Siqariim is a long-delayed EP of three bboy battle beats, “Jungly,” “Ronin,” and “War Chant,” that I worked on over the past couple years, with each track being included in my last mixtape “21 Drum Salute.” Check it out:
How did this happen and why?
Each of these tracks got a lot of attention and wound up in my private crates, only being heard when I played for battles online during the pandemic, and then in person once things got going again. They all seemed to complement each other around a general theme of combat, though all in their own way:
Jungly
“Jungly” is on the faster end of the tempo spectrum for me, with dramatic strings and deep, kicking bass that shifts between a sort of soundtrack vibe and a straight-up battle track.
You can see Rainen (of the infamous Jabbawockeez Crew) vs. Choky battling to “Jungly” at the Rockwell Breakin’ Classic, which was held online in February 2021, during the pandemic:
Ronin
“Ronin” was one of those beats I visualized almost entirely before recording anything, and it was envisioned as playing in an alleyway cypher where the sound of hands clapping to the snare would almost overpower the beat itself. Drums and other instruments were stripped down to be as minimal as possible, and the whole track lives within a higher average frequency than my usual range.
War Chant
“War Chant” is a legacy track from a few years ago that stayed in my private crate, not for any good reason, but as a sort of secret weapon that was inspired by the classic military-style marches mixed with an almost “Star Wars” vibe.
You can see Snap1 and Roro getting down to “War Chant” at the Rockwell Breakin’ Classic:
The idea was inspired by Brain Reward’s “Imperial March” that was a standard at the old AKA Lounge Monday nights in Orlando from 2005-2007, and was often the beat pulled out for the finals at battle events.
Artwork and Titles
Given the themes that inspired the tracks, the titles and album art built on visions of conflict and combat, a reliable direction for battle beats in general.
“Siqariim” is the Hebrew version of the Latin “Sicarii,” which referred to a splinter group of Jewish Zealots in ancient Israel during the first century A.D., known for their stealth assassinations using long daggers called “Sica.”
Each blade in the album art is embossed with one of the track names, with the artist and title in Hebrew-style font cut from a rustic gold texture.
Stay tuned to my Soundcloud and Bandcamp pages for new tracks, mixtapes, and whatever else happens. Check out more “Behind the Beats” here.
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