Album: Petestrumentals (2001)
Track: For The People (4:33)
Cutting in:
The beginning of this track is unusual although common with Pete's productions. You hear two seconds of a totally different beat or sample before getting into song. From what I've read on this, it's Pete's way of communicating the enormity of his record collection and beat repertoire.
The elements of the beat:
The main beat drops in with a snare layered on top of kick and a few uneasy sounding syncopations. Grooving begins in the next bar. We have punchy drums beneath layers of modulated guitar and swirling piano. After a few vocal stabs, we drop back down to just guitar and drums.
Where'd that sample come from?
That odd vocal "woa woa woa" is from a track by Albino Gorilla called "Psychedelic Shack". Once again, WhoSampled.com has helped me find the origin of particular sounds in music.
Structure and space:
The track is instrumental but still follows a verse and chorus structure. The simple guitar and drums for verses and the heavily layered sections for choruses. It's a rather long track and so these variations are quite helpful in keeping it interesting. Another element of variation in this is when the bass line drops (it's at the start of each verse). I didn't "feel" that is was missing but then when it comes back in to build the verse it's very effective. I believe the reason I don't realise it's presence is gone is because we already feel a lot of layers drop out after the chorus. You expect a thinner sound at the beginning of the verse and so removing one extra element makes the build up more effective.
Time and rhythm:
The groove of this beat is at a steady 89 beats per minute. It makes lots of use of 16th note triplets rounding out the end of each bar and dropping into the next. That's the little ("da-boom") you hear with the kick drum.
Release:
Petestrumentals was released on BBE (Barely Breaking Even) Records.
Also find on this label:
2001: J Dilla - Welcome 2 Detroit
2003: Pete Rock - Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics
2002: DJ Jazzy Jeff - The Magnificent
2006: J Dilla - The Shining
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