Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Making Boom Bap beats is something of the past for a lot of producers, but there are still some staying true to their roots and doing what they're comfortable with. Beautiful Noise is one of those producers that is still making those head nodders, and he took a time out from his producing and rhyming to let everyone get a glimpse of him and his music.
Ok, so tell everyone who Beautiful Noise is.
Beautiful Noise... it has a twofold meaning: first, I got the name from the 1972 movie Charlotte's Web. When I heard the ram tell Wilber this, I thought "that would be a dope name for a music company, not just a beat maker/producer name." Second, Beautiful describes Christ, whom I have a personal relationship with and Noise is what folks used to call Hip Hop back in the days. I found the name to be a perfect fit. I actually go by Average Joe when I bang out beats.
Your name is unique, but as I mentioned to you, take away the "i" and you have a beautiful nose!
HA HA HA! I appreciate the compliment, and if you saw my nose, you would say it looks like a ski slope, it's so darn angled and symmetric like one.
What kind of beats do you usually make?
I make sample-based boom bap beats. 90's era junk, ya know!
Do you feel that the Boom Bap style of beats always gets a bad reputation?
Dang, this is one of those "hmmmmm" moments. I'm not sure whether or not Boom Bap does, but I will say that it's a style that has definitely been drowned out by the current/hot/popular sounds that beat makers are putting out. Boom Bap definitely has a certain fan base that it appeals to.
What inspired you to produce music?
My inspiration came from listening to a variety of Hip Hop artists from the humble beginnings to the time when cassettes were replaced with CD's. I use to love reading the liner notes to find out which songs were sampled to make the new material. It wasn't until 2004ish that I started getting the itch to make beats. One time, I snuck into my roommate's room to use his MPC 1000, and he got home and busted me... ha ha ha. I had to revert to using Sound Forge and Acid Pro to make beats and it sucked. I had no patience for point and click beat making. My earliest beats can be found here (circa 2005-2007).
Are you big time into sampling or using synths? Or both?
Strictly sampling. I'm not a fan of synths, because I don't have a background in playing. IMO, synth beats only make sense if you really understand how to compose music. A lot of the synth material I hear sounds pre-schoolish... maybe it's because of all the crap that Lil John put out that sounded like he hired his 2 year old nephew to play. Only 2 cats I ever discovered who knew how to play synths and make dope beats are SOLeternity and Enigma.
What is your biggest challenge when you step into the studio?
Remembering my rhymes on some songs... lol. In case you're wondering, I do rhyme too. My alias on the mic is EPIDEMIC aka E Coli. When I'm in beat making mode, the biggest challenge I have right now is making dope basslines. I would say also finding a sample that catches my ear... the ones that make me say "WOOOOOOOOO" at 1 am, when my nephews are asleep in the next room... then figuring out how I wanna flip the sample(s) I just discovered.
Ah, so you rhyme too. Is that why you started making beats? So you could create the music you wanted to rhyme over?
Not really... LOL. I started making beats because it was an itch that I needed to scratch, badly. I've been penning rhymes since 1991, so I wanted to try my hand at making beats. It's hard for me to transition into lyricist mode and write when listening to my stuff, because I'm too busy analyzing my beats. I hate it.
What kind of tips would you give to anyone that is just starting out?
Don't get discouraged, because your worst critics will be those people who know you the best: family, friends, co-workers, etc. DON'T get feedback from them, because most of the time, they will not give you the constructive criticism you need to grow as an artist/beat maker/producer. Find your niche, stick with it, and grow from that point. I always hear everyone say "be original," but my advice to you is tune out what you hear currently and work on honing your sound. It's ok to be influenced by your favorite producer, but don't mimic what has already been done by him/her. Lastly, if you plan on being a sample-based beat maker/producer, DON'T DON'T DON'T use samples that have already been flipped... there are hundreds upon thousands of songs on this planet, and not everything has been sampled yet.
Who and what are some of your influences?
My top 3 producer influences are Marco Polo, Vherbal of Anno Domini, and DJ Daily Bread. Man, it's really hard to narrow it down, because I listen and appreciate so many other producers who make Hip Hop beats. Outside of music, my influences come from daily life experiences. Since I also rhyme, I might get my gears turning on what I see around me daily or just come up with some crazy abstract way to articulate wordplay before I write it down. Here's an example:
I ROCK HOT
REMAIN NEUTRAL
AND STAY GROUNDED
I'm an electrician by occupation, so this makes sense in two ways. Man, I can keep going, but I can't give away all my rhymes... too many online Robin Hoods... ha ha!
What's in your studio?
My studio is really simple and basic: MacBook Pro with Audacity to capture the songs I'm sampling and edit those samples. Then I transfer my samples to my tablet and sequence the beats with the Su Preme MPA app. BIG UPS to Supreme and Ivan for giving back to the culture by creating this app. Had it not been for this app, my itch to make beats would still be one I would be waiting to scratch. Been using this app since 2011.
You're just using the app to make beats? That's dope!
Yup, just the app. I love it, because it's preparing me to an extent for when I get an actual MPC 1000.
If you could only make one more beat for the rest of your life, how would you start it?
I think I would start my last beat with my sons and I having a conversation, then build up the beat from there. Man, just thinking about this question makes me all emotional, like I just fast forwarded to that point in my life. I'm glad I'm in the here and now, so get prepared for more Beautiful Noise in the days to come.
Do you have any music coming out soon?
I just release an EP entitled "Therapy Vol 1" last month. It's a free download on Band Camp and Noise Trade.
I'm gonna start preparing a beat album that I will more than likely be selling on various sites, including Band Camp and Noise Trade. Keep ya ears open for that!
Thanks for doing the interview, any shoutouts you'd like to give?
I would like to send an extra special shout out to Supreme and Ivan for their contribution to the culture with the MPA. It has allowed thousands of people like myself to create the music we only dreamed of.
I also want to shout out you Fade, because I take your criticism of my beats as a positive to help me grow artistically.
I want to shout out all the other beatmakers who keep my head nodding when I'm not working on my own material: Anno Domini, Vherbal, Shadowville Productions, Hala X, DJ Daily Bread, Musk, Reef Ali, One Take, 5th Seal, Marco Polo, Pete Rock, Easy Mo Bee, Commissioner Gordon, Clockwork Murdah (RIP), Keith Science, Hi Fly, Da Cypha, DJ Premier, __________ (insert name here)... just to name a few.
Check Out Beautiful Noise at:
- Mainframe Productions (the early years, circa 2004ish - 2007ish)
- You Tube
