By Philly Stress
Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:30 am
This one touches on Pete Keyboard Skills a little.
I Didn't know he use to use a MPC 3000?? Go figure?
ROCK ON
By Markkus Rovito
Nov 1, 2001 12:00 PM
Anyone who would call himself the Chocolate Boy Wonder would have to be either an egotistical fool or an incredibly talented soul. Fortunately, in the case of Pete Phillips, aka Pete Rock, it's the latter. Possessing both the skills and the résumé to deflect a landfill's worth of trash talk, Rock has remained one of hip-hop's most influential producers since he rose to prominence during the early '90s.
As a precocious teenager in the late '80s, Rock sat in on sessions with big-timers Marley Marl and Heavy D when most of us were still drooling on our Converse high-tops. After landing a weekly DJ spot on New York radio station WBLS's “In Control with Marley Marl,” Rock hooked up with rapper C.L. Smooth for a string of soulful releases that provided an alternative to early- and mid-'90s gangsta rap. Rock constantly mined his Smithsonian-size collection of vinyl to create compelling mixtures of jazzy horns, soulful piano, funky guitar, and smooth bass lines, defining one of the most influential hip-hop styles of the decade. After releasing an EP and two albums, Rock and Smooth split in 1994, but Rock stayed busy producing, remixing, and continuing to develop his sound.
By the time the first Pete Rock solo album dropped in 1998, an entire industry of on-mic talent was waiting to guest star on its tracks, including O.C., the Roots, and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon. One of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums released that year, Soul Survivor (RCA/Loud) was a stylistic tour de force. Vintage Pete Rock jazz and soul stylings were still in effect — he even flirted with straight R&B — but an aggressive edge had also entered his sound, helping him remain a step ahead of the industry. Rock brought new life to the Wu-Tang dark-piano sound on “Strange Fruit,” and he even may have taught Timbaland a thing or two about big pimpin' with the melody on “Tha Game.”
Enter the 21st century, and Rock's as sharp as ever. The second release in BBE's (Barely Breaking Even) Beat Generation series, PeteStrumentals, is the perfect contemporary instrumental chill-out hip-hop album. All of Rock's signature instruments are present, but the pace is slower, and the arrangements are not as busy as those in most of his previous work. The relaxed moods and sampladelic strings and delays make it sound almost as if Rock decided to merge his soulful style with abstract down-tempo breaks. The album possesses an up-to-the-minute vibe even though most of the tracks are leftover, unreleased efforts from earlier in Rock's career — some tracks date back seven to ten years. That makes PeteStrumentals a testament to just how classic and far ahead of its time Rock's music actually is.
Despite the title's suggestion, the album is not entirely lacking in lyrics. A couple of new tracks have Rock teaming up with a new crew of MCs called the UN, including Rock Marciano from Busta Rhymes's Flipmode Squad, as well as MCs Divine, Godfree, and Laku. Their dangerous style flows eerily well with Rock's smooth bass lines and the gloomy mood of his dark strings and music-box samples.
Currently hanging in his hometown of New York City, Rock is busy working on several projects at once. He says he's six or seven tracks into Soul Survivor II, which should be out next year. He adds, “I'm working on an R&B project secretly with a dope singer that a lot of people should know, but I don't want to reveal who she is until we lock this deal down.”
When we caught up with him, Rock was just getting back from a trip to London to promote PeteStrumentals. He says he has a “big-time” following all across Europe, where fans like to hear the old classics that he rapped on as well as his new productions. “In London, you don't really have to do too much,” he says. “I get behind the decks and talk on the mic, talk shit, play a couple of records; know what I mean? But they do want to hear songs that they're used to hearing from me.” Behind the decks, Rock prefers either Rane or Vestax mixers for their superior crossfader action. “Gemini is cool, but I like the new style,” he explains. “It's 2001, man. The Rane and Vestax mixers are the best right now.”
Does Rock plan to continue exploring instrumental hip-hop? “I don't know,” he admits. “My next album may not be instrumental. It may just be a solo Pete Rock album, but I'll mix it with some instrumental stuff as well.”
When BBE first approached you to do an instrumental album, what intrigued you about the project?
I had a lot of leftover beats I wanted to share with the world that never really came out back in the day. I've got trillions of beats, but these were kind of special. Some were old C.L. tracks and a couple of other joints that never got used. I just figured I'd put ‘em out there like that. Some of them were recorded songs where I just took off the vocals.
What about the tracks with the UN crew?
I recorded those tracks this year. We're working on an EP now, and I'm working on an album with them as well. We don't have a solid deal yet, but we've got people biting. Trust me when I tell you, some real bangers are on there.
Can you talk about your production methods?
You mean how I do my thing? I can't reveal how I do my thing. I can tell you to be versatile and to single yourself out from other producers. You gotta create your own identity in this game. That's very, very, very important.
How did you create your own identity?
I got inspired by producers like Howie T, Marley Marl, and people that had '80s rap locked down, even Larry Smith, who did Whodini, and Rick Rubin — what he did with Run-DMC was a big inspiration to me. So I said to myself, “I want to be like these guys, but how can I be like these guys and be myself, because I don't want to sound like the next person.” So I just kept trying to master that E-mu SP-12, and I wouldn't leave the house until I mastered the machine. I started working at it, and my beats started getting better and better and better. When I was about 15, I did coproduction on Heavy D's Big Tyme, and a couple of years later, I worked on Heavy D's Peaceful Journey. Between doing the coproduction on those albums, I turned 16 and I did my first project alone with a group called Groove B. Chill with nobody's help. Actually, one of the guys is now an actor. He was in House Party, and he's been in movies with Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., and all that. That was his first album, and I did my first beats with those guys.
From then on, I started getting work. I got signed with [Heavy D's DJ] Eddie F [Edward Ferrell] to Untouchables Entertainment. He was also C.L. Smooth's manager at the time, and he was getting me work as a producer. By that time, I had a little bit of a roster on the coproduction side, and people just gave me a chance and tried me out. What really jump-started my whole career was when I got called to do the Public Enemy remix of “Shut 'em Down.” From then on, I basically created my identity from the music I was inspired by; I just did it a little different. I put more into what those guys didn't do. I wanted to do things that weren't done before.
You were pretty tight with Marley Marl. Did he teach you how to produce?
He didn't teach me anything, but he showed me a lot just by me coming to his house back in the day and watching him and Heavy work. I'm a very fast learner, and I learned from watching him. His music, along with that of a lot of other producers, inspired me. He's like a mentor to me as far as hip-hop's concerned.
Which producers can you learn from now?
Well, there are producers out there that are hot that learned things from me. I know you go through your days learning something new every day, but when it comes to music — I'm not saying I know it all — I've experienced a lot over the years. I've been doing this for 12 years straight.
Have you mentored any of your own protégés?
Not actually under my wing, but in the sense that if you listen to certain guys today, you can hear some of my inspiration in their music. Hi-Tek, for instance, Ayatollah, Da Beatminerz, DJ Premier — who I love — a lot of guys out there. I was thinking about opening up a school and teaching kids about music and how to make hip-hop and stuff like that.
What would be the first lesson?
Basically how to write music and how to listen for something good. How to dissect music with your ears. Teaching them how to listen would be the first lesson.
What piece of gear would you start young producers on at your school?
I would start them out on something simple like a [Boss] Dr. Rhythm, and then I'd gradually move it on up to actual drum machines that are used in the studio. I'd give them something they could play around with and sample. I would go through the steps with them and tell them what to do.
Was the SP-12 your first piece of gear?
Yeah. I've worked with other drum machines like the [Roland] TR-808, [Oberheim] DX, the Roland [TR-]909, and the Dr. Rhythm box. When the SP came out, it first was the SP-12 and then it was the SP-1200. The 12 had no disk drive; you had to use a separate disk drive with the SP-12. The SP-1200 already had one built in, and it provided a little more sampling time.
Were your first productions done solely on the SP-1200?
Yeah, and I've been using that ever since.
What about the Akai MPC-3000?
I have that still. I'm learning how to use that as well. So I'm not only working with the SP now; I have something alongside of it that I use.
Have you entered the world of computer editing and recording?
I've learned and I'm learning how to deal with Pro Tools. I mean, I'm an analog person. I like to record analog to keep that raw sound, but I've worked with Pro Tools where I've sampled vocals and moved them around. It's a much easier step to work with Pro Tools. It's like a faster way of making records or putting things together. I master to 2 inch to ½ inch to DAT. I basically master my music to DAT or even burn it to CD.
Is your home studio equipped to go from the first beats all the way through the mastering process?
It's a pre-production studio. It's not actually complete. I have a rack of digital effects and sound modules, and I have a 16-track board that I've used for a long time. I have an SP and an Akai S-950, an MPC-3000, and 60,000 records. If I want to play live instruments, I just get ideas from old records and try to play them over, or I'll sample and chop 'em up.
Do you play your own keyboards?
I play a little bit. I'm not as good as I should be, but I'm practicing. And I have session musicians who I contact. I just tell them what to play.
PeteStrumentals has a lot of guitars, bass, Rhodes, and horns that you can't really tell are sampled.
That's all me. The guitar stuff I didn't play. But some of the parts are chopped up where I'm playing it off the SP-1200, not actually playing the instrument. But also I have band guys I contact who play bass guitar or Rhodes. And I know several people who play keyboard. But a lot of that stuff on PeteStrumentals is basically me sampling from old instrumental records where they would just have, like, a whole album full of a Rhodes keyboard or a guitar or a bass or even drums and drumming. I've got drumming records, keyboard records, all that stuff. So that helps me create ideas when I want to do something live.
The album keeps you guessing, because you don't always know what is live.
Exactly, but most of the stuff that you hear on it is sampled. There are a few live joints on it, like the bass line on “Pete's Jazz.” I always make up all my bass lines and play them off the SP. The vibes and stuff are from an old jazz record. And then I just took some guitar chops and played “I Get Lifted,” an old song by George McCrae that went pretty well with the song. You know, once you get that basic beat, everything else comes easy.
How do you deal with sample clearance?
I have a pretty good method. I only clear the important ones. I find a lot of obscure music where the group ain't around no more, or cats don't know the music when they hear it. But I don't sample it to where they can notice it. I chop it up and do certain things to it so it doesn't sound the same.
Would you sample more and for greater lengths if you could still get away with it like people did in the late '80s?
I probably would. There are a lot of things I passed up that I wanted to just loop, but I knew they would come after me for it. And they always get what they want. Certain artists like James Brown now get, like, 50, 60 percent of a song — of your song. If you sample his song, he wants 60 percent. You know, certain cats come after you. Certain people will be like, “Okay, just give me this.” I like to deal with those kinds of people.
One vocal sample that goes “wow-wow-wow” shows up on two tracks.
That was because it was first used on the instrumental track “For the People,” and then you got a song I did called “Give It to Y'all” with my man Rock Marciano. That's a real hot song that Rawkus put out as a single.
Do you often reprise a sample from one song to another?
Well, sometimes. I just thought that was a good intro for the vocal song, and that's why I put the same thing in there. But I only do that once or twice. It doesn't hurt; it's just music. I could see if I did it on every track. Now, you got some producers out here who use the same sounds every single ****' time. That stuff gets played out, and you know, ten years from now you can't say, “Oh, that shit is still hot.” You know, a lot of that shit you hear today is not classic.
Do you do a lot of processing with the drum sounds?
Yeah, actually, I do. And when I'm listening to my collection, I find a lot of sounds on records like snares, kicks, hi-hats, you name it — timbales, whatever. There are a lot of sounds that come from records, but then I have sound-library CDs with drum sounds and other sounds that go into beats.
When a sound comes off a sample CD, do you usually have to fatten up the sound?
Yeah. Most of them you have to beef up — EQ them right and things of that nature, like adding another piece of sound to make it sound fuller. I always try to combine shit. I definitely layer sounds. I like to compress certain sounds and beats using the Tube-Tech compressors, because I can take any type of dirty sound from a record and clean it up. I like Eventide processors, and Rane has a few processors I like. Roland has a few compressors I like to use for vocals.
What advice can you give to the young beat generators out there?
My first piece of advice is never let somebody tell you that you can't do something. The second thing is to stick with what you love. If you have a passion for it, you're bound to unfold into something. As long as you stick with your craft and practice it every single day, something positive will come out of it. And stick with it. Try to be versatile with making beats; don't just pigeonhole yourself with one type of sound. Make various types of music.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Markkus Rovito ([email protected]) is a senior editor for E-Gear magazine. He's very grateful that Pete Rock didn't hang up on him as did a certain former Ultramagnetic MCs rapper, who shall remain nameless.
Pete Rock: A Selected Discography
ALBUMS
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
Mecca and the Soul Brother (Elektra/Asylum, 1992)
The Main Ingredient (Elektra, 1994)
Pete Rock
Soul Survivor (RCA/Loud, 1998)
PeteStrumentals (BBE/Studio K7, 2001)
SINGLES AND EPs
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
All Souled Out EP (Elektra, 1991)
“They Reminisce Over You” (Elektra/Asylum, 1992)
“Straighten It Out” (Elektra/Asylum, 1992)
“Lots of Lovin'” (Asylum, 1993)
Pete Rock
“Take Your Time” (Loud, 1999)
COLLECTIONS
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
Rare Tracks (WEA, 1999)
Pete Rock
Pete's Treats (Strictly Breaks, 1999)
MIX COMPILATION ALBUMS
Pete Rock and Keb Darge
Funk Spectrum, vol. 3 (BBE, 2001)
Pete Rock
Diggin on Blue (Blue Note, 1999)
REMIXES
EPMD, “Rampage” (Def Jam, 1990)
Public Enemy, “Shut 'em Down” (Def Jam, 1991)
Naughty by Nature, “Hip Hop Hooray” (Tommy Boy, 1993)
Das EFX, “Real Hip Hop” (WEA/Elektra, 1995)
Jamal, “Fades ‘em All” (Rowdy, 1995)
Monica, “Before You Walk out of My Life” (Rowdy, 1995)
Incognito, “Roots” (Universal/Verve, 1996)
PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTIONS
Heavy D & the Boyz, Big Tyme (MCA, 1989)
Heavy D & the Boyz, Peaceful Journey (MCA, 1991)
Kid ‘N Play, Face the Nation (Select, 1991)
Heavy D & the Boyz, Blue Funk (MCA, 1992)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Code Red (BMG/Jive, 1993)
Run-DMC, Down with the King (Profile/Arista, 1993)
Father, Sex Is Law (Universal/MCA, 1994)
Heavy D & the Boyz, Nuttin' but Love (MCA, 1994)
Nas, Illmatic (Sony/Columbia, 1994)
AZ, Doe or Die (EMD/Capitol, 1995)
Das EFX, Hold It Down (WEA/Elektra, 1995)
Lost Boyz, Legal Drug Money (Universal, 1995)
Common Sense, “The **** in You” (Relativity, 1996)
Mic Geronimo, Vendetta (TVT, 1997)
Rakim, 18th Letter (Universal, 1997)
A.D.O.R., Shock Frequency (Uppercut, 1998)
All City, Metropolis Gold (Universal/MCA, 1998)
Jesse Powell, 'Bout It (Universal/MCA, 1998)
Inspectah Deck, Uncontrolled Substance (Loud, 1999)
Jimmy Cliff, Humanitarian (Eureka, 1999)
Rah Digga, Dirty Harriet (WEA/Elektra, 1999)
Rahzel, Make the Music 2000 (Universal/MCA, 1999)
Screwball, Y2K (Tommy Boy, 1999)
Big L, Big Picture (Priority/Rawkus, 2000)
Bumpy Knuckles, Industry Shakedown (Landspeed, 2000)
Phife Dawg, Ventilation: Da LP (Groove Attack, 2000)
Roc Raida, Crossfaderz (Moonshine, 2000)
ED O.G., Truth Hurts (Nu Groove/Ground Control, 2001)
I Didn't know he use to use a MPC 3000?? Go figure?
ROCK ON
By Markkus Rovito
Nov 1, 2001 12:00 PM
Anyone who would call himself the Chocolate Boy Wonder would have to be either an egotistical fool or an incredibly talented soul. Fortunately, in the case of Pete Phillips, aka Pete Rock, it's the latter. Possessing both the skills and the résumé to deflect a landfill's worth of trash talk, Rock has remained one of hip-hop's most influential producers since he rose to prominence during the early '90s.
As a precocious teenager in the late '80s, Rock sat in on sessions with big-timers Marley Marl and Heavy D when most of us were still drooling on our Converse high-tops. After landing a weekly DJ spot on New York radio station WBLS's “In Control with Marley Marl,” Rock hooked up with rapper C.L. Smooth for a string of soulful releases that provided an alternative to early- and mid-'90s gangsta rap. Rock constantly mined his Smithsonian-size collection of vinyl to create compelling mixtures of jazzy horns, soulful piano, funky guitar, and smooth bass lines, defining one of the most influential hip-hop styles of the decade. After releasing an EP and two albums, Rock and Smooth split in 1994, but Rock stayed busy producing, remixing, and continuing to develop his sound.
By the time the first Pete Rock solo album dropped in 1998, an entire industry of on-mic talent was waiting to guest star on its tracks, including O.C., the Roots, and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon. One of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums released that year, Soul Survivor (RCA/Loud) was a stylistic tour de force. Vintage Pete Rock jazz and soul stylings were still in effect — he even flirted with straight R&B — but an aggressive edge had also entered his sound, helping him remain a step ahead of the industry. Rock brought new life to the Wu-Tang dark-piano sound on “Strange Fruit,” and he even may have taught Timbaland a thing or two about big pimpin' with the melody on “Tha Game.”
Enter the 21st century, and Rock's as sharp as ever. The second release in BBE's (Barely Breaking Even) Beat Generation series, PeteStrumentals, is the perfect contemporary instrumental chill-out hip-hop album. All of Rock's signature instruments are present, but the pace is slower, and the arrangements are not as busy as those in most of his previous work. The relaxed moods and sampladelic strings and delays make it sound almost as if Rock decided to merge his soulful style with abstract down-tempo breaks. The album possesses an up-to-the-minute vibe even though most of the tracks are leftover, unreleased efforts from earlier in Rock's career — some tracks date back seven to ten years. That makes PeteStrumentals a testament to just how classic and far ahead of its time Rock's music actually is.
Despite the title's suggestion, the album is not entirely lacking in lyrics. A couple of new tracks have Rock teaming up with a new crew of MCs called the UN, including Rock Marciano from Busta Rhymes's Flipmode Squad, as well as MCs Divine, Godfree, and Laku. Their dangerous style flows eerily well with Rock's smooth bass lines and the gloomy mood of his dark strings and music-box samples.
Currently hanging in his hometown of New York City, Rock is busy working on several projects at once. He says he's six or seven tracks into Soul Survivor II, which should be out next year. He adds, “I'm working on an R&B project secretly with a dope singer that a lot of people should know, but I don't want to reveal who she is until we lock this deal down.”
When we caught up with him, Rock was just getting back from a trip to London to promote PeteStrumentals. He says he has a “big-time” following all across Europe, where fans like to hear the old classics that he rapped on as well as his new productions. “In London, you don't really have to do too much,” he says. “I get behind the decks and talk on the mic, talk shit, play a couple of records; know what I mean? But they do want to hear songs that they're used to hearing from me.” Behind the decks, Rock prefers either Rane or Vestax mixers for their superior crossfader action. “Gemini is cool, but I like the new style,” he explains. “It's 2001, man. The Rane and Vestax mixers are the best right now.”
Does Rock plan to continue exploring instrumental hip-hop? “I don't know,” he admits. “My next album may not be instrumental. It may just be a solo Pete Rock album, but I'll mix it with some instrumental stuff as well.”
When BBE first approached you to do an instrumental album, what intrigued you about the project?
I had a lot of leftover beats I wanted to share with the world that never really came out back in the day. I've got trillions of beats, but these were kind of special. Some were old C.L. tracks and a couple of other joints that never got used. I just figured I'd put ‘em out there like that. Some of them were recorded songs where I just took off the vocals.
What about the tracks with the UN crew?
I recorded those tracks this year. We're working on an EP now, and I'm working on an album with them as well. We don't have a solid deal yet, but we've got people biting. Trust me when I tell you, some real bangers are on there.
Can you talk about your production methods?
You mean how I do my thing? I can't reveal how I do my thing. I can tell you to be versatile and to single yourself out from other producers. You gotta create your own identity in this game. That's very, very, very important.
How did you create your own identity?
I got inspired by producers like Howie T, Marley Marl, and people that had '80s rap locked down, even Larry Smith, who did Whodini, and Rick Rubin — what he did with Run-DMC was a big inspiration to me. So I said to myself, “I want to be like these guys, but how can I be like these guys and be myself, because I don't want to sound like the next person.” So I just kept trying to master that E-mu SP-12, and I wouldn't leave the house until I mastered the machine. I started working at it, and my beats started getting better and better and better. When I was about 15, I did coproduction on Heavy D's Big Tyme, and a couple of years later, I worked on Heavy D's Peaceful Journey. Between doing the coproduction on those albums, I turned 16 and I did my first project alone with a group called Groove B. Chill with nobody's help. Actually, one of the guys is now an actor. He was in House Party, and he's been in movies with Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., and all that. That was his first album, and I did my first beats with those guys.
From then on, I started getting work. I got signed with [Heavy D's DJ] Eddie F [Edward Ferrell] to Untouchables Entertainment. He was also C.L. Smooth's manager at the time, and he was getting me work as a producer. By that time, I had a little bit of a roster on the coproduction side, and people just gave me a chance and tried me out. What really jump-started my whole career was when I got called to do the Public Enemy remix of “Shut 'em Down.” From then on, I basically created my identity from the music I was inspired by; I just did it a little different. I put more into what those guys didn't do. I wanted to do things that weren't done before.
You were pretty tight with Marley Marl. Did he teach you how to produce?
He didn't teach me anything, but he showed me a lot just by me coming to his house back in the day and watching him and Heavy work. I'm a very fast learner, and I learned from watching him. His music, along with that of a lot of other producers, inspired me. He's like a mentor to me as far as hip-hop's concerned.
Which producers can you learn from now?
Well, there are producers out there that are hot that learned things from me. I know you go through your days learning something new every day, but when it comes to music — I'm not saying I know it all — I've experienced a lot over the years. I've been doing this for 12 years straight.
Have you mentored any of your own protégés?
Not actually under my wing, but in the sense that if you listen to certain guys today, you can hear some of my inspiration in their music. Hi-Tek, for instance, Ayatollah, Da Beatminerz, DJ Premier — who I love — a lot of guys out there. I was thinking about opening up a school and teaching kids about music and how to make hip-hop and stuff like that.
What would be the first lesson?
Basically how to write music and how to listen for something good. How to dissect music with your ears. Teaching them how to listen would be the first lesson.
What piece of gear would you start young producers on at your school?
I would start them out on something simple like a [Boss] Dr. Rhythm, and then I'd gradually move it on up to actual drum machines that are used in the studio. I'd give them something they could play around with and sample. I would go through the steps with them and tell them what to do.
Was the SP-12 your first piece of gear?
Yeah. I've worked with other drum machines like the [Roland] TR-808, [Oberheim] DX, the Roland [TR-]909, and the Dr. Rhythm box. When the SP came out, it first was the SP-12 and then it was the SP-1200. The 12 had no disk drive; you had to use a separate disk drive with the SP-12. The SP-1200 already had one built in, and it provided a little more sampling time.
Were your first productions done solely on the SP-1200?
Yeah, and I've been using that ever since.
What about the Akai MPC-3000?
I have that still. I'm learning how to use that as well. So I'm not only working with the SP now; I have something alongside of it that I use.
Have you entered the world of computer editing and recording?
I've learned and I'm learning how to deal with Pro Tools. I mean, I'm an analog person. I like to record analog to keep that raw sound, but I've worked with Pro Tools where I've sampled vocals and moved them around. It's a much easier step to work with Pro Tools. It's like a faster way of making records or putting things together. I master to 2 inch to ½ inch to DAT. I basically master my music to DAT or even burn it to CD.
Is your home studio equipped to go from the first beats all the way through the mastering process?
It's a pre-production studio. It's not actually complete. I have a rack of digital effects and sound modules, and I have a 16-track board that I've used for a long time. I have an SP and an Akai S-950, an MPC-3000, and 60,000 records. If I want to play live instruments, I just get ideas from old records and try to play them over, or I'll sample and chop 'em up.
Do you play your own keyboards?
I play a little bit. I'm not as good as I should be, but I'm practicing. And I have session musicians who I contact. I just tell them what to play.
PeteStrumentals has a lot of guitars, bass, Rhodes, and horns that you can't really tell are sampled.
That's all me. The guitar stuff I didn't play. But some of the parts are chopped up where I'm playing it off the SP-1200, not actually playing the instrument. But also I have band guys I contact who play bass guitar or Rhodes. And I know several people who play keyboard. But a lot of that stuff on PeteStrumentals is basically me sampling from old instrumental records where they would just have, like, a whole album full of a Rhodes keyboard or a guitar or a bass or even drums and drumming. I've got drumming records, keyboard records, all that stuff. So that helps me create ideas when I want to do something live.
The album keeps you guessing, because you don't always know what is live.
Exactly, but most of the stuff that you hear on it is sampled. There are a few live joints on it, like the bass line on “Pete's Jazz.” I always make up all my bass lines and play them off the SP. The vibes and stuff are from an old jazz record. And then I just took some guitar chops and played “I Get Lifted,” an old song by George McCrae that went pretty well with the song. You know, once you get that basic beat, everything else comes easy.
How do you deal with sample clearance?
I have a pretty good method. I only clear the important ones. I find a lot of obscure music where the group ain't around no more, or cats don't know the music when they hear it. But I don't sample it to where they can notice it. I chop it up and do certain things to it so it doesn't sound the same.
Would you sample more and for greater lengths if you could still get away with it like people did in the late '80s?
I probably would. There are a lot of things I passed up that I wanted to just loop, but I knew they would come after me for it. And they always get what they want. Certain artists like James Brown now get, like, 50, 60 percent of a song — of your song. If you sample his song, he wants 60 percent. You know, certain cats come after you. Certain people will be like, “Okay, just give me this.” I like to deal with those kinds of people.
One vocal sample that goes “wow-wow-wow” shows up on two tracks.
That was because it was first used on the instrumental track “For the People,” and then you got a song I did called “Give It to Y'all” with my man Rock Marciano. That's a real hot song that Rawkus put out as a single.
Do you often reprise a sample from one song to another?
Well, sometimes. I just thought that was a good intro for the vocal song, and that's why I put the same thing in there. But I only do that once or twice. It doesn't hurt; it's just music. I could see if I did it on every track. Now, you got some producers out here who use the same sounds every single ****' time. That stuff gets played out, and you know, ten years from now you can't say, “Oh, that shit is still hot.” You know, a lot of that shit you hear today is not classic.
Do you do a lot of processing with the drum sounds?
Yeah, actually, I do. And when I'm listening to my collection, I find a lot of sounds on records like snares, kicks, hi-hats, you name it — timbales, whatever. There are a lot of sounds that come from records, but then I have sound-library CDs with drum sounds and other sounds that go into beats.
When a sound comes off a sample CD, do you usually have to fatten up the sound?
Yeah. Most of them you have to beef up — EQ them right and things of that nature, like adding another piece of sound to make it sound fuller. I always try to combine shit. I definitely layer sounds. I like to compress certain sounds and beats using the Tube-Tech compressors, because I can take any type of dirty sound from a record and clean it up. I like Eventide processors, and Rane has a few processors I like. Roland has a few compressors I like to use for vocals.
What advice can you give to the young beat generators out there?
My first piece of advice is never let somebody tell you that you can't do something. The second thing is to stick with what you love. If you have a passion for it, you're bound to unfold into something. As long as you stick with your craft and practice it every single day, something positive will come out of it. And stick with it. Try to be versatile with making beats; don't just pigeonhole yourself with one type of sound. Make various types of music.
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Markkus Rovito ([email protected]) is a senior editor for E-Gear magazine. He's very grateful that Pete Rock didn't hang up on him as did a certain former Ultramagnetic MCs rapper, who shall remain nameless.
Pete Rock: A Selected Discography
ALBUMS
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
Mecca and the Soul Brother (Elektra/Asylum, 1992)
The Main Ingredient (Elektra, 1994)
Pete Rock
Soul Survivor (RCA/Loud, 1998)
PeteStrumentals (BBE/Studio K7, 2001)
SINGLES AND EPs
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
All Souled Out EP (Elektra, 1991)
“They Reminisce Over You” (Elektra/Asylum, 1992)
“Straighten It Out” (Elektra/Asylum, 1992)
“Lots of Lovin'” (Asylum, 1993)
Pete Rock
“Take Your Time” (Loud, 1999)
COLLECTIONS
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
Rare Tracks (WEA, 1999)
Pete Rock
Pete's Treats (Strictly Breaks, 1999)
MIX COMPILATION ALBUMS
Pete Rock and Keb Darge
Funk Spectrum, vol. 3 (BBE, 2001)
Pete Rock
Diggin on Blue (Blue Note, 1999)
REMIXES
EPMD, “Rampage” (Def Jam, 1990)
Public Enemy, “Shut 'em Down” (Def Jam, 1991)
Naughty by Nature, “Hip Hop Hooray” (Tommy Boy, 1993)
Das EFX, “Real Hip Hop” (WEA/Elektra, 1995)
Jamal, “Fades ‘em All” (Rowdy, 1995)
Monica, “Before You Walk out of My Life” (Rowdy, 1995)
Incognito, “Roots” (Universal/Verve, 1996)
PRODUCTION CONTRIBUTIONS
Heavy D & the Boyz, Big Tyme (MCA, 1989)
Heavy D & the Boyz, Peaceful Journey (MCA, 1991)
Kid ‘N Play, Face the Nation (Select, 1991)
Heavy D & the Boyz, Blue Funk (MCA, 1992)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Code Red (BMG/Jive, 1993)
Run-DMC, Down with the King (Profile/Arista, 1993)
Father, Sex Is Law (Universal/MCA, 1994)
Heavy D & the Boyz, Nuttin' but Love (MCA, 1994)
Nas, Illmatic (Sony/Columbia, 1994)
AZ, Doe or Die (EMD/Capitol, 1995)
Das EFX, Hold It Down (WEA/Elektra, 1995)
Lost Boyz, Legal Drug Money (Universal, 1995)
Common Sense, “The **** in You” (Relativity, 1996)
Mic Geronimo, Vendetta (TVT, 1997)
Rakim, 18th Letter (Universal, 1997)
A.D.O.R., Shock Frequency (Uppercut, 1998)
All City, Metropolis Gold (Universal/MCA, 1998)
Jesse Powell, 'Bout It (Universal/MCA, 1998)
Inspectah Deck, Uncontrolled Substance (Loud, 1999)
Jimmy Cliff, Humanitarian (Eureka, 1999)
Rah Digga, Dirty Harriet (WEA/Elektra, 1999)
Rahzel, Make the Music 2000 (Universal/MCA, 1999)
Screwball, Y2K (Tommy Boy, 1999)
Big L, Big Picture (Priority/Rawkus, 2000)
Bumpy Knuckles, Industry Shakedown (Landspeed, 2000)
Phife Dawg, Ventilation: Da LP (Groove Attack, 2000)
Roc Raida, Crossfaderz (Moonshine, 2000)
ED O.G., Truth Hurts (Nu Groove/Ground Control, 2001)
I use:
2 Technics TurnTables
Akai MPC 3000LE
Akai s950
Akai VX-90
Akai MFC 42
Ensoniq EPS 16+
Moog Little Phatty (OTW!)
BREAK THE BANX MUSIC, LLC.
2 Technics TurnTables
Akai MPC 3000LE
Akai s950
Akai VX-90
Akai MFC 42
Ensoniq EPS 16+
Moog Little Phatty (OTW!)
BREAK THE BANX MUSIC, LLC.
