Dixonbeats and ErrorTheProducer have released Midnight, a Phonk-inspired plugin and loop kit for macOS and Windows. Dixonbeats also kindly provided two FREE copies for two lucky BPB readers – read on to learn more about the giveaway.
If you’re asking yourself, “What the funk is phonk?” you’re probably not alone.
I’m a pretty big hip-hop/rap fan, which extends to many of the seemingly endless sub-genres, and that’s what Phonk is.
Phonk is a sub-genre heavily inspired by 1990s hip-hop that utilizes chopped vocals and loops, and there is no shortage of samples.
Before I go on, I’m no music snob, and I think that’s evident enough in my posts, but the sub-genre I refuse to embrace is mumble rap. Are we seriously being asked to pay to hear people mumble over a beat?
I mean, I get that you can almost understand what most of them say, but it’s a stretch; I’m calling BS on mumble rap!
Now that my barely-in-context rant is over, Midnight is phonk-inspired but not exclusively useful to phonk producers.
The plugin has 39 presets split across four banks: Cowbells, Keys, Bass, and All Presets.
With a preset selected, you’ll see the playable sample on the right and the reverb type on the left. If the included presets aren’t enough, you can add external sounds.
To add your own sounds, click the sample on the right of the GUI, and the plugin will switch to OneShot Mode, where you can assign your one-shot a key to make it playable.
Watching a really slick but dark and gritty trailer that uses hip-hop as a soundtrack is powerful because the overriding emotion is raw. That’s what Midnight sounds like, for lack of a better description, and I mean it as a compliment.
It’s not generic, it’s versatile, and it depends on what you play, of course, but some of the presets sound great whether you’re producing something for the club, social clips, or feature films.
The plugin features some tweakable parameters, including a filter section (HP/LP), an ADSR envelope, saturation, and delay.
Although you can use Midnight for all sorts of productions if you’re new to phonk and want to try it, the included loop kit will help you get started. The kit features fifteen loops with lovely melodies in various keys and BPMs.
If you like any variation of hip-hop or just dark and gritty sounds in general, give Midnight a shot.
In other news, I was very sad to miss Superbooth this year for the first time in a long time, but BPB was on the ground to get the scoop on 2024’s best releases. Check out our videos.
Midnight is available in AU and VST formats for macOS and Windows (tested on all major DAWs).
The Giveaway
Dixonbeats kindly provided two FREE copies of Midnight for two lucky BPB readers.
To enter the giveaway, please answer the following question in the comments below: What is your favorite hip-hop track?
We will randomly pick two winners and announce them on this page on May 30th.
Good luck, everyone, and thank you for reading BPB!
Download: Midnight (FREE)
More:
126 Comments
John B.
onI’m not a hip hop aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, but I really like Eminem’s “Without Me”
Aaron
on“Intro. III” by NF, hands down
Tromp
onWithout me eminem
Moe
onMy favorite is Eminem’s Lose Yourself
Attaman
onOne of my favorite hiphop’s track is Thriumph by Wu Tang Clan, besides Straight of Comptom by NWA and Thuggish Ruggish Bone by Bone Thugs N Harmony…there’s alot more, impossible sitck with just one!!!
Moses
onLost Boyz, Me and my crazy world
Łukasz
onDr Steel – Back and Forth. Probably qualifies as a hip-hop :D
ER
onNaughty by Nature – “Hip Hop Hooray”
@nfibiux
onMe gusta la pista de Still de dr dree
Michael T
onSky’s The Limit by The Notorious BIG
Angie
onXzibit – Paparazzi
Carl Benson
onMy favorite hip-hop track is “It takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
Soni2Music
onAlthough it is not my favorite style, the Vanilla Ice classic immediately came to mind: “ice baby” (I’m very old, what can I do?)
Jonathan W
onDuckworth by Kendrick Lamar is da best
Haranath Sarkar
onEminem “Without Me”
Dave
onObviosuly eminem’s classic Lose yourself
ChrisSss
onMinds playin tricks on me – The Geto Boys
Timeless. classic. track.
Hellektrix
onAction Bronson – Easy rider
noob saibot
onSir Mix a Lot, Baby Got Back
p1an0_guy
onFavorite hip hop track: Lost Me by Internet Money
Ben
onFavorite hip hop track Aint It Funny by Danny Brown
Abstract Jerry
onEminem – the real slim shady
Stephen Heil
onMy favorite hip-hop track is the Beastie Boys ” Brass Monkey “
Georgs
onIce Ice Baby
Philthy Neal
onI don’t like hip-hop, rap, or modern RnB. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, give me real music please 😂🤣😂
Autopsy Turvy
onCrazy Rap by Afroman
Hell'ektrix
onAction Bronson – Easy rider
Nuno
onHarder Than You Think by Public Enemy
djHasai
onCypress Hill – How I Could Just Kill a Man
Docent Novak
onMethod Man “Biscuits”
Jason White
onHouse of Pain – Jump Around
You seriously cannot jump around when this is playing!
Robert
onRapper’s Delight’
sai
onLIL YACHTY – COFFIN
Tripp D
onBlack Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
Public Enemy
Oper-8
onToo many to list ! Maybe “Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo” by MC Solaar…
Daniel SilvA
onJack Harlow – Denver
Dhruv Negi
onButterfly Effect – Travis Scott
Jordan O
onBig Ole Words (Damn) by CeeLo Green
jodorowsky
oni still really like ‘straight outta compton’, the track and the album. it still holds up really well after all these years.
alex
onBeep me 911
Patrik Roncolato
onToday Was a Good Day!
J
onit’s probably: Method Man & Busta Rhymes: What’s Happenin’
since it’s with both of my all-time favorite rappers in one track.
SBTT
onfor me its DJ Shadow – Midnight In A Perfect World
Jim Achen
onI don’t like hip hop at all and if I won then it would be tested/used to make electro/industrial
Karl J.
onRun-DMC’s song is called Rock Box
Anant
onMindflip – Everywhere We Go
Chris
onThe Message by Grandmaster Flash, of course!
Moise
onEminem – Without Me
Serg
onEminem – Without Me
Lars
onThat must be Sugarhill Gang, Rapper’s Delight
Mename
onDiam’s
La boulette
chulang
onGrandmaster Flash – The Message
mario
onIts song from 1994 but that beat still hits in 2024. Win or loose check this out. CASUAL – I DIDN’T MEAN TO (feat. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Peter
onEminem – Without Me
Erre
on2Pac – Changes EASY!
Chris
onprotect ya neck by the wu-tang clan
Pablo Corrida
onBeastie Boys – Sure Shot
Nicolas
onCalifornia Love – 2pac
Ivan Grigorov
onEminem Without Me
Ja
onAll Caps – MFDOOM excellent sampling, and shows off Doom’s style perfectly.
Mike
onNot looking to win the plugin but if I had to name ONE track out of all the songs in Hip hop, it would have to be Holla At Me, Heartz of Men, Dear Mama, Killuminati, Keep Ya Head Up, Hail Mary, Fake Ass Bitches, How Long Will They Mourn Me, Brenda’s Got A Baby, Representin’ 93, Peep Game, California Love. Fuck With Dre Day, Nuthin’ But A G Thang, Lil Ghetto Boy, Forgot About Dre, The Watcher, Message, It’s All On Me, Deep Water. Regulate, This DJ, And Ya Don’t Stop. NY State of Mind, Halftime, It Ain’t Hard to Tell, Death Row East. Wu Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit, Method Man (36 Chambers), Protect Ya Neck, My Block (Scarface), Paid In Full, Finest Ones, The 18th Letter. Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, Dangerous. Strictly business, You Gots To Chill, Straight Outta Compton, Let The Funk Flow, When Will They Shoot, Now I Gotta Wetchai, It Was A Good Day, Fairytale 2, Check Yo Self, Ghetto Bird, You Know How We Do It, Click, Clack-Get Back!, Race Card, Hello, Givin’ Up The Nappy Dug Out. The Ghetto. Get Out The Club, Corner Bodega, Too Hot. F*** it, Bored of writing now. I named one.
Mikael Fredriksson
onWarren G – Regulate
Markus
onThe Humpty Dance
by Digital Underground
Derrick
onSinceramente no escucho rap, mas bien escuchaba una cancion de Ñu metal que en este caso si me gustaba, y ahorita una de sci-fi metal de Andromida – Real.
Gonçalo Costa
on6IX9INE – GUMMO
Mark T
onOG GOAT – Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
“Said a hip-hop, the hippie to the hippie. The hip, hip-a-hop and you don’t stop rockin'”
jeyz1176
onCowbell Warrior! by SXMPRA
Grant Thunder
onGangsta’s Paradise by Coolio
xchak
on“mama’s gonna kcock you out”
xchak
on“mama’s gonna knock you out”
fixed typo thnx
Johnny Yesno
onNitzer Ebb – All Over
Ryan
onWu-Tang Clan – Gravel Pit
Eons
on50 Cent – In Da Club
Omar Omotion
onEminem – Infinite
Gary Thompson
onMy favorite Hip Hop track is “Jump around”. This is such a cool give away. thanks guys!
venkatesh
onEminem’s without me
Haliax
onRun-DMC It’s tricky
Ante Pancirov
onmy favorite is ‘Bijes’ (Rage), from the debut album of the young Croatian hip-hop group Hram. it’s amazing that such young people do such mature lyrics and vintage cool sound
klcgary
onEminem “Without Me”
James
onHere comes Peter Cottontail
KalnzEB
onU Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer
Xaither
onSugar Hill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
Xaither
onOtherwise:
Noname – Diddy Bop or Reality Check
Saba – HEAVEN ALL AROUND ME
Travis Scott – Goosebumps
Young Thug – Pick Up The Phone, London
50 Cent – P.I.M.P., In Da Club, or Candy Shop
Kodak Black – ZEZE
Nicki Minaj – Seeing Green
Kanye West – Through the wire
Kendrick Lamar – Loyalty or All The Stars
Jaden Smith – Fallen
SOB X RBE – Paramedic!
Higher Brothers – WeChat
J. Cole – Wet Dreamz
Drake – Nice For What
Blu – Drive In or Maybe One Day
Migos – Walk It Talk It
Ski Mask The Slump God – Foot Fungus, Faucet Failure, Cat Piss, Catch Me Outside, or Like A Soccer Mom
JID – Baguetti or Ego Check
Bas – Fried Rice, Tribe or Nirvana
Ed Sheeran – Antisocial
Soulja Boy – Kiss Me Thru The Phone or Crank That
The Game – El Chapo
A$AP Rocky – Too Many Gods, Everyday, Babushka Boi,
Trippie Redd – Taking A Walk
Comethazine – Walk or Bands
Famous Dex – PICK IT UP
… too many more
Branimir
onAbove the low – Black Superman
Annihilation’s VEIL
onIt was a good day
Ice Cube
Of course !!
Andrew H
onHouse of Pain – Jump Around
Milton Grimshaw
onPublic Enemy – Fight the Power
Nicola
onWithout Me – Eminem
George
on2pac – Me against the World
Michael N
onDead Prez, Hip Hop
wkpixearts
onAll Eyez on Me – 2PAC
Avijit Das
onMy favorite hip hop song is Naughty by Nature – “Hip Hop Hooray”
Aaron
onNF – Intro III
giovanni
onEminem: Lose Yourself
Justin Rivera
onWu-Tang Clan😊
Tromp
onWithout me eminem
zhype
onpublic enemy N 1 !
Soifran
onKing Kunta by Kendrick Lamar
Hamst3r
onI like the whole Chronic album by Dre, probably the best Hip Hop album ever made. Just immaculate grooviness.
Tyrone
onWALK THIS WAY! RUN DMC
Marc
onWelcome To The Terrordome by Public Enemy
Denílson Souza
ondecada de 80, Run-D.M.C. “Walk This Way”: Gravado com Steven Tyler e Joe Perry dos Aerosmith, essa versão rap da música foi um hit internacional e fez mais sucesso do que a versão original do Aerosmith.
Eva
onRebel Without a pause
Sami Halinen
onIni Kamoze – Here comes the hotstepper
Artur
onFabolous – Keep It Gangsta
bill
onIce Ice
xero
onWithout Me
Hec
onBig pun’s capital punishment
Michael Weimer
onnotorious thugs – bone n biggie
Sean Crowley
onAdrenaline Rush by Twista
richei
onStill Dre by Dr. Dre
Volker Schmidt
on2Pac ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman – California Love
Yfrsn
onYourself Eminem, this
MultipliedCow
onTough to say just one. I’ll just say “Iz They Wildin wit Us & Gettin’ Rowdy wit Us” by Busta Rhymes and Mystikal. That track blew my mind when I first heard it.
Gabriel
onWell, it probs more trip hop than hip hop but I like ‘I Wonder’ by Urban Species!
dvoo92th
onPouya – Void
Schenks
onGive and Receive by Coast Contra
Daniel B
on“goin back to Cali” LL cool J
j
oncosby sweater the hilltop hoods
Jayden Weir
onDC The Don – Kodak Black My favorite Hiphop song
Jean Jacques
onGrandmaster Flash – The message
Fabio
onSerenata Rap by Jovanotti
Alex
onFave hip hop track: “Guity Conscience” Eminem and Dre.
Sergey
onChief Keef – Runner
PureFire
onThanks James, BPB & DB
I don’t have a single favourite but heres one of em…
Eric B & Rakim – Juice
Rakim found the bass guitar sample and is playing the drums on this
Mike
onEminem – Without M