Start with the drums. I should learn from this; it is often when a track comes together quickly. The halting staccato drum pattern was the first thing that I wrote. And, like most dance music producers, I gave it a try as a four-four beat. All the elements work together to give the North African vibe. That wasn’t the intention and this track was produced without use of any “Tunisian Vibes” sample CDs or similar. Once the first instrument had been selected, everything else that fit went in. It’s pretty long but as I no longer have access to the individual audio files (PC hard drive failure 5 years ago) I’ts a tough task to cut down. So here it is in all its glory;
A faster house track. A little bit minimal in terms of instrumentation as the development comes from the percussion. Throughout the track bits drop in and out adding to the sense of urgency. Deep it may be and there are no strings or harmonies of any kind and deliberately so. You can’t put everything in all of the time!
Trawling through old tracks is great for someone like me. I’m good at starting things and rubbish at finishing them. Awakening is the first track that I wrote and recorded on my first Mac (a Powerbook G4 if you’re a Mac geek) about, um, 4 or 5 years ago. It’s quite haunting even though it fits in the house bracket. With three parts, the final chords don’t come in ’til 4 minutes. Suitable for a soundtrack to a dark movie; something that requires the moodiness of the breakdown and the pace of the beats.
Hard, pounding percussion? Check. A dirty bass line? That comes in after 15 seconds and if you like that, just wait for the extra grittiness after 30 seconds! For the main part of the piece though, the breakdown is at 1′15″ and over the next 45 seconds, the chord stabs expand before full release. It’s an expansive and full sound and works as an instrumental (though a vocal would by no means be a bad thing) which took ages to get the balance right. The breakbeat marks the final section of the track after 4 and a half minutes and there’s a bit of development before the drums breakdown with plenty of time for a smooth mix to the next track. . .