Large Professor Rhythm Roulette
Some cats can make it look all too easy. In the latest installment of Rhythm Roulette, legendary producer Large Professor races against the clock to construct a new beat entirely from scratch, and knocks it out the damn park.
The bit, which comes from the great minds at Mass Appeal, starts off with Large Professor digging for vinyl at Brooklyn's Human Head Records, where he peruses the stacks while completely blindfolded, choosing three LPs at random. He takes them to Goblin Studios ("I come here to test my beats," Extra P promises) and gets to work listening, sampling, brainstorming and scheming.
In the video clip, Large Professor works with Instant Funk's "No Stoppin' That Rockin'" along with Harold Melvin's Black & Blue and Shirley Scott's On A Clear Day. Plenty of rich material for the Pro to get busy with.
What's most impressive in the clip is the degree of self-assured speed with which Large Professor works. It only takes a brief bit of listening before he's found is ideal soul sample and drum break, and with a few taps of his MPC, he's collating and compiling bits and pieces into a hard-hitting beat. It's taken decades of work for Large Professor to attain this level of proficiency with beatmaking, but it's clear that the joy of composing has never left him. Watch the segment below--it's sure to inspire.
