Computer Science Essentials

2011 Instrumental Hip-Hop

2011 had some great instrumental hip-hop/beat tapes come out. I wanted to highlight a few that I thoroughly enjoyed, and think would be worth listening to even if your not a rapper looking for instrumentals to add vocals to.

Apollo Brown - Clouds

As the album cover hints, Apollo Brown had his head in the Clouds while coming up with these beats. Apollo hails from the Michigan hip-hop scene which has produced hip-hop legends such as J-Dilla & Eminem. However, in contrast to the high-energy street music of his Michigan contemporaries, he makes sounds more suited for a lounge than a block party.

The reflective concept of Clouds can be seen in the titles of his beats("Know The Time", "Never In A Million Years", "Seed of Memory", "Bridge Through Time"), or in the elegant sample-driven textures. His beats are not centered around the drums and bass, rather they focus on an eclectic mix of horns, twinkling keys, soothing guitar touches, and well-placed vocal samples. These vocal samples sing hooks("Choices","Shoot the Heart"), but also are effective as background instruments. At times he's bogged in "Shadows Of Grief" and at others, in awe of "The Baghdad Sun"; the album has a variety of aesthetics, and remains interesting throughout. Few hip-hop instrumental beat-tapes/albums match the quality displayed on this work.



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Evil Needle - Cirrostratus

Evil Needle is a French hip-hop producer who creates beats in the same cloudy, iridescent vein as Apollo Brown. Cirrostratus has elements of jazz, washed out synthesizers, and the always essential head-nodding beats. The atmosphere is hazy like the album cover inducing the listener in a dreamy state, however, Evil Needle stops the beat on occasion to awaken the listener, throwing snippets of instrumentation into the mix outside of the standard verse-chorus-verse dynamic. He employs unconventional synth-heavy structures with an emphasis on fading sounds mixed with laid-back jazzy bass. The jazz love is no secret, he has two "Jazzolude"s on the album.

Evil Needle shows his love for video games on "9999HP," a chiptune synthesizer dropping in, and skipping percussion matching a skittering video game character dodging obstacles. Sprinkles of dreamy synthesizers appear along with the droning vocal sample and thick-but-not-overbearing bass line on "Loungin'." Evil Needle's unique combination of jazz percussion and bass with quality modern synthesizers create a calming ambient atmosphere to go along with well crafted percussion and bass.



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Hannibal King - Villains Gone Bad Part III: Heroes for Villains

Hannibal King is a hip-hop traditionalist, welcoming the listener to Heroes for Villains with a cheering "Aw Yeah!" vocal sample and a boom-bap beat. Hailing from Queens, New York, he takes influence from the soul-sampling producers of old. Hannibal pays homage to his favorite plant("Oregano", "Dear Mary", "Roll Another One") with some comedic conversation samples, and also shows his love for comic book villains with the theme of this mixtape series.

Gospel vocals over cheerful horns on "Smile" instantly put the listener in a positive mood. This sampling of soul music has been commonplace in hip-hop, and Hannibal shows how to do it right. He may not have the jazzy elegance of Evil Needle, or the eclectic instrument sampling of Apollo Brown, but he makes up for it with his comedic vocal samples, and comic book villain antics. Heroes For Villains is a trip through a young man's taste in soul music, marijuana, and comic book fantasies.

My rap over one of his beats:


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Dale Cooper Quartet And The Dictaphones - Metamanoir ALBUM REVIEW

The word "noir" means "black" in French, however in the English speaking world, we most commonly hear the word used in the phrase film noir. Dark jazz music has commonly associated itself with these stylish crime films, and for good reason: the haunting ambiance of a reverberated keyboard, the inquisitive twist of a changing drum pattern, and the suspense of a lingering saxophone note all lend themselves to the dark aesthetic of film noir. On Metamanoir, the French dark jazz outfit Dale Cooper Quintet And The Dictaphones fuse traditional jazz instruments with modern electronics and somber vocals that lament the evils of mankind.

The album begins with some heavy breathing and glistening keyboard drones as rays of saxophone escape through cracks in a wood floor. The scene is a lone woman imprisoned in "Une Petit Cellier"(A Little Cellar), contemplating her doomed fate. Distorted vocals appear at the closing of the track as this distraught woman attempts to sing herself to comfort.

A strung out guitar lick that is reminiscent of Portishead appears on the second track "Eux Exquis Acrostole" along with a more up-beat sax, a drawling bass line, and sullen drumming. The first proper vocals assure the listener that you can "try to run away, but darkness won't cover you". This track is begging to be used in an escape scene in a retro TV series like Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire. The lyrics claim "American freedom isn't worth a dime," which is true when one roams lawless streets at night.

The third track translates to "My Elusive Shelter", it features a woman relaying stories of the ills she has seen. Filled with field recordings including machine gun fire, helicopters, cackling men, and warped engines, the track celebrates the idea of a refuge from the hustle of modern society. A chorus of nuns(one is picture on the album cover) drop in after each field recording shaming the "twisted sinners" who's actions they renounce.

The closest thing to a love song on Metamanoir is "Le Implacable Gentilhommiere" featuring stumbling percussion, droning keys, and occasional sax cuts. It's a dark, minimalist track surmising the fact that "Today is the end of the party." A man and woman each leave this party, regretting their actions which caused each to go home alone.

"Elle Agreable Rendez-Vous De Chasse"(The chase of the pleasant renedz-vous?) is the first string-focused track. Echoing reverberations from a gritty guitar and teardrop notes from a clean guitar soak in the melancholy of a love desired, but not found. Male and female vocals hum "dum dum dum dum", as strings and keys lift in the background with a sense of hope and anticipation.

Metamanoir climaxes at "Mon Tragique Chartreuse" which opens with buzzing electronics that sound like lightning bolts rotating around metal rods. Industrial tinny drumming, haunting ethereal vocals, screeching guitar, and an ominous bass loop all mark the apocalyptic mood. The darkness of the world is represented by the electronics, growls from a wretched beast appear; the nuns respond by singing loudly inside the church to prevent the evils from entering. The track ends with a recording of a panting beast, tired from pounding into the doors of a church.

"La Terrible Palais"(The Terrible Palace) is a recovery from the blows of the dark invaders. Distant reverberations, brushed percussion, and glimmers of hopeful rising keyboards lead into bass-y male vocals. The vocals are high in the mix like God speaking to survivors of a great tragedy and urging that His "followers continue on."

No rainymood necessary for the closing track, "Il Melodieux Manoir." Distant sung vocals, and percussion clanks are drowned in the sound of rain.

Metamanoir is a symmetrical album with regard to the density of the mix. It starts and ends with ambient pieces filled minor changes which require attentive listening, these pieces centered around only two instruments. As the album reaches the climax of "Mon Tragique Chartreuse", many layers have been added to form an overwhelming sound if the listener hasn't noted each addition throughout the build-up. The level of music technology employed also advances with each track on the album. Metamanoir begins with standard jazz instruments and progresses to add electric guitars, manipulated vocals, and programmed industrial drums. It's a treat to hear such a variety of instruments, recordings, and styles all mesh together to form a cohesive dark jazz aesthetic.

Sample:


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Zola Jesus - Conatus ALBUM REVIEW

Conatus fuses ethereal vocals with electronic beats, keyboard and violins to create a spiritual sound. Looking at the cover, Zola Jesus is a pure woman in a white veil. With light skin, blonde hair, and she has "Jesus" in her stage name. She typically backs up her own vocals like an ambiance of light raining from the voice of angels. Interestingly, her introspective vocals are often paired with upbeat, almost club-oriented bass and percussion giving an uplifting feel to the album.

Zola's vocals echo in the background, as buzzing synthesizers, and an underground bass. Her vocals sound like a female version of Bono, powerful and commanding. The beat keeps building like snow in an "Avalanche", as her double-tracked vocals and the synth melody are powdered snow launching into the air. The synths have a striking similarity to those used on Justice "Genesis", which make senses since both of these artists aim for a grandiose call-to-the-gods type of sound. The same electronic effects are present, but this time they are accompanied by piano chords. She is a mechanized "Vessel" carrying a message about going deeper and getting higher than the average goals of life. At 4 minutes in, her vocals are looped spiraling ascending to the cosmos with a torrent of effects. Live drumming on "Hikikomori" with layered violin touches, creates a more homely track. She proclaims, "Ooooh! I know I'm home!" It's like she has just returned from a long journey to finally rest.

A haunting synth melody and constant thumping beat back her majestic vocals on "Ixode". The most dance-able track yet with a repetitive beat and vocal chorus, with layers of percussion entering and exiting. "Seekir" has a 1-2 punching beat, with claps, she asks "Is there nothing there? I want to love 'till I never stop." She is seeking answers to many questions about this complex world, possibly looking for wisdom from above. Entrancing string work on "In Your Nature", she's pondering the elements of human nature. "Lick The Palm Of The Burning handshake" is a more solemn track, with sorrowful strings, brooding piano, and drums acting as the teardrops pounding on her cheeks. Yearning non-lyrical vocals and haunting background synths, with lighter instrumentation, the vocals are center-stage. "Shivers" has a wide variety of petering noises, and a complex percussion structure. She stresses that she "won't be there tomorrow", it seems she's hinting at the need for independence. "Skin" is a stripped down track, intimate with just her and the piano. "Collapse" has a bleeding lead synth backed by a cycling warped synth. It's an atmospheric track, "in the citadel" she calls out "ooooo no no no" No percussion to be found, a gripping, painful track about loss.

This is church music for the 21st Century, her vocals are echoing gospel vocals bouncing off the stained glass windows. At the same time there are robotic sounds, and ample amounts of effects making the album modern. The beats are draped in keyboard and strings that match her . There is no thick bass to be found, it's more elegant dance music, the pounding drums accompany the descent of an angel from heaven to a pure white dance floor. Conatus has powerful vocals performed by a talented vocalist, it's nice to hear some introspective vocals with more substance than cookie-cutter love songs.



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Boris and Tera Melos at Downtown Brew, San Luis Obispo, California CONCERT REVIEW

It was a night of talented instrumentalists gracing the confines of SLO Brew. The opening show of Japanese experimental rock band Boris' US/CA tour, the show also featured Sacramento math-rock band Tera Melos who are traveling with them for the first leg of the trip. They performed for a size-able crowd, especially considering that Boris is a foreign underground band.

The opening act, Tera Melos is a three-member group(bass, guitar & effects, drums) who displayed their technical ability through rock music that shifted time signatures and rhythms frequently. The guitarist was surrounded by effects pedals, which he used to make noises and alter the sound of his electric guitar. He also used a station of electronics to create loops and effectsto keep listeners engaged between songs.

These guys set had a dense sit with only one clear break, always quick to get going onto the next track. The intensity and pattern shifted during each track, sometimes the guitarist would repeatedly reverberate twisted notes, the bassist was using a pick to allow him to play more than the conventional amount of notes. The drummer was center stage, his seemingly wild, yet in control drumming style locked the eyes of many-an-attendee. It was a joy for the listener to follow them through their sonic transformations and appreciate the difficulty of keeping time, and maintaining order amidst near chaos.

The vocals were a minor element with both groups(these guys and girl are first-and-foremost instrumentalists). This worked well for Boris, as most of their lyrics are in Japanese.

Boris came out to the stage dressed in all black, foreshadowing the dark mood of their music. Backed by a team of amplifiers that nearly took up the entire stage, they created walls of distorted sound. The drummer acted as hype-man playing gong in between the songs and shouting throughout the performance. He was the most mobile out of the band, as the others were sedentary, focusing on playing their instruments.

Boris had a variety of styles and emphasis throughout their performance. At times, Wata(guitar,keyboard,vocals), or Takeshi(guitar, bass, vocals) would be the focus performing solo vocals or lead guitar. On "Missing Pieces" for example, Takeshi was the star, he played some slow chords on guitar and sung passionately for a more somber, contemplative display. Boris' style is characterized as thick guitar/bass riffs, varied drumming, and psychedelic slide guitar bleeds. At times their sound was in the style of punk with repetitive aggressive drumming, yelling, and quick, slashing guitar cuts. Their sludge metal oriented tracks had drawn out guitar & bass notes with the the three string players using Ebows, no vocals, and more textural drumming. Boris enveloped the stage in smoke while they drenching the listeners in an equally hazy wall of electric guitar.

Some watched intently, nodding their heads and body to the beat, others thrashed and flailed about in a mosh pit celebrating the energy of the music. It was a rare treat for all to see an import band from Japan, and most were blown away by the performance.

Blue Sky Black Death - NOIR ALBUM REVIEW

Blue Sky Black Death are a duo of music producers who create a dreamy, contemplative sound combining elements of sampled vocals, programmed percussion, high-frequency guitars/synths, and somber piano melodies. On NOIR they explore the skys, stars, and ends of the earth; these are grand concepts which they behold in awe with instrumentation that is contemplative and dreamy.

"Our Hearts Of Ruin" opens with aerial synthesizers, dreamy sleigh bells, and gliding string melodies. Angelic backing vocals, vocals sample pronounces "it's too late, we aren't ready". "Sleeping Children Are Still Flying" has droning keys, bleeding space-y bass, and a cheerful violin accompanying the imagery of sleeping children flying through a night sky. Sailing teadrop guitars drift into space as a hip-hop drum pattern enters in. Sampled children's vocals including a choir and a familial conversation. Dreamy echoing synths ring out in the night air. Stargazer synths on "And Stars Ringed", with an air-y guitar and upbeat electronic percussion. Backing vocals like a lone soul calling out to the distant moon. Delicate keys and swaying strings lead "To The Ends Of The Earth", some straining effects & brass appears. Haunting vocals, downtempo percussion, the doomsayer vocals keep repeating "darkness." "Farewell to the Former World" has a well-constructed complex percussion pattern, a bleeding gritty bass, chilling piano melody. Strings interplay with synth pads creating a liftoff sensation as "she will leaving this troubled world for she will take off into time and space." "Falling Short" is a contemplative piece centering around a somber piano melody with the vocalist wondering what you will do "If your expectations aren't met in me, today"

Lifting out of solemn thought is "Gold In Gold Out" with train station bells, high frequency guitar riffs, and stuttering varied percussion. The bass stretches across the background of the track, with the meticulous percussion and guitar riffs acting as the centerpiece."Where Do We Go" has primitive non-lyrical vocals like an early human calling out to the cosmos. Live drumming and dark piano chords with effects that sound like wolves howling at the moon. "In The Absence of God" the voices of angels ring out, some choice piano notes sound over a curtain of delicate reverberating strings for a short 2 minute track. "Where The Sun Beats", so do taps of brass notes, female backing vocals, and harder prominent percussion representing the sun's constant emission of rays. "Starry" has a dubstep-type warped bass, lingering guitar notes, and gospel-type vocals. The voices of children at a playground serve as an interlude to the second part of the track which adds layers of synth pads and strings. An elegant dancing keyboard progression representing the warmth of sunlight and a harsh guitar representing fire is the contrast on "Fire For Light." It utilizes hip-hop type drums with choppier vocals. "Swords From Driftwood", seems to hint at improvisation, there are some tasty cuts of sound from a variety of instruments and effects. The album closes with "Sky With Hand", a darker composition utilizing an ominous droning bass. The bells are back, sounds of seagulls, the synths are changing up throughout the track. Chanting vocals lending a motivational, spiritual feel. It's a 6 minute & 40 second track that contains the variety of instruments and sounds seen throughout the album.

At times NOIR embodies the soothing ambiance of a clear night sky, and at others it is the heart-pounding beats of a dystopian world near its end. Instrumental electronic/trip-hop often get's its voice from the vocal samples. This album utilizes ethereal female backing vocals, sound of children, and downtrodden men singing the blues to capture innocence, despair, contemplation, and hope. Blue Sky Black Death shows that the sky can be a place of contemplation and exploration on a clear night, but death is always looming as the ultimate black, the ultimate end of light and earthly sensation.



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Modeselektor - Monkeytown ALBUM REVIEW

Modeselektor label themselves as dance music, but you don't need to be dancing to enjoy their compositions. The sheer variety of sounds on each track engages the mind a sitting listener as well as the body of a dancer. Enhancing their sound with guest vocalists, they incorporate artists from the realms of hip-hop, pop, and alternative rock and construct beats that coincide with the style of the particular guest.

Monkeytown starts with jumpy, almost tribal percussion, with a singing guitar layered on top. Buzzing synths & shakers with a rumbling percussion line. The track hiccups around 2:30, changing synths, and new effects punch into the mix. They team up with hip-hop artist Busdriver for the second track, "Pretentious Friends". Phone dial tones, snapping cameras, on this track they are making fun of people who try to be high-class. Buzzing bass line runs through the track, Busdriver has a pretentious conversation at the end of the track. "Shipwreck" has percussion and bass sounds strikingly similar to The King Of Limbs, featuring Thom Yorke on vocals. This track is more minimalist, featuring running percussion and some minor backing synths with Thom's vocals acting as an instrument repeating the same vocals. This track centers in on the complex percussion arrangements and Thom's vocals. "Evil Twin" is a dark dance-floor jam, with watery effects, warning sirens, and robotic synths. Haunting synth melody . "German Clap" as the title suggests, features clap percussion. Like Shipwreck, this song is centered around the eclectic percussion with thick bass drums, echo-y, snappy progressions in a repeating cycle, and a chopped vocal sample.

"Berlin" is choppy, the thick bass cutting in and out, with a shaking bottle of percussion. Miss Platinum lays some pop-y dance vocals that are easy for club goers to learn and recite. "Grillwalker" has a head-nodding beat, high frequency 8-bit sounding synth melody, and the same shaking percussion. A stuttered beginning to "Green Light Go" with an electrified bass, vocalist PVT lends his voice as an instrument. This could be in the soundtrack of a futuristic racing game. At 1:55 they add another layered melody, and some live-sounding percussion fills. Contrasted with the previous track, "Humanized" has dubstep/grime influences. Incredibly distorted bass, computerized voices, it's hip-hop vocals over a drum-n-bass beat. Vocals talk about rising up in the world, riding glorious chariots, and the voices turn to robots at the end of each verse. Twin manic synths, layers of chopped vocals, this second Thom Yorke feature is more synth focused than the previous. Thom's voice is manipulated, twisted, and warped like the instruments. "War Cry" has recordings of a vibrant street, chanting soldiers, and vintage sounding electronic keyboard leading into an ominous organ.

Monkeyface is a collection of electronic dance tracks that either focus on complex percussion patterns, or layered synthesizer melodies. Modeselektor grab some choice vocalists to spit rhymes(Anti-Pop Consortium), sing expressively(Thom Yorke), and pump up the dancers(Miss Platinum). There should be at least a few tracks for a DJ to add to his mix for the club, and a few for the party goer to put on their iPod for the pre-game/ride there.



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