Underappreciated YouTube Channels
Digging into incredible, slept-on treasure troves of DJ and beat culture.
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YouTube is the perfect encapsulation of the pros and cons of modern technology. On one hand, it’s an almost unrivaled archive for educational videos, film, music, politics, sports highlights, TV shows, and so much more. On the other hand, like much of the internet, it’s absolutely inundated with AI and engagement-bait slop. That said, the negative aspects can’t destroy what an amazing tool it is for artistic appreciation.
I’ve been deep in the weeds of beatmaking and DJing YouTube lately and I wanted to underscore some channels that deserve more attention. Here are a few I think Micro-Chop readers will enjoy.
DJ Harrison’s Reeverb RVA Channel - With an archive that runs 100 videos deep, there is much here to celebrate and explore, including an impressive Butcher Brown tribute to Roy Ayers from 2012, a DJ Harrison cover of Tribe’s “Electric Relaxation,” and a Harrison combo cover that merges Gang Starr and The Roots. The crown jewel in this collection might be DJ Harrison’s live, in-studio beat set that clocks in at 21 minutes and 52 seconds. This channel only has 987 subscribers and most certainly deserves many more than that.
45 King’s Mark James Channel - In the fall of 2023 we lost legendary producer 45 King. He crafted classic hits like the instrumental “The 900 Number,” Jay-Z’ “Hard Knock Life,” and Eminem’s “Stan.” I interviewed him in 2019, and he was cool, funny, and unique. I’m sad I never got to speak to him again. I’m a big fan of his YouTube channel, which has a pretty deep archive of 240 videos. Highlights include numerous killer DJ sets and super long, in-depth beat sets. With only a handful of videos breaking 50,000 views, his channel could use a revisit and some new love.
SMARTBOMB’s Channel - An Oakland Bay Area (retro)futurist arts & music community, SMARTBOMB’s channel features live performances from Micro-Chop favorites like KeiyaA, Liv.e, Mndsgn., Nappy Nina, Swarvy, and many others. Live sets are generally set to trippy visuals and are not to be missed. The channel currently boasts a growing collection of 62 videos and just over 2,200 subscribers. Hopefully they continue to upload new music and grow their audience, as SMARTBOMB has a truly fresh, original aesthetic in the crowded live performance part of YouTube. I like their videos so much that I decided to make a 19-video playlist of selections from their collection.
Let me know what you think of these videos if you decide to give any of them a look. I know I’ve been writing a pretty rapid clip lately, and the pace of emails from the past week or so has caused some people to unsubscribe, which I totally get.
That said, life is short. There’s so much music I want to share with you. I’m going to share it as often as I feel I need to. Hopefully that leads to some worthwhile discoveries and further explorations for you.