12/5/2023 0 Comments Rap song with moments in love beatWith that in mind, if we define a beat switch as an abrupt, but clean transition that melds two distinct sounds together then the Bronx DJ’s beat matching antics are an essential part of the puzzle. While DJ Kool Herc experimented by mixing between identical records to extend breaks, Grandmaster Flash went one step further by chopping up pieces of different songs, aligning their tempo and connecting them at just the right moment to create one extended piece of music. While in the modern day, moving from one instrumental to another via a beat switch is often a pronounced and cinematic partition, the goal in the genre’s beginnings was to be more pragmatic and seamless. If we are talking straight hip hop though, DJ culture holds some of the answers to the beat switch’s origins. The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel (1981) Genius notes the beat switch used by Wonder on ‘ Ordinary Pain’ shares its DNA with Ocean’s ‘ Pyramids‘ and given his love for the legendary performer, it’s not a stretch to say the 70s have had a hand in birthing the beat switch of today. When asked about the inspiration for Channel Orange in 2013, he told MTV, “It was a lot of Stevie Wonder, and this time it’s a lot of Beach Boys and Beatles and whatnot…”. Frank’s track, ‘ Close to You‘ is a cover of Stevie’s Medley performed on the David Frost show in 1972 and he even samples the performance in the song. It’s not an exaggeration to say that as his stock has soared so has the presence of beat switches in popular music.Ī closer examination reveals his love of the technique is closely linked to his appreciation of Stevie Wonder. ![]() He’s become synonymous with beat switches that have been present right from ‘ There Will Be Tears’ on Nostalgia Ultra, to ‘Pyramids’ and ‘ Nights’ on Channel Orange and Blonde, respectively. ![]() To make sense of it all, we’re going to have to go forward to go back and vice-versa – so bear with me.įew artists are embodying this category-evasive approach quite like Frank Ocean. It goes without saying, we’re living in a post-genre era where sampling, rapping, singing and other techniques are no longer confined to recognisable sub-genres, but are part of the inseparable soup of contemporary black music. Stevie Wonder – Talkbox Medley (1972) / Ordinary Pain (September 28, 1976)Ĭontext is important when trying to find a footing for the technique in hip hop. ![]() Instead, I’ll present a highlights reel of important developments as a jumping off point for readers interested in digging deeper. It would predictably lead to corrections after further research, disagreements on what can be defined as a “beat switch” and would only be conjecture on my part. However, what is more difficult is trying to locate the first iteration of the technique in hip hop and to be clear, I’m not going to do that. The GRAMMY-winner embraced it as a conceptual tool to split his seminal album Blonde into two distinct parts at the half way point of the record. For Drake and the now-disgraced Travis Scott, the transition was fundamental in the success of their number one hit ‘ Sicko Mode’, whereas Kendrick Lamar has also utilised the same technique for cinematic purposes on ‘ DNA.’ and ‘ DUCKWORTH.’ Even Frank Ocean disarmed his listeners with a beat switch in ‘ Nights’. As a slick mood changer and malleable transition, it’s easy to see why it’s utilised by the biggest artists on the planet to accentuate critical moments. Its appeal isn’t hard to understand either. However, hip hop is a fairly new genre and in the last decade especially, the musical tool has become a mark of grandeur, the subject of memes and an essential weapon in the arsenal of the planet’s biggest rappers. Hell, the sharp transition from one beat and tempo to another has even existed for hundreds of years in classical music. But why are they held so dearly by fans? What is its first iteration and how much does it have in common with the modern manoeuvre? Dylan Murphy goes into an internet rabbit hole to unearth clues and bring just a little bit of clarity to a phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down.īeat switches aren’t a new technique. Beat switches in hip hop and wider popular music are as ubiquitous as the Google searches for the stars that use them.
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