Beatstrumental Review #1: Blazin Beats, Rich Rhythms, and Soulful Samples

I have entered the realm of instrumental hip-hop, and judging from the mad outflow of absolutely brilliant tracks I see everyday on soundcloud, I'm going to be stuck here for awhile. If you have been following my other posts you've probably noticed by now they are all chalk full of outstanding beats. Now though, I've decided to dedicated full posts to the amazing beat artists filling my ears with sound everyday. 

Este tango habla por mi by Kerusalén Beatz

Opening this post is a Venezuelan artist by the name of Kerusalen Beatz. A 22-year-old raised in the heart of Caracas, his self-described call to music arose from a need to develop a unique sound in his home country, and he has certainly achieved his goal. With his first track uploaded only 3 months ago, Kersualen Beatz is a newcomer to Soundcloud. However, upon listening to any of his tracks it is immediately apparent he lacks no experience in production. The high energy atmosphere of his sound is enhanced by hard-hitting basslines and perfectly sampled string, guitar, and other orchestral instruments that command you to feel the beat, the rhythm of his tracks.

"Este tango habla por mi", his first uploaded track on soundcloud, intros with a mournful accordian and strings followed by the title of the song spoken in a thick south american accent. With controlled immediacy the beat changes to sampled loop of a quite badass accordion accompanied by a powerful bassline and minimal hip-hop beat which, in my opinion, demands head bobbing. Though the track is short, its power is evident.

Check out more of Kerusalen Beatz tracks on his soundcloud.


Belly Beast by ELECTRIC SEA SPIDER

Next up is wonky producer from down under, Electric Sea Spider. Based in Melbourne, Australia, this 20-year-old beat forger throws tradition to the wind in his productions as he melds all sorts of sounds together, ranging from table tennis field recordings to eerie child's chorus samples. Full of lazy, sporadic beats and frequent juxtaposing samples each track by this talented artist is guaranteed to introduce you to a sound unlike anything you've heard before.

In "Belly Beast", a cacophony of pots and pans, humming children, and rolling basslines meshes together to create a strangely mellow atmosphere that I wish would only last longer! Truly unlike any other instrumental I've heard, I could hear the likes of MF Doom or Common laying down some profound lyrics on top of this grade A track.

Crayons by ELECTRIC SEA SPIDER

As a bonus, here is Crayons, a mashup of familiar ambient/analogue synths and tones layered below softly shaking percussion instruments and melodious bass beats. The chopped samples of a youth along with the ringing of bells and clustered drums completes this track and creates an musical image of rolling green fields and lazily passing clouds in my mind. This track is going on a cd for the car for sure.

Dreamy Nods-Therapy Chop Chop XIII by Messenjahmusicproductions

A rare treat, Phillip J Morris (Philey J) is a musician, rapper, and producer from the heart of Britain. Owner of Messenjah Music Productions, Philey J has been honing his skills as a hip-hop artist over the past 10 years, and he definitely has the skills to prove it. A master of hip-hop compositions influenced by jazz, soul, and blues his tracks tell tales of clear summer nights, smoky jazz clubs, and longs nights in front of the piano. Masterfully styled instrumental pieces dominate his sound, and the smooth flavor of hip-hop rhythms only help to enhance the classy, crisp sound of tracks.

Therapy Chop Chop, a series of minimal and chilled-out instrumentals produced by Philey J Dreamy Nods, the track I am showcasing today by Philey J, is a contribution to the Therapy Chop Chop project -- a collaborative effort by beat welders across the globe to share in their creative process, hone their skills, and engage with like-minded individuals in musical "wrestling" ;) Dreamy Nods combine hypnotic drum loops with fleeting piano progressions and basslines in to a mouthful of tasty sounds I wouldn't mind having on my palette every day of the week. Check out Therapy Chop Chop Victory Battle if you enjoy Dreamy Nods.

Etcetera by mndsgn

Last, but not least, is "Land O Lakes" native mndsgn. With only 3 tracks listed on Soundcloud he's an elusive artist for sure, but his jumpy, airy beats tell a story of a budding talent who(hint hint) is just waiting to burst forth.

Etcetera is a whimsical, fun instrumental strewn with watery sound effects and buzzing basslines that get me thinking more about Yoshi's Island than a backtrack to a rap album. However the impact of mndsgn's style in this track is no less powerful than the cream of the crop on any major record label. If you like what you hear in Etcetera, make sure you listen to Birches , a 26 minute mix of some excellent tunes labelled as "glimpsehop" by mndsgn. It's a doozy, I'll tell you that.

Hurry Up and Wait

Research paper due next week, feature article in the works, and at east three finals ahead of me. How I am finding time for new artists is beyond me! However I do have a few interesting tracks for you this week, along with an album just released! The title of the blog this week feels like it's mirroring my life, and this music, right now. Hurry up and do all my work for classes, then wait a few days for a new load of impossible goals to be doled out. Sigh. Almost there though!


Easy by Malefique

As you may very well know by now, I have a soft spot for funky beatsrumentals. Perhaps no artist I have discovered in the past few weeks embodies the spirit of a classic, soulful hip-hop instrumental than Malefique. A beatmaster from the heart of Russia, Malefiques signature sound prescribes an "atmosphere for each, the tracks under which one might think, laugh, mourn."

Easy, which opens with a up-pitched and energetic sample of Linonel Richie's Easy Like Sunday Morning  holds the crackling, looped, catchy characteristics of a perfect beatstrumental. Malefique's excellently time chops and superb production provide a grade A example of a quality hip-hop instrumental. One that I will be using as my alarm in the morning for quite awhile! 

ramachandran #japan -bugseed's sequel- (Fancy Mike - Sigma Chi Primavera) by bugseed.

Following in the same vein as Malefique, though quite in another direction, is bugseed. More experimental in his technique, Bugseed's sound is imbued with qualities more akin to yahn look picard's lazy beats from my post 2 weeks ago. Making frequent use of dirty signals, such as distorted beats, and compression along with a pleasing array of percussion instruments and modulating synths, Bugseed throws digital paint across his soundscape like it's playtime.

Check out his soundcloud for more smoky sounds and bodacious beats. 

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Constant Artists

Next up, with a change of scenery, is the new post-rock album by Texas-based band Explosions In The Sky. Traveling back to their roots after a short departure in to multi-instrumental experiments on their last album, So Long, Lonesome, Take Care is a return to the simpler, and earlier, style of Explosions sound. Composed with a few guitars, a drum kit, and a bass guitar, the dynamic crescendo and decrescendos so familiar to Explosions style is fortified on this album and, as always, writes a story of emotion evident from the first track. If you have never heard of post-rock before this post, this is a perfect starting album as it exhibits all the classic, and well-performed, aspects of the genre. Long, drawn-out movements of sonic ether that heave and sigh in perfect unison. Whether you're listening to this album as you fall asleep on a rainy night, or conquering a mountain at daybreak the emotion of this album will lend itself to you.

That's all for this week! I had a few more artists lined up but have decided to wait until next week to showcase them. Quality over quantity, right? Until next time!

In The Nick of Time

Less than 3 weeks less of school, the pressure is on! Despite the tremendous amount of work I have to do I was able to find these gems at the last second(read: this weekend) and put together a semi-decent post. Check back in the week for a special weekday post of some of my favorite hip-hop performances as well!


Pazes - Evaporar (Aether Remix) by Aether

Based out of San Antonio, Texas, Diego Chavez is a multi-talented artist, painter, producer, and professional daydreamer with a knack for innovation. Whether on the canvas or through speakers Chavez has been creating works of art aurally and visually for several years and shows no signs of stopping. I was excited this weekend to finally discover Aether after several months of inactivity from his other moniker, A.M. Architect, and, honestly, have been having a hard time trying to find just a few songs to show off his talent.

In a style all his own Chavez wields his songs like fine-crafted weapons of aural bliss. Complex, rolling beats that thrum and waver in a perfectly choreographed dance with the floating, wild melodies of synths, vocal samples, and subtle chord progressions only begin to characterize the musical landscape Chavez paints. With a good pair of headphones and several minutes of closed-eye listening it's nearly impossible not to fall in to the mysterious, broiling ocean of sound Chavez manages to churn together in each new track.

The first track brought to you today is a remix of  Evaporar by Pazes, an incredible acoustic performer that meshes post-rock, folk, and latin influences in to his sound. A listen to Aether's remix will have you wondering if it's even the same song at all, with fast-paced maraca rhythms, deep bass beats, and a out-of-tune music box sound that transform the track in to a creation of jerking melodies and sampled vocals far from the original.

Leavin' On Your Mind by Aether

This second track embodies a sound more akin to A.M. Architect, complete with a deftly sampled piano loop and the unique, rolling beats signature to Aether's sound. To me, the sound Aether so perfectly emulates in his rhythms and tracks is a feeling of "falling" over the beats continuously, almost as if he is urging his listener to press forward in to the story the song is unfolding. With perfectly tuned, aching chords and a dreamscape of sound unraveling as the song progresses Leavin' On Your Mind is one you won't want to be have missing from your collection.



Following suite is ETHEREA, a relatively new and unknown electronica producer from New York. Despite having released an absolutely brilliant free album aptly named FREE ETHEREA, not much is known about the artist behind the name.

With a style that draws from influences like Animal Collective and other noise-pop bands, Etherea exhibits a strong use of repetition, sampling, and electronica elements. However, his sound is not generic: with melodies that hang in the air sounding like they are ready to explode and 8-bit components accompanied by hip-hop influenced beat progressions his style is a commendable mix of modern genres with a new twist.

Etherea - WAVVES vs. DOOM by vanilla_face

In this second song Etherea creates a mashup of lo-fi band Wavves and MF DOOM, a rapper and producer, to create a pleasing, chilled out throw down of clashing genres that fit together like puzzle pieces. This track reveals the true talent of Etherea and leaves me wondering who this mystery artist is and when I can hear more of him...

Na Na Ni by Fredrik (the band)

Switching gears to a more organic theme, Fredrik is on the top of my list for this week. An ensemble band from Sweden, Fredrik combines rich acoustic guitar, natural percussion, and smoky vocals in to a medley of haunting, folk-influenced sounds that emanate across their first album, Na-Na-Ni. Building on layers of sound, this experimental band from up north has been conjuring achingly beautiful compositions across the folk and indie genre since 2008.

Na Na Ni, the track, is a ghostly, trance-inducing instrumental creation that speaks only of musical feeling, as if the repetition throughout the song is more a mantra that the musicians use to bring out the true meaning of the song than just a compositional device. This song will have you hooked by the first regression back to the simple, hypnotic voice of the guitar.



On a final note, I bring you an even more hypnotic piece. Composed by model, songwriter, and composer superstar, Eric Whitacre, Sleep is an original(and somewhat older) choral piece for SATB choirs. With its melancholy, slowly moving, powerful chords and poetic lyrics Sleep is a massive favorite among traditional choirs. As a former chorus student myself having sung Whitacre pieces and seen Sleep live, I have to say it is a deeply moving and powerful piece of music. This rendition, however, is unlike any other as it contains over 1700 performers from 58 countries performing "virtually" through youtube. Though the dynamics of the piece are not as strong as you might find in a "real" choir, the end result is still magnificent.

NOTE: You may have to visit the youtube channel in order to listen.

Bright Lights and Sunny Skies

Anybody care to tell me where spring went?? It was 93 F today in Milledgeville and the rest of the week looks like it's going to be just as bad. Oh well, that mild weather didn't last long...

A quick note before I get in to this week's artist: I went to Microcenter yesterday and saw the most awesome novelty CD's of all time. Take a look at these bad boys.

That's right. Digital Vinyl. Unnecessary, yes. Retro(hipster?) magnificence, absolutely. Will I buy more? God willing.

Starting this week out I have a diamond in the rough for you, a local gem that can do nothing but rocket skyward from here.

Bright Lights by J.Goods

Based in Austin, Texas Josh Gonzales "J. Goods" is leading the local hip-hop scene in Austin. Armed with a background as a solo and lead drummer in high school, J. Goods has developed his musical talents and lyrics prowess from an early age and is now taking his career as a rapper, artist, and producer to new heights. With several hits already circulating locally in his hometown you'll be sure to see this young star making waves soon.

Brights Lights, though not one of his touted one-hit wonders, is an excellent example of J. Goods creative talent in the realm of hip-hop. Produced and sung by Russell Lee and co-written by J.Goods the intelligent rhymes and catchy melody forged in Bright Lights is sure to please your ears for weeks to come.

Check out the rest of J. Goods lineup on his soundcloud.


Washing Line Wheel And The Old Mangle by Roof Light

Lulworth Pebbles by Roof Light

In an abrupt change of tune(I always seem to do this...) I present you with Roof Light. Little info is available on who, or what Roof Light, exactly is, but this actually plays better to his vast, eclectic span of musical production. Self-described as "Advanced Soul/Psychedelic Folk/Rhythm And Blues/Field Recordings", Roof Light's sounds range from ambient synth productions to dark, grungy garage beats to decayed, analogue electronica complete with atmospheric "field recordings". Roof Light has been on my radar for awhile but not until the last several weeks as he as released more Board of Canada-esque material have I had a chance to show off this musician's true talent.

Washing Line Wheel and Lulworth Pebbles bring a warm, fuzzy sounds to a down-tempo style atmosphere that I have not heard since Boards of Canada's album Campfire Headcase. Wavering analogue generators, scratchy vinyl sound effects and floating melodies dominate the sounds of both of these tracks and bring a refreshing, old school sound to the table I haven't heard in years. I commend Roof Light for steering his work in this direction and hope it leads him to more undiscovered bounds of musical creative that I, as a listener, can only wait in anticipation for.

Pron__St∆rr (quickie) by yahnLOOKEpicard

Bare with me as a deviate yet again (though not as severely this time!) in to the world of hip-hop. Y∆HN LøÔK∑ PIc∆RD of Minneapolis, Minnesota is an intrumental hip-hop artist that has been experimenting with beats, rhythms, and sounds in a way I didn't think it was possible. If you have ever wondered what a bleeding-edge pioneer of hip-hop sounds like, look no further. His combination of lazy beats and spacey samples meshed with his out-of-the-box line of thinking and production provides for an aural experience unlike anything I've ever heard.

Leave It All Behind feat. The Rebirth & Aima the Dreamer by jboogie dubtronic

Cumbia Dubbin by jboogie dubtronic

Finishing out this post with a smooth and drinkable flavour is J-Boogie, a world-renown DJ and producer influenced by latin soul, hip-hop, electronica and many many more sounds. Leave It All Behind, an r'n'b track influenced by down-tempo beats and a soulful, female vox accompanied by chorus bring me back to the 90's and all their smooth, funky glory. Cumbia Dubbin, a mix by J-Boogie created after a trip to South Africa, showcases classic cumbia and a house sounds and clearly demonstrates J-Boogie's exceptional DJ'ing ability. Be sure to check out his entire library of world sounds on his soundcloud.

Spring Cleaning

Hello folks! It seems spring has awoken the musical world. I'm seeing labels release singles left and right, as well as festivals pop up out of the woodwork. Spring fever is invading and that means tons of new music! As well as tons of homework...only a few weeks of school left so the heat's on(as well as the pollen, nasty allergies).

Anyway, this week I have a split down the middle on new artists. First up, two incredible artists outside my regular realm of electronica. These come courtesy of one of my favorite music blogs, aurgasm.us. If you are a fan of music, which I hope you are considering the context of this site, you will love aurgasm. Their tagline is "you're favorite music you've never heard" and that basically sums them up. Check em out.


Sweet Louise by The Belle Brigade

Starting this post I bring you The Belle Brigade, a young brother-sister duo from Los Angeles. Their style embodies a grass-roots, airy style of pop music with passionate lyrics and voices that have a hankering for harmonies. Slide, acoustic, and electric guitar, strings, and melancholy chords that hint at a slight country influence dominate the sound of The Belle Brigade, but their sound is far from stale. A fresh take on old country pop, this harmonious duo will have you singing along in no time.



Based out of Paname, France, ZAZ is a 5-piece nu-jazz band full of explosive soul. With a voice brimming over with passion Isabelle Geoffroy belts out a melody full of bluesy intent and exuberant energy that reaches out to you and lifts your heart. I don't even understand French and I can feel the emotion in her work! On tour now in France, this nu-skool band of soul searchers will be making waves for sure.

The Kabukistep (Original Mix) by H3 (We Are Mutants)

As always, the segue. Though I have done my best to avoid the dubstep genre so far, I have finally taken the fall and present you now with The Kabukistep. A huge drop, the familiar 2-step beat, and massive bass permeate this track as they do any other from the genre, but the presence of a unique old-style japanese melody is what makes this song stand out for me. With a traditional plucked string instrument fronting the main melody and several samples of japanese speech strung throughout the track the mood set here is rather unique among the dubstep world.


Sweet spring nights by Zenit Incompatible

Ending on a note more appropriate for the tone of this post is Sweet Spring Nights. Produced by Hungarian mashup artist and producer Zenit Incompatible, Sweet Spring Nights is a wonderful mix of drum and bass elements with the chilled out 60's lounge track It Is Such A Good Night. Rarely can you find a sampled dnb track that uses the majority of the track it as based on and Zenit Incompatible manages this feat not only with great skill but a flourish of aural candy. When I heard this track all I wanted to do was get up and dance, either that or sit in my car at a red light with sunglasses on and look super-cool.