Beat Studies

ATL downtown was a battlefield on Tuesday night as eight well armed producers wrecked hip-hop havoc on stage and each other with their beats. On stage stood two stools; each with a pioneer CDJ player sitting on top. The host of the evening informed the crowd and contestants of the simple rules. He also had a mic with a built in db reader to measure crowd noise as they voted with their cheers and applause.

The first two producers to face off in round one were DT of Clan Destined and Mr Fish. While DT took the first beat, Fish came with very eclectic rhythms on beats 2 and 3 that the crowd loved… and he advanced to the 2nd round. “Maybe I should have brought some more people out, or just hit em’ with another banger”, DT said.

AM DEX and DT of CLAN DESTINED

The second two producers to brawl were Terminus and Mr. Enok. It was a blowout. Terminus came off a bit ill prepared as this was was the only round to be decided in only 2 beats. I asked him after if he would do anything different next time… “Yeah, I’m going to try and work on improving the bass. It seemed like just a big bass contest”, Terminus said. Mr. Enok and his bass heavy beats easily make their way into the second round.

MR. ENOK FOCUSES

Next was AM DEX versus Ethereal. AM DEX was definitely favored going into this event as the winner of the first beat battle ever here at Apache Cafe. I asked him about his strategy going into the battle. “I just wanted to come and represent an aggressive style”, he said. He took the first beat as the crowd cheered louder for him than Ethereal. But the tide quickly turned as Ethereal took the next two beats, advancing through round one… leaving AM DEX and many of his fans shocked. “People came up to me afterward telling me I got robbed”, AM DEX said to me. Many were shocked to find both members of Clan Destined out after the first round.

ETHEREAL HITS PLAY

Next to engage was Conspiracy and Xaku. This was a heated battle… more for the spectacle of nonverbal gestures than for the beats themselves. While Xaku was able to squeak out a few more db from the crowd on the first beat, the powerful drums of Conspiracy proved to be to much for Xaku to handle as he lost the next two beats, and therefore round one, to the strange cat from local hip-hop crew Lee Harvey Oswald.

CONSPIRACY UNDER COVER

So with round one behind us, Mr. Fish, Mr. Enok, Ethereal and Conspiracy remain. Round two began as Ethereal edged out Conspiracy in a heated push. It was a close one. Conspiracy couldn’t believe it when the winner was announced. “Really?, Really?”, he repeated to an audience member after walking off stage. Ethereal had no problem accepting the win as he immediately began to strategize his next move… the finals.

Then, despite technical difficulties, Mr. Fish was able to squeak out a victory over Mr. Enok – who admittedly didn’t have a chance to properly mix his beats before the competition. Mr. Fish advances to the finals. “I just try to be a little different, and you gotta love your shit no matter what it is”, he confidently said moments after the semi-finals.

MR. FISH

In the finals, Ethereal went first as he dropped a relatively chill beat for a battle… but it was enough to take the first point. Mr. Fish took the second beat as he played a real attention grabber. It was down to last beat and the crowd seemed pretty neutral. Who would be walking away with the prize tonight? They each played their last beat and the crowd’s response seemed almost equal. As the host revealed the winner, he noted that it was only by .3 db. “Ethereal Wins!”. The victorious young producer raised his arms in celebration at the conclusion of his first ever beat battle. “I just try to make music that is like nothing people have ever heard. We have already heard the same thing over and over so I figured, why not put your ass out there and try to do something different.”

BEAT BATTLE WINNER, ETHEREAL

The night was a blast! Speakeasy Promotions had the place packed. Tony, the sound guy, had the speakers bangin’. The Apache bartenders had the drinks flowing. It was a fine night of competition and comradery as some of ATLs producers had a chance to get out of the lab and onto the stage.

Tags: AM DEX, Apache Cafe, Beat Battle, Clan Destined, conspiracy, DT, ethereal, Mr. Enok, Mr. Fish, speakeasy promotions

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