Welcome to the APME Memphis 2025 conference. Here, you’ll be able to register for the conference and update your Sched profile. The conference schedule will be available in late spring 2025. At that time, you can view the schedule and select the presentations you’d like to attend. If you have any questions, please visit our conference website or contact us at conference@popularmusiceducation.org We look forward to coming together as a community June 4–7, 2025.
At the heart of Hip Hop culture lies the practice of "digging in the crates," a term that refers to the art of exploring old vinyl records to uncover hidden melodies, rhythms, and sounds that can be sampled to create new compositions. This process has been integral to Hip Hop since its inception, as it connects past musical traditions with contemporary innovation. As a beat maker with over 25 years of experience, I’ve spent countless hours sifting through records from a wide variety of genres, discovering rare and often overlooked samples that form the foundation of my beats. Each crate dig is an opportunity to find a new sound or piece of history that can inform and elevate a composition. In this demonstration, participants will have the chance to observe firsthand how a beat maker listens to, chooses, and samples recorded material from vinyl records. They will see the process of identifying the most fitting and unique elements of a track that can be repurposed into something entirely new. Afterward, the audience will witness a condensed version of how these samples are layered, manipulated, and transformed to create a complete Hip Hop beat. By sharing both the music and the deeper insights behind the creative journey of the dig, I hope to provide the audience with a deeper understanding of how a Hip Hop producer listens to and engages with music, emphasizing the artistic value of this distinctive perspective.
