- HIGH END TIMES
- Posts
- How Quavo taught me to slow down (and speed up)
It’s Wednesday afternoon 8 PM.
I’m in my home studio working on edits for a new Grey Zone DJ mix I want to record. It’s going to be hip hop, r&b, and house vocals on house tracks (some new, some old). All Brenmar originals, remixes and edits.
One of my favorite hip hop albums is Huncho Jack by Quavo and Travis Scott.
The album has so many bangers it’s kind of silly. Whole album underrated if you ask me.
Anyway…
I'm going through tracks, looking for something that'll work. Then I find "How You Feel"
Ugh…so so good.
Problem: It's at 140 BPM. My mix is all under 130bpm.
But I think slowing down a vocal track feels better than speeding it up. So at least I had that going for me.
I isolated the vocal, slowed it down in my DAW, and used Mixed In Key 11 to help me run through all my house tracks to see what could work.
And then… my ears just... prick up.
You know that feeling? When something just fits?
This little spark that goes "oh, what was that?"
Quavo's flow suddenly hit the pocket perfectly and the supporting chords gave it a different emotional depth.
Boom 🧨
55 minutes later, I've got something special…
Here's the thing though...
Years ago, this would've taken me 6-8 hours. Maybe more.
The difference now?
I trust what sounds good. I have the right tools. And I have system that lets me work fast.
Because honestly…
Speed isn't the enemy of good music. Overthinking is.
We need less tweaking more creating. More ideas. More drafts.
Anyhow…
I actually recorded myself making this Quavo edit as a bonus video lesson to help you make similar edits in less than an hour.
It's all in The Daily Draft Club.
My 30 ideas in 30 days music sprint for DJs and music producers to quickly find their best ideas through quantity… not overthinking and over production.
Whether you’re making edits or originals, the same ruthless draft after draft mentality is required to win.
Last day to sign up is Friday June 6th.
We start in 1 week - June 9th!
If you've been thinking about joining, now's the time.
We have a nice crew forming, I’m excited.
Shoot me a message if you have any questions or reply “I’m in” to join.
Thanks!
Brenmar
P.S. - Seriously, check out the Quavo edit and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
BRENMAR REMIXES 🎶
