5 Indie Producers That Need To Be On Rhythm Roulette
Rhythm. NOT Russian. Rhythm Roulette is a YouTube series hosted by the entertainment company, Mass Appeal. They blindfold artists and producers, take them into a local record store and have them pick out three records that they'll sample from later on. Producers like the late Mac Miller (Larry Fisherman), BIG K.R.I.T., and London On Da Track have been featured on the series to show off their producing skills.
After the records are picked, they head back to the studio to also make an instrumental from their own sounds. Rhythm Roulette invites new ideas and sounds into the artists' minds as they create something new in the studio. Although it has been discontinued, the creator has thought of relaunching the show. Here are five artists that would thrive on Rhythm Roulette:
1. Astral Trap
With versatility across the board, in every genre, Astral Trap would put his sampling skills to use beautifully. His music and productions include elements from across the musical board from abstract hip-hop to witch house to ethereal wave. Astral already has experience with picking random records and flipping them to be his own sound. He flips-, reverses, and tethers with the pitch of the song 21 Questions, by 50 Cent, on his track 21 Mushrooms. It's refreshing to hear this track because you don't expect the song to be used in that particular way.
For Astral, sampling is a whole journey. Beginning at the record store, to letting the Vinyl hiss on his record player to the final product being produced effortlessly. In another song, ME NOT U, GO VERT, Astral messes with the pitch of Cassie's Me and You. When sampling, there are different chords, instruments, audios, and more that Astral takes from so that his music has a newer context.
When I sample, I do my best to make it sound like a completely new song. I make it sound like it didn't even come from the record I picked. - Astral Trap
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2. Loko Los (DJ LXRD CXLD)
Dark Trap pioneer, Loko Los has really shaped some of the very popular Phonk sounds and songs from the Underground. Nothing with music is untouchable to him. He's worked with artists like Robb Banks-, and helped produce Cum Thru and Instagram Live. Familiar sounds like trains, intense bass, and glitch effects will catch your ear while listening to Loko's productions.
On the track Possessed 2, by SpaceGhostPurrp which is produced by Loko, the very forefront of the song has a slow Memphis melody. You can hear the repetition of late rapper Lord Infamous' voice as it gets deeper and deeper. The sample that Loko put to use is taken from Beat Down by Three 6 Mafia.
I always disliked the thought of sampling but once I started it was like I already knew what i was doing. - Loko Los (via 108 MICS)
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3. Dylvinci
Multi-instrumentalist and producer, Dylvinci continuously stays true to his own sound while working with others. He's worked with artists like Yung Bans, XanMan$hawty, 10kDunkin, and many more. Dylvinci incorporates R&B, hip-hop, and jazzy piano melodies to give you a bittersweet feeling.
Dylvinci often drops videos of himself cooking up beats outside pretty much anywhere. The melodies start off simple then it becomes something much bigger. With a wide selection of sound kits that he's made, he'd thrive when it comes to building his own instruments.
R&Boof by BoofPaxkMooky produced by Dylvinci is a perfect example of older sounds meshing with newer ones. BoofPaxkMooky harmonizes over Dylvinci's smooth production making it more modern. I could easily see Dylvinci sampling from older Disco songs or R&B songs. He'd most likely pay more attention to the keyboards, drum beats, and synthesizers but he'd definitely put the records he picked to use.
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4. NxxxxxS
If you like mellow, atmospheric instrumentals, with a pinch of Hip-Hop, NxxxxxS is the producer you need to be listening to. His sounds range from a selection of Vaportrap, Phonk, and Instrumental Hip-Hop. NxxxxxS samples frequently throughout his music, and when you finally found out what was sampled, you can't do anything but admire the artistry involved. He's sampled things like the opening phone call from the movie Scream, Stewie on ADHD Pills from Family Guy, and even himself.
It's interesting how NxxxxxS picks from different songs and sounds and then applies them to make a brand new song. Sometimes the samples can be hard to catch, which is an exemplary model for sampling. You may even end up on whosampled.com trying to pin down what/who exactly he borrowed his sounds from. On his track, 1000 Ways To Get Paid, he samples Who in the Fuck by MC Ren feat. 8Ball & MJG (1998), but that's not all he sampled. He mixes in literal tornado sirens and the two combined give you a relaxed in-the-trap vibe. NxxxxxS would take those three unknown records he picked and flip them like no other.
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5. MR. CHEEZL
When you hear a MR. CHEEZL track, you might hear a sped up or slowed down R&B song from the late 90s. Or you might hear mystic sounds and voices incorporated from older Memphis underground rappers like Koopsta Knicca or Lil Gin. It could really be anything with CHEEZL. Full Throttle by artists FHN Mook, Suavi Gualla, and Kane Grocerys which MR. CHEEZL produced, you can faintly hear a woman's voice in the background. That voice is actually a Brazilian sample that he found and combined into the beat. The bass booms, but the track remains wavy.
Sampling amuses a producer like CHEEZL. A song can start off so simple and chill, but then CHEEZL turns it into something completely different with his heavy bass and hi-hats. It's really all about creating a vibe with the sample. Rhythm Roulette would be an easy task for him to tackle.
My favorite producers are J Dilla and MADLIB. They've always had the best techniques with sampling and I learned a lot from them. Like how to chop up samples and which parts of songs bring about certain feelings when you loop or cut them. - MR. CHEEZL
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Written by: Anaïs Stewart (@anaiis.stewart)
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