To start with let’s look at a classic dance structure. One consisting of five main sections. Notice that for the most part, each section runs in 32 bar blocks.
Above: reference audio track in Logic with song arrangement markers and standard markers revealing the songs structure. Clearly the loudness war is still present in this clubtrack when you look at the “grass cutter” clipping.
Many tracks rely on a one or two bar drum loop with additional elements occurring every four, eight or sixteen bars. This could take form in Percussion, Ride cymbals or a myriad of other sonic possibilities. The last sixteenth In the bar is a great place to locate these.
I have seen a number of tracks using a TR-909 Low Tom tuned to the song key acting as an rthymic device in concert with the 4/4 Kick. Sometimes the low Tom pattern coordinates with the Bassline adding complexity and interest.
The breakdown can evolve as a 16 bars of coasting downward then to a moment of stillness before building back up though 16 bars to the second drop.
If you were to draw a graph of excitement, drama and tension for a song it might look like a series of ramps climbing a steep hill.
Cliches are conventions that work, but through overuse, become instantly recognisable, and lose their power. Clever Producers are constantly thinking of ways to reinvent and readdress the shortcomings of treading down a well worn path.
So what about changing the form? Tricking the eye/brain is done a lot in the visual arts and the same can be done for the ear/ brain in electronic Music.
I was looking at an old (2009) Dusky track featuring Janai called Can’t get enough.
The things I noticed straight away were the presence of three drops, with first occurring early at bar 25 not the typical bar 33. Also the drops are vocal free. An inversion from the expectation of verse- chorus structures. In conventional song terms it’s as if the verses are more like the chorus and chorus( read drops) are calmer more instrumental like.
But what about three drops? Three drops might just be a way to really milk a track, making it less likely for a DJ to transit away into the next song.
Electronic music dating back to early Jean Michel Jarre albums like Oxygene which were distinctly instrumental in nature. He created timeless visual musical landscapes without any vocals to time stamp them.
Vocals in a lot of contemporary music have a ode to pay to the art of sampling. Finding tracks with snippets of a clear vocal and repurposing them to great effect.
Case in point a sliver of Sian Evan’s vocal from Kosheen’s Catch. The line “you call it love” is used to haunting effect by Dusky in their track Yoohoo.
As a result when a producer does have access to a singer beyond the typical sample pack Vox cut ups, I see a move towards short lines, mimicking what they find in an acapella or sample.
By the way the impressive 909 hats in Yoohoo are sampled from Bicep’s Vision of love.
Contemporary electronic music can also advantage it self through pushing and pulling form. Playing with expectation is a great way to generate tension.
Some producers like Yotto and Lane 8 hold off a long time before delivering the first drop. They go much deeper into the track, really bending the listeners preconceptions. Essentially increasing the anticipation because the drop hasn’t happened when expected. Yet they know it’s coming. Have you noticed snare fills are getting obscenely longer and longer? Again all part of bending the format and stepping into unfamiliar waters.
As such Contemporary electronic music can really advantage it self through pushing and pulling form. Playing with expectation is a great way to engage the listeners interest.
Above: starting with an insistent Arp. no beats up to bar 33 then the Bassline arrives for the first time. With first drop coming in at bar 65. The dark blue markers are all areas where the kick is absent helping the next section to power in.
In a 4/4 genre like House music. Going beatless brings an air of poignance to the incessant 4/4 kick when it returns.
Joris Voorn’s A House with Kid A was a brave exploration into no kick at all.
One of the current leaders in beatless techniques is Lane 8. From his latest album Little by Little, the opening track Daya runs beatless right up to bar 33!
An insistent 1/8th note Arp pattern running right from bar one, serves as a clear guide to tempo. He even runs the same Arp in the finale Outro track effectively creating a perfect circle to his album Little by Little.
It will be interesting to see how DJ’s handle such extended intro sections whether they run the prior records Outro beats under them. Or respect the long slow build to work it’s magic.
Hard to believe now, but there was once a time when the DJ only had one turntable. He had to move quickly to get the record off and the next one on before the energy on the dance floor dissipated. When we moved to two turntables and the principle of a continuous mix evolved. The potential for fatigue arrived. I can see producers have instinctively realised the importance and necessity of the breakdown. To create space, and release tension is as important as the rise to the drop. So in a nutshell, the gaps between records are now incorporated into the records!
I hope this was of some interest and might get you investigating the Producers you follow. Next time I will be talking about my recommended software and plug in’s and DAWS.
