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

Great Winter Goodness/The Solution’s 8th Annual J Dilla Celebration recap by Black Sock Productions…

Very dope video recap of last Sunday’s Winter Goodness w/DJ Low Key & friends/The Solution w/DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez‘s 8th Annual J Dilla Celebration on The Meadowlark‘s patio by Black Sock Productions ltd..

The weather was better than we could have ever hoped for, the crowd was filled with a ton of regulars from the Summer and smiling faces, Moontower Tacos blessed us with great food, Judith & Joe brought the records & gear, and most importantly, me, DJ SpydaTek & DJ Lazy Eyez had an opportunity to play Dilla for 8+ hours; it was about as good as a Sunday gets.

Goodness returns (in grand fashion) on May 4th…Until then, catch The Solution w/DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez every Friday night at the Meadowlark!!!

#TheSolution7

Tags: Black Sock Productions, DJ Lazy Eyez, DJ Low Key, DJ Spyda T.E.K., Goodness w/DJ Low Key & friends, Judith & Joe, Lazy Eyez, Moontower Tacos, The Meadowlark, The Solution

Wednesday, 2/26 from 5-7pm -> The Solution Beat Workshop w/Brandun Deshay, DJ Syda T.E.K. & Big J. Beats at Beauty Bar Denver! Free with a ticket to The 2014 Solution Beat Battle!!!

WEDNESDAY, 2/26 from 5-7pm -> We’re excited to holding our first Solution Beat Workshop, featuring Chicago producer/MC extraordinaire Brandun Deshay (production credits include Chance The Rapper, Danny Brown, Casey Veggies, Curren$y, Dom Kennedy, Tanya Morgan & lots more), Denver favorite Big J. Beats and 2013 Solution Beat Battle winner DJ Spyda T.E.K. talking production techniques, creative processes, equipment and software, the business side of beatmaking, answering questions from the crowd and more before the battle gets going.  The focus will be intermediate and advanced techniques, but all ability levels are welcome.  The workshop is free with a $10 ticket to The Solution Beat Battle.

Tags: Beauty Bar Denver, Big J Beats, BrandUn DeShay, DJ Spyda T.E.K., The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Beat Workshop

Wednesday, 2/26 -> The 2014 Solution Beat Battle w/special guests Brandun Deshay (Chicago), Fast Forw4rd, DJ Spyda T.E.K., Big J. Beats, DJ Low Key, Lazy Eyez & more at Beauty Bar! Catch a dozen of Denver’s top producers battling for the title & prizes!!!

WEDNESDAY, 2/26 -> UPDATE: We just added renowned Chicago producer/DJ Maker (of Qwel & Maker fame) to the bill! Still only $10.

Ahhh, February. You noticed right, that is the sound of fresh, new battle-ready beats you’ve been hearing out of basements and studios around the city as producers, beatmakers and instrumentalists get ready for The 2014 Solution Beat Battle at Beauty Bar Denver (608 E. 13th St)!!! Last year’s battle was a blast, with DJ Spyda T.E.K. edging out Cliff Cage and ten other ridiculously talented producers (recap here via HipHopRollCall.com) to take the 2013 title. This year a dozen producers will be battling for the crown, plus a ridiculous prize package featuring:

-$250 in Akomplice gear

-A $100 Zengo gift card

-$100 in gear from Family Affair

-An interview with internationally acclaimed site, PotholesInMyBlog.com

-A photo shoot with official Solution photographer Knower Of The Ledge

-A paid guest feature at an upcoming Solution Showcase & more TBA

The competition is always thick and the camaraderie is always off the charts, so head down early and catch Denver beat-making community shining on one of our favorite nights of the year. The main focus is on Denver’s scene and the battle, but we’re also excited to welcome some other ridiculous talent down for the night.

Chicago’s own Brandun Deshay, who’s produced songs for everyone from Danny Brown to Chance The Rapper to Casey Veggies, on top of ripping mics on his own, will be back in Denver after performing at The Solution Showcase last year to rave reviews. He’ll be joined by brilliant one man band and musical genius Fast Forw4rd, 2013 Beat Battle winner DJ Spyda T.E.K. & Denver mainstay Big J. Beats in showcasing music for the crowd, while Solution residents DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez hold down the turntables and hosting duties for the night.

$10 cover gets you into the battle & the afternoon’s Beat Workshop (details below). 21+ / More info on the battle & The Solution on Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram.

The Solution Beat Workshop

Wednesday, 2/26 from 5-7pm -> We’re excited to holding our first Solution Beat Workshop, featuring Chicago producer/MC extraordinaire Brandun Deshay (production credits include Chance The Rapper, Danny Brown, Casey Veggies, Curren$y, Dom Kennedy, Tanya Morgan & lots more), Denver favorite Big J. Beats and 2013 Solution Beat Battle winner DJ Spyda T.E.K. talking production techniques, creative processes, equipment and software, the business side of beatmaking, answering questions from the crowd and more before the battle gets going.  The focus will be intermediate and advanced techniques, but all ability levels are welcome.  The workshop is free with a $10 ticket to The Solution Beat Battle.

Producers, beatmakers, musicians & such, if you’d like to enter The 2014 Solution Beat Battle, here’s what you need to do by midnight on Sunday, 2/23.  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, 2/23 at midnight.  Participants will be announced on Monday, 2/24.

#TheSolution7

Tags: #TheSolution7, Akomplice, Beauty Bar, Beauty Bar Denver, Big J Beats, BrandUn DeShay, DJ Fast Forward, DJ Low Key, DJ Spyda T.E.K., Family Affair, Fast Forw4rd, Knower Of The Ledge, Lazy Eyez, Maker, Potholes In My Blog, Qwel & Maker, The Solution, The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Beat Workshop

Sunday, 2/16 -> Winter Goodness aka The Solution’s 8th Annual J Dilla Celebration w/DJ Low Key, special guests DJ Lazy Eyez & DJ Spyda T.E.K., a special menu by Moontower Tacos, Judith & Joe Records & Fashion Truck, photos by Knower of the Ledge & more on the Meadowlark’s (enclosed & heated) patio!!!

From djlowkey.com: SUNDAY, 2/16 from 2-10pm -> Every time the weather gets over 50 degrees on a Sunday I get text messages from people saying they miss Goodness and I basically respond the same way every time, “you think you miss it, that’s my baby! LOL”.  With that said, on Sunday, 2/16/14, for one day only, we’ll be bringing Goodness w/DJ Low Key & friends back for a Winter, all J Dilla edition on the Meadowlark’s incredible, newly enclosed and of course, heated patio (2701 Larimer St).  With this Winter Goodness doubling as The Solution’s 8th Annual J Dilla Celebration, I’ll be joined by Lazy Eyez & DJ Spyda T.E.K. as we dig deep in the crates to bring you an 8 hour shift of Jay Dee classics, rarities, samples, b-sides and so on.

Official Solution photographer Knower Of The Ledge will be in the building snapping flicks and we’re excited to be welcoming our friends Judith & Joe Fashion & Records mobile boutique back out to join the fun. As if that wasn’t enough, Moontower Tacos will be back in the building, serving their insanely good food. The icing on the cake though, is that me and the cooks at Moontower are creating a special Dilla Taco that’s gonna be incredible (think about how delicious their chicken & waffle taco is for an example of how the magic of sweet, savory and spicy will play out), as well as some other tasty treats. Things are getting going an hour earlier than Goodness 2013, at 2pm, and we’re rocking til 10 at night. Turn it up!!! No Cover / 21+.

P.S. Goodness w/DJ Low Key & friends is scheduled to return for the 2014 season on Sunday, 5/4.  Put it in your calendar now & don’t miss your chance to get an unprecedented Winter fix on 2/16.

#TheSolution7

Tags: DJ Low Key, DJ Spyda T.E.K., Goodness, Goodness w/DJ Low Key & friends, Judith & Joe, Knower Of The Ledge, Lazy Eyez, Moontower Tacos, The Meadowlark

#TheSolution7…7 events to celebrate 7 years of The Solution bringing Denver the best in hip hop & more…

Denver’s premier hip hop blog, Hip Hop Roll Call has the scoop on the entire month’s events for #TheSolution7, check it out HERE…

Producers, beatmakers, musicians & such, if you’d like to enter The 2014 Solution Beat Battle, here’s what you need to do by midnight on Sunday, 2/23.  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, 2/23 at midnight.  Participants will be announced on Monday, 2/24.

Tags: #TheSolution7, Akomplice, Beauty Bar, Beauty Bar Denver, Boonie Mayfield, BrandUn DeShay, DJ Mahf, DJ Spyda T.E.K., Family Affair, Fast For4wrd, Goodness, Goodness w/DJ Low Key & friends, J DIlla, Judith & Joe, Moontower Tacos, Sounds Supreme, The Meadowlark, The Solution, The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Beat Workshop

Meet DJ Spyda T.E.K., winner of the 2013 Solution Beat Battle and our featured producer for The Solution Showcase #14 on 4/24 at Beauty Bar Denver…

Back in February, DJ Spyda T.E.K. came into the 2013 Solution Beat Battle with an insane collection of beats and left the winner, beating out a group of ridiculously talented producers from Denver and beyond.  DJ Low Key recently talked to Spyda T.E.K. and learned more about the Colorado Springs producer/DJ who trekked up to Denver to claim this year’s title and a spot as this month’s featured producer at The Solution Showcase #14.

You won The 2013 Solution Beat Battle earlier this year; but you do a lot more, what all does Spyda T.E.K. get into?

Man, I’m a full time DJ, producer, dad, n seeker of all things relating to music. Just on a mission to let ppl know what I do is not some fly by night thing. This is all Ive been into since I could reach a turntable and a tape player (remember that! Haha)

There are quite a few different lanes you do venture into, you’re definitely not a one-genre dude…What types of music are you into making these days?

Yea I like a lot of different styles. I make some boom bap stuff, edm influenced trap, moombahton, electro…club influenced beats, n a little bit of r&b. I mean, anything I feel inspired by & dig, ill go into it. My heart lies with straight hip hop & EDM. Soundscapes I grew up with.

Sounds like it was a natural transition to DJing and producing…Which one of those came first and when was that?

I became a DJ officially when I was 10yrs old. Before that I was mixing maxi singles on two boomboxes. Hahaha. I didn’t start producing till about 2003.  I only started producing because I was without my setup for a while. I originally had an mpc 2000 XL then went to FL Studio because the process for chopping samples n stacking drums was a lot faster.

How does the mixing on two boomboxes work?

Uhhh…Haha. straight ghetto rigging the door of the deck so I can slow down the pitch. I haven’t done that in such a long time. I don’t know how I discovered that at 8yrs old. Crazy.

Do you still use FL (Fruity Loops) Studio?

Yea, FL Studio is all I use still to this day but im trying to feel out other DAWS to see what else I can do.

What do you prefer about FL Studio over other software/hardware options?

Well I haven’t used anything else since I first started other than the mpc 2000

What’s your beatmaking process normally like? What do you start with?

I just like the fast pace of producing in FL. If I have an idea I can just lay down the basics n go from there. I don’t know. Anything can start it. A sample, a drum, a melody…I try different things out n see how it works.

Was this year’s Solution Beat Battle your first time battling, at least as a producer?

This is my 2nd battle since being here in Colorado but that was a different type of battle. They were looking for more waka flocka trap style of beats.  Not the lane I typically like going into.

What was your approach to picking beats and preparing for the battle?

Preparing for the Solution battle was fun because I was familiar with what type of beats that fit within the concept. My goal wasn’t to win, just have my material exposed to the right audience. I just wanted my music to be heard n maybe someone would like em. The bad part was battling people I developed relationships with like Black Jordan Cliff Cage & Big J beats. It wasn’t easy doing that because I respect their work n the beats they bring to the whole element.

If winning wasn’t your focus, what did it feel like when you were announced as the winner?

Like I was straight up dreaming haha

Also, do you feel like you exposed your music how you has hoped to? Have you notched any effects of that so far?

Definitely. Lots of these artists n producers I’ve known beforehand really only knew me as djing either Latin clubs or raves…Its not exactly screamin “hip hop” you know. I felt like they actually paid attention n respected what they heard afterwards.

That’s great to hear. What are you working on next?

I’m working on a project with Dj Dozen, another joint with Cliff Cage & HoTT, n a few cuts with L.A. Latin hip hop artist Solares, & a few joints on the EDM tip.

And what previous projects do you have that people can check from you online?

Honestly. projects I’ve worked on are all over the place but I try to keep some of my past projects n current ones up on my soundcloud.  Actually one project I can think of…I did a mixtape “DarkSide West” with this dude named Bad Guy Fly out in L.A. I produced the majority of it. It’s out there on the internet. I also did a joint with Planet Asia 2 years ago. Never released, but he played it for me over the phone one night. Lol. I’m still waiting to hear the final cut.

Catch Spyda T.E.K. rocking with legendary DJ RHETTMATIC of the World Famous Beat Junkies, Denver supergroup Fly4Wird, Solution co-founders DJ Low Key & Sounds Supreme and Welcome to the D.O.P.E. Game’s DJ Dozen for The Solution Showcase #14 on Wednesday 4/24 at Beauty Bar Denver (608 E. 13th St).  Check out more info on the showcase here.

Tags: DJ Spyda T.E.K., Spyda T.E.K., The Solution Beat Battle, The Solution Showcase