When I got my turntables, the turntablism scene was really taking off and I became a total turntablism nerd. I never fully picked it up myself, but I sure tried.
I was geeking on rap and started figuring out how I might be able to make my own mixes or edits, like stuff I would hear on KMEL’s The Wake Up Show and the 10’oClock Bomb. Since I didn’t have any friends who were into similar things, I had nobody to ask about how you’d do this or what gear you’d get. I foolishly bought a few things, probably doomed by ads in the back of magazines. I got a DAT recorder (from The Good Guys), because I thought that’s what you needed for mixtapes (I probably heard Tech or Sway say they were playing DATs).
Side note: 16 year old me in 1996 had absolutely no need for a DAT recorder, especially for making rap mixes.
Not too long after getting turntables, I bought a Roland MS-1 sampler. I was really into the Wake Up Show and the djs would dj, but they also made beats and would do special drops for the show. I didn’t know how to do anything, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do. The MS-1 definitely did not do what I wanted it to. It would record, but only what you played live on the pads. No quantizing or any sequencing, just exactly what you tapped and held. I then got a drum machine (I think a DR-5). I figured a sampler and a drum machine was how it was done. That technically is correct, but I didn’t know how to work either of them. I wanted to make beats like I heard in my favorite music, but I didn’t know anything about breaks or programming.
In the mid-90s, Tuesdays were new release day for music. I was the annoying kid asking for the new release that was still in the back workroom. I ended up befriending a guy named Dave at Tower Records. Somehow, he convinced me to buy a tape from him directly. The tape was labeled Endlessness in Machinery and it had a hand-written phone number on the inside for Rebel Knights and DJ Stephone. I later figured out that Dave from Tower Records was Dave Dub and that it was him rapping on the tape. (checkout the YouTube link below - it’s a cool album)
I asked him a ton of questions and was probably very annoying. I let him know that I had a 4-track and he asked if he could come record some time. In those days, not everyone had an easy way to record and having a 4-track was a draw. Iz from the Dereliks called my house once for the very same reason, asking about recording some day. This all seems crazy in retrospect, because I knew absolutely nothing, but I just happened to save all of my work money for records and gear. I ended up picking up Dave in Campbell and Tape Mastah Steph (DJ Stephone from the tape) somewhere near Milpitas. These cities are not that close to each other, so after a lot of driving and a really long afternoon of them getting weed and smoking in a park, they recorded a song in my childhood bedroom. Steph used a Richard Pryor record I had and he cut up a chorus using my X-Clan record. (I’m looking for the tape. I have the original 4 track session and I don’t think the song was ever released).
While there, Steph showed me the Ensoniq EPS sampler that he used and he explained how the sequencer worked. My mind was blown. After struggling on the Roland MS-1, this all finally started to make sense. I quickly found a used EPS at The Starving Musician in San Jose. It did take me a little while to learn the basics, but that sampler was really the beginning of all of it for me.
Here is a little video I made for a class project that explained how a sampler worked. At this point in time, I did not know much about drums (as you can hear). This is one of the earliest beats I ever made.
To think how many people bought equipment they saw in the back of magazines that wasn’t the right thing for the things they wanted to do is mind-blowing. It was really trial and error back then and a whole lot of frustration until you found someone older who knew a thing or two. It was all so mysterious then of how things were done. I think most people of our age have bought equipment along the way they regret. Thanks again for another great post!
It was crazy to think about how naive some of us were/are about "how the sausage was made." Pre-internet, us hip-hop fans just didn't have any concept of how our favorite tracks were made. And if you didn't know someone that did... (not so) sexy results.