Four Great Beat Tapes from Local Producers

By Diego Gonzales

Music Journalist

 The instrumental Hip-Hop scene in central Texas is filled with tons of experimentation and exciting sampling and mixing. The scene is constantly growing and thanks to online services such as Bandcamp, it has never been easier to find great local talent. Here are four great beat tapes from local Texas artists.

Without Fear of Obsolescence – Haikey

This album is comparable to Geodaddi from Boards of Canada with how dark and chaotic some of the tracks can be in their atmosphere. A chorus of distorted voices on “A Bomb Made By The Hands of God” makes the track morbid but still somehow catchy and melodic when the gentle drums come in. “Is Heaven Lonely?” is also a favorite with its bright guitar samples and crisp drum break. All in all really good album! It kind of reminds me of Skinamarink sometimes.

Jazz Cat – The Deli

Hip-hop producer, The Deli, is definitely one of the biggest beatmakers to come out of Austin with 648,550 monthly listeners on Spotify. His song “5:32” off his album Vibes 2, released in 2016, has over 138 million streams on Spotify. The album Jazz Cat is filled with his distinct laid-back flavor. Dusty piano chords and lo-fi drums make this album a smooth listen. My favorites include “Virgo Flip” and “Spring”.

DIAMANT – TJELMI

Sometimes laid-back and clean, sometimes chaotic and dusty, DIAMANT by TJELMI is an amazingly sequenced beat tape. Comparisons can be made between TJELMI and legendary producer, The Alchemist, with their use of movie samples, synthy sound effects, and hard-hitting drums. My favorites from this tape include the track “PICKUPTHEPHONE,” with its mesmerizing vocal sample and extremely warm bass, and “FIREWORKS,” a laid-back beat that would not be out of place in an old-school noir-type movie.

6 PIECE – Curbside Jones

With its soulful samples and off-kilter drum patterns, Curbside Jones’ beats on his album 6 PIECE are definitely the most comparable to the legendary producer J Dilla out of everyone from this list. Jones even makes a tribute to the late producer on his track “Remember Me (One4Dilla)”. If you like J Dilla’s album Donuts, this tape will definitely be worth your time. My favorites include “MuhLyfe (One4Amir),” on which he masterfully chops and loops an rnb sample, and “Heart Of The City” with its explosive synths and creative drum pattern.