Son Raw is the message, the medium, the content and the platform.
The first thing you learn in a 100 level communications class is that the medium is the message, or at least that’s what we learn in Canada. We’re very proud of Marshal McLuhan. You see, he was a theorist who…ok I’ll stop before I lose sight of the main point: medium=message, a worldview that suits beatmaking like a fresh pair of kicks. While songwriters tax themselves trying to figure out new ways to say “Baby I love you” (or conversely “Bitch, you broke my heart,”) beatmakers don’t struggle with such squishy content issues, instead asking themselves if their newest creation will move the crowd. Personal expression is cool, but it’s secondary to the concrete goal of making the listener go apeshit – a far more measurable and quantifiable pursuit. If you’re not sold on the “gamification” of music, download yourself a trial version of Traktor and mix for a while: it’s here.
Beatfighter is uniquely suited to this paradigm and not just because the Grime scene is obsessed with gaming. The concept is simple: 2 beats go head to head with the Internet audience choosing their favorite which is then sold on Bandcamp. It’s democratic, competitive and so far, a lot of fun. The danger inherent in such an idea is a lack of participation (or throwaway beats) but so far the site has featured A-list producers such as Spooky, Darq E Freaker, Numan, SRC, Mr. Mitch and J-Beatz and everyone has come hard. Throw in a “New Challengers” section for up and coming talent and production tutorials and you’ve got the makings of a unique, homegrown platform for distributing urban music. Very cool, guys.
Link:
Beatfighter Round 3: J-Beatz vs. Mr Mitch
