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Posts Tagged ‘?uestlove’

  1. New Look, New Loops

    July 10, 2010 by Ryan

    Tastes like ?uest

    In an attempt to keep up with the highly influential likes of Heidi Montag, Kate Gosselin and the singer of Nickelback, I’ve decided to dramatically change my appearance. Well, at least the appearance of this blog. The old design had served me well for the past 18 months, but I decided it was time to switch things up and produce a fresh new look.

    To celebrate the launch of the site design, I wanted to share an entire (and free) loop pack with the loyal readers of this blog. I know I’ve been spending a lot of time cranking out beats for that “other” site, but I wanted to let you know that I’m still here for you guys. I can’t quit you.

    Free Summer Loop Sampler

    This loop set is a nod to the one and only ?uestlove. With a wide open 18″ Gretsch kick and a cranked up 10″ Premier soprano snare, it’s some dirty hip hop (with the help of a 1×10 tweed combo amp), performed and recorded by a white guy, born and raised in the suburbs of Des Moines (the hip hop capitol of the Midwest).

    questloverage 300x217 New Look, New Loops

    Tastes like ?uest

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    To download the entire pack, just click here.

    - 36 Loops Total
    - Hi Hat & Ride Grooves + Fills
    - 24 Bit 48 KHZ Audio
    - WAV, REX2 and AIFF (Apple Loops) Formats

    89 BPM

    Category 080-100 BPM, Funk, Hip Hop | Tags: ,,,,,, | 5 Comments

  2. Voodoo

    February 21, 2010 by Ryan

    Some albums totally blow your mind when it comes to production. Other albums inspire you by the incredible musicianship. And some albums hold their own just by the level of songwriting. But it’s not that often when an album comes along and takes all three of these elements to transcend the high bar of awesomeness (wow, what a horrible analogy). D’Angelo’s epic 2000 release, Voodoo, is one of these special records.

    Just as I was about to graduate college, thinking I knew everything there was to contemporary music, this album sent me scurrying back to the practice room. Not because of the complexity of the drumming, but the feel and the SOUND. I remember spending hours sitting in front of my Gateway computer, with the adapter speakers blaring (tiny sub woofers kicking out the bass), soaking in every measure of ?uestlove’s drumming and D’Angelo’s production, arranging and composition. It was a humbling experience which would usually lead me to tears, then some nachos, and finally a game of 007 with my roommate, Bob, to help clear my head.

    dangelo voodoo 101b 724070 300x298 Voodoo

    Loop #123

    Today’s loop takes some of the production and performance cues found on Voodoo. To get the super dry, ultra-present drum sound, I didn’t use any of my usual overhead and room mics. I pulled out my super thin and trashy hi hats and went heavy on the gating and compression of the cross stick. I also did 3,845 sit-ups, waxed my chest and oiled up my abs.

    PS – I just realized that 99% of my recent loops have been in the 80-90 BPM range. I put in a call to my Red Bull dealer, so look for some 200+ BPM loops soon.

    Preview Here:

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    Get the .wav file here.

    Get the .rx2 file here.

    Get the .aiff file here.

    85 BPM

    Category 080-100 BPM, Funk, Hip Hop, R&B | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  3. Screencast #1 – Shopping for Beats

    August 2, 2009 by Ryan

    Category Videos | Tags: ,, | 2 Comments

  4. Cool Quest

    May 11, 2009 by Ryan

    Ever since I posted the ?uestlove video earlier today, I haven’t been able to get that beat out of my head. Rather than blasting some Huey Lewis to thoroughly cleanse my pallet, I decided to head down to the studio and record my own take on a breakbeat influenced groove (aka the exact same thing Quest played… just a few BPM faster).

    ahirthompson66 300x199 Cool Quest

    Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson

    Loop #66

    To get that old-skool sound, I took the minimal approach to recording and only used two overhead mics on the kit. I also overdubbed a tambourine playing sixteenth notes and blew out my hair into the biggest, whitest afro you’ve ever seen. I didn’t use any t-shirts on the kick drum but I did throw a few sheets of notebook paper on the snare to add some extra “thunk”.

    Preview Here:

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    Download the Logic session here. (55MB)

    Get the .wav file here.

    Get the .rx2 file here.

    118 BPM

    Category 100-120 BPM, Funk, Hip Hop, R&B | Tags: ,, | 1 Comment

  5. Lunchtime Lesson – ?uestlove Lays it Down

    May 11, 2009 by Ryan

    ?uestlove takes us into the studio as he lays down the drum tracks for Pharrell & the Yessirs “How Does It Feel?”. Feels pretty funky to me. Check out the t-shirt on the kick drum trick.

    Category Videos | Tags: , | No Comments