Beginning with the Drums

Youtube Playlist (5 videos)

Greenleaf’s Seventeen starts with the emphasis on a single drum break. A few scattered notes introduce the harmony. The tone hints at Soul. With uninterrupted rhythm, the bassline melody takes over with a second drum break at the drop. The breakdown features singing and the full melody pieced together reinforcing an uplifting vibe before getting back to drums and bass.

Jaskin builds a dense field of analog synths and growling bass sounds for his half-step Drum and Bass track The Drag. A punchy drum kit sets the main percussion with sampled drum breaks creating variations.

Los Angeles’s 6Blocc brings an aggressive sound with Lunatik. Light percussion and whispers of dialog make for a big dynamic change when the heavy kick drum pattern starts. Around the kicks, the drums are fragmented and frequently changing along with the bassline pattern. Miscellaneous sound effects hint at Ragga Jungle roots.

Profane’s Far Side hits with the raw funk and soul samples. The drum break is falling over itself. The underlying rhythm sometimes comes from the guitar loop, or the steady sub hits, or a slowed down, steady funk break. The progression is a journey bringing you back to where you began.

Greenleaf and RTP perform nine minutes of synthesizers. The moving of switches and dials tune in and out of rhythmic patterns. Through filters and delays, the piece goes from being several voices to one and back progressing something like a symphony.