IDM Mailing Archive

On Thu, 8 Feb 1996, Carrot wrote:

quoted 7 lines There must be a name for this...

> > There must be a name for this... > > observe... > > We have a beat... (calls for a beat, one a second, per comma ;) >

probably two per second, or more. 'Staying Alive' is 2 beats per minute.

quoted 5 lines Now then, when (as the technophiles lurve to do) you introduce a beat-ette between 7 and 8

> Now then, when (as the technophiles lurve to do) you introduce a beat-ette between 7 and 8... thus; > > "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom (boom) Boom" > > So what is this called then? I guess not a "Fill-in" by any chance?

This can either be a 'grace note' (classical term) or as they call it on the X0X-box, a 'flam'. [Note: this is my own satirical analysis of techno songs. There is or used to be a similar essay on hyperreal, which if anything is funnier than mine. By the way -- this isn't to say I don't like techno, quite the contrary. I like the stuff that works inside the formula but still has something to say.] Maybe you've not figured out the magic formula for techno: the quantum is the four measure phrase. I.E. 'boom boom boom boom' is one measure. The first three measure are identical, the fourth has a variation in the second half of the measure that leads back into the first bar. Within each 4 bar pattern, you can muste and unmute different percussion instruments. Thus you can repeat the same 4 bar phrase for several minutes bringing different percussion sounds in and out. Ideally, for a techno song, you'd want to have more than one 4 bar pattern. It isn't necessary, but occasionally someone dancing won't be fucked up on E and notice how monotonous your one pattern is becoming. So record 4 or 5 more of those patterns, and then you can throw in a different pattern from time to time to keep things interesting. Then you need a bassline. If you use a TB303, this is almost always a single measure pattern that you repeat for the whole song, while you twist the little knobs toward the top. This is what's known as 'Acid'. It's possible to program a 303 by stringing together more than one one-measure pattern, but techno boffins never seem to get the hang of this. If you're a little more adventurous, you can actually come up with a 4 measure bass pattern. Then it lines up with the 4 measure drum pattern, and there's a little lift you get at the end of the 4th measure. You can program in a couple of variations on this if you want, but if you get to fancy, and change key or something, you may lose the crowd. Now comes the all important 'other bits'. The 'other bits' are the sounds that float around above the drums and the bassline. this can just be random chords played on a synth, but it's important that they be repeated a few times -- then people think you intended something, and weren't just playing at random. And if you're into 'experimental' or 'intelligent' techno, buy a really old synth that doesn't work properly and add some blips and squawks from time to time. Oh and lest we forget -- the breakdown. The breakdown is where you mute all the instruments except one. This is the point in the track where the people dancing wake up and take the time to notice what everyone else is wearing. You have to put a few breakdowns into your song; otherwise no one will know what to wear to the next rave. And then there's the buildup. When your song is getting monotonous, you can add in a 4 or 8 measure drum roll that gradually gets louder, until everyone starts waviing their hands over their heads. Once you've done a buildup, you can go back to EXACTLY what you were playing at the beginning of the song, but people won't be bored with it any more. If you think I'm kidding about this -- next time you listen to a techno track, see how well it matches up to this description. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Personally, I love nothing more than to jam out to a greasy groove. -- A Guy Named Phillip Kent Williams kent@inav.net (319) 338 6053 (home) (319) 626 6700 x 219 (work) (319) 626 3489 (fax)