Falside on the Science of Beat Tapes
Posted by Justin Boland on Jul 21, 2009 | 0 Comments
JB: What’s the science of the beat tape to you? How many tracks should a producer be putting out in one dose, and how long should they be?
Falside: I have a huge issue with over saturation. Filler work is unacceptable and hasty production leads to disappointment. The last two samplers I chose to release digitally consisted of 6 and 9 tracks collectively. This limits a listeners choice, but allows a more concentrated attention. When I buy items in bulk, I tend to waste the product. If you put 28 tracks on a mixtape, listeners will skip through the filler and land on the dope shit. As an artist, you know what your good work is. I just choose to eliminate filler so listeners don’t have to skip past anything.
JB: Do you think beat tapes are better for securing placements + selling beats, or better for just promoting the Falside name?
Falside: Beat tapes are a great way of securing placements and have the potential to be profitable in the long run. They are great oppurtunities for producers to display raw art in it’s purest form. A week after dropping “Bugs In Ya’ Teef”, I have been getting a positive response in terms of the “Falside” brand of beat. I have already secured placement of most of the beats from the sampler with artists including C-Rayz Walz and Jaysaun of Special Teamz. I spent some cash on this project. Aside from the free digital download, I pressed hard copies as well. There are still those people who prefer tangible shit. It’s really just all smoke and mirrors.
JB: Who are the producers you’re looking up to in 2009, in terms of self-promoting and running their business right?
Falside: Sean Martin of Hatebreed did a fantastic job on Cage’s newest album. Much respect for stepping outside his element. Small Pro, the cat who has been doing all the remix work of Large Pro and others has a fantastic sound. And much respect to Esh the Monolith. He is a producer/friend also from Providence with great production and mindset. Poorly Drawn People (Reason,Storm Davis, Dox) my main local squeeze have always had their shit together marketing wise. But in the long run I’m not too worried about what anybody else is doing. It’s hard for me to take advice from people who still make beats in their bedroom, but Marco Polo does, and I hear his video with Torae “Party Crashers” playing on MTVu as we speak. Maybe one day I will have a van with my face on it. I really don’t give a fuck, I just want people to hear my music, make a shitload of fans, and have a good time in the process. I’m still only 20.
If you’d like to read more, check out a recent interview with Falside on the DJ Multiple Sex Partners website: “Being a Beatsmith in 2009.”
Download “Bugs in Ya Teef”
Dilla Tapes and Open Questions
Here’s some hilarious hip hop production history-Detroit’s own Frank N Dank talk shop about J Dilla’s beat tapes. The man was beautifully paranoid, and went to inventive extremes to hide his work from biters and thieves.
OPEN QUESTIONS: What do you think the ideal format for a beat tape should be? Is there an unofficial industry standard? Should producers be using “tags” to protect their work? And finally: do you want to see more content specifically for beatsmiths and producers here on Audible Hype?