UPDATE: This Giveaway is now over, but the samples ARE still available and on sale!
Well, I decided to give away 25 copies of my new Chicago juke samples package, “StrangeFlow’s Ultimate Juke Samples.” I did a similar giveaway when I released my, “500 Trap Music Vocal Samples,” a few months back, except I only said I was going to give away ten (to the first ten comments on that “giveaway” blog post) … Well, I posted the giveaway, went out to lunch, and came back (with a belly full of delicious Seattle burritos) hoping to have a few folks to give some trap samples to.. Well..
The results proved that some of these giveaways are FAR more popular than I had anticipated.. So, this time, I’m doing 30! Yep, 25 free copies will be passed out! So if you’re into juke music, or even just curious, you should really consider entering – this page is bound to fill up with comments fairly quickly..
IF YOU DON’T get here in time to be one of the first 25 comments, that’s ok. The sample pack is still available.. HERE!!
As well, there is a free 20-sample demo package also available.. HEEEERE!
SO! Now that that’s taken care of….
Start the comments! If you want to, feel free to FOLLOW Bassadelic, as well.. Or feel free to write an amusing comment about egg salad. It’s up to you. Either way, if you’re one of the first 25 comments, you will get an email soon…
Pleaaase give me up to a day or so to get all the packages delivered. I’m doing this by myself (just as I do most of this site) so please take this into consideration! :) I’m sure you’ll understand! Thanks for the interest and support, and I hope you guys enjoy the fuck outta these samples!!
…and….GO!
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Here’s a preview I put together, which contains nothing but samples from this package!
Well, the juke samples pack I promised is now complete. To celebrate this, I’ve organized a free juke demo pack for interested producers.
Hopefully you’ll enjoy these samples, and, in a perfect world, come back for more. The 600+ samples pack will be waiting here for only 16 bucks, and in the meantime, enjoy these 20 freebies that are taken directly from the package itself.
On my way to finish the Chicago Juke Samples pack **that I am 90% finished with** I made an 808 sample pack. It was the plan from day 1 to include a complete TR-808 drum one-shots folder for my new juke samples pack.
But then, after I finished creating the 808, I started thinking, “Hey, what if there are some people who might want all 171 of the 808 samples WITHOUT the juke beats and loops? What if there are some folks who prefer their 808 ala carte?”
So, your problems have been solved with this 808 samples pack…. These samples are saturated and designed for the electronic producer in search of 808s that are louder, dynamic, and overall just fucking awesome… You will really find these drums useful, especially the 808 bass drums, which were processed and rinsed to the point where they are robust and bursting from the seems, waiting to be in your next track!
Everything you expect from an 808 is here – but with this pack, they sound BETTER, too. Having saturated and thick sounds like these will save you time in the studio, too.
Here below is a little write-up about this package (which contains the Bassadelic processing of the most popular and widely-used drum machine
…IN ALL OF FUCKING HISTORY FUCKING FOREVER…
“StrangeFlow’s Super Sick 808 Samples” contains 171 one-shot drum samples. This is a comprehensive package of slightly processed Roland TR-808 drum
machine one-shot samples. These samples have received the Bassadelic treatment, and I’ve touched them up with saturation, slight reverb, and a few other other subtle effects that make these samples richer, thicker, and overall, much more dynamic and reay-to-go.
I will let these samples speak for themselves, and I’m sure you will prove themselves useful in your electronic music productions, as 808 samples have
been used in many genres, including juke, trap, rap, techno, house, trance, and pretty much any other genre of digitally-recorded music.
David Mårtenson is the Swedish EDM funkateer who hails by the moniker, Vudvuzela, and has recently released a glitch hoppy neuro-bass-heavy album on Adapted Records called, ‘Zombi EP,’ – and you’re definitely going to want to check it out! It’s as exciting as a KOAN Sound release, except… uh… shreddier?
What I mean is, David plays in a metal band, and comes to electronic music from a different perspective than some. You can definitely hear it in his electronic compositions; his tunes are funky, bouncy, extremely easy to dance to – and yet they lean, here and there, on some very intense and hardcore sounds and noises.
Vudvuzela: “Yeah that’s right about metal music. I enjoy ‘shredding’ and more progressive stuff like Periphery, Animals As Leaders, The Dillinger Escape Plan to mention a few.”
I’m not personally a sports fan – European or American – but I thought Vudvuzela sounded familiar, so I asked David if that’s what they call those horns people blow in Futbol games…
“Nah,” he said, “that’s a ‘Vuvuzela.’ So my name is more like a pun or mixture. I’m sometimes called ‘Davud.’ Vud is also Hebrew or something for the word, ‘crazy/mad,’ I believe I’ve read that somewhere.”
Ok, well, my mistake. I told ya I wasn’t much of a sports fan…
V: “No worries, man. I hate fotball/soccer. So it’s a bit ironic that my name is what it is.”
Anyway, I love that the track “silly,” has a fun swinging funky neuro sound, are you going more into that direction with your new one?
V: “Thank you. Silly is my favorite track from that EP. I guess some of the tracks is a little bit more to that direction. The most important part for me with my songs is that they have some sense of playfulness to them, if you know what I mean?”
Yea definitely, they seem playful and fun.
V: “It’s supposed to sound fun, interesting and colorful. Also preferably with a sense of “hit music” since I come from that background a bit.”
Hit music? You a top 40 supastaaaaa?
V: “I’ve been playing guitar in a radio friendly metal band. Also built with a lot of layers and stuff, so it’s pretty closely connected to each other. I enjoy the “science” behind top 40 music, hahah.”
So I was wondering about the sound of the really punchy synth that keeps showing up in the mix, are you sidechaining to a kick, or is it just a secret ultra-punchy synth ? …and that snare, too. Any hints for producers trying to make fun, punchy colorful tunes in the Vudvuzela tradition – as far as types of drum machine used, fx/automation?
V: “I do a lot of sidechaining and volume automations on everything usually… Hmm… Tips for making punchy colorful tunes? I don’t know, really. I try to keep it interesting by doing small variations on bounced basslines using Ableton’s Warp Engine, using a lot of different filtering automations. Mostly Sugar Bytes Wow. Macros is also great. I usually have about five automation lanes for every bass/synth-track. But as far as getting it colorful and fun I guess it’s mostly about finding what works best for you! Do a lot experimenting and keep trying new things is my advice.”
So what is your setup, your DAW, etc?
V: “I only use my old Macbook Pro from ‘09 and a pair of bad Sony headphones. I think that in these days when you can do so much with plugins, that’s pretty much all you need. Look at Koan Sound and Skrillex. That’s only laptop and headphones. Or at least it used to be. I hear they are both building proper studios on their own now. But there’s still a lot you can do with a simple setup like that. The most important thing is just to know what you’re doing with the things you have.”
How long have you been making electronic music – and music in general?
V: “I’ve been making music all my life in different forms. But I guess my more serious attempts started in 7th grade when I started to do hiphop and downtempo ambient stuff. That ended up in two full length albums. But they were really shit, to be honest . Just found the cd’s a few weeks ago when I moved. After that I started playing in more serious bands and my focus was more on metal and stuff like that. But I still did different forms of EDM on the side.”
Ah.. Yea, I think we’ve all got some shitty hip hop from 7th grade we can’t believe we made..
V: “Hehe yeah. It’s pretty classic. But I also did a lot of drum and bass back then. That was my biggest fascination. But it was a lot more difficult to make than hiphop.”
So making music is a passion of yours – do you gig, or go for strictly releasing music?
V: “yes it’s definitely my passion in life. I haven’t played out much with Vudvuzela yet. Just some local smaller club gigs as a regular DJ. But Im planning on making it a live show. I’ve done a whole lot of gigs with my band though. Over a 100 shows, so that’s a situation Im more used to.”
So, what are your favorite artists right now, if you could bump anyone’s music?
V: “Hmm let’s see… In EDM music, Savant is definitely one of my favorites right now. Truly inspiring guy and talented as fuck at everything he does (you’ll love him. He’s the next big thing. Released four full length albums and five EP’s last year. All of them great.) Justice and Daft Punk are my all-time favorites, though.”
Hmm.. I’ll have to look that guy up.
V: “Yea, he’s awesome… (talking about Savant, I mean, not DP and Justice…)”
Ha, ‘DP.’
V: “Hehe… I’ve also been listening to a lot of trap recently. It’s fun with “new” genres. I know some people feel it’s just an evolution from southern hip hop, but as long as it feels fresh and interesting it’s always nice. I enjoy everything by Hudson Mohawke. And his new project TNGHT is fucking awesome!”
Fuck yea man, TNGHT is the shit!!
V: “I’ve actually remixed ‘Higher Ground’ by them, so that’s available right now.”
It just came out a few hours before this posting, so I figured I’d post a video of it, as it REALLY does show how David gave TNGHT a sonic workout.
It really is a remix in a much grander sense than what we’ve seen so much of in the last few years – namely, some moombah beat thrown atop a tune, “remixing,” it, or adding a couple of wobbles and a drop, dumbstepping it out…. Vudvuzela’s remix of ‘Higher Ground’ by TNGHT really adds Vud’s characteristic bouncy but thrashy (and tripped out) aesthetic, and sucks up Lunice and HudMo like a goddamn vacuum, spitting out their material in a whirlwind of funk and controlled chaos. Spectacular!
So you think you might be going in a trappy direction then?
V: “I’ve been experimenting some with trap lately. Not sure how Vudvuzela-related it’s gonna be though. But I have a few remixes coming out under that genre. I released a trappy/hiphop-remix of Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools a few days ago. It’s up on youtube. Im also working on a more proper trap remix of a Die Antwoord song.”
Nice. So, I wanted to ask you about the cover graphic for your last EP – I love the cartoon graphics! Are you going for the same style with your new release as that cartoon city you had – and did you do that graphic work yourself?
V: “No, I have a few friends who does that for me. But the new EP is gonna be in the same cartoonish-style. Also introducing a new character to the Vudvuzela-Universe. I feel that cartoons really fit my music; the playfulness of it, and all the colors.”
Oooh a new character! Nice. Those cartoon images remind of Parliament Funkadelic . I’ve been hearing that funky sound more and more lately too, which I’m excited about.
V: “Yeah it’s really growing.”
So, here’s, ‘Silly,’ off of ‘Zombi EP,’ by Vudvuzela. It’ll give you an idea about what I’m talking about when I say it’s grindy and thrasy – but that it’s also a bouncy, funky ravey groove.
Alright, so, here are some of the places you can go to find Vud’s tunes:
So what the fuck, StrangeFlow? What’s been up? What’s fucking happening in fucking February? Come on!
First of all, there’s no need to curse at me quite so much; chill the fuck out… Second of all, yes, there’s quite a lot of madness going on in February! Let me explain…
January, for me, was a BIG month. I moved out of my apartment in the Seattle area, and headed down south a ways to Mountain View in the Bay Area of California. I moved in with an old Michigan buddy of mine who was living in the area; we found a really decent two bedroom apartment that actually DIDN’T cost ten trillion dollars per month, which was a spectacular miracle.
Also, I’ve finally gotten over a cold that I brought over from Seattle. I remember while I was on the road I saw a news report on TV about how the whole country has gotten sick, but for whatever reason, California remained mostly unaffected. Well – that is – until I got into town and singlehandedly infected EVERYONE IN CALIFORNIA with my vicious cough/headache/general-ill feeling symptoms! Yes, it was a very ambitious task, but I successfully brought the winter cold to the Bay Area. You’re welcome, Norcal.
I’ve been working on a lot of projects in the last month or two, including new sample packs, a new album, an ebook designed to help the independent musician with motivation and financial applications – ah, and speaking of applications, I’ve been getting into app design lately, as well. I’ve been busy, but am getting ready to show the world some of these new projects I’ve been working on. I’m very proud of ‘em, and I hope everyone is as delighted as I am about them!
Ah, and I also discovered what it means to ask for an ‘Animal-Style,’ Double-Double Burger at In-an-Out Burger…. (try it, it’s fun)
So what the fuck are these fucking sample packs about?
The electo swing one is getting closer to completion, and the second it’s ready, I’ll be showing the world! It’s a sequel to Bassadelic’s most popular audio tool, “StrangeFlow’s Authentic Electro Swing Samples,” and the sequel takes a somewhat similar form as the first one, but with a hell of a lot more beats, and I think it’s something that will prove itself as being a vital tool for the electro swing artist / DJ / producer in 2013! Still no products exist on the market QUITE like it – which makes it a powerful niche to fill. (OK, there IS, to my knowledge, ONE series of products like it, but that series is way more expensive – WAY, WAY more expensive – and it is not filled with authentic ol’ school samples, just new ones… So, as I said, no other product QUITE like SF’s ‘Authentic’ pack exists…
Wasn’t there gonna’ be a Chicago juke beats sample packs?
The juke sample pack! Ah, the story of this one is interesting… So, I actually started it about 4 months ago, and had 70 beats completed… Not a full pack – but a hell of a start (as well as 70 wonky beats for a separate sample package) and all was going OK until my computer crashed and I lost fucking ALL of those loops!!! I didn’t back up my shit because my external hard drives had recently been stolen (right outta’ my damn car) and so the juke beats sample pack (as well as the original wonky samples) were destroyed forever… So, angrily, I spent three days and created 100 wonky beats pack (and damn, that’s the best series of beats I’ve ever done in that short of a time period) but the juke beats got pushed back in development for a little while.
Well, I’ve been working on them a lot lately, and as soon as they’re done, I’ll be sharing them with the world for a very fair price. I’ve been really falling in love with juke the last year or so, and I’m very excited to help out new producers as best I can… (I really want to do more tutorials on juke, too…)
The other sample pack that MIGHT get released in February is a trap production kit, which will include a ton of quality beats and enough one-shot drum samples to strangle a sloth in the broad daylight! (Sloth-strangling… typical violent trap imagery… )
So, aside from everything mentioned above, I also plan to put out more quality articles, and more tutorials, as well…. And, some more of those fun bass and glitch hop memes. Because they make me laugh, and people seem to enjoy them :) Oh, and Yuri wants to do some videos, too…
Also, I really want to thank everybody who has supported this site in every way!
I’ve received such positive feedback in the last six months or so from people who are enjoying the Bassadelic site, and that makes me VERY happy, and encourages me to keep trying hard and doing what I can to try and help out and provide as much useful content as possible! So, thanks everyone! It means an awful lot to me, and I’m so glad to find that love is still VERY much alive in rave culture!
Hmmm… No, I’m not sure that last image REAAALLLY exemplifies what I actually meant to describe when I was talking about LOVE in the Rave Culture… uh….ah well, fuck it. I couldn’t find a decent image right away for ‘LOVE,’ and then I saw that robot-69 one (the same one used for Gentleman Bastard’s Sample Pack that was released last year on this site) and decided, “Meh, that’ll be funny…” So, my hip hop instincts kicked in, and I sampled the shit outta’ that old robot pic…
But anyway, yes, thanks again, everyone. The love and positivity is VERY appreciated, and it helps keep me focused on this site and on music production and trying to offer what I can, as I said earlier. I find it good to constantly have creative and time-consuming projects in front of me, or else I find myself feeling unfulfilled. It also is a great way to meet new friends and get in touch with folks from all over the fucking globe that I might not have ran into otherwise! And I’m NOT talking about Yuri. If anything will destroy this site, it will probably be him ;)
This March marks the 20th anniversary of when this funky ‘n futuristic anarchistic pop gem was first released:
Yes, this gem of a jam seems to have proven itself throughout the last couple decades, outlasting pretty much any other 90s song you can think of. It still has a freshness to it, and I think a lot of that can be understood with a twofold explanation…
For one thing, it really is singular; there wasn’t anything else out there quite like it, with its forward-thinking fuckery and random audio samples mixed with a chorus line about sucking at life, along with an unprecedented flow in rap lyricism at the time (the ambiguously sarcastic/ironic/lazy-sounding Generation X sound of his verses).
Beck seemed as though he could go way out of his way to create something truly unique and unparalleled, whilst at the same time, making it look easy, and making it look as though he really didn’t give a fuck.
The second thing to think about, when considering how it has managed to stand the test of time, is in the fact that almost no artists since Beck have really strived for true originality in music the way he has. And he has again and again and again.
MTV and Rolling Stone and all the other Rock-Music-Narrative-Creators always try and shove a notion down everyone’s throats that Kurt Cobain WAS the 90s rock icon to pay attention to. True, Nirvana was incredibly important, and helped break the Seattle rock sound to a national audience. Plus, Nirvana made some damn catchy and provacative tunes, and I’m not arguing against that – but one thing that is often forgot about Cobain was that people were starting to get REALLY sick of his egotistical cranky heroin-addict bullshit right before he died and became a rock martyr. If he hadn’t died when he did, people likely would’ve moved away from Nirvana anyway. Well, suffice it to say, as far as originals in 90s mainstream music go, that story was definitely NOT the case for Beck.
Beck continued to reinvent himself time and time again, with a tongue-in-cheek humor about himself, and about music in general – and one of the most endearing things to consider about Beck’s musical diversity (and, for fuck’s sake, its REAL hard to argue against his musical diversity when you consider the fact that he had 3 minute songs that jumped from jazz to hip hop to metal to country, all with an efficiently-acidy cut-up mastery that would’ve made the Beatles jealous and throw away their White Album out of fear of it being considered mediocre) was the fact that Beck was DAMN good at every genre and instrument and style of music he played. He didn’t just pay someone to play a saxaphone – he knew how to play that shit, himself!
It was the perfect combination of technical musical mastery, thoughtful artistic originality, and a well concocted, “I probably don’t give a fuck,” attitude that made his music truly one-of-a-kind, impossible to emulate, as well as perfect for the time period.
An important influence in Beck’s music that isn’t always considered (well, it is vaguely considered, but not often outright ) is the influence his grandfather, a dadaist artist, likely had on him. As stated in the first paragraph, Beck made a kind of anarchist pop music, and I mean that in a very real sense, as dada art was, at it’s time, a very rebellious and “fuck the art establishment, here’s a picture of a toilet,” type of affair. Beck’s schizophrenic musical structures and playfully-bored-aesthetic set the stage for a decade of experimental pop music. And when I say ‘playfully-bored,’ a good example is the track, “MTV Makes me Wanna Smoke Crack,” where, halfway through the song, you can hear Beck getting tired of the tune he’s playing, and then, out of nowhere, the song launches into a coffee-house jazz rendition of itself, for no reason at all, complete with upbeat crooning about ‘getting all uptight,’ and ‘smoking crack.’
Half the lyrics don’t mean a damn thing; and for whatever reason (maybe as a sheer reaction to the overly-serious rock ballads of the time?) it just feels so refreshing, hilarious and Zappa-esque that listening to it only once just doesn’t cut it.
Though he cultivated an image of radical freeform slacker-ish-ness in his early work, I suspect it was also carefully, consciously, and meticulously designed that way. Beck has stated that ‘Loser’ was actually a joke – but damn, wouldn’t you love to make a joke track that was THAT good, and blew up as much as it did?
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