Poppin' Tags 001...
From the original Analog Industries archive. Some links and images from that era no longer resolve.
One of my favorite things on YouTube is the Rhythm Roulette videos on the Mass Appeal channel; I generally love process videos anyhow, and the particular strictures of the Rhythm Roulette format really push my buttons. If you’re not familiar, the tl;dr version is that a hip-hop producer goes to a record store, puts on a blindfold, picks three records at random, and then has to make a beat from what they got. It’s worth noting that they hardly ever use the records they get for the percussion parts; usually, it’s Rando Trap Drums from PetaBytes O’ Beatz 43, and I give a big point deduction for that. The ability to squeeze a drum kit out of any given piece of music should be mandatory.
So, for my own Poppin’ Tags, I made that a rule: nothing in the song that wasn’t originally on the three records. And my other rule that is a departure from Rhythm Roulette is that it needs to be a full song at the end of the day, not just a beat.
Anyhow, with all that out of the way, the above video is the result. I actually filmed the entire process, but it was almost 3 hours long, and that was silly; who wants to sit and watch me edit samples for 3 hours? So I just cut out little bits here and there, and the track (along with the other four, to make a full 5-song EP), in its finished form, will be released on Bandcamp when they’re all done.
In further news, there is now an Analog Industries merch store… Not much in it right now, but as things progress, it’ll get full up. Check out the offerings.
11 comments
Will check out the video once I'm fully awake. As always, looking forward to the EP, though!
Nice video! I'd love to see more stuff like this!
I've been doing a similar thing with Youtube videos lately. Use a random word generator to generate 5 words, search for each those words on Youtube, sort by "uploaded today" to get those wacky obscure 30 second videos no one ever watches, pick 1 video for each word and use those as the only sound source.
The problem with the Youtube approach is that there are a lot, and I mean a lot of videos of people just talking to a camera. It's still fun nonetheless.
I absolutely agree that getting the drums from the sources should be mandatory, it's often one of the more challenging and fun parts of the whole process.
do you watch the Fact Mag "Against the Clock" vids?
Oops, I meant to type that and not hit send til I watched. Anyway, nice work -- really great result from some bunk shit.
@dj empirical: Not always. Usually only when it's someone (or something) interesting. Those are fairly contrived, so they don't do much for me.
-CR
@cr: funny, the trap samples have the same effect on me for the Rhythm Roulette ones.
that being said, the contrivance on the Against the Clock vids notwithstanding, a lot of times i just watch to see folks' studio process. i have no compunction about bailing on those if they're boring.
I watched it on my TV set. Entertaining.
Indeed, also often notice how fast some of those hip hop producers abandon the lps they've been saddled with when it comes to the drums. Something something about searching for the break as opposed to you, as you say, doing idm. But I often find myself wondering, come on, I know that's a corny record but there's gotta be something on there you can use.
On the other hand, I don't know that I have the time or patience to do what you did here -- also it would also take me a lot longer for less interesting results.
Why you no show the stacks at the Goodwill? Also, is there not some decent used vinyl story in your city? I mean, the sample roulette subjects are going to hip records stores to grab their oft lame albums. Don't you want to wander around in front of youngster record store employees with your eyes closed?
i think he is just a genuinely tongue-in-cheek kinda guy, puffer. that's how i imagine him, anyway. never made it to berlin's superbooth these past two years, unfortunately. (oh and to show that you don't need to go to specific stores. it's kinda like nurse with wound's way of collecting the cheapest and rarest records. just thinkin' out loud.
@fabi - I know. I'm being tongue-in-cheek myself. ;-)
d'oh... XD
I'll take the question seriously, though. I actually cut a bit out of the video where I explained why I didn't film the actual pull because it was too long and not germane to the topic at hand. (I cut out a fuckton. The first slice was like 35 minutes long.)
Short version: the Goodwill by my house is _very_ sketchy, and walking in there with my camera rig and filming myself blindly pulling out three records and paying for them would have been asking for nonsense. (Not trouble, specifically; I'm 6' 4" and covered in tattoos, and it has been _years_ since someone was aggressive towards me; more like I just didn't feel like explaining myself to some homeless meth addict.)
For the second one (which should be up in a day or two) I went to a used record store instead, and the blind pull was hilarious, and I'm regretting not filming it. I took a Mulligan, because the pull included yet another copy of Aaron Copeland conducting Appalachian Spring.
-CR
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