Fight #372: DJ Excellence vs. BiggChev
[Fight Ends: 4 days, 11 hours, 30 minutes left]
Beat This! Beat This! Competition - August 6-7, 2025
- Thread starter Fade
- Start date
-
WarzoneThe next Warzone Beat Battle is set for August 12-16th!
For me, theme battles, it goes pretty much like this...
> Is it Hip-Hop?
> Is the quality even of a standard to be considered?
> Is it hitting the theme?
> How much 'theme' is it?
> Does this beat feel good?
> How technically/mentally good was this beat?
> Mix quality?
Iron-ically, I famously championed the feel/vibe over the mix. And I actually still do!
It just happens that lately, my mixing, my ear, my monitoring all stepped up a level, so now it's a lot more 'apparent' to me.
However, a new paradigm shift has allowed me to settle back to going 'which beat fucking feels good', with mix also being a consideration (the mix actually contributes to this feel too; sometimes a bad mix can give more feel, and sometimes the beat can have feel despite the mix).
Tho there's a lot of science involved, music is Art. And Art is about emotion and feeling.
Jimothy Swing
Beatmaker
Battle Points: 20
I joined this forum on like day 2 of trying to learn music production, with no experience and no formal education, just a little bit of natural singing talent and taste in several different styles of music. I gravitated to a hip-hop forum mainly because I was really feeling A Tribe Called Quest at the time. (RIP Phife.)
Honestly, it's mostly the support I keep coming back for. Even when my music was really, really, obnoxiously, almost comically bad, people listened to it and helped me understand what was bad (and good) about it so I could get better. @Iron Keys in particular stands out in this area, hence me tagging him in these threads and pestering him for feedback. Always appreciated. I know I'm a novice and don't mind looking foolish if it helps me improve.
The support is key. There are a few others along with Iron that are great about giving pointed, actionable, feedback. @Mike Chief @attila and @Opium Dave for example have some great insights!
Jimothy Swing
Beatmaker
Battle Points: 20
Love and respect, sensei.
Jimothy Swing
Beatmaker
Battle Points: 20
BTW, please tag me in this post so I don't miss it. This is definitely a point of interest for me.
Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
RESULTS!
See what went down: https://www.illmuzik.com/beat-battles/archives/cat/bthis/battle/376/
Props to all those that entered, and to those that took the time to vote.
See what went down: https://www.illmuzik.com/beat-battles/archives/cat/bthis/battle/376/
Props to all those that entered, and to those that took the time to vote.
Congrats @oninkaf - Really cool use of the sample! The drum break and that heavy ass sub bass are fire! Lots of bounce and groove here. This beat does a great job of percolating and getting you to nod your head or tap your foot. Personally, the glitched sample and the synth pads weren't doing it for me. I think the sample as, with the glitch as a tail to end a phrase or fill would've been cooler. The pads also have a bit of dissonance to them. I feel like they would serve better for a video game trailer or the likes. All cool sounds, but maybe not all together.
@DJ Excellence - probably my favourite beat in general. Everything about this is dope! That being said, I think a bit more synth would've made this a shoe in to win. No real comments, another fucking banger!
@attila - Big, bold, and unique. Love the intro. This has a complextro vibe to it that I quite like. While I love the glitches/stutters and general sound selection - I think a more distinct straight ahead melody of sorts would really tie this together. While there is nice melodic theme to the back half, it's not for long and the piece as a whole could use a more traditional through line rather than the glitch stuff. Outside of that, I really enjoyed this beat.
@Mike Free Music - Great dreamy/synthwave open. The mix let you down her man. Like the harmonic stuff that comes in around 0:41 is really sweet and beautiful, but it's buried soo far in the mix that it doesn't add that extra emotion the way it would a bit more up front. Also with the mix, the hi-hats are louder than the snare. With that synthwave sound I was hoping for a big gated reverb snare that represents the 80s. Personally, lots of great 'music' in here, I would revisit the mix.
@Ayatollah Herbs - Nice bounce with the drums. I like that you kept them light and jittery - serves the beat well especially against the big, roomy bass. Sound selection and instrumentation is great on this too! One thing I like about your music in general is that you're not afraid of the brighter sounds. Lots of plucks, and twang to your beats that have this cool edge and adds lots of character.
@Coltorki - Definitely got some synths in there! It's a bit too disjointed though. Synths, to sample, to synths, and back to sample. I do like how you were able to translate the female vocal melody over to the synths. Mix needs some work, but keep grinding!
@E.D - I know it's a K-Waz5000 beat when the drums knock me off my chair and my chest collapses from the punch lol. I was curious to see how you'd approach this theme. With all the respect, you are something of a traditionalist - and I have a sense of what music you prefer to sample. This was cool. I mentioned earlier it's hard figuring out how deep to get into the theme. For me, I went "synths? ok..80s!" which seems like the logical thought for me - so I appreciate that you didn't go EDM or 80s. Now to the hospital to see about caved in sternum!
@Iron Keys - This is a dope beat. Goes without saying, mix is fresh AF. The funky, near G Funk, sound is all vibes. Love that delayed synth on the "2-and." Reminds me of a patch I used to use all the time on the Superwave P8. Chord progression has nice movement to it. I like that it sits in one place then moves toward the tail of the phrase. Where this fell down the totem pole for me was the melody at 1:00 and 1:22. Not sure if it's note selection or sound selection. I kinda like the synth of choice at 1:00, but the not so much the synth at 1:22. Again, just personal tastes...dope beat with a phat ass bass line!
@Jimothy Swing - I cruised through your SoundCloud, so I was fairly certain this was you. From what I've heard from you, this definitely has your hallmarks. Two things, the mix and instrument selection...or rather sound instrument treatment. It's a soft mix, that could use a bit more punch and generally be louder. Second, some reverbs, distortions, or saturation can really bring this to life and add texture and tone to the instruments/sounds used. That sine bass is super solid though.
@KomeKie - The speed ramps were not doing it for me, sorry bro. Also, if your melody is going to be a descending 5 note run, the sound selection and stuff around it needs to be perfect. I think the crying baby robot synth wasn't the best choice. The bell-like sounds were cool though, and a nice counter to the main line. Even doubling the main melody with the pad synth was clever, but Those elements are buried behind the foul kick and the main synth. A cleaner mix with use of some sidechain to create dynamic movement and giving each element their space would've really helped.
@Leopard Cohen - Again, living on the outskirts of conventional hip-hop, which I think you're most comfortable. Being more active on the site and battles, I start looking forward to your beats because you have such a unique style. One thing I quite liked about the back half of this beat was how it has a glitchy/stuttering feel with out a generic glitch or stutter SFX.
@Opium Dave - hope your shoulder is on the mend bro. The stompy kick with the claps are great. Not your best work, but considering you put this together quickly and were going to sit this week out, I respect that. I mean, there's nothing fundamentally "wrong" with this - others just were more synthy.
@P.A.T. - I'm curious what the original beat was before you switched gears to this one. Two things; I like the horn stabs and they fit the beat nicely, adding an extra dynamic, but I don't think the beat necessarily needed it. I quite like the sound selection here. Mix could be a bit more upfront. And that kick is wicked punchy!
@ppprods - Love the whole DX7 theme! I went through a digital/additive synth phase last year so I appreciate the sounds here. The glassy bells and pianos from the DX7 are soo dope! The vintage intro is really cool. The main theme has a cool bounce to it. I wish the bass matched the bounce - it kinda smothers the whole track. Also, the key modulation at 1:19 sounds like there may be something off either in note choice or dissonance. A brighter, bolder mix with punchier drums and side-chain could really bring out that bounce and groove.
@Stan1 - You need to get your mixes sorted bruh! Not sure what your writing/mixing environment is but...this sounds like my neighbour is playing music and I'm listening to it through a glass pressed to the wall or if someone put a heavy down blanket over your speakers. It's really hard to hear what's going on in the beat to provide any constructive feedback.
@them - Kick....snares?.....AND HI HATS! We're making progress bro! Much more coherent offering this week. No dissonance (to my ears) the bass fits nicely with the string line. Mix is a bit brighter and clearer. I really like that glide on the bass. Now just flesh out some more ideas that fit the vibe and the key and we're cooking with fire!
@V.J. Retro - I was curious who made this. I love this G-funk sound, in fact, I think it would've been a contender for the Dre battle a while back. Nailed that old school west-coast sound on this. Love it, give me 1000!
@DJ Excellence - probably my favourite beat in general. Everything about this is dope! That being said, I think a bit more synth would've made this a shoe in to win. No real comments, another fucking banger!
@attila - Big, bold, and unique. Love the intro. This has a complextro vibe to it that I quite like. While I love the glitches/stutters and general sound selection - I think a more distinct straight ahead melody of sorts would really tie this together. While there is nice melodic theme to the back half, it's not for long and the piece as a whole could use a more traditional through line rather than the glitch stuff. Outside of that, I really enjoyed this beat.
@Mike Free Music - Great dreamy/synthwave open. The mix let you down her man. Like the harmonic stuff that comes in around 0:41 is really sweet and beautiful, but it's buried soo far in the mix that it doesn't add that extra emotion the way it would a bit more up front. Also with the mix, the hi-hats are louder than the snare. With that synthwave sound I was hoping for a big gated reverb snare that represents the 80s. Personally, lots of great 'music' in here, I would revisit the mix.
@Ayatollah Herbs - Nice bounce with the drums. I like that you kept them light and jittery - serves the beat well especially against the big, roomy bass. Sound selection and instrumentation is great on this too! One thing I like about your music in general is that you're not afraid of the brighter sounds. Lots of plucks, and twang to your beats that have this cool edge and adds lots of character.
@Coltorki - Definitely got some synths in there! It's a bit too disjointed though. Synths, to sample, to synths, and back to sample. I do like how you were able to translate the female vocal melody over to the synths. Mix needs some work, but keep grinding!
@E.D - I know it's a K-Waz5000 beat when the drums knock me off my chair and my chest collapses from the punch lol. I was curious to see how you'd approach this theme. With all the respect, you are something of a traditionalist - and I have a sense of what music you prefer to sample. This was cool. I mentioned earlier it's hard figuring out how deep to get into the theme. For me, I went "synths? ok..80s!" which seems like the logical thought for me - so I appreciate that you didn't go EDM or 80s. Now to the hospital to see about caved in sternum!
@Iron Keys - This is a dope beat. Goes without saying, mix is fresh AF. The funky, near G Funk, sound is all vibes. Love that delayed synth on the "2-and." Reminds me of a patch I used to use all the time on the Superwave P8. Chord progression has nice movement to it. I like that it sits in one place then moves toward the tail of the phrase. Where this fell down the totem pole for me was the melody at 1:00 and 1:22. Not sure if it's note selection or sound selection. I kinda like the synth of choice at 1:00, but the not so much the synth at 1:22. Again, just personal tastes...dope beat with a phat ass bass line!
@Jimothy Swing - I cruised through your SoundCloud, so I was fairly certain this was you. From what I've heard from you, this definitely has your hallmarks. Two things, the mix and instrument selection...or rather sound instrument treatment. It's a soft mix, that could use a bit more punch and generally be louder. Second, some reverbs, distortions, or saturation can really bring this to life and add texture and tone to the instruments/sounds used. That sine bass is super solid though.
@KomeKie - The speed ramps were not doing it for me, sorry bro. Also, if your melody is going to be a descending 5 note run, the sound selection and stuff around it needs to be perfect. I think the crying baby robot synth wasn't the best choice. The bell-like sounds were cool though, and a nice counter to the main line. Even doubling the main melody with the pad synth was clever, but Those elements are buried behind the foul kick and the main synth. A cleaner mix with use of some sidechain to create dynamic movement and giving each element their space would've really helped.
@Leopard Cohen - Again, living on the outskirts of conventional hip-hop, which I think you're most comfortable. Being more active on the site and battles, I start looking forward to your beats because you have such a unique style. One thing I quite liked about the back half of this beat was how it has a glitchy/stuttering feel with out a generic glitch or stutter SFX.
@Opium Dave - hope your shoulder is on the mend bro. The stompy kick with the claps are great. Not your best work, but considering you put this together quickly and were going to sit this week out, I respect that. I mean, there's nothing fundamentally "wrong" with this - others just were more synthy.
@P.A.T. - I'm curious what the original beat was before you switched gears to this one. Two things; I like the horn stabs and they fit the beat nicely, adding an extra dynamic, but I don't think the beat necessarily needed it. I quite like the sound selection here. Mix could be a bit more upfront. And that kick is wicked punchy!
@ppprods - Love the whole DX7 theme! I went through a digital/additive synth phase last year so I appreciate the sounds here. The glassy bells and pianos from the DX7 are soo dope! The vintage intro is really cool. The main theme has a cool bounce to it. I wish the bass matched the bounce - it kinda smothers the whole track. Also, the key modulation at 1:19 sounds like there may be something off either in note choice or dissonance. A brighter, bolder mix with punchier drums and side-chain could really bring out that bounce and groove.
@Stan1 - You need to get your mixes sorted bruh! Not sure what your writing/mixing environment is but...this sounds like my neighbour is playing music and I'm listening to it through a glass pressed to the wall or if someone put a heavy down blanket over your speakers. It's really hard to hear what's going on in the beat to provide any constructive feedback.
@them - Kick....snares?.....AND HI HATS! We're making progress bro! Much more coherent offering this week. No dissonance (to my ears) the bass fits nicely with the string line. Mix is a bit brighter and clearer. I really like that glide on the bass. Now just flesh out some more ideas that fit the vibe and the key and we're cooking with fire!
@V.J. Retro - I was curious who made this. I love this G-funk sound, in fact, I think it would've been a contender for the Dre battle a while back. Nailed that old school west-coast sound on this. Love it, give me 1000!
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Apart from the drums and the vocals everything was a synth