Another exercise with type and music. Percussion! The drum! It is a guide, a map, a language, and a heartbeat. The drum or percussion is so integral to the roots of all music. The first memory I have of a drum was at the Berkeley flea market. Every weekend a drum circle would form right alongside the vendors and community. Have you ever played a drum before? A timbal, conga, turntable, or snare? Do you know a drummer? Someone who programs beats?
“Play that beat, why don’t you play it for me? Play it! Kick it!” This is an old song from GLOBE and Whiz Kid. I was thinking about some of the first beats that mesmerized me, who made them, and if they still rock today. One of the first beats that made me take notice was “If it ain’t ruff, it ain’t me” by Dr Dre on the legendary Straight Outta Compton. The guitar sample and bass was so simple yet hypnotic. Another one was “I want to be free” by the legendary Ant Banks because of the samples and the live instruments on it. First time I heard it (on tape) was in a box chevy w/ my cousin Mook and the homie Jerome. In this day in age, who is making beats that really makes you ask “who made that?” Who makes you rewind it back?
I want you to tell the sound man, sound woman, or sound person to turn it up! What was the first concert you attended when you felt the music you loved? For me, I think one of the first times I really felt the bass, treble, and force in my ears and body was at a 1989 Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation Tour show in Oakland California. The next time would be a show put on by the Live Lyricists Society at Berkeley High School. Whenever I hear “turn it up” I hear the Fantastic Five MC’s from the 1982 film Wild Style.
