Free Download: Vice Beats – Dare (The Find Premiere)
(Photo: Sam Holman)
“Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste…” Or is it just me who had to think of that Rolling Stones track after hearing the first four seconds of drums on Vice Beats’ “Dare”? Ahem, let’s get to the point.
Please allow me to introduce Vice Beats: first and foremost he’s a hip-hop producer from Bristol, UK. But he’s also keeping himself busy as education and events manager/podcast creator for Wordplay Magazine, founder of a label called Street Soul Productions, and creator of local events such as Amplify in Bristol and Basement Sessions in Birmingham.
The hypnotic “Dare” is his first instrumental track in nearly a year. Listen to the track below on Bandcamp, or keep on reading for the production process, and Vice Beats’ personal story on how this track originated from a struggle in staying motivated.
You can download the track for free, but we encourage to Name Your Price to support independent artists!
“Dare is a response to a creative slump. For months I’d been struggling to create music. Whenever I managed to get time to write something it was the same kind of sound, then I was lucky enough to have a two-week stint of meeting some creative and inspiring people, plus watching Brené Brown [on Netflix]. Her idea of stepping in the arena, and taking part really resonated with me. I had been hiding, not releasing music, supposedly waiting until it was perfect and not challenging myself. So I went to my studio and started recording my log drum into Logic Pro X, which I had never sampled before, just to a click track. Then I added a number of layers, then started adding shakers, clicks, and chimes, still without drums.
“I then dug into my found sounds that I’d been recording and found the sound of a peacock from Sri Lanka and the less exotic Brecon Beacons in Wales”
Next up added a bassline with my four-string jazz bass, creating a walking line, then added the drums. The drums have a number of layers of snares, toms, and a rim shot in a syncopated rhythm, leaving room for the percussion to play. I then dug into my found sounds that I’d been recording and found the sound of a peacock from Sri Lanka and the less exotic Brecon Beacons in Wales. I found a trumpet sample which I was feeling, and finally added part of Brené Brown’s talk which had helped me to become remotivated. The track all in all took a couple of days to create, tweak, and refine.
Dare is about challenging yourself. Over the last couple of years, I have really reconnected with nature after a long period of being unable to enjoy being outside due to illness. Since that point I have run a 10K, done lots of walking, water sports and pushed myself out of my comfort zone. The visuals for Dare represent this push, it’s a combination of inner strength and nature, self-development and reflection, and ultimately having nature as an inspiration. I want Dare to inspire people, much like Brené Brown was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt with the step-in-the-arena-mindstate.”
— Vice Beats
