DROPS 12/15more

This is a 3-way mix of tech house, acid techno, and electro house (with perhaps some 'dirty dutch' sprinkled in). Much in line with the current theme of my tracks lately, this track draws heavy inspiration from John Summit, amongst others. The song's melody is pretty static; micro edits, automations, filter sweeps, and various other elements drive the groove and progression rather than a notable chord progression. This song is built around a heavily sampled and edited bass line that is rather aggressive and side-chained to the kick. I lost track of how many times the bass was resampled after each edit. The final touch was some subtle pitch bends (this can make or break your bass lines, especially when they are very low on the tonal spectrum. Likewise, when the bass is on the offbeat, it doesn't interfere with the kick, so only the transients get side-chained. As a result, you have to find other ways to add movement; this is where pitch bends come in). In essence, you get the groove from tech house, the attitude, and 'motor-like' nature of electro house, and the funkiness/nastiness of acid. Now, I must note that this track is nowhere near perfect or refined; the sidechaining is a bit too aggressive, creating a brief 'pop' on the bass. Why did I leave it in? To my surprise, the track sounded very bland and considerably worse without this imperfection. What seems like a minor detail had a DRAMATIC impact on the quality of the track. It went from a cool banger to a "bland repetitive loop." This track was built upon various subtle edits that all add up in the end. Perhaps due to the aggressive nature of the track, the "pop" kinda suits it. I had a close friend who is a career producer listen in on the track; he heard the same thing I did (this is why feedback is SO important) and agreed with the assessment. The bass also has a brief "pause" after each bar; I noticed that this lets the track "breathe" and keeps you focused in an otherwise repetitive techno track (which btw, techno is SUPPOSED to be repetitive. This song doesn't really have much of a melody or chord progression). It also helps the bass stay aggressive without overwhelming the rest of the track. The track is available for streaming on several platforms, including Spotify! This track was composed and produced on Ableton Live 12.3 Suite. more

This unique track, Old Sand Mill combines, EDM, spoken word, R&B, Avante Garde rock & the vocal stylings of Manhattan Transfer. Also featured on background vocals is Sally Eaton from the original Broadway cast of "Hair." This track appears on Old Sand Mill's 2025 album, "The Example."more