This song was made using a mixture of improv and detailed editing, a style I call Random Planning. It’s a fun technique that I do from time to time, mainly as a writing exercise when I’m trying to get inspired to write, but I wanted to do one with the specific intention of sharing the process, hence the title, “Trusting Instincts”.
At the time when I originally wrote this, a year ago, I had UTFO on my mind. I’ve always been a big fan of the group since 1985, but also feel like they are one of the most under-appreciated groups in Hip Hop history. People talk a lot about “Roxanne, Roxanne”, but don’t mention their skills and other elements that made them great. So because of that I try to honor them whenever I can. So, at this time last year, Kangol Kid announced he had cancer, and just a year or so before that I was in Brooklyn for a while and I was trying to find Kangol for an interview but never made contact. So, when he made that post and I was working on a mixtape, I decided to do this song as a dedication.
I recorded that original version to an August Fanon beat that I got from his soundcloud, because he’s one of my favorite producers today. But since that project was all beats I used without permission, I only did it for free on Bandcamp and didn’t really push it.
So I decided to remix this one around the one year anniversary, and even dig deeper into the concept. To challenge myself, I did the rhymes, beats and cuts on this remix. The lyrics are the same, which like I said is a mix of improv and editing. As for the beat, I had just got the Roland AIRA Compacts, which is the T-8 drum machine, J-8 synth, and E-4 voice tweaker, and they are all awesome! They are only $200 each, and are probably my favorite production tools in my setup, at least in many regards. . It really helped when I accidentally learned I could trigger samples and drum kits from Ableton, which should have been obvious but it simply didn’t occur to me. This beat was made using those compacts and an Ableton drum kit, with some UTFO easter egg sounds chopped and spliced in.
The cuts are done in a style that I call Scratch Meditation, where I just zone out and do whatever comes to mind, but also the end scratch in the background is honoring Mix Master Ice who is the first person I heard cut up that sound which became the most popular scratch sound of all-time. Of course, my scratching is nowhere near his excellence, hence it being more in the background.
I also added a dialogue to the end, talking about why I’m a huge fan of UTFO, and also list my favorite songs by the group! This was just a fun experiment, and I wanted to share.
Written & Performed by 7X3=21
Scratch Meditations by DJ Nikoless
Mixed & Mastered By Therma
This is dedicated to UTFO. R.I.P to The Educated Rapper and Kangol Kid.
Shout Out: 3D Crew, Fort Riley Breaking Patrol, Skate Junction in Junction City, KS, DJ Red Alert on 98.7 Kiss tapes, the House Rockers Nation, T.T.T, and Champagne.
