Music Track

[River Don]

Listen to DeepDish.m4a by Neue Haus on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/u7Ych

Back in the COVID days I started messing about with a basic DAW (music workstation) on the iPad to entertain myself. I'd never played a note but as a lifelong music fan I found it compelling.

Anyway, I keep messing with it. I have a little ambition to produce a track good enough that a real club DJ might want to play it.

This is my latest effort if you're interested. Any feedback is welcome.

Cheers

[BobG]

Hi RD

I am definitely no music critic - so my thoughts ain't worth very much!

The repetitive beat is certainly a latter day fashion so it ought to meet the criteria of being fashionable.

 I could smoke a joint to it very happily - if I hadn't ceased all that before I went to work for one of HMG's security arms years ago.

But what gets a crowd up on its feet dancing nowadays? As a child of the 70's it's not the sort of music that would get me up head banging stood in front of the speakers again. But then, I'm a time warp.

BobG

[River Don]

Cheers Bob,

I was brought up on repetitive beats and a dance music track demands it. Still, it could be overdone, it's easy to get locked into repeating a loop with software. Copy, paste, paste, paste.

[drfchound]

I like it RD. it got my feet tapping.

[BobG]

I liked it. But I couldn't bop to it. I'd get spaced out to it. I don't know what gets folk up on the dance floor nowadays.  That's got to be the objective. What do those younger than me think??

BobG

[GazLaz]

I love dance music. That’s a pretty good effort for a novice I’d say. I only listened on an iPhone so the sound quality can be deceiving but my personal preference would be for the bass to be a bit “bassier” perhaps. Maybe slightly more tempo as well but that’s just my preference, probably not the sound you are going for!

[River Don]

Just to give a little more info.

I wouldn't say I'm a complete novice anymore, I have been at this on and off for a while and watched a few tutorials online.

Personally I like harder edged electronic stuff more but I do like stuff with a more funky, soulful sound too.

Now my step daughter is into soul music and she's had training as a singer at school.. So this might develop into more of a song, when I get some equipment to record a voice and work out lyrics and how to construct it and everything. It took me long enough to begin to grasp jazz harmony to try and give it a more soulful vibe. This is also why it's a slightly slower tempo... But I might do a faster mix.

[ncRover]

Nice work. Agreed with Gaz on the bass.

The sound reminded me of this song - Der Alte by Kolsch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNqpDPyrjvs

Listen to the bass when it kicks in, just gives it a bit more edge without it sounding too heavy and overpowering.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Listen to DeepDish.m4a by Neue Haus on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/u7Ych

Back in the COVID days I started messing about with a basic DAW (music workstation) on the iPad to entertain myself. I'd never played a note but as a lifelong music fan I found it compelling.

Anyway, I keep messing with it. I have a little ambition to produce a track good enough that a real club DJ might want to play it.

This is my latest effort if you're interested. Any feedback is welcome.

Cheers

Impressive RD.

Has a bit of a feeling of early Orbital to it with the chord structure.


Constructive criticism: I agree with Gaz that it could do with the percussion being a bit less grounded. Maybe just a quiet closed high hat on a high multiple of the basic BPM?

My 16 year old is heavily into making techno tracks, although he's gone a bit out of the mainstream and into very Sheffield experimentation. I'm not going to post his for general consumption but I'll send you one or two privately.

[River Don]

As you know BST, I cut my teeth with dance music in Sheffield clubs, Greame Park, Winston Hazel all those DJs.

I'm an adherent of Bernard Sumner when he said, it's easy making arty music, the difficult thing is to make it popular. The irony being New Order made some of their most popular stuff when they were at their most experimental.

There's an honesty about dance music though, it has a job to do. I still like a lot of the Warp IDM stuff but a lot of it just disappears into sound design and forgets the original job. Obviously the more industrial stuff like the Cabs has an audience and that's a lot about sound design.

I'd be interested in hearing some of your lads stuff.

[Nudga]

I love dance music. That’s a pretty good effort for a novice I’d say. I only listened on an iPhone so the sound quality can be deceiving but my personal preference would be for the bass to be a bit “bassier” perhaps. Maybe slightly more tempo as well but that’s just my preference, probably not the sound you are going for!

Exactly my thoughts Gaz. I'm an old skool raver so love house music, heavy bass and fast big beats.

It's a very good effort RD, I can appreciate what went into it and the sound you were trying achieve, just doesn't make it into my play list.

[River Don]

I should say this, to be clear.

I can’t play a note.

I was slightly inspired the late, great Quincey Jones who wasn’t the greatest musician himself. What he would do is get on to Rod Temperton in CLEETHORPES and hum a tune. Dum Dee Dumm Thriler, Thriller... work out that for me on the keyboard and I know some people at Motown, they will do the rest.

Then again nowadays you can just ask AI to produce your ideas...

That’s the true role of a music producer, to understand what people want, even if they don’t know it, and then get other people to create it.

[ncRover]

I should say this, to be clear.

I can’t play a note.

I was slightly inspired the late, great Quincey Jones who wasn’t the greatest musician himself. What he would do is get on to Rod Temperton in CLEETHORPES and hum a tune. Dum Dee Dumm Thriler, Thriller... work out that for me on the keyboard and I know some people at Motown, they will do the rest.

Then again nowadays you can just ask AI to produce your ideas...

That’s the true role of a music producer, to understand what people want, even if they don’t know it, and then get other people to create it.

RD, have you ever seen this quick breakdown of Daft Punk’s use of sampling to form the basis of One More Time?

https://youtu.be/5QwOpRh-IfI?si=aIfPA4gr_3e8KPC-

Absolute genius to pluck that out. You’re right, musical talent isn’t all about the ability to actually play an instrument.

[River Don]

I find I can make beats that sound like Daft Punk. I like Daft Punk a lot. I used to champion them. People would say to me, oh you've got to listen to Air, that's French pop music... But no Daft Punk is the stuff you can really dance to. It's true.

I admire them but I don't want to be like them. I don't.

[BillyStubbsTears]

As you know BST, I cut my teeth with dance music in Sheffield clubs, Greame Park, Winston Hazel all those DJs.

I'm an adherent of Bernard Sumner when he said, it's easy making arty music, the difficult thing is to make it popular. The irony being New Order made some of their most popular stuff when they were at their most experimental.

There's an honesty about dance music though, it has a job to do. I still like a lot of the Warp IDM stuff but a lot of it just disappears into sound design and forgets the original job. Obviously the more industrial stuff like the Cabs has an audience and that's a lot about sound design.

I'd be interested in hearing some of your lads stuff.

Couldn't agree more about Barney's take. I've been trying to get my kid to simplify things to a simple repetition but he's got too many ideas he wants to work round for now.

[River Don]

As you know BST, I cut my teeth with dance music in Sheffield clubs, Greame Park, Winston Hazel all those DJs.

I'm an adherent of Bernard Sumner when he said, it's easy making arty music, the difficult thing is to make it popular. The irony being New Order made some of their most popular stuff when they were at their most experimental.

There's an honesty about dance music though, it has a job to do. I still like a lot of the Warp IDM stuff but a lot of it just disappears into sound design and forgets the original job. Obviously the more industrial stuff like the Cabs has an audience and that's a lot about sound design.

I'd be interested in hearing some of your lads stuff.

Couldn't agree more about Barney's take. I've been trying to get my kid to simplify things to a simple repetition but he's got too many ideas he wants to work round for now.

I tell you what. Music that is more complex, that's summat. I'm not a big fan of prog rock but that doesn't mean complexity is bad.

[River Don]

Nice work. Agreed with Gaz on the bass.

The sound reminded me of this song - Der Alte by Kolsch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNqpDPyrjvs

Listen to the bass when it kicks in, just gives it a bit more edge without it sounding too heavy and overpowering.

You know what. That track is not what I was expecting.

I get so wrapped up in the music of Detroit, Chicago and NY. I tend to dismiss European music a bit but that has something, it has soul and machines and that’s where I like to be. Sorry it took so long to listen to it.

I like this, which is European and it’s very funky.

https://youtu.be/uEhge2_L9tI?si=_ElrcHMsun__9aFF

[River Don]

Another little track. It's quite laid back, I've been trying to get my head around melody a bit more, so that's really what this is about.

It has a bit of a melancholic vibe, which I like.

Listen to Experi.m4a by Neue Haus on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/h3Z3r4igTtsApHBUA

As ever, interested in people's opinion.

[wilts rover]

Quite nice that RD. 80's era Tangerine Dream to me.

[BobG]

I wonder what it would sound like slowed down a bit? I like it but, for me, the Tangerine Dream sound would be slower, calmer. But then, what do I know? I'm still stuck in a 70's time warp.

Lol. I did get to see Tangerine Dream though. Coventry cathedral about 75 or 76.

BobG

[River Don]

Must admit, I'm not very familiar with the music of Tangerine Dream. I know of their reputation early on Krautrock, electronic and ambient pioneers.

I'll have a listen, if there's anything people would particularly recommend.

As for me, I was just trying to get something to work and that was it. I put a phaser on the lead, which I thought sounded slightly Daft Punk-esque. Maybe not.