*break* from expectations

Iron Keys

ILLIEN MBAPPÉ
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 645
Firstly, there should be no reason to feel/be uncreative or un-experimental in your genre. But here I go...

Recently, I've taken a natural break from producing Hip-Hop. I've been making something else I've been enjoying listening to, which I consider in some ways to be more 'experimental'.

I've found this very freeing.
I've noticed, that, firstly, to try and get into this vibe of creating, I need to first let go of my habits from making hip-hop. That goes from how I make/create my drums, to sound selection;
The interesting thing I noticed here, is how many drum sounds/kits I have that I've previous dismissed as being crap/no good, or kicks I've just thought aren't worthy, snares/claps too... suddenly I'm like, wow these are actually decent sounds.

This made me realise (even more so), just how fussy, peculiar I am about my drums when making hiphop (and probably the rest of the beat too. You can end up having too much 'expectation' of what sound you should be using, or how that sound should sound. Like you can often end up overlooking sounds, because it doesn't fit that ingrained criteria you've developed/adopted for your genre.

Obviously, there is good reason for it, you probably don't want to use a really thin, non compressed rock kick for a hiphop beat with an EDM snare. (maybe you do, but you get the point). But maybe overtime this can become a bit too embedded in your mind. Your criteria becomes far too specific, that maybe you become far too conventional within your genre, or even within your own style.

I feel this whole concept is likely more relevant to people who have been beatmaking for ages. Even if you consider yourself to be someone who experiments, doesn't conform etc.

Maybe I've only been able to notice this, as the music in the genre I'm making can often be closely linked to hip-hop, but without the limiting expectations of what it has to be.

Kinda writing this, incase it stirs thought in some of you who maybe need to hear it or think about it, incase it might be useful.
 
Ive been back on the drum n bass recently. Also being introduced to a lot of new stuff like Amapiano, Drill, even new garage.
Im just really enjoying making music at the moment and its great to get out of your comfort zone and usual way of doing things.
But after making beats for so long, I just have my way of doing things which carries across all the genres I make. The joy of being a composing producer is the flexibility that comes with it. Once you know the ingredients for a specific genre, you can just compose something to fit.
As for expectations, I dont really have expectations during the creation process, tracks seem to evolve themselves, Im just the conduit.
I do have a set standard though, if something doesnt reach a certain standard I move on to something else.
Sometimes I will post a substandard sampleflip, if its my best attempt at it, because its all I have.
 

DPrezd Beggar

Banned
Battle Points: 22
Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
 

DPrezd Beggar

Banned
Battle Points: 22
Sometimes staying away from producing stuff lets you advance further. Back then i had this pressure to make something even if its shit, just make something but now i can take days or even weeks off, open up my DAW and come up with something completely new (and strange) with new approaches to the whole stuff. For example i never wanted to do heavy sampling of stuff but now im just randomly sampling shit and even tho it still sounds bad i feel like the overall quality improved, especially the drums i make, they dont sound so lifeless or dull anymore like it used to be. Atleast thats what i feel like.
 
Firstly, there should be no reason to feel/be uncreative or un-experimental in your genre. But here I go...

Recently, I've taken a natural break from producing Hip-Hop. I've been making something else I've been enjoying listening to, which I consider in some ways to be more 'experimental'.

I've found this very freeing.
I've noticed, that, firstly, to try and get into this vibe of creating, I need to first let go of my habits from making hip-hop. That goes from how I make/create my drums, to sound selection;
The interesting thing I noticed here, is how many drum sounds/kits I have that I've previous dismissed as being crap/no good, or kicks I've just thought aren't worthy, snares/claps too... suddenly I'm like, wow these are actually decent sounds.

This made me realise (even more so), just how fussy, peculiar I am about my drums when making hiphop (and probably the rest of the beat too. You can end up having too much 'expectation' of what sound you should be using, or how that sound should sound. Like you can often end up overlooking sounds, because it doesn't fit that ingrained criteria you've developed/adopted for your genre.

Obviously, there is good reason for it, you probably don't want to use a really thin, non compressed rock kick for a hiphop beat with an EDM snare. (maybe you do, but you get the point). But maybe overtime this can become a bit too embedded in your mind. Your criteria becomes far too specific, that maybe you become far too conventional within your genre, or even within your own style.

I feel this whole concept is likely more relevant to people who have been beatmaking for ages. Even if you consider yourself to be someone who experiments, doesn't conform etc.

Maybe I've only been able to notice this, as the music in the genre I'm making can often be closely linked to hip-hop, but without the limiting expectations of what it has to be.

Kinda writing this, incase it stirs thought in some of you who maybe need to hear it or think about it, incase it might be useful.
Le Motherland shall set you free bratishka..

Nah fr touche, in my case it's like trying to sound like the stuff I/people enjoy, so I make pretty much anything just depends on what I've been listening to. That being said, Ain't no way I'm using those thin ass kicks. fuck that.

also, sometimes when I'm working on a boom bap track let's say, I'd look for sounds for it and hear a cool sound that don't fit and go "damn this shit deserves it's own song" and I'd start a new file immediately to either try a whole new genre or yk... Make it's own beat with it. I call those my adhd tracks, somehow they always end up being better than the track I was originally making that I abandoned for them.
 
"damn this shit deserves it's own song" and I'd start a new file immediately to either try a whole new genre or yk... Make it's own beat with it. I call those my adhd tracks, somehow they always end up being better than the track I was originally making that I abandoned for them.
Any time that inspiration comes, run with it
 
Top