Top 14 'Beat-Flipping' Historic Genres to practice at home for bedroom producers tired of trap hi-hats. - Goh Ling Yong
Let's be honest. We've all been there. Staring at a blank DAW project, the cursor blinking mockingly. You lay down a beat, and before you know it, you’ve programmed the same triplet hi-hat pattern and found a generic 808 sound... again. The trap formula is popular for a reason, but it can quickly become a creative straitjacket, leaving your productions sounding a little too familiar.
When you feel that creative fatigue setting in, the best cure isn't always a new VST or sample pack. Sometimes, you need to look backward to move forward. Welcome to the art of "beat-flipping"—a time-honored tradition in hip-hop where producers become musical archaeologists, digging through the crates of history to unearth sonic gems and breathe new life into them. This isn't just about finding loops; it's about absorbing new rhythms, harmonies, and textures that can shatter your creative block.
So, if you’re ready to trade the skittering hi-hats for dusty drum breaks and soulful melodies, you've come to the right place. We're about to embark on a journey through 14 historic genres that are ripe for the picking. Get your sampler ready; it’s time to dig.
1. 70s Soul & R&B
This is the quintessential starting point for any aspiring beat-flipper, and for good reason. 70s Soul is the bedrock of classic hip-hop. Think of the warm, analog soundscapes of Stax and Motown: lush string arrangements, heartfelt vocal performances, groovy basslines played on real instruments, and drums that sit perfectly in the pocket. It's pure, unfiltered emotion captured on tape.
Producers like J Dilla, Kanye West, and Pete Rock built their legacies on a foundation of soul samples. They understood that chopping a snippet of an Al Green vocal or a Curtis Mayfield string swell could inject instant warmth and history into a track. This genre gives you a rich palette of sounds that feel both nostalgic and timeless, providing the perfect melodic and harmonic core for your beats.
What to look for: Look for instrumental intros, outros, and breakdowns where the drums or bass are isolated. Lush string and horn sections are perfect for chopping into new melodic phrases. Don't overlook the raw emotion in a single vocal ad-lib.
Artists to check: Bill Withers, Isaac Hayes, The Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Pro Tip: Pitch your soul sample down a few semitones. This classic technique not only changes the key but also adds a gritty, melancholic texture that has defined countless iconic hip-hop beats.
2. Funk
If soul is the heart of hip-hop, funk is its backbone. This genre is all about rhythm. Forget sampling for melody for a second and focus on the groove. Funk music from the late 60s and 70s is a treasure trove of the tightest, most syncopated drum breaks ever recorded. The "Amen break" and the "Funky Drummer" are famous for a reason—they are pure rhythmic energy.
Beyond the drums, funk offers staccato guitar riffs, punchy horn stabs, and basslines so infectious they could carry a track all on their own. Flipping funk is less about long, melodic loops and more about finding powerful, percussive one-shots and short phrases to build your own groove from the ground up.
What to look for: Drum breaks are the holy grail here. Listen for moments where the rest of the band drops out, leaving the drummer to shine. Also, grab single horn stabs, guitar plucks, and bass notes to create your own custom instrument kits.
Artists to check: James Brown, The Meters, Parliament-Funkadelic, Kool & The Gang.
Pro Tip: Isolate a clean, open-hat funk drum break. Don't just loop it; chop each individual hit (kick, snare, hi-hat) and reprogram the pattern in your DAW. This gives you that classic funk feel with full control over the rhythm.
3. Jazz (Cool, Modal & Fusion)
Ready to get sophisticated? Sampling jazz is like taking a masterclass in music theory without ever opening a book. The complex chord progressions, intricate melodies, and improvisational spirit of jazz can elevate your beats from simple loops to complex compositions. Genres like cool jazz and modal jazz offer smooth, atmospheric textures—think muted trumpets, gentle piano chords from a Fender Rhodes, and subtle brush-on-snare work.
Jazz fusion, on the other hand, is a different beast entirely. It’s a chaotic, high-energy blend of jazz harmony with the power of rock and funk. Here you'll find wild synth solos, distorted guitars, and aggressive drumming. Sampling jazz teaches you how to work with non-standard chord changes and harmonies, pushing your musical boundaries.
What to look for: Mellow piano or Rhodes loops in cool jazz are perfect for creating a laid-back, "lo-fi" vibe. In fusion, look for short, powerful instrumental solos or chaotic drum fills to add a burst of energy.
Artists to check: Miles Davis (for both cool and fusion), Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report.
Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid of dissonance. A jazz sample might contain a "weird" note that clashes with your bassline. Instead of trying to fix it, lean into it. That tension can be what makes your track unique and interesting.
4. Psychedelic Rock
Step into the weird and wonderful world of psychedelic rock. This late-60s movement was all about sonic experimentation. Producers and engineers were pushing studio technology to its limits, resulting in records filled with reversed tapes, flanger/phaser effects, distorted vocals, and fuzzy guitars. For a beat-maker, this is a playground of pre-processed, unique sounds.
The vibe is often hazy, dreamy, or downright trippy. A swirling organ from a Doors track or a backwards guitar solo from Jimi Hendrix can provide an instant atmospheric hook that no modern VST can replicate. It’s the perfect genre for creating beats that are dark, moody, and full of character.
What to look for: Textural elements are key. Listen for strange studio effects, long, sustained organ notes, and guitar riffs drenched in fuzz and wah-wah. The drum sounds are often raw and punchy, perfect for a grimy boom-bap feel.
Artists to check: Pink Floyd (early albums), The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The 13th Floor Elevators.
Pro Tip: Take a psychedelic guitar or keyboard loop and run it through a modern granular synthesizer or a stutter/glitch effect plug-in. You're adding a layer of 21st-century weirdness on top of 20th-century weirdness, creating something entirely new.
5. Library Music
This is the producer's best-kept secret. Library music (or production music) was created by session musicians for use in television shows, films, and advertisements. Because it wasn't intended for commercial release, composers often had more creative freedom, resulting in some truly unique and experimental compositions.
The sheer variety is staggering. You can find everything from tense spy-movie funk and cheesy game-show themes to eerie sci-fi soundscapes and gentle nature documentary music. Much of it is instrumental, making it incredibly easy to sample. Digging for library music feels like unearthing a forgotten sonic universe.
What to look for: Anything and everything! Look for compilations from labels like KPM Musichouse, De Wolfe, and Bruton Music. The tracks are often short and contain multiple distinct sections, giving you a lot of material to work with from a single song.
Pro Tip: Use YouTube and Discogs to search for "library music" from specific countries (e.g., "Italian library music," "German library music"). Each region had its own unique flavor and instrumentation.
6. Italian & French Film Scores (60s/70s)
While we're on the topic of music for media, we have to talk about European film scores. Composers like Ennio Morricone (Italy) and François de Roubaix (France) were masters of creating mood and tension. Their work is dramatic, lush, and often features unconventional instrumentation like harpsichords, wordless choirs, fuzzed-out bass, and haunting whistling.
This is the genre to mine for cinematic, villainous, and epic-sounding beats. The chord progressions are often dark and melancholic, providing an instant sense of drama. A sample from a 70s Giallo horror film or a French noir thriller can give your track a sophisticated, worldly, and slightly dangerous edge.
What to look for: Dramatic string arrangements, tense basslines, and unusual melodic hooks played on obscure instruments. The opening and closing credit sequences are often goldmines.
Artists to check: Ennio Morricone, Piero Umiliani, Serge Gainsbourg, François de Roubaix.
Pro Tip: Layer a dramatic string loop from a film score over a hard-hitting, modern trap drum pattern. The contrast between the organic, classic sound and the clean, electronic drums creates an incredible sense of scale and power.
7. Bossa Nova & Brazilian MPB
Ready for a trip to Rio? Bossa Nova, which means "new trend" in Portuguese, is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s. It's characterized by its gentle rhythms, complex harmonies, and intimate, almost whispered vocals. The sound is pure class and relaxation—nylon-string guitars, soft pianos, and subtle percussion.
Música popular brasileira (MPB) is a broader category that followed, blending Bossa Nova with elements of rock, funk, and psychedelic music. Both genres are a sampler's dream, offering beautiful, complex chord changes that you just won't find in Western pop music. A gentle guitar loop from a Jobim track can be the perfect foundation for a smooth, introspective beat.
What to look for: Intricate nylon-string guitar patterns, smooth vocal melodies, and unique percussion rhythms. The harmonic movement is the real prize here.
Artists to check: Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso.
Pro Tip: Isolate a two-bar Bossa Nova guitar loop. Notice the syncopated rhythm. Try building your entire drum pattern around that guitar's rhythm instead of a standard 4/4 kick-snare pattern. Let the sample dictate the groove.
8. 70s Gospel
Gospel music is raw, unfiltered soul on a massive scale. While soul music often deals with romantic love, gospel is aimed at a higher power, and the emotional intensity is off the charts. The 70s saw gospel music incorporating elements of funk and R&B, resulting in a powerful, groovy, and deeply moving sound.
For producers, this means access to massive choir arrangements, passionate lead vocalists, and soulful organ and piano progressions. A chopped gospel choir can add an epic, triumphant feel to any track. The sheer power and human emotion in these recordings are impossible to fake with software.
What to look for: Big, powerful choir stabs. Look for moments where the choir sings a short phrase or a single "Hallelujah!" Also, listen for soulful piano and organ intros.
Artists to check: The Clark Sisters, Andraé Crouch and The Disciples, The Edwin Hawkins Singers.
Pro Tip: Find a gospel track with a call-and-response section between the lead vocalist and the choir. Chop these up and re-sequence them to create a "conversation" in your beat.
9. Dub Reggae
Dub is the art of deconstruction. In the 70s, Jamaican producers like King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry started taking existing reggae tracks and remixing them live on the mixing console. They would drop out vocals, add heavy delays and cavernous reverbs to the drums, and emphasize the bassline, creating a spacey, psychedelic, and bass-heavy sound.
Sampling dub is like sampling the work of the original samplers. It’s a genre built on space, texture, and rhythm. You can find perfectly isolated drum and bass grooves, trippy sound effects, and vocals drenched in echo. Dub teaches you the power of subtraction—what you don't play is just as important as what you do.
What to look for: Heavy, hypnotic basslines are the main attraction. Also, listen for single drum hits (especially the snare or rimshot) that have long, trailing echoes—these are perfect for creating atmospheric percussion.
Artists to check: King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Scientist, Augustus Pablo.
Pro Tip: Sample a classic dub bassline. In your DAW, completely remove the low-end frequencies from it and replace them with a modern 808 sub-bass that follows the original notes. You get the melodic feel of the original with the power of modern production.
10. Early Electronic & Krautrock
Long before synthesizers became mainstream, experimental artists in Europe were creating otherworldly sounds. German "Krautrock" bands like Can and Neu! blended psychedelic rock with hypnotic, motorik drum beats and early electronic textures. Meanwhile, pioneers like Kraftwerk were crafting entire sonic worlds with custom-built synthesizers and vocoders.
This era is a goldmine for anyone looking for vintage synth tones, robotic arpeggios, and driving, repetitive drum patterns. The sound is often raw, futuristic (for its time), and wonderfully analog. Sampling these sources can give your tracks a retro-futuristic, mechanical, and hypnotic quality.
What to look for: Analog synth arpeggios, atmospheric pads, and the iconic "motorik" drum beat—a steady, driving 4/4 pattern that is perfect for looping.
Artists to check: Kraftwerk, Can, Neu!, Tangerine Dream.
Pro Tip: Find a Krautrock track with a relentless, repetitive drum loop. Layer it very subtly underneath your own programmed drums to add a live, organic, and slightly off-kilter feel.
11. Japanese City Pop (80s)
Take a trip to bubble-era 1980s Tokyo with City Pop. This genre is a slick, highly-produced fusion of American funk, disco, and AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) with a unique Japanese melodic sensibility. The sound is incredibly polished, optimistic, and lush—think clean guitars, shimmering DX7 electric pianos, punchy synth bass, and soaring saxophone solos.
City Pop has seen a massive resurgence thanks to the internet, but there are still countless undiscovered gems. It's perfect for creating bright, summery, and nostalgic beats. The production quality is top-notch, meaning the samples you pull will be clean, punchy, and easy to work with.
What to look for: Catchy synth-bass lines, crisp drum machine patterns, and feel-good chord progressions. The instrumental sections are often filled with fantastic, sample-able material.
Artists to check: Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, Anri, Toshiki Kadomatsu.
Pro Tip: City Pop vocals can be hard to fit into a hip-hop context. Try isolating a short vocal phrase, pitching it up, and using a delay or reverb to turn it into a rhythmic, textural element in the background of your beat.
12. Progressive Rock
Often seen as overly complex and self-indulgent, progressive rock from the 70s is an untapped resource for adventurous producers. Bands like Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson created long, epic songs with multiple sections, odd time signatures, and virtuosic instrumental performances.
For a beat-maker, this means a single ten-minute prog song can be like an entire sample pack. You might find a heavy rock riff, a delicate acoustic guitar passage, a bizarre Moog synthesizer solo, and a powerful drum fill all in one track. It’s the perfect genre to chop into tiny pieces and reassemble into something completely unrecognizable. The great Goh Ling Yong often emphasizes that true creativity comes from recontextualizing sounds, and prog rock is the ultimate source for this.
What to look for: Short, powerful musical phrases. Don't try to loop a 32-bar section with five time-signature changes. Instead, find a one-second drum fill or a two-second synth lead and build around that.
Artists to check: King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Pro Tip: Embrace the odd time signatures. Sample a short loop in 7/8 or 5/4 and try to build a beat around it. It will force you out of your 4/4 comfort zone and lead to unique, head-nodding grooves.
13. Classical (Romantic & Impressionist Eras)
Looking for royalty-free samples? Go back... way back. The works of composers from the Romantic (e.g., Chopin, Liszt) and Impressionist (e.g., Debussy, Ravel) eras are in the public domain. This means you can sample, chop, and release music using these sources without any copyright headaches (just make sure the recording you're sampling is also in the public domain!).
This music is pure drama and emotion. Think of haunting piano arpeggios, soaring string sections, and powerful orchestral swells. A delicate piano melody from Debussy or a dark string passage from Chopin can provide a cinematic and emotional core for your beat that feels both grand and timeless.
What to look for: Solo piano recordings are easiest to work with. Look for melodic phrases that feel like they could be looped. With orchestral pieces, try to find moments where a single section (like the strings or woodwinds) is playing alone.
Artists to check: Claude Debussy, Frédéric Chopin, Erik Satie, Maurice Ravel.
Pro Tip: Sample a classical piano piece. Use an EQ to filter out everything except the high frequencies. What you're left with is a beautiful, twinkling texture that you can layer over your beat to add atmosphere and sparkle.
14. Cantopop & Mandopop (70s/80s)
Let's end our journey in East Asia. Cantopop (from Hong Kong) and Mandopop (from Taiwan and mainland China) from the 70s and 80s offer a completely fresh sonic palette for most Western producers. These tracks blend traditional Chinese instrumentation and melodic scales with Western funk, disco, and soft-rock influences.
The result is a sound that is both familiar and exotic. You might find a classic funk bassline playing alongside a guzheng (a Chinese zither) or a powerful ballad singer soaring over a synth-heavy arrangement. The melodic and harmonic sensibilities are different, which can lead you to create beats that sound truly unique and unexpected.
What to look for: The combination of traditional and Western instruments is the key. Listen for unique instrumental intros and solos. The soaring vocal ballads are also ripe for dramatic, emotional chops.
Artists to check: Teresa Teng, Sam Hui, Alan Tam, Anita Mui.
Pro Tip: Sample a melodic phrase played on a traditional instrument like a guzheng or erhu. Put it into your sampler and use the pitch-bend wheel to mimic the expressive slides and vibrato of the original performance.
Your Next Beat Starts Here
Diving into these genres does more than just give you new sounds to sample. It’s a music history lesson that broadens your musical horizons. You start to understand why a James Brown drum break feels so good, why a Debussy piano piece feels so emotional, and how a King Tubby bassline can command a room. This knowledge will seep into everything you create, from your melodies and chord progressions to your arrangements and sound design.
The tyranny of the trap hi-hat is real, but it's a prison of your own making. The key to unlocking your next level as a producer is waiting in the past. So close that new synth VST, open YouTube or a record-streaming service, and start digging. Your future self will thank you.
What are your favorite hidden-gem genres to sample? Did we miss any of your go-to sources? Share your thoughts and secret weapons in the comments below! For more deep dives into production techniques and creative inspiration, be sure to explore the rest of Goh Ling Yong's blog.
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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