Studios and creative workplaces have always been a fascination of mine. The fantastic book Behind the Beat by Raph visits some of the most historic of these workstations in hip-hop from Premo's HeadQCourterz (pictured above) to Shadow's Reconstruction.
D&D (renamed HeadQCourterz) was actually one of the first studios I was invited to as a youth. I don't know why but seeing the iconic Phillies Blunt cigars in the vending machine when I was fifteen and knowing the history of the booth blew me away. Furthermore, when Premo was done with the track he was working on he brought it down to his car's system to test it out. Since then I always watch my videos in a couple different environments before I'm done with them.
Since space in New York City is so limited it's great to see how artists and producers utilize their location with equipment, records, and inspiration. It's also amazing to see what gear was used to create some of your favorite music of all time. N.Y. State of Mind...
As an aspiring music producer/composer, I truly respect the art of sampling. I myself, do not sample, though I've tried, and find it too difficult, and not for me. I love Premo's productions and his signature scratches during the chorus/hook. super dope..
Posted by: davidH | Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 11:58 PM
brilliant idea. i have always wanted to make or see a "coffeetable" book of studios in all genres, budget ranges, locations. the new york ones are most especially interesting!
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yo please read this article about me so see what i been up too
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almost forgot
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Posted by: adrian sosebee | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 12:10 AM
Excellent book. Really helped me get a feel for certain producers and how their sounds are influenced by their workspaces. Dillas work space was so sparse, but showed what talent can do when you maximize your resources.
Posted by: Jerome | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 09:00 AM
Yeah, this book is awesome and the pictures are a huge inspiration! Seeing the MPC-60 and all the S-950s in the studios just make me want to grab some records and get busy...
And it really helps to listen to your music on differnt systems in different environments because not everybody has a pair of UREI-813C speakers like Premo. So you can get a rough idea of how it might probably sound at other people´s systems...
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