Note : Look at those fresh scars on araab’s arm from his recent shooting
FACT sais:
Let’s face it – no one does it like AraabMuzik.
The Rhode Island producer got his start making beats for Cam’ron’s Dipset label in 2006, and his breakthrough 2011 mixtape Electronic Dream is one of the 10 best albums of the decade so far.
Since then he’s worked with A$AP Rocky, Busta Rhymes and 50 Cent and released his debut album Dream World despite being shot on two occasions. He’s also regarded to be one of the best producers in hip-hop today for his unique way with the MPC sampler.
We linked up with AraabMuzik in his studio in the Bronx for the latest episode of our How To Make A Track series. During the session he gave us a detailed, step-by-step masterclass on the techniques and methods he used to produce ‘Flex’, a collaboration track with Fabolous and Tory Lanez.
Inside the studio that’s shaping Los Angeles’ underground hip-hop scene. A studio located in Atwater Village and run by veteran engineer Daddy Kev and rapper Nocando, Cosmic Zoo isn’t the first hub this scene has had – Kev’s club night Low End Theory has been doing its thing for close to a decade, helping cultivate the careers of Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer and more – but it plays a crucial role in shaping the sound of the music that comes out of it. In this FACT TV documentary, Gaslamp Killer, D-Styles, Daedelus, Jeff Weiss and many more explain just why it’s so important.
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BONUS
Mixing and Mastering with Daddy Kev
Last week we released The Cosmic Sound of LA, a documentary on Daddy Kev and Nocando’s Cosmic Zoo, studio and key physical hub to the city’s underground scene.
As a companion of sorts to the video, we quizzed Kev on the studio’s set-up, his approach to EQing and compression, his opinion on the loudness wars and the different eras of music mastering. As anyone who follows Kev on Twitter will know, he’s full of knowledge and advice when it comes to music production – for budding producers this is a must-watch.
Against the Clock is a series where we give an artist 10 minutes in the studio and see what they come up with.
In this episode, we linked up with Mndsgn (pronounced “mind design” – it’s a reference to a Nas lyric, in case you were wondering) in his Los Angeles home studio.
Although he’s settled on the West Coast, and its sleepy sound fits his sleepy keys like a glove, Mndsgn was born in the Philippines, where his parents formed part of the Aum Supreme Truth Cult. The Cult’s ventures into terrorist activity caused them to flee the group in the late 1980s, and after being granted political asylum in the US they settled in rural New Jersey.
Since moving West, Mdsgn has signed to Stones Throw Records, who released his debut album Yawn Zen last year. He’ll be taking his twinkling fingers (check that bird’s eye view!) to London later this month, performing for Soundcrash on May 30.
Real name Jimmy McCall, Nocando has been making his mark in the LA hip-hop scene since 2004. Gaining notoriety after winning the 2007 Scribble Jam battle championship, he’s a regular host for the city’s famed Low End Theory party, and has worked with producers like Nosaj Thing, Daedelus, Free The Robots and more. His most recent release, Jimmy The Burnout, came out last year. Great Dane on the beat, and just look at that sky.
Take a tour of Ras G’s ridiculously cool LA studio.
Download Ras G’s new album ‘Down To Earth Vol.2’ now: http://boomkat.com/downloads/1166496-…
Film by Melody C. Miller
Every Friday (except last week) I pick the best representation of each Hip-Hop Element-MC,DJ,BREAKING,GRAFFITI-from the past week.Knowledge is to some including me the 5th Element.
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MC
JonWayne-Special Herbs Medley
JonWayne of Stones Throw Records helps himself to some Special Herbs . About 20 of them in 5 minutes.
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DJ
Nucleus & Aidan Orange-First Nature Sounds-Mix
If you love this thing we call Hip-Hop and respect the creators and architects then this will take you back , way back , to where it all started.
Scratch-mix from Nucleus & Aidan Orange. The best in get down grooves and rare gems from the golden era.
Bboy Blond vs Bboy Lowe-Destructive Steps 6-1 vs 1 Final
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GRAFFITI
From Crumbs To Bricks (Pt. 2)
Ceno , Head , and friends hit the road on the way to Michigan and Texas with a lot of bombing at both stops.
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KNOWLEDGE
With Independent labels being part of the modern day Hip-Hop landscape along with many kids attempting to jump start a music career by posting homemade music videos to youtube I thought it only right to this week include this article written by Laurent Fintoni for FACT Magazine entitled :
“Breaking down YouTube’s new premium service: what it means to indie labels and you”
You can read it here Breaking Down…
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Thank You for checking this week and Thank You to all my readers who have supported the first 69 of these.
And finally if you would like to read Elemental 1-69 go here ELEMENTAL Click on the header to bring up the full post.
Cam’ron speaks to Westwood about boss & basic chicks, old days of Dipset hanging out in London, his movie Percentage, his girl Juju, making movie deals with Netflix and more.
With his blistering A-Trak collaboration ‘Dipshits’ still fresh in the memory, Cam’ron will play his first UK show in a decade at London’s Forum (This was filmed prior to him not showing up for the concert)
FACT Magazine enlisted PBW , co-founder of Stones Throw Records , to complete an epic 24hr , 1 whole day , mix of tracks for Valentine’s Day.Wolf completed the task using vinyl and this is Part 1 of the result.
Rugged Ones 