Blog, Producer Tips
Having a Signature Sound vs Signature Feel
Feb
Having a Signature Sound vs Signature Feel
What’s going on MM! Your man AG here again with another debate provoking topic. Today I want to know your thoughts on having a sound vs a feel in your production. Both are different, but developing either is a great accomplishment within itself.
Me and a friend was discussing beats and he went on to say they had a sound. But what I couldn’t understand is that they all sounded distinctively different. So I began to interpret it as they all had a similar feel. I think thats a lot different than a signature sound. I believe a signature sound is when you hear a beat and you automatically know who did it based on the drum pattern or the instruments used etc.
Take Timbaland for instance, when he started really shining in the 90’s he had a sound. The way he programmed his drums was like nothing we had heard before. I think once your sound catches, you shoot to the top super fast. But the downside is when radio wears it out (which they will) thats the end of your career. Unless you are one of the greats that can reinvent yourself.
A signature feel on the other hand, say like a J Dilla (R.I.P.) is totally different. When you hear it you may think or know (for all you Dilla Heads) its his track but its always a possibility that its not. Why, because each are different but tied together through a feeling they give you. I think this has a longer shelf life. Timeless if you might say.
Both are great but one is in the moment and one lives forever. Its like comparing 80’s Disco to 70’s Soul. Disco was great at the time but you won’t hear it playing much if any now. Soul is a feeling that we all experience daily through our lives. So we can always relate no matter when its played.
So as we continue to carve out our paths on this journey, I think its important to know which type of producer you would like to be. I honestly believe we should put more of who we are in our tracks. All the accolades are cool but people can’t listen to awards. When its all said and done, leave behind a body of work that touched fans in a way YOU can be proud of. I mean, thats the whole reason why we are creators of music in the first place. Check out the two vids below as a point of reference. Until next time catch me everywhere @AGGOTBEATS
PEACE
AG
YOU HIT IT RIGHT ON THE NOSE WITH THIS ONE. A lot of old music produced and sampled and resampled had a feel that just would last forever. When I first started out producing many people and fellow producers said I had a sound. Many said I should produce for mid west MCs or West Coast since I had that sound. And I hit Chicago where my cuz and his artist was from and produced songs for his artist. Then I got into sampling more and people then said I had a certain feel and that everything sounds different. It had to be from the old samples I was using and how I was flipping it to the present time. Now I try to incorporate both in my production and give people what I feel off of my sound…..