11. Legowelt – Memphis Rap Mix

I didn’t know a lot of this music existed before I heard this mix; that era of rap music had passed me by. The way that he places early synth music and John Carpenter soundtracks alongside this stuff was quite a lightbulb moment. The melodies on the Memphis rap stuff are quite basic and there are lots of 808 samples. There are whole tunes that are based on a cowbell being pitched differently, like the Tommy Wright III one. It’s just dead brutal, but simplistic music.

I think the 808 is my favourite drum machine, and it works so well with this electro rap stuff. I used Legowelt’s emulation plugin on some tracks. It’s amazing. It’s the closest thing to a real 808 that I’ve experienced. It’s not as ‘big-sounding’, but the plugin definitely sounds really textured and a bit broken.