Electro

History and character

Electro (or electro funk) emerged in the early ’80s between Japan (Tokyo) and the United States (New York and Detroit). Yellow Magic Orchestra reportedly was the first band to use the Roland TR-808, in 1980; the same year, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Riot in Lagos” is considered an early electro track (and influenced Mantronix, among others). 1982 is the watershed year: “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force combines elements of Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express” and “Numbers” with TR-808 beats; the same year “Nunk” by Warp 9 was released. In Detroit, Juan Atkins’ Cybotron (with “Clear”, a TR-808 track) paved the way for techno; “Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)” by Hashim (1983) was the first release on Cutting Records (November 1983) and an electro funk classic. On the West Coast, The Egyptian Lover (“Egypt, Egypt”, 1984) brought the sound to Los Angeles.

The language: TR-808 drum machine as the rhythmic foundation (“punchy” kicks, claps, hi-hats, cowbell), analog synthesis, sequenced or arpeggiated riffs, effects such as reverb and delay, science-fiction and futuristic themes, vocals processed with vocoder or talkbox or generated with speech synthesis, and rap in the earliest productions. Electro is one of the pillars of early hip hop culture (breakdancing, popping, DJs) and the bridge between funk, Kraftwerk and techno.

From it derive Miami bass (with Florida as the major center of later electro) and, in the late ’90s, electroclash, a fusion of electro with techno and new wave. In the ’90s Detroit kept alive a dark, “underwater” electro line: Drexciya (James Stinson and Gerald Donald, aquatic and science-fiction themes). Revivals: the late ’90s (Anthony Rother, Dave Clarke), around 2007, and from 2016 (Helena Hauff, DJ Stingray). In this entry electro is the main genre of which electro funk / Miami bass and electroclash are subgenres.

Scales and keys

Electro is minor, “robotic” and funky: natural minor, Dorian, Phrygian and pentatonic; sequenced melodies of a few notes, often derived from funk and Kraftwerk. Examples in E minor, A minor (Am = i, F = VI, G = VII, C = III) and C minor.

Natural minor (Aeolian)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. W H W W H W W. On E: E F# G A B C D.
• Chords: i Em, ii° F#°, III G, iv Am, v Bm, VI C, VII D.
• Use: sequenced riffs on the tonic and the b7, cold pads i–VI, syncopated basses on the tonic.
• Listening example: the minor, mechanical mood of Detroit electro (Cybotron, Drexciya).

Dorian (electro funk)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. W H W W W H W. On A: A B C D E F# G.
• Characteristic note: major 6 (F#).
• Chords: i Am, ii Bm, III C, IV D, v Em, #vi° F#°, VII G. Sevenths: Am7, Bm7, Cmaj7, D7, Em7, F#m7b5, Gmaj7.
• Use: the “funk” minor: i7–IV7 (Am7–D7), chord stabs and sixteenth-note bass.

Phrygian (dark electro, Detroit)

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. On C: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb.
• Characteristic note: b2 (Db).
• Chords: i Cm, bII Db, III Eb, iv Fm, v° G°, VI Ab, vii Bbm.
• Use: arpeggios and basses with a half step, “alien” and underwater atmospheres.

Minor pentatonic and blues (funk)

• Pentatonic: 1 b3 4 5 b7 (on E: E G A B D); blues: 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 (on E: E G A Bb B D).
• Use: funk bass lines, riffs and vocoder.

Major and “Kraftwerk melodies”

• Major on C: C D E F G A B. Use: simple, almost music-box melodies, and bells; “Planet Rock” borrows Kraftwerk melodies directly.

Whole-tone scale / chromaticism (sci-fi effects)

• Whole-tone on C: C D E F# G# A# (six whole tones): ambiguous and “sci-fi”, for FX and transitions.

How to choose

• Electro funk: Dorian and pentatonic.
• Detroit/dark electro: Aeolian and Phrygian.
• Pop/melodic (Kraftwerk, synth-pop): major or simple Aeolian.
• Rule: a sequenced riff of 4–8 notes repeated for 8–16 bars is the unit of the genre.

Harmony

• Riffs and stabs rather than progressions: one or two chords (often i and IV or i and VII) with stabs, over a sequenced bass.
• Harmonic rhythm: slow (one change every 2–4 bars); the movement is in the riffs.
• Chords: minor sevenths and funk dominants (Am7, D7, E9); fifths and octaves in the “robotic” stabs.
• Pedals: bass on the tonic, chords changing above.
• Harmonic vocoder: the vocoder plays chords (the carrier is a synth chord).
• Cadences: rare.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• 120–135 BPM, perfectly straight grid (swing 0), “machine” sound.
• TR-808: syncopated, long kick, snare + clap on 2 and 4, closed hats in robotic sixteenth notes.
• Kick and bass syncopations derived from funk; cowbell and 808 toms as percussive “melody”.
• Electronic breakbeat (not four on the floor): this is the main difference from house and techno.

Drums

Convention: 16 sixteenth-note steps; quarter-note beats on 1, 5, 9, 13. Reference rhythm r-electro.

Kick

• In r-electro: steps 1, 7, 11 (the 1, the “and” of 2 and the “and” of 3). Variants: 1, 4, 11; 1, 7, 9, 11; kick doubling the sequenced bass. Long 808 kick (medium-long decay), body 45–60 Hz, often also the bass.

Snare and clap

• Steps 5 and 13: 808 snare + 808 clap layered. Plate reverb or short gated reverb.

Hi-hat and percussion

• Closed hats in constant, straight sixteenth notes (all 16), sometimes with accents on the eighth notes; open hats rare; cowbell on steps 11 and 16 (r-electro); high tom on 15 as a response; 808 clave and conga.

Dynamics and groove

• Velocity programmed with the 808’s “accent” (few accents, the rest flat); no swing: precision is the aesthetic.

Interaction with bass and vocals

• The sequenced bass in sixteenth notes or the long 808 kick makes up the low register; vocoder and rap lean on 2 and 4.

How it changes by section

• Intro: solo 808 (hat + kick) or a riff; verse: drums + bass + vocoder; break: solo 808 and robotic voice; return with all the riffs.

Fills and transitions

• 808 tom rolls (high, mid, low) in sixteenth notes, a quarter-note stop, cowbell hits, “scratch” and samples.

Sound choice

• TR-808 (or samples), possibly TR-606 and ’80s drum machines; clean, dry sounds.

Typical mistakes

• Swing (electro must be straight); four on the floor (it becomes techno/house); hats that are too “human”.

Bass

• Sequenced bass in sixteenth or eighth notes (filtered sawtooth or square, Minimoog, SH-101, Juno), or a long 808 kick acting as the bass.
• Notes: tonic, octave, b7, 5; syncopated funk patterns (e.g. notes on sixteenths 1, 4, 7, 11, 14).
• Relationship with the kick: the 808 kick and the bass often coincide or alternate; essential tuning.
• Register: 40–200 Hz.

Harmonic instruments

• Analog synths (cold pads, stabs, arpeggios), vocoder, occasional funk electric piano; mid register; little reverb.

Melody and vocals

• Robotic voices: vocoder, talkbox, speech synthesis; rap in the early-’80s hip hop productions.
• Melodies: sequenced riffs, simple melodies of 4–8 notes (Kraftwerk legacy).
• Effects: vocoder, 1/8 delay, plate reverb, phaser and flanger.

Instruments

• Roland TR-808 (kick, snare, clap, hat, cowbell, tom, clave, conga), analog synths (Minimoog, Jupiter-8, Prophet-5, Juno, SH-101), vocoder, talkbox, sequencers, samplers; rap and robotic vocals; turntables and scratching.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Mini V — Sequenced bass: Sawtooth or square with a half-closed filter, short contour, no glide: sixteenth-note funk bass.
• Jup-8 V — Stabs, pads and arpeggios: Jupiter-8 arpeggiator and cold chord stabs; the Jupiter-8 is a synth of the period.
• Prophet-5 V — Lead and stabs: Monophonic leads and stabs with poly-mod for “metallic” timbres.
• Vocoder V — Robotic voice: Vocoder with sawtooth or pulse carrier and voice modulator: the “Planet Rock” and Kraftwerk sound.
• ARP 2600 V — Sci-fi FX: Lasers, zaps and science-fiction sounds with sample & hold.
• Jun-6 V — Pads and basses: Pads with chorus and simple basses.

Song structure

• ’80s tracks of 5–8 minutes (12" versions) with long sections for the breakers; modern electro 5–6 minutes for DJs.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

• Clean, dry, precise: deep 808 kick, crisp clap and hats, synths and vocoder up front; more dynamics and less loudness than EDM.
• References: Planet Rock, Cybotron, Drexciya, The Egyptian Lover.

808 kick

• EQ: high-pass 25 Hz, +2 dB at the fundamental (45–60 Hz), −2 dB at 300 Hz, +1–2 dB at 2–3 kHz for the click; light saturation for audibility; mono.

808 snare and clap

• EQ: high-pass 150 Hz, +2 dB at 200 Hz, +3 dB at 3–5 kHz; light compression; plate reverb 0.8–1.2 s or gated reverb.

Hi-hat, cowbell, toms

• Hat: high-pass 500 Hz, −1 dB at 8 kHz if harsh; cowbell 30% to the side; toms with spread panning (high 30% left, low 30% right).

Sequenced bass

• High-pass 30 Hz, mono, light compression; EQ +1 dB at 700 Hz–1 kHz; if it coincides with the 808 kick, complementary EQ (kick below 60 Hz, bass above).

Synths, pads, arpeggios

• High-pass 150 Hz; 1/8 or 1/16 delay on the arpeggios; chorus/phaser; width 120%.

Vocals (vocoder, talkbox, rap)

• Vocoder: high-pass 150 Hz, presence 2–4 kHz, compression; 1/8 delay.
• Rap: high-pass 80 Hz, FET compression, presence 3 kHz, short reverb.

Backing vocals

• Doubled, wide vocoders.

FX

• Lasers, zaps, scratches: moderate level.

Buses and groups

• Drum bus (808) with light glue; Synth bus; Vocal bus.

Sidechain

• Light or absent; the arrangement avoids clashes.

Master

• Chain: EQ → glue → tape → limiter.
• Indicative targets: classic electro −10/−8 LUFS integrated (working estimate), modern club electro −8/−7; true peak −1 dBTP.

Common mistakes

• 808 that distorts and muddies everything; swing; too much reverb; incomprehensible vocoder (carrier too dark).

Reference tracks for the mix

• Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force — Planet Rock (1982); Cybotron — Clear (1983); The Egyptian Lover — Egypt, Egypt (1984).

Reference listening

• Ryuichi Sakamoto — Riot in Lagos (1980)
• Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force — Planet Rock (1982)
• Warp 9 — Nunk (1982)
• Cybotron — Clear (1983)
• Hashim — Al-Naafiysh (The Soul) (1983)
• The Egyptian Lover — Egypt, Egypt (1984)