the 1990s

if the 80s was the drum machine decade, the 90s was the SAMPLER decade. SP-1200 + MPC60 ruled hip-hop. UK had jungle + drum'n'bass + early garage. detroit was deep techno. chicago was deep house. the moog/mc-202/303 went underground until daft punk pulled it back out for french touch at the very end of the decade. CD-quality digital arrived and producers either embraced it or chose to deliberately stay lo-fi.

patterns from this decade

1 pattern

1993
boom-bap · sp-1200 kit
92 bpm · Pete Rock / DJ Premier era
the foundational hip-hop pocket through the SP-1200's bit-crusher. kick laid back, snare on 2/4. tape on for the grit.

canonical lessons from this decade

1 long-form lesson

canonical lesson · golden era hip-hop / SP-1200
Pete Rock / DJ Premier · SP-1200 Boom-Bap · 1993
92 bpm · intermediate
swung. 92bpm. kicks LAID BACK (slightly behind the grid). snares cracking on 2 and 4 with SP-1200's bit-crush grit. 16th-note swing around 56-58% — enough to feel human but not full triplet.

1 pattern

1 long-form lesson

first dibs on drops