Brutal Beats

... von den Produzenten der Chemical Beats (Key Buy-Award & Five Star Award)!

Eine der härtesten, aggressivsten und gross-schlägigsten drum loop CDs im Programm. Zusätzlich finden sich díverse Einzeldrums in verschiedensten Anschlagstärken um eigene loops zu programmieren oder vorhandene zu veredeln.

Testberichte

Sound On Sound 9/2002
US Keyboard 2/2002

Sound On Sound 9/2002

"...pure, transcendent rock energy, as potent now as it was back in the '70s.... musically irresponsible, but hugely enjoyable... classic rock beats with many variations, intros and fills... Imaginative sound processing adds a contemporary edge to the retro-rock feel... Geoff Dugmore's playing has graced dozens of hit records... this CD has definitely captured his positive musical energy..."
"Behind the cruel name of this sample library lurks Scottish session drummer Geoff Dugmore, whose playing has graced dozens of hit records. Brutal Beats reveals Geoff's '70s roots; recorded in the Townhouse's stone room, this cheerful Celt bashes his way through some classic rock beats with many variations, intros and fills. These performances fill two audio CDs, and also appear on a third disc in Acidised WAV form; the library is completed by 66 drum and cymbal single hits incorporating four-way dynamics, ranging from a tender pp to a brutal ff.
It's been said that Geoff Dugmore plays as if his life depends on it, and his loops certainly generate considerable forward momentum - where some drummers lie back behind the beat, Geoff always urgently pushes it on. His adopted style on this title is basically loud, uncompromising rock; simple enough in conception, but featuring occasional unexpected, interesting snare displacements. Although its musical antecedents are pretty undisguised (names such as 'Emigrant Song' and 'Stairway To Devon' should give you a clue), this is more than a historical rehash. Beats like the raving, ride cymbal-driven 'We're Gonna Hoover' deliver pure, transcendent rock energy, as potent now as it was back in the '70s.
The kit sound, soaked in a fairly cavernous room ambience throughout, is bludgeoningly heavy. Tempos start off at a comatosed 50bpm and rise to a panic-stricken 235bpm. Most loops are in 4/4, a few are in 12/8, and there's even a dash of progtastic 9/8 and 15/8. Geoff's loops are not confined to a two-or four-bar format -- the 100bpm 'Fright Night' starts with solo hi-hat for four bars, introduces kick for four more, and ends with six bars of full kit played with ferocious intensity. The slower tempo beats offer no sonic or dynamic relief: the compressed mix of the 80bpm 'Dazed & Refused' (please, no more bad Led Zep name jokes) slams home like a sledgehammer, more slow bruise than slow blues.
Each loop is presented in straight, heavily compressed and processed versions, with the latter often comprising three or more sonic variations. These are typified by the unrestrained use of plug-ins, sometimes to the point where the kit is transformed into a series of filthy, flanged, gated, metallic noises -- musically irresponsible, but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. There are also some thin, toppy 'transistor radio' mixes. Not all these treatments are entirely successful, but some are great, rivalling BT's madder experiments -- the wicked 'princely mix' of the 112bpm 'Wanton Kong' is pure Breakz From The Nu Skool.
I've always enjoyed heavy, ambient drums, and this CD has definitely captured Geoff Dugmore's positive musical energy. The edits are not always seamless, but the one or two minor glitches I heard would be undetectable as soon as other sounds were added. Imaginative sound processing adds a contemporary edge to the retro-rock feel. The only real bummer (as we used to say in the '70s) is that, due to a manufacturing fault, there are clicks on audio disc B, scattered throughout the individual hits section. The WAV versions on disc C, however, are clean. Zero-G intend to re-press the faulty CD, and in the meantime will apparently issue replacement discs to anyone who needs them." Review: Brutal Beats  Sound On Sound UK  9/2002 "...pure, transcendent rock energy, as potent now as it was back in the '70s.... musically irresponsible, but hugely enjoyable... classic rock beats with many variations, intros and fills... Imaginative sound processing adds a contemporary edge to the retro-rock feel... Geoff Dugmore's playing has graced dozens of hit records... this CD has definitely captured his positive musical energy..."
"Behind the cruel name of this sample library lurks Scottish session drummer Geoff Dugmore, whose playing has graced dozens of hit records. Brutal Beats reveals Geoff's '70s roots; recorded in the Townhouse's stone room, this cheerful Celt bashes his way through some classic rock beats with many variations, intros and fills. These performances fill two audio CDs, and also appear on a third disc in Acidised WAV form; the library is completed by 66 drum and cymbal single hits incorporating four-way dynamics, ranging from a tender pp to a brutal ff.
It's been said that Geoff Dugmore plays as if his life depends on it, and his loops certainly generate considerable forward momentum - where some drummers lie back behind the beat, Geoff always urgently pushes it on. His adopted style on this title is basically loud, uncompromising rock; simple enough in conception, but featuring occasional unexpected, interesting snare displacements. Although its musical antecedents are pretty undisguised (names such as 'Emigrant Song' and 'Stairway To Devon' should give you a clue), this is more than a historical rehash. Beats like the raving, ride cymbal-driven 'We're Gonna Hoover' deliver pure, transcendent rock energy, as potent now as it was back in the '70s.
The kit sound, soaked in a fairly cavernous room ambience throughout, is bludgeoningly heavy. Tempos start off at a comatosed 50bpm and rise to a panic-stricken 235bpm. Most loops are in 4/4, a few are in 12/8, and there's even a dash of progtastic 9/8 and 15/8. Geoff's loops are not confined to a two-or four-bar format -- the 100bpm 'Fright Night' starts with solo hi-hat for four bars, introduces kick for four more, and ends with six bars of full kit played with ferocious intensity. The slower tempo beats offer no sonic or dynamic relief: the compressed mix of the 80bpm 'Dazed & Refused' (please, no more bad Led Zep name jokes) slams home like a sledgehammer, more slow bruise than slow blues.
Each loop is presented in straight, heavily compressed and processed versions, with the latter often comprising three or more sonic variations. These are typified by the unrestrained use of plug-ins, sometimes to the point where the kit is transformed into a series of filthy, flanged, gated, metallic noises -- musically irresponsible, but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. There are also some thin, toppy 'transistor radio' mixes. Not all these treatments are entirely successful, but some are great, rivalling BT's madder experiments -- the wicked 'princely mix' of the 112bpm 'Wanton Kong' is pure Breakz From The Nu Skool.
I've always enjoyed heavy, ambient drums, and this CD has definitely captured Geoff Dugmore's positive musical energy. The edits are not always seamless, but the one or two minor glitches I heard would be undetectable as soon as other sounds were added. Imaginative sound processing adds a contemporary edge to the retro-rock feel. The only real bummer (as we used to say in the '70s) is that, due to a manufacturing fault, there are clicks on audio disc B, scattered throughout the individual hits section. The WAV versions on disc C, however, are clean. Zero-G intend to re-press the faulty CD, and in the meantime will apparently issue replacement discs to anyone who needs them."

US Keyboard 2/2002

Set of two audio CDs and Acidized WAV CD-ROM
Live Rock drum performances

Pros - Well-recorded kick-ass grooves.
Cons - Little variation of Kick and snare sounds.
Bottom Line - Solid rock drum performances that will take you straight back to the days of the Nixon administration.

Call it a backlash against mechanical programmed beats.Brutal Beats is all about live loops that take more than a page from '70s classic rock.The grooves are deep in the pocket and have plenty of attitude, thanks to drummer Geoff Dugmore.Stylistically, Brutal Beats is very Bonham-esque - you know, heavy on the kick, meaty toms tuned to perfection, and full of vibe.In fact, some of the tracks are blatant knock-offs of classic Zeppelin beats.
The recordings have lots of room and overhead sound - not much in the way of close-miked-drum sounds, which is fine by me.I only wish there were more variation to the kits; it sounds like the same kick and snare were used for the entire library.
With Brutal Beats you get a WAV CD-ROM plus two audio CDs.While this might sound like a lot, it is and it isn't.The tracks contain extended performances eight, 16 or more bars long, in addition to fills, intros, and endings.From beginning to end, nearly every track is tight; the time only wanders in a handful of performances.Each groove is offered in several ways: au naturel, compressed and lightly distorted, filtered, with BMP-synced delays, and so on.For those who don't already have any of these effects in their studio arsenal, BB's "theme and variations" approach is nice.I have lots of effects at my disposal though, so I would have liked some of the CD real estate devoted to more straight-up grooves instead of the processed versions.Second listener Greg Rule disagreed:"I like the creative processing throughout this collection.My only criticism, and take this from a person who has auditioned a ton of sampling CDs in the past ten years, is this: How many more rock drum sampling CDs does the market really need?"
Whether you're after a classic '70s drum sound and don't have the tracking room, microphones, and drummer to pull it off, or you're into big beat and want some monster beats to slice and dice, put this sample collection high on your shopping list. Review: Brutal Beats  US Keyboard  2/2002Zero-G - Brutal Beats
Set of two audio CDs and Acidized WAV CD-ROM
Live Rock drum performances

Pros - Well-recorded kick-ass grooves.
Cons - Little variation of Kick and snare sounds.
Bottom Line - Solid rock drum performances that will take you straight back to the days of the Nixon administration.

Call it a backlash against mechanical programmed beats. Brutal Beats is all about live loops that take more than a page from '70s classic rock. The grooves are deep in the pocket and have plenty of attitude, thanks to drummer Geoff Dugmore. Stylistically, Brutal Beats is very Bonham-esque - you know, heavy on the kick, meaty toms tuned to perfection, and full of vibe. In fact, some of the tracks are blatant knock-offs of classic Zeppelin beats.
The recordings have lots of room and overhead sound - not much in the way of close-miked-drum sounds, which is fine by me. I only wish there were more variation to the kits; it sounds like the same kick and snare were used for the entire library.
With Brutal Beats you get a WAV CD-ROM plus two audio CDs. While this might sound like a lot, it is and it isn't. The tracks contain extended performances eight, 16 or more bars long, in addition to fills, intros, and endings. From beginning to end, nearly every track is tight; the time only wanders in a handful of performances. Each groove is offered in several ways: au naturel, compressed and lightly distorted, filtered, with BMP-synced delays, and so on. For those who don't already have any of these effects in their studio arsenal, BB's "theme and variations" approach is nice. I have lots of effects at my disposal though, so I would have liked some of the CD real estate devoted to more straight-up grooves instead of the processed versions. Second listener Greg Rule disagreed: "I like the creative processing throughout this collection. My only criticism, and take this from a person who has auditioned a ton of sampling CDs in the past ten years, is this: How many more rock drum sampling CDs does the market really need?"
Whether you're after a classic '70s drum sound and don't have the tracking room, microphones, and drummer to pull it off, or you're into big beat and want some monster beats to slice and dice, put this sample collection high on your shopping list.