Report: Remix Hotel Los Angeles Day 1

Dec 19, 2008 6:05 PM, Lori J. Kennedy

Every time Remix Hotel makes its annual stop in Los Angeles, we always find some “added bonuses.” There are, of course, celebrity sightings (I’m looking at you, Dave Attell), almost-celebrity sightings (who was that in the hat and sunglasses signing autographs outside?), on-location show tapings (Hi, CSI: NY!) and the always-interesting cast of characters on the Sunset Strip (hmm … that guy appears to be wearing a newspaper). For us, being here is kind of like hanging out with our free-spirited younger sister who, no matter where we go, seems to know everyone. And you know what? We love it.

RHLA day 1 was naturally a mass of awesomeness. So first, I made my way to the iStandard panel L.A. Hip-Hop: The Sound That Defined the West Coast, with panelists Bishop Lamont, Soul Nana, Scetch, Daddy Kev, Sir Jinx and Thayod Ausar. The panel started with a discussion about the major players at the beginning of L.A.’s hip-hop scene. Lamont weighed in on what the scene was like post-N.W.A. and the influence Tupac played, musing: “Look at everyone with tattoos now. Tupac made gettin’ shot 100 times somethin’ cool. He paved the way for 50 Cent and DMX.” Stay tuned to Remixhotel.com to see the video of this lively panel.

Next up was a visit to the Avid room, where legendary indie producer (Flying Lotus, Daedelus, Busdriver, Mix Master Mike) and Alpha Pup Records founder Daddy Kev talked about his love for Digidesign Pro Tools, including his favorite plug-ins and how he uses a hybrid setup of Pro Tools and analog gear. “The best thing about all the new tools these days is the sound quality,” he said. Kev is one of those smart, passionate producers who loves to talk technique and gear. And another thing? He’s a supernice guy.

No doubt, today’s highlight was the special In Session Q&A with GrammyAward–winning producer Danja, who discussed the making of DJ Khaled’s hit track “We Takin’ Over.” Danja—along with his engineer of five years, Marcella Araica—went through the track’s Pro Tools session, explaining how he came up with the initial beat, the hook and the stacked drum parts. In addition to calling out some of their favorite studio tools (including Celemony Melodyne and, of course, the Akai MPC5000), Danja and Araica also gave some insight into their working relationship and how to forge a career as a producer or engineer. It was a truly cool session, so look out for the videos soon on Remixhotel.com.

Finally, to wind down the evening, I sat in on the superinformative Ableton Live 7 master class, hosted by the illustrious and talented Laura Escudé. The class focused on the new features in Ableton Live 7, including the ability to import REX files and the new drum racks. Escudé started with the drum racks and took the class from start to finish in creating what she called a “superphat beat” (and indeed, it was—I still have it looping in my head). She started by having her friend Jay beatbox into the mic for a bit (totally awesome) while she recorded it into Live. Next, she used a MIDI controller to mix up the recorded beats before adding and manipulating some effects to create a sick, bouncing rhythm. It was amazing to see all the in-depth capabilities of this killer app.

And now we’re getting ready for day 2. Stay tuned!

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