Ask TheMetetron about being a radio/club/production/mixtape DJ

[slamhound]

TheMetetron,

Why do you think it is that rappers like Mims succeed? Is it all in the promotion?

Did you ever come into contact with the rave scene? Any insights as to why hard dance (happy hardcore/freeform/gabber/hardstyle/etc etc) has had such a hard time breaking into the mainstream?

What sort of setup would you recommend for someone interested in beat production and mixing as a hobby?

[3 VCOs]

[ QUOTE ]
TheMetetron,

Why do you think it is that rappers like Mims succeed? Is it all in the promotion?

Did you ever come into contact with the rave scene? Any insights as to why hard dance (happy hardcore/freeform/gabber/hardstyle/etc etc) has had such a hard time breaking into the mainstream?

What sort of setup would you recommend for someone interested in beat production and mixing as a hobby?

[/ QUOTE ]

hi. i share a sort-of-similar background with TheMetetron so i felt like answering these questions, can't...resist...

1. it is almost entirely a result of promotion, from my viewpoint. these days you can make fart noises on a beat, as long as the beat is dope, and get to #1, but the promotion is key. Mims also borrowed his rhyme style/cadence from another similarly unskilled rapper, Young Joc, from his hit from last year "It's Going Down", historically it hasn't been hard to duplicate someone else's success when you duplicate their style/song and have the same promotion beast behind you.

what happens with a lot of these no-talent-having rappers is that they make local mixtapes using other people's already-famous beats (to avoid paying producers for exclusive beats), press up tens of thousands of copies with money made from illegal drug sales (or from a wealthy investor) and circulate them around their city, A&Rs notice this and sign these acts, the labels hire independent radio promoters to pay radio stations/DJs tens of thousands to spin it, and bing! #1 hit. (interesting note: Mims is still in debt from that song, due to the samples used in the first verse, "Jesus Walks" in particular is rumored to be costing them somewhere in the half-million range)

2. in my experience, the average person/consumer just can't relate to electronic music that is so aggressive and fast as those you mentioned. i used to take tons of drugs and wild out to some gabber for hours, now that i am not a drug user i do not find much value in it anymore myself... that's just me, maybe i'm just getting old.

also, most club owners that i have worked for, at least from where i used to reside (Chicago), do not desire the type of crowd that this music brings due to problems with underagers and drug use/people selling ecstacy and other drugs in and around their establishments. Modern day radio revolves strictly around the clubs, and if the clubs are not giving it much attention then the mainstream consumer will not either.

3. i highly suggest finding a copy of Reason, made by Propellerheads Software. it is easily the most powerful program of its type/price range ($350-$400), and many mainstream producers use Reason, sometimes exclusively (the beat for last year's hit by T.I., "What You Know" was produced exclusively on Reason). i love Reason, i have a nice setup of outboard gear that i have spent thousands on, yet if i lost Reason, i'd be in bad shape, it's that awesome.