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Home : Products : ILIO: Skippy's Big Bad Beats : Reviews
 
Skippy's Big Bad Beats


Sound on Sound February 2000

5 out of 5

Ilio and Spectrasonics, two of America's biggest names in sample-CD production, have put their collective heads together and come up with the concept of 'Groove Control'. Wisely they have chosen to debut this revolutionary system of loop manipulation on an impressive four-CD set called Skippy's Big Bad Beats, about which more in a moment.

The Groove Control system is effectively a way of allowing you complete control over the loops presented on the sample disk. Initially each loop is presented on the CD-ROM in a number of mix and performance variations as you would expect from a drumming CD, but on a Groove Control release the same loops are then presented chopped-up, with single hits of each constituent sound zoned chromatically up the keyboard, starting at C1. Along with the loops you also get a CD-ROM with song files for each loop (Logic, Cubaseand standard MIDI files are all supported), which enables you to load up the relevant file for your chopped up loop so that you can alter the tempo, add/subtract sounds, process, edit and even seamlessly re-groove and re-quantise the loop data to match your song. It's all frightfully clever and so meticulously well edited that if you play the original complete loop next to the song file of the chopped-up version it's virtually impossible to tell which is which. On the down side, presenting each beat as a separate sample within the loaded programme means that over a two-bar loop you could be loading as many as 16 versions of what is effectively the same bass drum. Also, the chromatic way that the sounds are presented up the keyboard means that the first snare beat could well be assigned to D#1 and the next snare could be on A2, the next on C#2 and so on almost randomly up the keyboard, so any editing of the loops within a sequencer's matrix editor requires you to find out exactly where your sounds all are before you can start de-mixing or making any serious alterations to the loops. Gripes aside, I'm sure users will relish the chance to be able to load these sequences into any song at any tempo and manipulate them as if they were patterns you had programmed yourself.

On the sound front, Skippy's Big Bad Beatsreally delivers. Pitched somewhere in the region of Liquid Grooves, with perhaps a slightly harder edge, the two CD-ROMs are stuffed full of streetwise and inspiring drum loops which come with numerous mix alternatives, deconstrucions and, of course, Groove Control variants as well. The discs' creator, former Korg sound designer John Lehmkuhl, is exactly the kind of rhythm programmer we all wish we could be, with a depth of knowledge covering numerous current trends and an good ear for infectious grooves and loops using a broad pallete of sound sources. The loops presented here (tempos 60 to 132bpm) range from laid-back and almost jazzy R & B flavours to some pretty far-out forms of experimentation, including even a few forays into the world of mainstream dance. In short, this is an intelligent, creative and highly usable collection of sounds that scores an extra star for having the added bonus of Groove Control. If you're looking for some very 'now'-sounding drum loops and need maximum flexibility combined with easy access, Big Bad Beats will not only deliver but might even represent the future of the sample CD.

 

Knowledge, March 2000

Skippy's beats are definitely big and bad! But, not just that, they are unique and fresh. A lot of time has been put into this to ensure top quality breaks second to none. The fresh sound of the production makes this CD stand out for phat uncompromising slam-dunking beats! The bpms range from 60-140 (quite a large range) but the majority are around 90-100. Each track features a unique break with many variations and options for fills and links etc. The extra breaks make it excellent when you find one that you love and there are already different options available for use. The bottom end is phat and punchy and the percussion sizzling and crisp. Definitely one for the collection.

Computer Music, May 2000

Another Groove Control collection, though we can't deny or confirm that a bush kangaroo was on the production team. However, John 'Skippy' Lehmkuhl most certainly was, and he's served up 96 tracks of slickly created drum loops. The documentation is pretty good: each track features variations on each particular pattern, and these are all listed. Stylistically, there's a fair bit of variation, and sensibly, the samples have been put on the disc in ascending tempo order. Many of these have been expertly processed, and there's a real sense of individuality about what's here. What can we say - it's another great CD to complete a bumper month.
Verdict: 9

Remix Review

Skippy’s Big Bad Beats might sound like an oxymoron, but a closer inspection of these booty-shaking beats will give you more than a taste of hip-hop, R&B, pop and straight-shooting dance grooves for your production palette. And just who is this Skippy anyway? You already know him. Producer John "Skippy" Lehmkuhl (aka Skippysan in Japan) has designed more than a few Korg M1, Trinity and Triton keyboard samples. Other Skippy sonic offspring are the Korg T series, 01W series, Wavestation, rare Wavedrum and popular clan of Electribe dance boxes. In addition, Skippy’s beat artistry has been exploited by the likes of artists such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and even jazz outfits such as the Yellow Jackets. But Skippy’s Big Bad Beats doesn’t resemble the music of the aforementioned three; rather, it is a hi-fi- hip-hop and contemporary dance-groove collection of more than 300 carefully selected loops and closely scrutinized dance vibes.

One of my favorite groups of loops, Jack Attack is dominated by a dark, electronic sonarlike ping driving alongside a huge acoustic kick and electronic snare foundation, decorated with popping vinyl noise. Another standout, Java, provides caffeine-free beats with a natural wood-sounding kickdrum pulsing beneath filter-swept shakers, dirty hi-hats and a ringing electronic snare. In Java are four small mix breakdowns, three full mix arrangements and two breakdowns on the audio compact disc alone. If you’re looking to get basic, grooves such as "Booty Bounce" give you that boom-bop house-party feel with a consistently cool blend of electronic and acoustic instruments.

Most of the grooves contain stripped-down variations of the full and busier groove. For example, a full band mix may contain shakers, toms and a tambourine along with the kick, snare and hi-hat. Because you are less apt to need everything at once, Skippy has done will to provide plenty of subpatterns or breakdowns with kick and snare only, or a hi-hat and snare mix, a hi-hat and kick mix and so on. He has also included several effect and panning options, which help to point similar grooves in completely different directions.

The beat titles, as outlined in typical ILIO thoroughness, specify the groove contents on the audio or sampler-ready CD. You will see "NoK" for no kick drum, "NoS" for no snare drum and "Bdn" for the various breakdown patterns. Although some of the beat breakdowns are tame, save for the tribal tom riffs in the Future Zone loops section, Skippy suggests combining similar or opposing variations of his beats to create your own loop breakdowns and remixes. For example, you might combine the "SMx" (small mix) loop with the pitched up "FX" (special effects) loop. For more remix ideas, ILIO’s sampler-specific CDs (made for Akai compatibles, Kurzweil and Roland) contain corresponding MIDI loops along with extra pitch and performance options. Imagine loading patterns from tempos spanning 66 to 145 bpm in an instant to create an original groove. That can be done thanks to ILIO’s patented Groove Control technology, in which each groove’s corresponding software and hardware MIDI sequence is included to create better-sounding pitch and tempo modulation—a strategy that leaves creative power in the hands of the producer.

This is not to say that the beats are incomplete. In fact, Skippy’s Big Bad Beats consistently delivers large and low kicks complemented by cutting electronic snare combos and acoustic hi-hat and percussion flutters. The sounds are hi-fi sounding for the most part, with a few sections devoted to sample deconstruction; a live and funky drum set track usually sits at the center of Skippy’s looped rhythms. Still, electronic percussion remains ever present an, at the same time, rhythmically inspired. Like the pro-level price ($99 for audio; $199 for Akai compatibles, Kurzweil and Roland), the professional sonic quality of Skippy’s sound design is as good as it is original. These grooves could work equally well in a film, a dance club or a video-game soundtrack. The current sample market is inundated with products targeted towards specific styles, and these loops may suggest hip-hop or R&B, but they never run away with the concept and succeed in delivering a sound of their own. –Dave Hill Jr.

Overall Rating (out of 5) 4.5

 

From the day they opened their doors in 1994, ILIO has been committed to producing useful, timeless and inspiring sample libraries for musicians. Tapping years of experience in sound design and electronic composition, their knowledge of the quality demands of today's music scene is the driving force behind every title they release.
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