How to Make a Shoreline Mafia Type Beat (Free Loops + 6 Steps)

What BPM and key is a Shoreline Mafia type beat?

West Coast ratchet usually sits low, often around 90 to 105 BPM, and that half time bounce is the feel. For an uptempo, ass shaking party cut you can push it to around 106 and up. These loops span wider, 110 to 145, so pick the pocket you want and let the drums set the groove.

The key is minor. The melody leans on electric piano and vintage keys, warm and a little worn rather than clean and digital. Most of these go-to presets come in bright, so producers pitch them down a few semitones to land in something like E minor or D minor, then build around that root.

Shoreline Mafia type beat in 6 steps

The loops in step 1 stream right here and the mp3 is free. Then run the six steps. The whole flow is simple: get the melody and layers right first, then the drums are the easy part.

1. 1Pick a sample▾

   An electric piano or a dusty vintage keyboard line in minor. Keep it warm and slightly lo fi, grab one of the loops below. Pitch it down a few semitones if it feels too bright and set your key from there.

   • ▶
     Razorblade
     140 BPM · A#min
     AmbientDarkEpiano
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Mute
     105 BPM · Cmin
     ShorelineVintageDeutschrap
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     CSH
     140 BPM · C#min
     AmbientEpianoLead
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Remy
     124 BPM · C#min
     AmbientEthnicFlute
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Swoosh
     110 BPM · Dmin
     AmbientDarkShoreline
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Build the layout▾

   Before any drums, stack your melodic layers. A main keyboard line, a subtle string pad sitting low in the background, maybe a vocal chop. Get the full arrangement down first, then the beat is basically done.
3. 3Lay the 808▾

   Save this for last. Knocking and round, with short glides. Ron-Ron's beats run on thundering low end, so give the bass weight. The moment the 808 comes in is when the whole beat flips, so get everything else sitting right before you drop it.
4. 4Hats and bounce▾

   Program a loose two step hat pattern, then nudge it off the grid and add a touch of swing so it rides a little late. West Coast ratchet swings more than trap, do not over quantize it. An open hat with a bit of delay on it opens the pocket up.
5. 5Kick, clap and percussion▾

   A punchy kick and a clap with a short reverb on the backbeat. Then layer the bounce with percussion, a stomp hitting two quick knocks, a DJ scratch, a tambourine roll. These little hits are what make it feel alive.
6. 6Add a laser line and arrange▾

   A thin synth lead or laser stab is a Ron-Ron signature, keep it sparse, one riff that answers the keys. Arrange simple and repetitive so it bangs in a car, bring the melody in first, then the drums, then drop the 808 out for a bar and let it knock back in.

Ron-Ron and the traffic music sound

Shoreline Mafia broke out of LA with producer Ron-RonTheProducer behind the boards. He named his style traffic music, built on thundering basslines and laser synths.

The 2017 breakout Musty, produced by Ron-Ron, and Bottle Service are the definitive Shoreline sound, rollicking, slithering and loose. Their debut mixtape ShorelineDoThatShit was largely his work.

The point is energy over polish. These beats are meant to sound a little janky and raw, that looseness is the identity, not a flaw to fix.

The electric piano and vintage keys

The melody usually comes from an electric piano, a Rhodes style keyboard or a worn vintage synth. Warm, slightly detuned, a bit lo fi. A West Coast style preset bank pitched down into minor gets you most of the way there.

Keep it simple and loopable. A two or four bar phrase that repeats sits better under the group's trading verses than a busy progression. Layer a string pad underneath at a low volume so it sits in the background and glues the keys to the drums.

If the keyboard is bright and the dynamics jump at you, put a compressor or limiter on it to contain the peaks before you build around it. A little vinyl noise or tape wear on top keeps that dusty West Coast feel.

Drums with West Coast bounce

The groove is looser than trap and the drums stay simple, do not overcomplicate them. Let a two step hat pattern swing, nudge it off the grid, keep the kick pocket laid back, and do not snap everything hard to the grid.

The 808 knocks rather than slides around, and it goes in last once the rest of the beat is sitting. Keep the pattern simple and let the low end thunder, that is the Ron-Ron weight.

A clap with a short reverb on the backbeat, an open hat with a touch of delay, plus percussion like a stomp, a scratch or a tambourine roll keep it bouncing. This is music for a car and a party, not a mosh pit.

The vocal chop trick

A chopped vocal is an easy way to add bounce and a darker edge. Grab a distant, airy vocal sound, place it in the middle of the bar rather than on the one, and it adds an extra kick to the groove.

Clean it up fast: EQ out the lows and some of the highs so it sits under the keys, then add a little reverb and delay so it locks in. Keep only the chops that actually enhance the beat and drop the rest.

Common mistakes

Over quantizing. The West Coast bounce lives in a loose, slightly swung groove, a rigid grid kills it.

Dropping the 808 in too early. Build the melodic layout first, the beat changes character once the 808 lands, so get everything else right before it.

A clean, digital melody. The sound wants warm, worn electric piano and vintage keys, not a bright modern synth, and if a bright preset is peaking, tame it with a compressor instead of fighting it.

Too much going on. Shoreline beats are sparse and repetitive on purpose, keep the drums simple and leave room for the group's energy.

Using the NDA Company loops

Every loop here is played by hand, no AI, and free as an mp3. Pick one in minor, pitch it to taste, and build your layout on top before the drums go in.