More on phonographic glue, elements and the whole (part II)

Sound travelling through air So, why do we favour the use of live, natural (acoustic and electromechanical) sources as samples? As Schloss (2014) has described, (sample-based) Hip Hop is both live and non-live. You hear the featured musicians as well as the decisions of the beat-maker interacting with them. Importantly, I'd add, you are hearing the interaction between current and previously committed phonographic processes (recording, mixing,...

More on phonographic glue, elements and the whole (part I)

I felt a real craving for beat-making today. After practicing some bluegrass rolls on banjo and fingerpicking on acoustic guitar (because some of the existing/new song ideas will need it), and after playing the latest Westside Gunn (Supreme Clientele, 2018) and Evidence (Weather Or Not, 2018) albums—both receiving best hip-hop albums of the year nods by various rap tastemakers—I guess I felt somewhat (too?) drawn into the experiences of the...