Beats, Beats and More Beats

Wow, let me dust off the cobwebs on this blog. It’s been a LONG minute since I’ve last posted. I have some stuff in the drafts that I had been working on, but honestly I just haven’t really been focused on writing. Pretty much all of my focus and attention has been put into what’s in this video: producing. I first fell in love with producing and beats during the Jay-Z Roc-A-Fella/ Cam’ron Dipset days. The beats have always been my main focus when it came to music and I feel like it was only a matter of time before I dove in and learned how to do it myself.

I’ve attempted to learn how to produce two previous times in my life. The first was back in high school, where I downloaded a cracked copy of Fruity Loops. I just made a bunch of shitty beats with the stock sounds in the DAW. Didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t even understand sampling or bpms or anything. I just put sounds together and made a cd worth of crappy beats. After I graduated and went on to college, producing became an afterthought

Later, after finishing up my degree, I ended up moving back home and during that time of trying to piece my life together and figure shit out, I picked up producing again. This time, I bought a midi controller (an Akai MPK I think) and downloaded a cracked version of Sony Acid. This ended up being a very short lived attempt because I honestly just didn’t put enough energy into learning how to use the DAW and I had so many other things to deal with, like trying to figure out what I’m doing with myself. That stress combined with a lack of understanding of what midi even was, added with the frustration of just wanting to make stuff without having the patience to even learn, resulted in me selling the controller after about two weeks.

However, last winter, the curiosity came back to me again. I had been trying to find a creative outlet that fit me. I was painting and drawing, writing (how this blog started), etc. etc, but none of these mediums felt like they were my thing. I liked them, but I didn’t LOVE them. I really don’t remember what sparked the idea that I got interested in producing again, but this time around, I had the right mindset and patience to really learn. The timing was just right. Next thing I know, I bought an SP 404sx and here I am. I absolutely love beat making. I wake up every morning, excited and ready to work. It’s a never ending learning process, but I’ve progressed a lot within my first full year of growth.

The lab aka Shanty Town Studios

This video above was from my very first beat set back in June 2018. Special shout out to A Beat Happening, a monthly beat maker showcase here in Portland, for inviting me to come and play a set at their event. I was nervous as hell, but I received a lot of positive reception and it was a success. Since then, I’ve played a couple more sets.

Currently, I’m working on a beat tape (if I could just stop being a perfectionist) that should be finished soon and I have three sets coming up later this month, which I’m both excited and stressed over.

Here’s a link to my Soundcloud. It’s currently under construction and hasn’t been updated very much, as I’m focusing on releasing a full body of work, rather than just dropping a whole bunch of loose beats.

I will keep the blog updated on what’s happening. Stay Tuned!