Building the beat from Stop Killing The Mandem

Novelist built the track’s powerful groove from a sparse selection of carefully-placed one-shot samples

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“I tried to make an old school grime beat,” Novelist explains. “I wanted one that’d make everyone jump off the floor when you play it in a rave.” He uses a minimal selection of hard-hitting sounds. “I put distortion on some of the drums, and really over-compressed some too. It’s stuff a normal producer wouldn’t really do, but I wanted to make the song sound raw.”

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The sounds themselves are samples pulled from various packs Novelist has amassed over time. At the bottom end are two kicks – a punchy kick driving the groove and a heavily distorted one acting like a bassline. Novelist played the kicks in freehand to get the right groove: “I just found myself moving to it.” A sub plays occasionally beneath the kicks, adding driving low-end weight.

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The kicks are joined by off-beat hats, tambourines and hard-hitting claps. “It’s spacious, but there’s a definite groove. Something I learned from a friend of mine, Mumdance, is not to place too many sounds over each other. Make sure they all have their own gap to be heard.” A sampled cough complements the kick groove.

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A simple bell pattern occasionally joins the main groove, driving the rhythm along. “They’re there to guarantee someone’s head will bop – they come with a purpose!” A distorted synth bass sample taken from a Legowelt sample pack finished the beat off, drawing the listener into each 16-bar loop.