Beat Makers

Beat Makers is a documentary "that takes a look at the never-ending hustle of young producers trying to make it in the intensely competitive music business. The film taps into trackmasters at various stages of their careers, as they struggle to make (and keep) a name for themselves.It's a cool window into the birth of the beats that get our heads bobbing.” – Bside.com

"We want to make people aware of this documentary, that it is out there and available, however, we don’t have the kind of funding to finance a traditional marketing blitz. We hope that indie film sites will take the time to consider and review a true indie film.” - Producer; Eddie Singleton.

Directed by Laron Austin whose short film “B.A.M.” won audience awards and other accolades in 2008 on the festival circuit, the film covers an unhearalded segment of the Hip-Hop community - the independant, unsigned beatmakers who are doing what they love with the hope of one day being paid for the privilege.

The film opens by introducing us to several producers by name, who break down their names, how long they've been making beats for and these sequences really illustrate just how many of us do what we do.

The film then splits into several chapters that deal with topics such as equipment, ideas & concepts, inspiration and their opinions on sampling to name a few and at 1 hour 32 minutes in length - there's alot of ground covered.

The section where the beatmakers list their various equipment is my favourite. It could really change alot of peoples perceptions of what makes a beatmaker as i've seen alot of conversations along the lines of "if you don't own a ____ then you aint hip hop" and most of the time it's the MPC. But, here's a list of SOME of the equipment used by the beatmakers featured;

Fruity Loops
MPC
Logic
ASR10
Korg Triton
SP1200
Ableton Live
MPD16
Technics SL1200
Yamaha Motif
Reason
Recycle

The best thing about the documentary is the sheer scope of topics covered and questions answered. i also felt it they spent a rather equal amount of time speaking with each beatmaker which i imagine can often be difficult to monitor with a project like this.

It's a must for established BeatMakers and newcomers looking for an insight into the working lives of like minded individuals.

You can watch the video below in full screen at a higher resolution at YouTube