MPC Part 2
When you are learning something new, things can take time and these latest attempts at making beats are full of errors, so be forewarned!
I’ve been watching a lot of music making videos on YouTube and enjoying learning about how music has been made. From Hans Zimmer, Massive Attack, DJ Premier, 9th Wonder and more. From the theory of sampling as understood by people in the US and those Jungle, Garage, Drum and Bass artists out of the UK like El-B and MJ Cole, it’s taken me a long time to understand how music works.
Learning that many of my favorite tracks were made using samples has been eye opening. From Erykah Badu beats, J Dilla’s work, De La Soul, Arrested Development, there is a thread of sampling that runs through music history. Its taking someone else’s creation and making it your own, like all artists many start out by copying and imitating, some are innovate, think Jimi Hendrix with Machine Gun on the Band of Gypsies Album, wow what a track!
For these three tracks I’ve sampled a number of albums but the three that I will list are Albert Kings ‘I want to Get Funky’, Ibrahim Malouf - Capacity to Love and an album by BOP (A Russian minimalist DNB artist) which one I am not sure. These days sampling is difficult because artists have to get clearance, combined with the AI, and other production techniques music making is increasingly complicated.
These are unreleased, unsigned and I make no attempt to make money out of these tracks, they are for educational purposes and are showing my evolution in beat making.
“Artistic expression is purely a vehicle for expressing one’s spirit and soul”.
Garry Shandling.
What this music says about me is part of why I am enjoying making music. You don’t know what is going to come out of you, taking the journey is the experience, is the fun part. I am still learning and have a lot to learn, my music will improve if I practice if I create or not, in the end it’s somewhat irrelevant, what relevant is the journey, the expression its self, its all for the self, yet its now self absorbed.
MPC EXperiment begins
I purchased an MPC XSE for my birthday, as I figured I wasn’t going anywhere, time to make some beats. I don’t drive, live in an isolated area, it’s hot and I am helping to take care of my Father whom has ALS. These are a few sketches I made while learning how to chop samples. They are basic, unmixed and not finished, but you can see my thinking or rather not. I am a long way off, the MPC has a steep learning curve, but I am enjoying my time on the machine, I hope I can make some nice beats.
Mix 1!
Artists included in this mix: Marvin Gaye, Rosie Lowe, Dam Funk, Roots Manuva, Chronixx, Grace Jones, Hans Zimmer, Special Request, Bop, Anthony Hamilton, Calibre, Seba, DJrum, deadmau5, Charles Bradley, Melissa Fortin.
My first attempt at recording a Djay mix. All music has been purchased and no attempt to monetize these mixes has been made. These are for your enjoyment, and unlike streaming services, all the music in my mixes I pay for, so music goes towards the artist, hopefully!