Release Date: May 21, 2024
Key: B Minor
BPM: 147
Woke Up is the fifth single from Japanese girl group XG and is the group’s first all-rap song. Its instrumental is a simple 808-driven, minimalist Hip-Hop beat that allows the members of XG to add their flavour to each of their bars.
When I first heard Woke Up, I felt it, as it has the vibe of the no-frills Hip-Hop I enjoy. Much is open for interpretation and remixing since the original version is sparse.
So, I made my remix of Woke Up even more minimalistic. In constructing the beat, I used a mixture of Trap and Hip-Hop patches, focused on using an 808-driven drum pattern like the original, and added a sub to help beef up the low end.
Since the original version has little movement besides a few filter sweeps of the background effect, I strategically placed changes in the drum pattern. I added melodic elements as each member dropped their rhymes to build energy up to the “Woke up looking like this.” section, which would technically be the chorus.
The final result matches the speed raps of the members but has a darker feel.
