Music Production

San Francisco-based producer DECAP recently broke down the making of his and Damianito‘s track “BRAZIL.”

The behind-the-scenes look took place in a workshop at the 2018 Music Expo in San Francisco. DECAP explained how they made the different elements of the track, using both Ableton and FL Studio.

The 34-year-old beatmaker has worked with artists like Joyner Lucas, Talib Kweli, and more. He is also the creator of the popular sample pack series Drums That Knock.

Watch the video above and download “BRAZIL” here.

Related: Watch Boi-1da and Jahaan Sweet Explain How They Produced Eminem’s ‘Lucky You’ Feat. Joyner Lucas

In September, U.K. DJ/producer James Hype connected with R&B legend Craig David for a feel-good house single, “No Drama.” The track, which reached No. 8 on DJcity UK’s monthly top 20 chart, has gone on to amass 15 million streams. It has also been named a “Future Dance Anthem” by BBC Radio 1’s MistaJam.

We recently stopped by James’ studio in London to see how he made the track. The Liverpool native explained how the song came together and broke down each layer in Ableton Live. He also discussed his creative process and the role that DJcity has played in his career.

Watch above and download “No Drama” on DJcity.

Follow James Hype on on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter.

Related: DJcity UK’s Most Downloaded Tracks of Oct. 2018

Hip-hop legend Marley Marl recently down with the Drink Champs show for an extensive conversation.

A key figure in the development of hip-hop, Marley is considered to be the first producer to sample and chop drums. His credits include some of the most iconic tracks from the hip-hop’s golden age, including LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out,” Big Daddy Kane’s “Ain’t No Half Steppin’,” Eric B. & Rakim’s “Eric B. Is President,” Biz Markie’s “Vapors,” and MC Shan’s “The Bridge.”

Most of the interview focused on Marley’s career, but he also spoke about the current state of hip-hop.

On the new generation of hip-hop:

“I look at it is evolution … The people who don’t like what the young kids is doing, you too old. Because when I fell in love with what I was doing, I was about 18 years old, so whoever is 18 years old [is] probably falling in love with what they doing right now and that’s their sh#t.”

On how he started out as an electronic music producer:

“Before I started making hip-hop, I was making electronic music … That’s why I had the edge over everybody, because I was already tech savvy.”

Watch the full convo above.

Related: Watch: Inside DJ Jazzy Jeff’s 2018 PLAYLIST Retreat

Grandtheft is one of Canada’s most versatile and influential DJ/producers. From rocking clubs and festivals to performing at DJ battles like the Red Bull Music 3Style, the Mad Decent artist can hold it down anywhere.

As a producer, he’s released some of the biggest club and festival anthems of the past few years, including “Keep It 100” with Keys N Krates, his “Sweet Nothing” remix with Diplo, and “Number One” with Major Lazer. He’s also seen radio success with original singles like “Easy Go” featuring Delaney Jane.

On this episode of A Moment With, Grandtheft discusses how he got into DJing, his creative process for producing, what he wants to convey with his music, plus more.

Watch above.

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Follow Grandtheft on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter.

Related: Watch: Trackstar the DJ on What It’s Like Being Run the Jewels’ DJ

Serato has launched the Serato Sample Challenge, a beat-making contest in which the winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000. Yes, you read that right.

How to enter:

1. Create a beat using Serato Sample.

2. Make a video that showcases your beat. It must be less than 60 seconds and show Serato Sample in use.

3. Upload your video to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and tag #seratosamplechallenge and @seratosample. (Make sure your profile is set to public.) Facebook submissions must be posted on Serato Sample’s Facebook page.

Public voting, which takes place up until the deadline, will determine 10 finalists. (Early entry is encouraged in order to accumulate votes.) Judges Kenny Dope, DJ Spinna, and Suzi Analogue will then select the winner from the final 10 based on musicality and originality.

Launched in July, Serato Sample is a plugin that enables producers to find and manipulate samples in tracks using any DAW that supports VST and AU formats, such as Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Logic Pro.

Get more info about the contest and vote for your favorite entries here.

Related: DJ Dahi Uses Serato Sample in New Rhythm Roulette Episode

Photo source: Ableton

Ableton has announced Live 10, the next version of its popular music production and performance software. A significant release, Live 10 introduces four new devices, workflow improvements, a redesigned sound library, and more.

The new devices are Wavetable, Echo, Drum Buss, and Pedal. Wavetable, Ableton’s new synth, is derived from analog synths and other instruments and sounds. It has the potential to compete with popular wavetable synths like Serum and Massive. Echo brings together the sound of classic analog and digital hardware delays in a single device, Drum Buss is a one-stop workstation for drums, and Pedal brings the sound of analog stomp boxes.

Live 10 offers a variety of workflow improvements for every stage of the creative process. They include an updated interface, a feature called Capture, which helps producers turn spontaneous ideas into music, the ability to edit multiple MIDI clips, and more.

The software also comes with a redesigned and reorganized sound library that includes new collections of packs.

Live 10 will be available in early 2018. In the meantime, Ableton is running a discount offer now until the release in which all Live 9 editions are 20% off. The purchase of any Live 9 edition automatically entitles customers to a free upgrade to its corresponding Live 10 edition upon release.

Learn more about Live 10 on Ableton’s website and watch the introduction video below.

Related: Watch a Demonstration of Ableton’s Link Technology

Rising DJ/producer DEAN-E-G has broken down his remix of Yungen and Yxng Bane‘s dancehall and R&B-influenced single, “Bestie.” The original track was one of DJcity UK’s most downloaded songs of June.

A native of London, DEAN currently serves as an exclusive remix contributor to DJcity. His tracks, which are of the house variety, have been supported by some of the UK’s top radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, KISS FM, and Capital XTRA. DEAN burst onto the scene in 2015 when he won DJcity’s remix contest for D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha.”

“Bestie” peaked at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Yungen and Yxng Bane’s highest-charting song. The track was certified silver in September.

Watch DEAN’s video above and download his remix exclusively on DJcity.

Related: Watch the Producer of D.R.A.M. and Lil Yachty’s ‘Broccoli’ Explain How He Made the Track

Mass Appeal is back with a new episode of Rhythm Roulette, this time featuring British DJ/producer Mura Masa. The series challenges producers to make a beat by sampling three records, which are randomly selected while blindfolded.

Born on an island named Guernsey, Mura Masa is best known for his A$AP Rocky-assisted single, “Love$ick.” The breakout track appeared on his self-titled debut album, which was released in July. It also featured the singles “1 Night” featuring Charli XCX and “All Around The World” featuring Desiigner.

Mura Masa picks up his vinyl at Good Records in New York City. The 21-year-old then lays down a beat using samples from William Basinski’s 2017 ambient album A Shadow in Time and The Road’s 1971 rock album Cognition.

Watch Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: Watch Mr. Carmack Make a Track by Sampling Random Records

DJcity has picked the 10 finalists for the official Avicii “Without You” remix contest.

We received entries from all around the world and of a wide variety of styles. It took a long time to listen to them, but we made sure to hear each one. Now that we’ve selected the finalists, it’s up to Avicii to pick the winner.

The winner, which will be announced on Sept. 20, will receive $5,000 and have his or her remix released on Geffen Records.

Check out the finalists below (in alphabetical order).

Arc North, Sweden

Mark Pride, Croatia

MAYACCII, Russia

Melo.Kids, Poland

Notre Dame, France

Redax, Germany

Rozen, Brazil

Tokima Tokio, Japan

Tony & Voxon, Latvia and United Arab Emirates

Vinil, Sweden

Related: Watch This Drummer’s Entry Video for Avicii’s ‘Without You’ Remix Contest

Mass Appeal has featured DJ/producer Mr. Carmack in their latest episode of Rhythm Roulette. The series challenges producers to make a beat by sampling three randomly selected vinyl records.

The San Francisco native first heads to Good Records in New York City before hitting the studio alongside rapper Adam Vida. He then delivers two groovy glitch-style beats, only using sounds from the records he picks out. Impressively, one of the samples he chops up is the call of an elephant trumpeting.

Carmack is a member of the production cliques Team Supreme and Soulection. He’s best known for his unique trap-infused sounds, which includes releases on the Mad Decent label. The influential producer has worked with Pharrell, Diplo, Kehlani, and Promnite.

Watch Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: Watch DJ Jazzy Jeff Make a Track by Sampling Random Records