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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
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