Liquid

History and character

Liquid (or liquid funk) is the melodic, soulful current of drum and bass. Its roots lie in the "intelligent" and atmospheric drum and bass of the mid-'90s: LTJ Bukem and his Good Looking Records ("Horizons", 1995), and the more musical records from Metalheadz and 4hero. The name arrived in 1999, when Fabio and Sarah Sandy launched the compilation "Liquid Funk" on their label Creative Source. The sound grew slowly until the 2003–2004 boom, and by 2005 it was already among the best-selling DnB subgenres.

The key figures are Calibre, High Contrast (the album "Tough Guys Don't Dance", 2007, with "If We Ever" feat. Diane Charlemagne), London Elektricity and Hospital Records, Logistics, Nu:Tone, DJ Marky and the Brazilian scene, Japan's Makoto, then Netsky, Lenzman, Technimatic, Etherwood, Hybrid Minds, Monrroe. Labels: Hospital, Good Looking, Liquid V, Shogun Limited, Fokuz, Soul:r (Marcus Intalex), Spearhead and Liquicity, which started as a YouTube channel in 2008 and later became a label and event.

Compared with the other currents, liquid has more instrumental layers (synthetic and acoustic), more harmony and more vocals. The main influences are jazz, soul, funk, disco, house and sometimes blues and Latin music. It is made as much for the club as for headphone listening: it has a sentimental, warm atmosphere, but keeps the sub and the two-step of DnB.

Scales and keys

Liquid is the most "harmonic" subgenre of DnB: minor modes with jazz and soul colors dominate, but tracks in major are much more common than elsewhere. Examples in D for readability. Mind the register: D1 = 36.7 Hz is a very deep sub that only works on powerful systems, which is why many producers prefer keys with the root between E and A (41–55 Hz); the formulas stay identical when transposed.

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. W H W W W H W.
• In D: D E F G A B C.
• Characteristic note: major 6th (B): a warm, "smiling" minor.
• Chords (relative to natural minor): i Dm, ii Em, III F, IV G, v Am, #vi° B°, VII C. Seventh chords: Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7b5, Cmaj7. Typical extensions: Dm9, G13, Cmaj9.
• Use: it is the reference mode of liquid. Rhodes alternating Dm9 and G13; bass climbing D–E–F–G; leads leaning on the 6th (B) over the i chord.
• Listening example: the "minor with major IV" color of Calibre and Marcus Intalex.
• Common mistakes: losing the major 6th in the pads (if you play Bb it becomes Aeolian and the soul color disappears).

Natural minor (Aeolian)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. W H W W H W W.
• In D: D E F G A Bb C.
• Characteristic note: b6 (Bb): more melancholic than Dorian.
• Chords: i Dm, ii° E°, III F, iv Gm, v Am, VI Bb, VII C. Seventh chords: Dm7, Em7b5, Fmaj7, Gm7, Am7, Bbmaj7, C7.
• Use: more "emotional" liquid, closer to dancefloor (Netsky, Hybrid Minds): i–VI–III–VII with female vocals.
• Common mistakes: Aeolian progressions without extensions sound "trance"; in liquid, add 7ths and 9ths.

Major (Ionian) and Lydian

• Ionian: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, W W H W W W H. In D: D E F# G A B C#. Chords: I D, ii Em, iii F#m, IV G, V A, vi Bm, vii° C#°; maj7: Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7, Gmaj7, A7, Bm7, C#m7b5.
• Lydian: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7, W W W H W W H. In D: D E F# G# A B C#. Characteristic note: #4 (G#), suspended and dreamy. Chords: I D, II E, iii F#m, #iv° G#°, V A, vi Bm, vii C#m. The signature chord is the major II (E/D).
• Use: "sunny" and Brazilian liquid, Imaj7–IVmaj7 or Imaj7–II/I (Lydian) progressions, gospel vocals.
• Listening example: the sunniest Hospital productions (London Elektricity, High Contrast) often use major-seventh progressions.
• Common mistakes: too many "triadic" diatonic chords: they sound pop; major sevenths and ninths are the language.

Melodic minor (jazz scale) for dominants

• Ascending form used in jazz: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7. W H W W W W H.
• In D: D E F G A B C#. Its seventh mode gives the altered scale, used over V7alt (e.g. A7alt before Dm9).
• Use: chromaticism and tensions (b9, #9, b13) on passing dominants; bass lines that descend chromatically.
• Common mistakes: using it as the main scale of the track: in liquid it is only a passing color.

Minor pentatonic and blues

• Minor pentatonic: 1 b3 4 5 b7; in D D F G A C. Blues: 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7; in D D F G Ab A C.
• Use: soulful vocal phrasing, sax, guitars; the blue note b5 (Ab) as a passing tone.

How to choose

• Warm and soulful: Dorian. Melancholic, emotional: Aeolian. Sunny, summery: major or Lydian. Jazzy, sophisticated: add altered dominants (melodic minor) and ii–V.
• Think of the bass as a simplified jazz line: roots on the strong beat, chromatic passing tones on the last sixteenth notes.

Harmony

• Functional and extended harmony: unlike the other currents, liquid uses real progressions, often ii–V–I, cycles of fourths, secondary dominants and tritone substitutions.
• Harmonic rhythm: one chord per bar or per 2 bars; in the jazzier tracks 2 chords per bar (felt at 87 = one chord per slow quarter note).
• Voicing: Rhodes and pads with 3–5 notes, rootless (rootless voicing: for Dm9 → F A C E), register C3–C5; drop-2 for pads.
• Extensions: 7, 9, 11 on minors; maj7, 9, #11 on majors; 13 and b9 on dominants.
• Pedals: less frequent than in other subgenres; used in intros (tonic pedal with chords changing above).
• Modal borrowing: minor iv in a major context (Gm in D major), bVII (C) in major, Dorian major IV in minor.
• Modulations: a whole-step lift in the last drop or modulation to the relative key in the breakdown.
• Density: high in the piano's right hand, but the bass stays simple so as not to clog the sub.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Same two-step as DnB at 174, but with a soft feel: more variable velocities, more present ghost notes, light shakers and hats that "roll".
• The snare is often slightly late (3–8 ms) and the kick lighter: a "laid-back" groove.
• Sampled soul/funk breaks (Think, Hot Pants, Apache) under the drums, heavily filtered and low in level.
• Bass and vocals are felt at half time (87) and often with a light swing in the bass lines (at 1/16).
• Half-time sections in the breakdowns are common, with a smooth transition into the two-step.

Drums

Convention: 16 sixteenth notes per bar, quarter notes on 1, 5, 9, 13.

Kick

• Sixteenth notes 1 and 11, often with an extra kick on 8 or 15 in bar 2. Round sound, less click than neuro (3 kHz reduced), decay 150–200 ms.

Snare and clap

• Sixteenth notes 5 and 13, with a ghost on 10 (as in the r-liquid-dnb rhythm) and sometimes on 15–16.
• Snare with a warm body (200 Hz) and a longer plate/hall reverb tail than in other subgenres (1–1.8 s, low return).
• No aggressive clap; at most a light layer of snap or rim.

Hi-hats, ride, shaker

• Hats with an "x.xx x.x. x.xx x.x." type pattern at low velocity (40–70), ride on the upbeat (3, 7, 11, 15).
• Shaker in sixteenth notes at velocity 30–50 with small random variations (±10).
• Latin and Brazilian percussion (conga, cabasa) in the soulful tracks.

Dynamics and groove

• More velocity variation than elsewhere: an "always the same" hat kills the liquid groove.
• Breaks high-passed at 300–500 Hz, at −12/−18 dB, to give organic movement.

Interaction with bass and vocals

• The bass often plays melodic lines (more notes per bar than average DnB), so the kick must be lighter and shorter.
• In the vocal verses, remove open hats and ride; the shaker stays.

Sections

• Intro: shaker, ride and pads; the snare enters after 8–16 bars.
• Breakdown: often half-time with the snare on 9 and piano or vocals.
• Drop: full two-step with the break underneath; in the second drop, ghost variations.

Fills and transitions

• Delicate fills: two or three extra ghosts, repeated snare with rising velocity, reverse cymbal; violent snare rolls are rare.

Choosing sounds

• Sampled acoustic snares from soul/funk records, soft kicks, hats and shakers with a bit of noise and "air".

Typical mistakes

• Snare too aggressive (neuro style) or kick too long; break too loud, muddying piano and bass; no dynamics.

Bass

• Sound: clean sine sub + rounded mid bass (filtered saw, saturated triangle wave, sampled electric bass or Moog). Less distortion than average DnB.
• Register: roots between E1 and B1 (41–62 Hz) in the sub; the mid bass between 100 and 800 Hz.
• Notes: melodic lines that follow the harmony: root on the strong beat, third or seventh as a passing tone, chromatic approaches (e.g. over Dm9–G13: D–D–F–F#–G).
• Rhythm: long notes on 1, small "answers" on 11 and on 15; often legato with a short glide (30–60 ms).
• Relationship with the kick: light sidechain (2–4 dB) or none if the kick is very short; the sub can be slightly cut under the kick with dynamic EQ.
• Examples: the bass lines of Calibre and High Contrast, round and singable.

Harmonic instruments

• Rhodes / electric piano: the signature instrument; rootless ninth and thirteenth voicings, slow tremolo, light phaser.
• Acoustic piano: arpeggios and full chords in the breakdowns.
• Pads and strings: synthetic or orchestral strings, slow attack, long reverb; often with a filter that opens over the course of the phrase.
• Guitars: clean jazz guitar, arpeggios, light wah; bossa and classical guitar in Brazilian liquid.
• Winds and brass: sampled or played sax and trumpet, short soul phrases.
• Register: C3–C6; keep the area below F3 free for bass and kick.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: the protagonists. Soul, R&B and gospel: warm female voices (Diane Charlemagne in "If We Ever"), alto/mezzo-soprano range, long phrases felt at 87.
• Hooks: singable melodies with leaps of thirds and sixths, appoggiaturas on the 9th and the Dorian 6th.
• Backing vocals: harmonies in thirds and sixths, gospel choirs in the choruses, wide doubles; "oohs" and "aahs" as pads.
• Ad-libs: short responses with dotted-quarter delay.
• Instrumental leads: piano, Rhodes, sax, flutes, soft synth leads (triangle or sine wave with vibrato).
• Effects: long hall reverbs (2.5–4 s), plate on the vocal, ping-pong delay at dotted eighth, light chorus.

Instruments

• Sampled drums (soul snares, funk breaks), shaker and percussion.
• Rhodes/Wurlitzer, piano, organ, strings, synth pads, clean guitar, sax, trumpet, flute.
• Sub bass + soft synth bass or electric bass.
• Lead vocal, gospel choirs, soul vocal samples.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Stage-73 V — Rhodes: Suitcase model with slow tremolo (2–4 Hz) and a little drive: ninth and thirteenth chords. Reduce the "bell" if it sounds too hard.
• Wurli V — Alternative electric piano: More "biting" than the Rhodes: soul riffs and short chords.
• Piano V — Piano: Grand or upright with hall reverb; arpeggios in the breakdowns.
• Jup-8 V — Warm pads: Two saws with slight detune, 24 dB filter half closed, attack 400–800 ms, chorus: luxurious pads.
• Solina V — Strings: Ensemble on, phaser: vintage strings for "Bukem" intros.
• Mini V — Soft bass and sub: Triangle + filtered saw, low cutoff, glide 40 ms: round, singable bass.
• CS-80 V — Soft leads and brass: Lead with aftertouch and vibrato, dreamy Vangelis-style brass for the climaxes.

Song structure

• Versions with vocals often follow verse (16) – chorus (16) inside the drops.
• Density: it grows by layering (Rhodes → pad → vocal → backing vocals → winds), not by distortion.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

• Warm, soft, deep; clean sub; rich but not aggressive mids; silky highs. More dynamics than club DnB (higher crest factor).
• References: Hospital Records, Calibre, High Contrast, Hybrid Minds.

Kick

• EQ: high-pass 30 Hz, +2 dB at 60 Hz, −3 dB at 300 Hz, restrained click (+1 dB at 3 kHz or nothing).
• Compression: light or none. Saturation: light tape. Space: none. Mono.

Snare

• EQ: high-pass 120 Hz, +2 dB at 200 Hz, −2 dB at 500 Hz, +2 dB at 3 kHz, +1 dB shelf at 10 kHz.
• Compression: opto or soft VCA, 3:1, attack 15–20 ms, release 100 ms, 2–3 dB.
• Reverb: plate 1.2–1.8 s, pre-delay 20 ms, filtered return (high-pass 400 Hz, low-pass 7 kHz) at −16/−20 dB.

Hi-hats, shaker and percussion

• High-pass 400–500 Hz, gentle cut at 4 kHz if harsh; tape saturation to round them off.
• Panning: shaker 20–30% left, hat 15% right, Latin percussion spread 30–60%.
• Shared short room reverb at −20 dB.

Bass

• Mono sub, low-pass 120 Hz, soft limiting; mid bass high-pass 100 Hz, light tube saturation, +1–2 dB EQ at 700 Hz–1 kHz for legibility on small speakers.
• Compression: opto 3:1, 2–4 dB, for consistent note volume.
• Light sidechain from the kick (2–3 dB, release 80 ms).

Rhodes, piano, pads, guitars

• Rhodes: high-pass 150–200 Hz, −2 dB at 300–400 Hz, +1 dB at 2 kHz; light compression 2:1; stereo tremolo; panning 0 or slightly to the side.
• Piano: high-pass 100 Hz, hall reverb 2–3 s, pre-delay 30 ms.
• Pads: high-pass 200–300 Hz, width 120–140%, sidechain from the snare 1–2 dB.
• Guitars: doubles left/right (70–90%), high-pass 150 Hz.

Lead vocal

• EQ: high-pass 90 Hz, −2 dB at 250–350 Hz, +2 dB at 3–4 kHz, +2 dB shelf at 12 kHz.
• Compression: FET 4:1 (3–4 dB) + opto (2 dB); de-esser 6–8 kHz.
• Reverb: plate 1.8–2.5 s, pre-delay 40–60 ms; long hall in parallel for the chorus; filtered dotted-quarter delay.
• Automation: phrase-by-phrase volume, delay throws on the last words, wider reverb in the breakdowns.

Backing vocals

• −6/−10 dB, high-pass 150–200 Hz, wide panning, more reverb than the lead, stronger de-essing.

FX

• Soft risers, vinyl crackle at −30 dB as glue, bells and ambient textures in wide stereo.

Buses and groups

• Drum bus: glue 2:1, 1–2 dB; Music bus: 1.5:1 compression and tape; Vocal bus: light compression and shared reverb.

Sidechain

• Kick → bass (light), snare → pads (light), vocal → Rhodes and pads (dynamic, 1–2 dB). No obvious pumping.

Master

• Chain: EQ (optional −1 dB at 300 Hz) → glue → tape → limiter.
• Indicative targets: −8/−6 LUFS integrated for the club, −9/−10 for listening; true peak −1 dBTP; let the snare breathe.

Common mistakes

• Too much reverb on everything (liquid gets "muddy"), Rhodes too full below 200 Hz, over-compressed vocals, master too squashed.

Reference tracks for the mix

• High Contrast — If We Ever (2007); London Elektricity — Just One Second (2008); Netsky — Memory Lane (2010); LTJ Bukem — Horizons (1995) for comparison with the '90s sound, more dynamic and less compressed.

Reference listening

• LTJ Bukem — Horizons (1995)
• High Contrast feat. Diane Charlemagne — If We Ever (2007)
• High Contrast — Tread Softly (2007)
• London Elektricity — Just One Second (2008)
• Netsky — Memory Lane (2010)