.:The Solution w/ DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez:.

Flashback: 2013 SX704 Solution Showcase Recap…We teamed up with one of Austin’s best BBQ spots and some of our favorites acts out for our first ever showcase during SXSW!!!

Austin during SXSW.  The undisputed heavyweight champ of music festivals in the US and one of the coolest cities in the country year round.  Having been down to play at the festival for the last six years, it had become a goal of mine to throw a SXSW version of The Solution with the countless greats acts I know who attend every year, but that’s a little easier than said than done with countless brands, promoters, artists, labels and such scouring the city for unique venues and locking them down well in advance of the festival.

And while this year SXSW continued to grow at a frantic pace, with venues scarcer than ever, we were able to team up with infamously delicious BBQ haven, La Barbecue, the Austin Nomad and one of our favorite music sites, PotholesInMyBlog.com, to create the inaugural SX704 Solution Showcase.  One (somewhat major) catch though, we only had about a week’s notice to put together the whole event (and to make matters worse, I was in Los Angeles for some DJ gigs when I got word).  Never one to back down from a challenge or great opportunity, my week in LA was quickly taken over by SXSW prep work and a flurry of phones calls.

Over the next few days, me, DJ Trackstar (aka Killer Mike’s DJ) & our friend France (aka Eric Maitrepierre) started working out logistics and details and within no time, we’d put together a lineup that rivaled bigger corporate events, but strictly through our relationships in music and reputations.  When everything was said and done, the acclaimed lineup, with ridiculous talent from all over the country, looked like this:

Spree Wilson & Go Dreamer (ATL)
BLKHRTS (Denver)
Yonas Michael (LA)
Black Spade (St. Louis)
Tef Poe (St. Louis)
Family Affair (St. Louis)
Denniro Ferrar (NC) & BK Beats (Albuquerque)
Ness/Weekend Money (Brooklyn)
Trackstar The DJ (ATL)
SL Jones (ATL)
Uzoy (Houston)
Rich Kidd (Toronto)
&
THE PHARCYDE (LA)

And so, on the afternoon of March 14th, 2013, hundreds of people crossed the bridge from downtown Austin over to South 1st St for the inaugural SX704 Solution, where they were treated to some of the best acts in hip hop, free Lone Star beer and some of the best BBQ in all of Texas (no exaggeration, check out the rave reviews about La Barbecue here, here and here).  Better yet, we were able to set everything up as a free event, with no official SXSW wristband requirements and a refreshing vibe that offered a welcomed contrast to the drunken zombies wandering through 6th St.

With rap legends The Pharcyde and up and coming Dungeon Family affiliate Spree Wilson closing out the day, we packed a ridiculous amount of talent into our four hour showcase and left everyone with some great experiences, new favorite acts and a belly full of rave-worthy BBQ.  As if that wasn’t enough, the party was free to get into, didn’t’t require an RSVP, wristband or any of that hassle and had free beer to compliment the incredible BBQ, plus a complimentary photo booth, courtesy of Austin Nomad Photography.

A few days later, La Barbecue made sure I left Austin with an enormous freeze-dried brisket and asked us back for 2014, setting the stage for another, bigger & better event, especially based on what we did in one week in March.

Last but definitely not least, extra special shouts to everyone who helped make the event such a success: Leann & everyone at La Barbecue, Chisum at Austin Nomad Photography, France aka Eric Maitrepierre, DJ Trackstar, David & Potholes in My Blog, Sean, Greg & The Pharcyde, Yeti Frozen Custard and all the artists that came through and rocked! – DJ Low Key

1502 S. 1st St (that’s South First Street, not downtown, but close; check out the map below for directions).

Austin hip hop legend DJ Nick Nack on La Barbecue: “It’s the best brisket in Austin”

Tags: BK Beats, Black Spade, BLKHRTS, Denniro Ferrar, DJ Low Key, DJ Trackstar, Family Affair, France, Go Dreamer, La Barbecue, Ness, Rich Kidd, SL Jones, Spree Wilson, SX704, SXSW, Tef Poe, The Austin Nomad, The Pharcyde, The Solution Showcase, Trackstar The DJ, Uzoy, Weekend Money, Yonas Michael

Wednesday, 2/27 -> The 2013 Solution Beat Battle w/special guests Exile & Johaz aka Dag Savage, 2012 winner BK Beats, co-host Boonie Mayfield, one man band DJ Fast Forward, DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme & more at Beauty Bar Denver…

WEDNESDAY, 2/27 -> It’s that time of year again.  #TheSolution6 is in full effect and The Solution Beat Battle is back for another year of ridiculous chops, club bangers, head nodders, face scrunchers, and all the other great varieties of beats you hear producers pull out for battles.  Just like last year, a dozen of Denver’s top producers will face off head to head to see who has the best beats in town for prize package including studio time at Denver’s premier record facility, Side 3 Studios, a $200 gear package, a paid guest feature at an upcoming Solution Showcase & more TBA.  As if hearing a dozen of Colorado’s top producers show off their A-game wasn’t enough, we’ve also packed out the bill with some amazing talent, check out the battle’s guest lineup:

Dag Savage (aka MPC mastermind Exile & MC Johaz)

2012 Beat Battle winner BK Beats (read his recap of it here)

Incredible one man band/DJ/singer/etc Fast Forward

CO production legend Boonie Mayfield on co-hosting duties

DJ Low Key & Sounds Supreme on the turntables & more

Beauty Bar Denver (608 E. 13th St) / 9pm / 21+ / $10 Cover / Only $5 if you buy a pre-sale ticket at The Solution Showcase #13 on 2/22 or the Sound College x The Solution J Dilla Celebration on 2/24.

Producers, beatmakers, musicians & such, if you’d like to enter, here’s what you need to do by midnight on Sunday, 2/24.  Please send either:

-A soundcloud link to 3+ of your beats
or
-An e-mail with 3 beats attached
or
-A streaming link to a project you produced

and

-a photo of yourself (to be posted when the competitors are announced)

and

-a short bio

to:

thesolutionbeatbattle <at> denversolution (dot) com

No application fee necessary.  Once again, the submission deadline is Sunday, 2/24 at midnight.  Participants will be announced on Monday, 2/25.  Last but not least, here’s a little audio from last time Exile visited The Solution (along with DJ Day and surprise guests Tanya Morgan & Che Grand):

#TheSolution6

Tags: #COHipHop, #TheSolution6, Beauty Bar Denver, BK Beats, Boonie Mayfield, Dag Savage, DJ Fast Forward, DJ Low Key, Exile, Fast Forward, Johaz, Side 3 Studios, Sounds Supreme, The 2013 Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Beat Battle

BK Beats talks about his Solution Beat Battle & Solution Showcase experiences…

Solution Beat Battle winner BK Beats wrote a little something about his experiences at The Solution Beat Battle and Solution Showcase (he played at #5 as part of his prize).  With The Solution Showcase #11 right around the corner, now seemed like a great time to share his experiences with everybody:

Off top, MAD love to all the folks in Denver who’ve helped make it happen for me, showed my music love, or just downright know good music and how to nurture it. Shout out to DJ Low Key for rocking with me from the start! He’s really about this music, living and breathing it, with an ear to the street at all times.

My experiences in Denver started off with the February Solution Beat Battle, Courtland Urbano and Boonie Mayfield showcase, as well as dope ass Tanya Morgan set. @Imtrumaine, a friend and fellow producer out of Chicago hit me up to let me know that Boonie Mayfield had been tweeting about the show and that I should enter. I was a bit frustrated with the music climate in Albuquerque NM or the lack thereof in my eyes so I sent in a few beats the day of the deadline as well as a little write up including some names of who I’ve produced for and such. Didn’t hear back for a week or so and started to sweat it, until Low Key hit me up and let me know I had made it into the Battle. I got a few friends together for the trip and went for it!

What was illest was that Low Key knew of most of the cats I’d produced for! Just to show his good taste and network he was more than familiar with Moe Green a bay cat, featuring a track from him on his and Sounds Supreme’s The Solution Tape #1. Add 2 was another dude Low Key was up on, great talent out of Chicago and featured performer for tonight’s party!!

The Battle was CRAZY! Everybody showed each other love, which was greatly appreciated with me being from out of town and all that, it was a lot of comradery, love for music, and overall TALENT. Met a lot of really dope folks at the battle, most of those I keep in touch with on the semi-regular. That weekend was amazing, I turned 21 the day before this show, and thus was allowed in, and all the good people definitely gave me the inspiration and encouragement to keep pushing my music… Shout out to my backup dancers as well! Winning was unreal, I’d never won ANYTHING before! I was in some serious shock when the judges made that announcement. But shouts out to Big J, Cliff Cage, Jordan, Dealz and all the other beasts I went up against. Shouts out to Boonie for the kind words, Courtland for the encouragement, and Tanya Morgan for fucking with me. That was an insane night. Left town around 2am and went straight to work off no sleep haha, waaay too excited from the show to even let that trip me out though.

As part of winning, I got to come back to do some recording at Side 3 Studios with the homie Chase and my friend Pablo who is an incredible piano and guitar player. I picked up a ton of dope/free gear from Family Affair, and ultimately got to spin a live beat set at one of the next Solution shows. Side 3 Studios was a sick experience, amazing studio and amazing folks. Really understood my vision and made the work reflect that. Chase is a really talented cat, I need to really get my $ up and go put in some more work over there! Regardless, this is where the idea for my instrumental EP with Pablo ‘Time is of the Essence” really came from. I decided to use my time at Side 3 to just record live instrumentation for this EP rather than any vocals or anything like that, and all the music came out INSANE! Pabz and Chase killed it! I can’t wait to release this stuff, it’s looking like before August, and will feature some really dope bonus cuts with a couple MC’s! Family Affair was really awesome as well! They had a lot of real clean gear from the illest in street wear brands. They’re ultimately a really well run shop! Plus they showed my music and me a lot of love just based off of the beat battle, so much love to the homies there! Had me feeling like a star, I could really get used to getting free gear haha.

But overall the sickest part about winning and coming back to Denver was The Showcase. That was my first real show ever, so I was super blessed. I got to open for some real talents like Whygee, Brik-A-Brak, and Median of JAMLA and Justus-Fuckin-League!! I put together a playlist, and Low Key showed me how to use Serato during sound check, and I basically tried to outweigh my nervousness with the amount of brand new material I had on deck. I played about 20 minutes of new stuff, some collabs, remixes and exclusives. Seemed like people enjoyed it, so that’s all I can ask for…Plus, the Meadowlark was a groovy venue! I was even blessed enough to coincidentally have my Mom in Denver for work that weekend, so she made it out! Shouts out to the girl who bought Moms and I vodka shots hahaha! Also shouts out to everyone who came out, showed me love that night, and everyone I opened for, all great folks! Might have some work coming with a few of the names mentioned above.

All my experiences in Denver and with The Solution have really been blessings, I credit you all with the drive I’ve had these past couple months, and the overall decision to keep going full steam ahead with music! Denver has so much love for my music. It’s truly still all pretty unreal! I’m super thankful for all of the big homies that helped me get my foot in the door! And hope to work a lot with this really awesome circle of folks a lot more in the future! Another example of great folks, and great music brought to you by The Solution!  Hope to make it up to the city again soon. – BK Beats

Tags: BK Beats, The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Showcase

Meet BK Beats, the winner of The Solution Beat Battle & our featured producer for The Solution Showcase #5 on 4/28…

Normally we feature a Colorado producer at The Solution Showcase, but this month we’re making an exception to feature the surprise winner of  last month’s Solution Beat Battle, Albuquerque ‘s own BK Beats.  BK beat out an insanely talented group of producers to take the title and we’re excited to feature him on Saturday, 4/28 on at The Solution Showcase #5, along with Median (NC///Foreign Exchange Music///JAMLA Records), Whygee w/DJ Brik-Abrak, DJ Low Key, Lazy Eyez & more at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer St).  Stay tuned to @DenverSolution for more info, a chance to win free tickets & more.  21+ /// $5 Pre-sales available at Family Affair downtown (plus get 15% your entire purchase when you buy a Solution Showcase ticket) /// $8 at the door.

To find out more about BK Beats, check out this recent interview he did with DJ Low Key below, as well as some links to music and footage from the battle itself.

DJ Low Key: I’ve gotta get it out of the way, what does the BK in BK Beats stand for?

BK Beats: Haha, shit. “Blunt Kid”. It was a nickname I got as a teenager that stuck unfortunately.

DJ Low Key: Sounds like you’ve had that name for a while, how long have you been producing/making beats for?

BK Beats: Haha, yeah man. Been making beats more seriously for the last 2 years, dabbling for probably another 2 before that.

DJ Low Key: What initially inspired you to get in to making beats?

BK Beats: I always did music since a kid, but basically getting more educated on hip hop.  “Award Tour” was big for me, as was Nas “The Message”.  Once I figured out that those were old records re-chopped, I was more curious and bought [the popular production software] Fruity Loops in high school.  Sadly, Dilla’s passing also inspired me a lot.  Ruff Draft and stuff like that really made me wanna do it.

DJ Low Key: Speaking of Detroit, you’ve done songs with Ro Spit and Fat Ray, two up and coming Detroit artists, as well other noteworthy artists from across the country, such as Add-2 in Chicago and Moe Green and Squadda B (of Main Attrakionz) in the Bay; how do these collabs usually come together?

BK Beats: With the Detroit cats, I was just a fan of the whole scene. Sort of just reached out over Twitter and eventually got cats emails.  Basically Twitter all around man, it makes artists accessible enough I guess.  I’m a fan of cats and I may hit them over Twitter and ask for their email address and go from there.

DJ Low Key: What about your music do you think got the attention of those artists when numerous up and coming producers are hitting them up online regularly?

BK Beats: I try to make every beat my own, and really put myself into the music.  Whatever style it is, I try to do something different or sample something no one would.  For example, sending a beat using a european progressive rock sample when everyone else has been sending Lex Luger style keyboard jams.  No hate to Lex. I’m a fan, haha.

DJ Low Key: Using a variety of samples and sounds is something that the judges at The Solution Beat Battle all mentioned as part of why you won, do you consider yourself as having a particular style?

BK Beats: Ummmm, I would say drums are always an important part of my beats.  Nowadays, I’m leaning away from sampling a bit, but I’ve been told my drums are sort of a trademark.

DJ Low Key: The Solution is based out of Colorado and you’re in Alburquerque, New Mexico; how’d you find out about the beat battle?

BK Beats: A friend/fellow producer really looked out for me on that one. A Chicago cat by the name of ImTrumaine told me Boonie [Mayfield] had been tweeting about it and I should try, so I sent a few [beat] over while I was at work like right before the deadline, haha.

DJ Low Key: Were you worried or nervous about coming from out of state to compete?

BK Beats: Definitely! NERVOUS AS HELL! Haha. But more so felt lucky and blessed becuase my city doesn’t have alot of the same opportunities and such.  I was still nervous after I won, like shaking nervous man smh.

DJ Low Key: Leading up the final round, was there any producer at the battle you were especially worried about facing head to head?

BK Beats: Man everybody had heat to be honest!  Shouts to Cliff Cage, Big J, Dealz…A lotta skills in that room.  I forget the [names of the] other cats I met, but I was feeling like just a fan again for sure.  I thought Big J had me that last round to be honest.

DJ Low Key: The entire lineup was ridiculous, big ups to everyone involved. Before the battle you mentioned you were a fan of Tanya Morgan, who performed and were two of the judges at the battle; any thoughts of hitting them up on Twitter afterwards?

BK Beats: HUGE fan! I had to get my nerd on and snap a flick with them too, haha. But as far as trying to work, I feel like I’m not on that level yet.  Plus, Von’s [Von Pea, producer/MC in the group Tanya Morgan] got BEATS! WOO!!! I felt like it may be better if I just took their judging as a cosign and kept it moving.

DJ Low Key: Part of your prize for winning The Solution Beat Battle was studio time at Side 3 Studios, generally considered to be the best in Colorado; what was your session like there and when can we hear the results?

BK Beats: Maaaan it was amazing! Huge shout outs to Chase [at Side 3]. He got EXACTLY what I was trying to convey.  That whole spot is mind blowing. I will be playing two of the songs next Saturday [4/28, at The Solution Showcase #5, details here] and then releasing an EP with my keys/guitar player Pablo before Summer.

DJ Low Key: What’s the name of the EP? Any other projects can we expect from you later in 2012?

BK Beats: Untitled so far but i just released the 1st single “STR8 Gorgeous” last week on my bandcamp page, www.bkbeats.bandcamp.com.  I will have this ep, songs with a few cats from the bay area. expect more from me and Moe Green, Shady Blaze, Deniro Farrar out of NC and Epp from Portland, all leading up to a solo beat tape.

DJ Low Key: Sounds like a busy Summer.  Any other shouts before we see you back in Denver for The Solution Showcase #5 on Saturday, 4/28?

BK Beats: Yeah, crazy hectic.  SHOUTS to you! The Solution, Family Affair, Tanya Morgan, Courtland, Boonie. Everybody who showed love after the show, you guys keep me going for real!

Tags: #TheSolution5, BK Beats, The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Showcase

Saturday, 4/28 -> The Solution Showcase #5 w/Median (NC /// Justus League), Whygee feat. DJ Brik-A-Brak, BK Beats, DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez at The Meadowlark…

SATURDAY, 4/28 -> Ding ding, round 5!!!  It’s about time for The Solution Showcase to hit you with another dose of goodness and this month is a doozy.  For The Solution Showcase #5, we’re featuring your favorite MC’s favorite MC and Justus League OG, Median (NC///Foreign Exchange Music///JAMLA Records), the hype killer himself, Whygee w/DJ Brik-A-Brak, The Solution Beat Battle’s darkhorse winner, BK Beats, and of course, at least 2/3rds of The Solution DJs, DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez at The Meadowlark (2701 Larimer). Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with someone on the bill, just trust that your favorite DJs aren’t gonna steer you wrong (a big part of The Solution Showcase is about discovering dope new music anyway, people have been digging it). So head over to DenverSolution.com to learn more about the performers and hopefully we’ll see you out for the party! 21+ /// $5 Pre-sales available at Family Affair downtown & get you 15% off your entire purchase /// $8 at the door /// Doors at 9.

Tags: BK Beats, Brik-A-Brak, DJ Low Key, Family Affair, HK2012, JAMLA Records, Justus League, Lazy Eyez, Median, The Foreign Exchange Music, The Meadowlark, The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Showcase, Whygee