Getting The Most Out of Putting Yourself Out There
The Beat Battle: an event where bedroom producers emerge from their dark dormitories to climb onto a stage in front of an audience of music snobs in a crowded club. All eyes on the beat maker for a brief moment of silence right before he pushes play on a CDJ and proceeds to begin dancing like an idiot. I was once one of such producers that mustered up the courage to subject myself to the scrutiny of a crowd that probably just wanted to come out and have drinks at a bar and maybe there to support a friend. For myself, performing in this way was nerve racking to the point where I was just an off rhythm stiff looking down at the ground for the entire 60 seconds that my battle beat was playing throughout the club. Others were able to dance and exude excessive amounts of confidence. My self conscious self would say “man, my beats aren’t that good, so I can’t really dance like that to my beats.” And I would tell myself that I probably lost because I showed zero personality whatsoever while on stage. I just couldn’t help but focus on all the people staring at me, judging me, rejecting me. I once did a battle in out in Modesto, CA. When my name was announced as I approached the stage “next up we have Remshot,” that was quickly followed up by a heckler yelling out “rimjob!” As immature and irrelevant as the insult was a few people giggled and I felt as nervous as ever. I played my beats that night and I ended up winning the whole thing. It was a nice little ego boost but winning isn’t everything. Not everyone takes home first prize but there are a number of benefits in participating in beat battles.
Constructive Criticism: First and foremost beat battles give you a chance to get feedback on what you think are your best beats. In some cases, a battle will have judges who will provide a critique as they are choosing winners. When I participated in the Bay Area producer conference, I received harsh criticism from the judges who, after hearing my beat, a sample challenge for a classic blues sample, said that they thought my beat didn’t have enough melodies and they preferred playing your own instruments over sampling. “But its a freakin’ sample challenge” I thought to myself. Nonetheless, I lost and learned two things. If my intent is to win a battle, I must do my homework on who the judges are and what they have worked on. The second thing I learned is that other people’s opinions are completely out of my control. I ended up selling exclusive rights to that particular hip hop instrumental that “lacked melody.” Another form of feedback is the crowd’s reaction in a club setting. People are drinking and itching to dance, if people aren’t moving to you music, its an indicator that your groove may need some working on.
Personal Growth: Another benefit is stepping out of your comfort zone. Beat battles were a chance for me to face my fears of rejection. Just the fact that I came out and put myself out there was a big step for me. I constantly worry about being judged. Continuing to answer the challenge helped numb those fears. My very first beat battle, I went up to the stage shaking in my boots. I didn’t even know how to use a CDJ, it played the wrong beat and I couldn’t figure out how to skip to the next song on my cd. The button I was pressing kept repeating the wrong beat over and over. My worst fears imaginable happening in front of a tough crowd who eventually decided that I would lose the head to head battle. The experience sucked but I got it out of my system and I came prepared from that day forward.
New Listening Environment: My personal favorite aspect is getting to hear my beat mixes over a super loud PA system. Club speakers are built to knock so if your instrumental tracks don’t slap as hard as what the DJ is spinning, then you have work to do in the mixing and mastering department. The things I like to listen for are the balance of the mix, the behavior of the bass frequencies, and the overall loudness. My first couple victories involved using beats that were mastered by a mastering engineer. In other words, I went to a friend who had the entire Waves plugin bundle and some experience mastering a buddy’s rock album. The difference was night and day when compared to other beats that were not mastered. The added benefit of working with a mastering engineer is getting feedback on what needed to be adjusted in the mix. The mastering engineer’s job is to produce a final output not correct mistakes. A few times he would send a beat back to me and refuse to master it until I get a new bassline on it.
Networking: Beat battles are an excellent way to meet like-minded individuals who will check out your music if you listen to theirs as well. You will meet other producers as well as prospective clients. A charismatic host of one beat battle I did would ask for the producers number as soon as the beat finished playing to show that he was digging it. At these events people are exchanging phone numbers, twitter handles, soundcloud pages, facebook accounts, emails, etc. If you plan on attending a beat battle, I highly recommend having your profile ready to be shared. As a musician you should have at least one social media account with pictures and music that you are proud of. It is kind of a buzzkill if you are sharing contact information but you have to give out a disclaimer or an excuse of why your shit is whack. It is also important to be ready to network even if you aren’t competing. Producers who compete will be approachable. All you have to do is compliment them on their beats. You never know who might end up blowing up or have something to offer that might benefit you. Networking for me paid off, when I met a beat producer that specialized in web design. I featured a mix of her beats on an online radio show I was producing at the time so she agreed to help me out with web design. I admit, networking and being outgoing is not my strong suit but it is something that I have been practicing. Like I mentioned, being prepared with music and visuals that you are proud of will help build up confidence.
Inspiration: The benefit of befriending fellow producers is the inspiration you can draw from each other. It can come in the form of obsessive competitiveness or the sharing of new ideas and techniques. Over the past decade it amazes me how much each former beat battle competitor has improved over the years. It forces me to step my game up.
Motivation: If you are experiencing creative block or you desperately need a swift kick in the ass to get up to make beats, signing up for a beat battle is the perfect way to motivate you to get in the lab. The battles that involve a sample challenge will get you on your beat machine with a starting point and a deadline in mind. The fact that hundreds of people will be watching you will add some pressure and force you not to cut corners. If I know that I am mixing beats for a beat battle, I will do everything I can to check my mixes on the homie’s DJ setup, in my garage from my car, and on the PA system at my job (after hours of course).
Free Advertising: Producer competitions are an excellent way to promote your beats even if you do not come out victorious. The key is to make a good impression and walk away with people collecting your contact information. I used to rock 17 Hertz Studio T-shirts to my battles and was able to generate a few leads. Regardless of the outcome, I would come out a winner if I acquired one customer who would ultimately end up booking multiple recording sessions, buy a beat, purchase mixing services and shoot a music video. If you don’t provide services and you aren’t seeking clients you can still acquire fans. They are the ones who will rack up plays on your soundcloud and youtube pages. Fans will share your content on social media. I’ve seen some producers hand out business cards and fliers. If you are feeling bold it might even be more effective to wear a t-shirt or headwear that has your website or twitter handle on it.
Prizes: The champion is blessed typically with cash prizes which can range from $0 up to $1000. Sometimes just the exposure is all the reward you need. Sometimes you can get free apparel. I once won a beat battle that took place at a streetwear store in Oakland, CA. In addition to a cash prize I got a couple of free Oaklandish shirts. There have been times when I received a cut of the door money.
Different Types of Beat Battles:
Producers need to keep in mind that these types of competitions are based on people’s opinions and that it is tough to control how someone responds to your beats. However, you can give yourself an advantage by doing your homework and being thorough with your beat production. An important factor in winning is understanding context and niches. Are you going to a bar on a night where an older more knowledgeable crowd with regards to hip hop is on hand? If yes, then it might be a good idea to make sure you play beats that don’t have recognizable soul samples or you better make sure you flip it way better than the classic hip hop track that used it. I once played a beat where I flipped a Dean Martin sample, not realizing that the Gravediggaz already flipped the same song. I ended up losing and I was approached by a member of the crowd who called me out on it. Remember, with these types of events, winning the contest isn’t everything. Below is a list of different types of battles and their benefits:
- Live Tournament Style (in a club setting) – In these battles the format is head to head contests judged by the crowd or by judges on the spot. This setting is a great place to gain fans and network with other producers. I got my start entering battles organized by good friend and producer Phillip Drummond. To break up the monotony of your typically beat battle he sent the competitors the samples ahead of the event. Producers had a week to produce beats from his sample package that usually had a theme such as Beatles songs, Rock music, or Reggae.
- Message Board/Forum Battles – This beat battle can come in the form of a sample challenge where the moderator will assign samples to the producers.These take place on forums such as Battleflips and winners are usually determined through member votes on a message board. This is a good way to direct traffic to your social media sites or music pages. It is also an avenue to get detailed thoughtful feedback from forum posters. Individuals on such forums are typically knowledgable and honest.
- Submissions – Sites such as Beatstars will have contests where you remix a song. The contest will provide the acapella for you to throw your beat on and submit. Winners are determined by a panel of judges and prizes can include studio time and gear. I entered a remix/cover contest to remake a John Legend song where users of the music site voted for the best covers. This was a great way to gauge how good I was at producing at the time.
- Live Beat Making – I competed at the final 2 Scribble Jams. A hip hop festival which ran from 1996 to 2008 that was famous for its ‘97 emcee battle between Eminem and Juice. The latter years of the event featured a producer competition where its finalists had to dig through crates of vinyl records and make a beat within one hour. Preparing for such a task helps you sharpen your listening and chopping skills.
- Producer Competition (In front of an expert panel) – In 09 I was selected to compete in the Bay Area Producer Conference beat battle. This contest was set up tournament style but its setting differs from a club atmosphere in several ways. The battle takes place in a theater or a ballroom so the acoustics are going to be quite different than a crowded bar. It seems like you can get away with average mixes in a club because the PA system is blasting and the crowd absorbs much of the sound. In a ballroom/theater setting, people are not getting drunk and trying to dance so your music is under much more scrutiny as it is played on a system that has been tuned by an audio engineer. Moreover, instead of trying to impress a crowd that wants to party, your beats are being analyzed by industry professionals who have mixed and produced gold records for decades. Even if the feedback is negative, such a panel can provide some useful career advice. AN example of a well known producer competition is the events organized by iStandard.
In conclusion, beat battles are a great way to step outside of your bubble to gain some exposure. Even if you are not exactly winning championships, the fact that you are able to play your music for an audience of strangers can be considered a win in itself. So go out and join one and get the most out of the experience.
