"...I’m sure you’ve asked me this in previous interviews and one of my answers was my album is coming out this year. This time I mean it..."
For all the WA Hip Hop heads, Rob Shaker needs know introduction but for the uninitiated he is the producer/owner of Shake Down Studios and Shake Down Records, he has produced countless beats for rappers all across Australia and in a previous life toured as WA Hip Hop king Drapht's DJ.
He is also a family man but more recently he's added another career highlight to his belt winning the final ever Beat Down competition.
Rob Shaker, congratulations on winning Beat Down 11, how does it feel?
Hey Kylie, cheers very much! Yeah it’s great to have been a part of such an amazing institution that was the Beat Down over the years and to take the win, especially in the last one is certainly an amazing feeling. Massive shout out to Rae for giving us the Beat Down and making it so successful for 11 years straight.
This is your second win, you won back in 2012, 6 years ago now! How do you think your sound has evolved?
I think the Beat Down and making beats for competitions really evolved my sound early on. Prior to 2012 I was very focused throughout each year on making epic beats for the comp and some years I’d spend over a month preparing beats just for it. Since then I’ve started working in the studio full time and a big part of my job is adapting my sound to what people want to rap or sing to, so I’ve really had to think outside the box and research different sounds that people want. That’s probably led to my beats naturally progressing to be less epic, but also more musical. Also, it’s a lot easier having won a Beat Down previously to just enjoy the composition process instead of over thinking it which I have definitely been guilty of in past years. When you get to the finals a few times and lose it’s certainly something that plays on your mind when making beats, but after you get the gratification of winning it’s easy to just get back into making beats for fun.
What about your process of making beats?
The process I use isn’t really set in stone. It normally depends on what outcome I’m trying to achieve and what I’ve been given to work with. When I work in the studio it’s often to fit within someone’s idea so they’d normally sit in and compose it with me and I largely let them guide me on where to start. Often it’s listening to their lyrics either a Capella or over a guide beat and then recreating the feel, but changing the specific sounds or melodies. I’d normally start with a core melody or sample, then go to drum sequencing. After that, bass and then any layering other melodies, atmospheric noises or transition sounds before structuring the beat.
The process I use for the Beat Down is similar, but definitely more involved. Throughout the year I keep an ear out for any samples that may be epic enough to become a BD beat. I then normally email myself the link and then I set aside a few days to a week to try and get in the right mind frame to make them. Sometimes the sample might be from a movie, or even a song I’ve shazzamed while driving. Some notable samples that I used for this years BD’s were The Avengers theme song, A sample from a weird animated movie called 9, East 17’s song It’s Alright, and the Greatest Showman song. Thankfully we have Netflix now so I don’t have to rip out the VCR or DVD player whilst everyone is watching a movie to record a sample like the good ole days!
After chopping up the samples, it’s then drums and bass, but really going for monstrous sounding stuff that is going to rattle a live system. Then finally transitions and build-ups which are sooo important in beat competitions and is often the thing that separates competitors. This can take days on certain beats to get right.
Did you have a game plan going into the competition?
So for those that haven’t been to a Beat Down competition, there’s normally at least 16 competitors that all play 2 beats each in the first round. The beats are supposed to be no longer than 1 min 20 seconds so making the beat as epic and engaging as possible is paramount. The top 8 competitors get chosen by the judges to go through into the battle heats which then goes to 4 in the next round and then a final, with the winner having played a total of 8 beats.
He is also a family man but more recently he's added another career highlight to his belt winning the final ever Beat Down competition.
Rob Shaker, congratulations on winning Beat Down 11, how does it feel?
Hey Kylie, cheers very much! Yeah it’s great to have been a part of such an amazing institution that was the Beat Down over the years and to take the win, especially in the last one is certainly an amazing feeling. Massive shout out to Rae for giving us the Beat Down and making it so successful for 11 years straight.
This is your second win, you won back in 2012, 6 years ago now! How do you think your sound has evolved?
I think the Beat Down and making beats for competitions really evolved my sound early on. Prior to 2012 I was very focused throughout each year on making epic beats for the comp and some years I’d spend over a month preparing beats just for it. Since then I’ve started working in the studio full time and a big part of my job is adapting my sound to what people want to rap or sing to, so I’ve really had to think outside the box and research different sounds that people want. That’s probably led to my beats naturally progressing to be less epic, but also more musical. Also, it’s a lot easier having won a Beat Down previously to just enjoy the composition process instead of over thinking it which I have definitely been guilty of in past years. When you get to the finals a few times and lose it’s certainly something that plays on your mind when making beats, but after you get the gratification of winning it’s easy to just get back into making beats for fun.
What about your process of making beats?
The process I use isn’t really set in stone. It normally depends on what outcome I’m trying to achieve and what I’ve been given to work with. When I work in the studio it’s often to fit within someone’s idea so they’d normally sit in and compose it with me and I largely let them guide me on where to start. Often it’s listening to their lyrics either a Capella or over a guide beat and then recreating the feel, but changing the specific sounds or melodies. I’d normally start with a core melody or sample, then go to drum sequencing. After that, bass and then any layering other melodies, atmospheric noises or transition sounds before structuring the beat.
The process I use for the Beat Down is similar, but definitely more involved. Throughout the year I keep an ear out for any samples that may be epic enough to become a BD beat. I then normally email myself the link and then I set aside a few days to a week to try and get in the right mind frame to make them. Sometimes the sample might be from a movie, or even a song I’ve shazzamed while driving. Some notable samples that I used for this years BD’s were The Avengers theme song, A sample from a weird animated movie called 9, East 17’s song It’s Alright, and the Greatest Showman song. Thankfully we have Netflix now so I don’t have to rip out the VCR or DVD player whilst everyone is watching a movie to record a sample like the good ole days!
After chopping up the samples, it’s then drums and bass, but really going for monstrous sounding stuff that is going to rattle a live system. Then finally transitions and build-ups which are sooo important in beat competitions and is often the thing that separates competitors. This can take days on certain beats to get right.
Did you have a game plan going into the competition?
So for those that haven’t been to a Beat Down competition, there’s normally at least 16 competitors that all play 2 beats each in the first round. The beats are supposed to be no longer than 1 min 20 seconds so making the beat as epic and engaging as possible is paramount. The top 8 competitors get chosen by the judges to go through into the battle heats which then goes to 4 in the next round and then a final, with the winner having played a total of 8 beats.
Normally I have a pretty set idea of which beats I’ll play in each round from start to finish and then I’ll have a few extras up my sleeve just in case there’s a certain sound that someone else has played and I think I’d have a beat that is similar, but better. Some years I’ve entered remotely so the homie Bitter Belief has selected my beats or played them in a fixed order, which definitely makes it harder. Fortunately his dance moves are next level and have probably helped me get through a few rounds. This year I went through all my old beat down beats and rejigged a few of them to be slightly more modern or just sound bigger. Mainly for nostalgias sake, but I chose to play 1 old beat and 1 new beat in each round so the choices were less tactical than in previous years. I brought 14 beats, but only played the original 8 I chose for rounds in the order I’d planned except for 1 round.
I missed the night so tell me about your heats, were you feeling confident? What was the crowd reaction?
Round 1 was a knock out round. Rae had organised a little gathering upstairs for all the Beat Down homies so I was several beers deep before even playing a beat. I don’t think confident was the word you’d use, but I was definitely care free hehe. I can’t remember how many contestants there were, but I got through to the next round. Round 2 was a producer called Black Moses. His beats in the first round were really nice. Not so much competition sounding, but he had a really soulful polished sound. One of my mates in the crowd said that BM’s beats were his favourite of the first round. Round 3 was an old mate of mine Loftwah The Beatsmiff. Going into the comp I had told myself that if I go up against Loftee I was going to use my final round beats against him because I know he has some serious heat. This round was one of the most memorable rounds of any Beat Down I’ve been a part of. Up there with the Creed Birch battles of BD5 and BD6 which I often say are my faves. The final was against a 17 year old producer called OJC43. At the start of the night a few dudes told me he was the guy to look out for. His beats were crazy dope. You could tell for a young producer he thought about structure and dynamics on a different level to most dudes. It was a pleasure to witness his beats in the last ever Beat Down that’s for sure, and I hope the dude goes on to big things like many Beat Down contestants have before him.
You’re always busy with Shakedown Studios & Records, what is in the works for 2019?
Well I’m sure you’ve asked me this in previous interviews and one of my answers was my album is coming out this year. This time I mean it though haha! I’ve got 5 videos done for it and the artwork is getting done now, then off to press!
I’ve just finished up a bunch of projects in the studio that I’m really proud of this year and certainly some to look out for. Albums and EP’s from Maundz, Raven, Mortar, Insideus, 5past, Dead Tooth, Bipola and a few others are all about to drop and are all very dope.
With SDR we are hoping to do a Downsyde box set much like the Clandestien one from 2018, which from all reports was a large success. Definitely expect a Kogz release and a Bitter release this year too! I’m also experimenting with lathe cut (dub plates) vinyl for small run projects. The first one will be for 5pasts EP Holy Water. The run will be super limited, and more projects may come to vinyl if the quality is good and they sell out. Keep an eye out for this dude, he’s the dopest. The EP is produced by Uncle Sam so you know it bangs!
Thank you for your time. And huge congrats again!
Thank you! Also, for anyone who wants to hear my Beat Down beats, the final 8 I used are on iTunes, Spotify etc and every Beat Down beat I’ve made is at https://robshaker.bandcamp.com/album/beat-down
Stay up to date with Rob Shaker, Shake Down Studios and Shake Down Records by liking their Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/RobpacShakur/
https://www.facebook.com/ShakeDownStudio/
https://www.facebook.com/shakedownrecordsaus/