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BEAT BATTLE: SAMPLE CHALLENGE - Cold Wave


DJ Rock Well

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Going with a bit left turn for this battle, namely a compilation of 'cold wave' music originally released on cassette in the early 80s as part of the UK underground cold wave tape scene.

 

To explain this, I have explain the phenomenon that is Gary Ramon. He's guy who I've met and become friendly through the record shop who despite having the 80s and 90s as his glory days is exactly like a hippy from the 60s who took way too much acid and always seems slightly unsure of which reality he is currently in :d Nowadays he runs the Acme label that reissues rare psyche and prog on vinyl. Prior to that he was the front man a modern psyche/prog band called Sun Dial. Before Sun Dial he was the main driving force behind the UK underground cold wave scene.

 

Between '81 and '85 he issued over 200 cassettes of this music and produced a photocopied fanzine. The cassettes were often comps, but there were some complete albums by the bands. Gary produced much of it and was in about half the bands they issued in one capacity or another, either as a session player, solo artist or singer/songwriter. These cassettes are now eminently collectable and worth good money, much to Gary's utter bemusement. So because of a growing interest in this bygone underground scene, he's been bamboozled into making these vinyl reissues of the most sought after stuff.

 

Cold Wave is a weird mix of New Wave, Electro, Krautrock, Industrial and similar with a DIY ethic - much like the previous 60s garage band scene and the 70s punk one. Basically, they got bunch of synths, guitars and drum machines and did whatever they wanted and recorded it to tape, for final release on cassette. Talking to Gary about it, it's quite clear that alot of what was recorded was jam sessions and generally making it up on the spot, experimentation and discovery of new sounds were definitely prioritised over repetition or polished end product.

 

Some of the stuff on here is awful, but there's loads of bits that could be sampled IMO. I'm definitely interested to see which way this source material pushes people in this battle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wavs

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/djeb28hxcgz8e8o/cold%20waves%20of%20colour%20volume%202%20wavs.zip?dl=0

 

 

 

As usual, the only rule is that you have to sample at least one sound from the audio files provided above. You can add any other sounds, samples, instruments, cuts, vocals, etc. The final result can be any style, medium or genre you like.

Post up your entries in the comments of this thread.

Deadline for entries will be the end of Tuesday, 4th April.

 

 

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Interesting choice Rock.

just checked the wavs and I've got some old cassettes of similar sounding stuff that ive had since I was a teenager.

Im looking forward to see if I can come up with something for the battle from them.. :((

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Guest Psychedelic Schizophrenic

Nice choice Rocky, on the D/L now :) I'm very intrigued by the sound of this and very much looking forward to seeing what different quirkiness unfolds in this month's beat battle.

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Guest Psychedelic Schizophrenic

Is anyone else having trouble with this as well? Or am I just having a form of writers block? I keep playing the sample material but nothing is jump out and screaming "Sample me"?

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I was, as much as there's nothing on here I could hear a loop or chop of that would fit into my usual repertoire. So I did what I always do in such situations and just collect any sounds I did like with no bearing on what I might do with them - mostly just short single notes or hits to be retuned and processed until they inspired me.

 

Resulting from this, I've definitely got the start of something and it's been quite liberating working outside my usual area as I don't feel any pressure to get it 'right'. Even when I had just some chopped sounds I thought I was going to make the love child of Dirtstyle beats and an El-P production, in the end I'm working on something I'm gonna call 'lo-fi electro' although everybody else will probably just accuse me of making French House or something :$

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Guest petesasqwax

I did what I always do in such situations and just collect any sounds I did like with no bearing on what I might do with them - mostly just short single notes or hits to be retuned and processed until they inspired me.

Absolutely this! I'm overdue on my tape so haven't had much chance to really get involved yet, but I'll have a submission, no question!

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Guest Psychedelic Schizophrenic

Right back on it again, must be something I can flip into a Bassline tune for Mr Swift :p

 

everybody else will probably just accuse me of making French House or something :$

 

I will get the red wine and chessboard in for your track then?

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I was, as much as there's nothing on here I could hear a loop or chop of that would fit into my usual repertoire. So I did what I always do in such situations and just collect any sounds I did like with no bearing on what I might do with them - mostly just short single notes or hits to be retuned and processed until they inspired me.

 

 

 

This sounds dangerously like actually making your own music sir!

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Man, what the hell is wrong with everybody ?

 

Im using the sounds from these wav's to make the dopest,flyest down and dirty illest shit ive ever made...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erm...not really...

 

down-tempo,ambient Euro Techno-House anybody ?

 

Yeah Ok, sorry..thought not.

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Guest petesasqwax

Seriously, dudes? This fucker even has a drum machine loop at the start of side 2 track 2 that Scarecrow Willy would slap-box Darth Fader for whilst Butchwax filmed the whole affair in his Y's, rubbing one out to the sheer essence of Dirtstylery of it all!

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I dont like drum machines tho.. :d

and ive never had much use for any of those dirtstyle records now I come to think of it hehe.

Then again ,maybe I just need to get two copies of Hee-Haw braykes and start experimenting a bit more.. :p

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Guest petesasqwax

Yo - I don't care if I win this by default as the only entry, but I have to say: my shit is coming on beautifully. I'm tempted to up it tonight, but I know I can fuck with it some more so I'll let it marinate for now and progress further over the next few days. All I can say is that I'm channeling Dirtstyle, Boards of Canada and that fucker who did the awesome Stranger Things score, amongst other fuckers.

 

Word - weird words, but I can back them shits up, trust me...

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I'm just now getting around to checking the offering of the month for samples... man... wish I'd got on this earlier... dunno if I'll have the time but will try.

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Im sorry, I don't have anything to offer at this moment in time.

 

Nothing was leaping out from amongst the samples for me personally with this particular battle, so I left it at that.

 

Tbh I am pretty busy with another project that ive been working on for the last few months where I've been slowly building up a few pieces of music from combining lots of singular notes and phrases to make into a ton of unique loops and which I'm hoping to have finished over the course of the next couple of weeks..i'll be glad when these new tracks are finally done as they've taken up far too much of my spare time already with the vast amount of samples I've had to audition,chop,pitch and resample (and in some cases then totally disregard after doing so!) to try and make everything work together properly.

 

Then again, sometimes "time takes time" as that big nosed, cack-handed percussionist from The Beatles once proclaimed on the cover of one of his solo lp's to a hugely unimpressed album buying public.

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Pete - you won't win by default cos I've got something(ish), I pretty much guarantee you will crush me this time round though. There's still time left and I'm praying for a miracle, but a good start has been followed by a difficult middle phase and I really don't know how I'm gonna finish this one off.

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I'm hoping to put something together this weekend. It will be a quickie and likely not the new direction I've been on the verge of going for some time but at least it will be something.

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