with that! My daughter is home this week for “fall break” so I’m super busy and distracted right now. Let the voters keep voting
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Ha, we can just keep waiting, listening to the sound of crickets chirping.
I kind of forgot about this maybe you should just take it. How do we get more people in on these?
Seriously, I’m pretty sure there’s at least a few people on this forum that like to make music
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I would have given this one a go had I not found it too late, this was right up my alley. Although maybe it turns out it wasn’t too late.
Been keeping an eye out for the next one.
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I don’t know what to do I couldn’t have possibly given this anymore energy. Seems outside of hip hop, a beat battle is not interesting to this community.
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As far as sample directive goes this is the most interesting battle I’ve seen!
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Yeah no complaints on your great idea. I didn’t find much time for it but I still wanted to get something out, people don’t have to bring their best to get in on this. These are fun and get you to make something different than what you would normally make.
I don’t think we should give up yet.
Not a comment towards you, just hoping even just a few more people would join these or at least listen/vote drop a comment. It would make it more interesting.
I like doing these, so I hope it dosent fizzle out.
Cheers to the few participants 
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I want to say i was really busy, but the truth is that i was in a depressive/creative slump and wasnt touching my machines at all.
These Battles/Challenges are great for getting you to do something different. I love them.
But id agree that the Hip Hop ones kinda step on any other one that is going on at the same time.
I am on the otherside of this slump and looking up, and forward to the next challenge. I promise my participation.
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@malus_mons it was nothing you did or didnt do. If you look at the previous ones, participant level varies massively. The drone one had pages of entrants.
@1-2 that’s what I get from them, an interesting brief to give you a challenge to try something you dont normally do.
Ive never even opened the Hip hop battle thread, because I’m not interested in making or listening to hip hop.
For me, Ive always thought the word battle is problematic. Its not about ‘winning’. The ‘Open’ bit for me meant, ‘inclusive’ as in open to all, no matter what gear you have or dont have, what genre you favour, or what level of proficiency you think you have. I prefer the term “Open Challenge” .
Some of my favourites since I started giving them a go have been, the drone one, the no reverb one, the single take no edit one, the FM radio one, the hard panned one. Anyway, @malus_mons , this one is your breif, so its your call to announce the winner, the Open Challenge will continue 
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Since @1-2 is currently doing the hip hop battle and you guys tied I say you @Microtribe are the winner, and can do the next one. Agree the word “battle” works in the hip hop genre since it’s part of the culture/history but not so much for other styles or artists.
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This sound like a direct influence of podcasting. It’s now show centric instead of drive time.
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Thanks!
Ok I’ll have a think and see what my brain cooks up.
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