[VIDEO] CHASING STARS - Munich

I realized I hadn't made a video in a while, so I shot this video some time around midnight last night. It features my song "Munich" which was released on SoundCloud a little over a week ago. Listen to audio-only below. Download coming soon. Maybe...

BEAT: DIESEL

New beat for sale on the sTuckBeats Bandcamp page. I’m changing up how I approach my beats, so all my beat tapes are off the internet, for now at least. From here forward, unless I think of a better idea, all my beats are going thru my Bandcamp page, unless I’ve personally worked with you in the past. Just as a reminder, it’s just a lease, and isn’t for any commercial/for-profit projects.

Quick reminder: Follow the Twitter | Tumblr

CHASING STARS - Lake Music EP

I actually put this together a few days ago. If you follow the tumblr, then you got a head start. I'm calling it an EP, but I'm not sure that's really what it is. It's more of just a random collection of music.

Some of these you may have heard, some of these are unheard by everyone. You can download a couple of them, so if you enjoy, be sure to do that.

Pass it along or whatever. I dunno. They're listen in order of completion, with the oldest first. I'm not sure if these will be on my next album or not.

CHASING STARS - Clap

You probably missed this late last night, but in the span of an hour I decided I wanted to release a song, produced it, and released it. That just means that it's basically a demo, but I'll probably never touch it again. It's not going on any album, so just download and enjoy it like it is. It's ignorant.

(I'd normally credit the person that took the artwork picture, but I don't know who that is. Let me know and I'll give credit.)

[ALBUM] CHASING STARS - CAVERNS & CASTLES

Finally. This thing has been a long time coming. I started this album back in October, and I was determined more than anything to make an album that surpassed anything I'd ever done before. 6 months and a thousand revisions later, I have Caverns & Castles. When I finished Parachutes & Paper Planes, I was happy with it, and I liked it, but I really wanted to make something better. Coming out 6 months later with something that's truly 100 times better is a great feeling.

If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably seen me babbling about this album at odd hours of the night, and that's just because I really believe in this thing. This is my baby. I think this is the first time in my "career" (that word seems stupid at this point) where I can honestly say that this is the best album I can possibly make. As of April 16th, 2012, I am completely 100% confident in this thing. I'm sure as I grow as an artist or whatever, that I'll come to a point where I'll look back and laugh at how simple this album was, but right now it feels great to make something that's the pinacle of all my abilities and creativity.

As far as the music itself is concerned, I love this whole album. 90% of this is original music by me and/or Pat. The chord progressions and the overall concepts are way more evolved than anything I've ever done in the past. I feel like I made actual tangible songs rather than just beats. In the cases where I did use a sample, I thought it came out really well, while still fitting into the overal concept and style of the album. When it was all said and done, the album ended up being a little over 48 minutes long (not including bonus tracks), which is a perfect length in my opinion. Not overdone, but not incomplete.

I guess this album marks the third and final chapter in the unofficial trilogy: Mistakes & Heartaches, Parachutes & Paper Planes, and now Caverns & Castles. Not only do those 3 albums show my progression as a producer, but also as a person. I think Caverns & Castles is the first 100% happy album I've made so far. That's definitely a good thing right now.

I don't wanna get into thank-yous too much right now, because they're included in the album download, along with some bonus songs and stuff. But I do wanna thank Patrick Koetzle for adding his touch to the album. Some tracks are more influenced by him than others, but he definitely added necessary elements to this thing. He completed it, and he didn't have to, so I'm grateful.

I think that's about all I have to say for this thing. I'm already knee deep in the next album. I have a few ideas as far as a release timeline, but nothing set in stone yet. Some great things are happening for the next project.

Listen/download below, and if you enjoy it, pass it along to someone else, or post it on Facebook/Twitter/etc. Or you can REBLOG THIS POST ON MY TUMBLR. I just want people to hear it. Thank you.

CLICK HERE TO GET IT ON BANDCAMP

(scroll down the widget to see all the songs)

sTuckBeats7

It's come a long way from where it started. The first version of this site was absolutely terrible. I feel like this is probably the last real version I'll do on my own. It's about time I let a professional handle things.

All of the new pictures of me you see on the site, including the one in this post, the one in the header, and the background are by Evan Duncan. The new logo you see in the header and off to the left is going to be the new sTuckBeats logo, done by me. Get ready for some cool stuff.

VIDEO: WHO IS HANK IVING?

I shot this in Chicago last week. Came out really nice. Check out some pictures from the trip on my Tumblr.

HankIving.com | @HankIving | Facebook

BEAT THE WORLD.

"It starts with a beat. Beat The World is a brand new campaign (co-launched with Rap-Port Magazine) dedicated to raise awareness about the horrible reality of sex slavery through hip-hop music. It’s not really considered a benefit album, but more of a movement. What you will see is an ongoing market of digital beats that helps stop injustice all around the world. Every time you purchase a beat, you are helping someone in need and raising awareness. Buy beats from producers who’ve worked with artists like Sho Baraka, Json, Braille, Trip Lee, Lecrae, Eshon Burgundy, PRo, etc. Producers can also help by donating their music. ALL proceeds will go to the Not For Sale Campaign or the Somaly Foundation to prevent human trafficking."

Beat The World is presented by: Rap-Port Magazine & Predicate Attire

Learn more about Beat The World HERE.

CHASING STARS - PONTOON

I told you yesterday that I would do my best to release new stuff until the album came out, and I try my best not to be a liar. This is basically what I've been doing for the last 24 hours, so hopefully you enjoy. Download and share, etc.

ALBUM UPDATE

As you may or may not have noticed, the album was supposed to come out last week, and it didn't. This was intentional, and the album has been somewhat "shelved" until further notice. I don't really know what else to say on the matter other than it's definitely a positive thing, and it's gonna lead to a better release than I had originally planned on. I'm gonna do all I can to get the album out in the next 6 weeks. Until then, I may have another small project to release, or a few singles. Anyways, sorry for the delay, and just know that I'm still definitely working on new stuff.

I'll keep you guys updated.