Does anybody know what Mike E. Clark used to make most of his beats with? Seems like he barely uses samples | Psychopathic Records | Forum | Faygoluvers | Forum

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Does anybody know what Mike E. Clark used to make most of his beats with? Seems like he barely uses samples

August 28, 2019
5:23 am

burgala

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I think Mike Clark is one of the dopest producers of all time. For real, I put him up there with RZA, Prince Paul, Muggs etc.

The thing that fascinates me most about him is I can't figure out how he made most of his beats. A lot of them seemingly contain no samples at all (or if they do, whosampled.com has not discovered them).

I think my best example would be the Riddle Box intro. Did he just play that beat freehand? I wish there were some interviews with him out there where he dove into his process a bit. What about that beat at the end of "Stomp"? It sounds like he took that directly from a damn carousel at an amusement park! It's so damn dope! I am trying to figure out desperately if he played that beat himself, or how he made a lot of his beats from Milenko and earlier. Any answers would be greatly appreciated!

August 28, 2019
6:01 am

Drunkalo

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At Hallowicked a few years back MEC had a solo set. His set was pretty much mashed up ICP clips with some filler. Dont know exactly where that filler came from. I was totally fit shaced and cant remember much of what i heard. But it was great at the time. Smack pulled a song the other day that he didnt know Mr. Clark used as a sample. Id put money on a lot of it being nabbed from lesser known songs like you said. But i cant back that up.

Whoop Whoop Drunkalo :

burgala

Yeah bitches, im that short gentleman mentioned in that youtube video.

And the very nice, level headed guy from that other youtube video.

August 28, 2019
7:31 am

LAZYLAZ

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burgala said

The thing that fascinates me most about him is I can't figure out how he made most of his beats. A lot of them seemingly contain no samples at all (or if they do, whosampled.com has not discovered them).

I disagree... All MECs tracks back then seemingly contained samples... Most specifically breaks...

He took all the best hip hop ideas and mixed them with rock/pop... And seemed to have an extensive go to selection of psychedelic funk to steal ideas and samples from... I guess when ICP were label surfing they just had to drop out sampling due to royalties...

Things is, take that Stomp interlude beat thing, it's just a break beat (or a few layered), 808 bass and a carnival sample looped on top... And even if it's not directly sampled from somewhere, you could just loosely play it on an organ and get a similar effect... The more shit you are at playing the better it probably sounds... Check out "Mike Tries To Play Violin While Willabe Rags Argues With Violent J" from Murder Mix Vol 1...

I miss the days when MEC would use samples and breaks for ICP...!!! But I think what made/makes him great is that he was a rock/pop engineer first and not just your typical beat maker...

Oh, but I did stumble upon some stock presets for Uhe Zebra that he used on Mighty Death Pop... Most notably Miracles...

Presets Mike...? hmmmm...

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burgala

August 28, 2019
8:28 am

Pigg

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Mike E Clark used mad samples.

They reference a lot of them in the 20th anniversary riddlebox booklet.

I think they talk about looking through records in behind the paint, too.

At the strums and drums concert during this year's GOTJ, J claimed that the best to 3 rings I literally lifted from another song.

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burgala

August 28, 2019
9:06 am

chops

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Mike E. Clark uses a lot of samples and 90% of his music in the 90’s was sampled

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burgala

August 28, 2019
10:31 am

Drunkalo

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(Sigh) So this is what it feels like to be a little bit right. FUCK YEA!

I feel like im 5'6 right now.

Its ok Lazy, normally im in your spot.

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burgala

Yeah bitches, im that short gentleman mentioned in that youtube video.

And the very nice, level headed guy from that other youtube video.

August 28, 2019
11:09 am

Unauthorized Violator

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Mike e Clark puts it all through his Ouija board

August 28, 2019
11:13 am

Unauthorized Violator

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Pigg said
Mike E Clark used mad samples.

They reference a lot of them in the 20th anniversary riddlebox booklet.

I think they talk about looking through records in behind the paint, too.

At the strums and drums concert during this year's GOTJ, J claimed that the best to 3 rings I literally lifted from another song.

Correct, but wrong too!

VJ floobed his notes.

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burgala

August 28, 2019
4:11 pm

Noah Fence

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He uses samples. And drum machines. And keyboards. And whatever else he needs to use.

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August 28, 2019
4:19 pm

Drunkalo

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Good find

Noah Fence said
He uses samples. And drum machines. And keyboards. And whatever else he needs to use.

Im sure a lot of things go into it. I know with the things i do and see i want to tweak them here and there. Even if its a sample theres alterations made. Your an artist, im sure you have many critiques about a lot of stuffs. Theres always room for what the viewer sees is an improvement. Id imagine making a song beat is the same.

Whoop Whoop Drunkalo :

burgala

Yeah bitches, im that short gentleman mentioned in that youtube video.

And the very nice, level headed guy from that other youtube video.

August 28, 2019
4:25 pm

Noah Fence

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Oh, don't take me any kind of wrong way. I don't think using samples is bad. It's par for the course. Samples are used across the board in music. It's a tool. And any good musician or artist or what have you uses as many tools as they are competent in using to get the job done.

I was listening to a video with jpegmafia and he was talking about how when he was in hawaii there was bon fires going everywhere he went and he recorded some, put them into his sound program and saw how rich the sound was so he laid it into a beat. He says the beat is hella minimal but when you throw the resonance of the fire it sounds hella complex. That impulsive decision to record the sound of fire shaped the sound of his new album.

I'm sure MEC has had similar moments of brilliance. Dude's a champ.

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August 28, 2019
4:37 pm

Drunkalo

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No disagreement man. 100% with you.

Everything can be used if all you have to do is 'hey lets try some of this'.

I would have never guessed fire. Simplicity is sometimes brilliance.

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Noah Fence, burgala

Yeah bitches, im that short gentleman mentioned in that youtube video.

And the very nice, level headed guy from that other youtube video.

August 28, 2019
5:49 pm

Old Mr Dangerous

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Noah Fence said
Oh, don't take me any kind of wrong way. I don't think using samples is bad. It's par for the course. Samples are used across the board in music. It's a tool. And any good musician or artist or what have you uses as many tools as they are competent in using to get the job done.

I was listening to a video with jpegmafia and he was talking about how when he was in hawaii there was bon fires going everywhere he went and he recorded some, put them into his sound program and saw how rich the sound was so he laid it into a beat. He says the beat is hella minimal but when you throw the resonance of the fire it sounds hella complex. That impulsive decision to record the sound of fire shaped the sound of his new album.

I'm sure MEC has had similar moments of brilliance. Dude's a champ.

I once took a System of a Down song, in it's entirety, then sped it up super fast. The entire recorded sound effect of the song is less than 3 seconds long. Then I put it in a track as a sample. Still have it on a disc somewhere.

Sampling is one of the foundations of hip hop. I love throwing in obscure clips and samples in my beats.

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Noah Fence, burgala

August 28, 2019
10:22 pm

burgala

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Thanks so much for the replies! I kept digging for interviews with MEC but there really aren't any where he describes his process. It's very reassuring to know it's mostly samples because I can't for the life of me figure out how he did most of those beats!

August 29, 2019
11:17 am

Juggaloso

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I know one of the bands MEC sampled was a psychedelic band called Gong. Their samples are all over the Ringmaster album.

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burgala

August 30, 2019
7:33 pm

burgala

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MattCJ said
I know one of the bands MEC sampled was a psychedelic band called Gong. Their samples are all over the Ringmaster album.

Yeah Ringmaster is the only album I was really able to find sample sources on. It's almost non-existent for Riddle Box and Milenko

November 23, 2019
12:29 am

burgala

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Holy shit, it took me 4 months but I discovered the source of the sample for the ending of "Stomp"!!

It's from this:

26 seconds in!!

Goddamn that took me forever but I finally found it!!

November 23, 2019
8:12 am

Chevy2Dope

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Old Mr Dangerous said

I once took a System of a Down song, in it's entirety, then sped it up super fast. The entire recorded sound effect of the song is less than 3 seconds long. Then I put it in a track as a sample. Still have it on a disc somewhere.

Sampling is one of the foundations of hip hop. I love throwing in obscure clips and samples in my beats.

this right here. It's extremely common to use samples to make beats, but USUALLY, it's taking something like a drum sound or just some cool little sample to insert in amongst the music you've created. Mike is very proficient with a keyboard and guitar.

I am 99% sure I remember Mike talking about how he had a goal of using no samples on AJB and it was the first time they did that. I wish I could find that interview. It may have also been on his website. Anybody remember back in the day he had his own website and there was a messageboard on there? He would often respond on there, it was awesome.

November 23, 2019
8:28 am

Old Mr Dangerous

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"Bullet in the Head" - Rage Against the Machine

"My Fun House" - Insane Clown Posse

November 23, 2019
8:32 am