History and character
Roots
The roots are in 1990s Memphis rap (Three 6 Mafia, DJ Spanish Fly, Tommy Wright III, Kingpin Skinny Pimp, DJ Zirk): home-recorded cassettes, TR-808, cowbell, dark samples from horror films and soul, slowed and repeated vocals. Alongside this, Houston's chopped and screwed (DJ Screw), which slowed down and "chopped" tracks, creating a narcotic aesthetic.
The name and the SoundCloud scene
In the first half of the 2010s, SoundCloud artists such as SpaceGhostPurrp and the Raider Klan, then Soudiere, DJ Smokey, Mythic, Lil Ugly Mane and Bones, revived that aesthetic (Memphis rap samples, pitched vocals, tape) and spread the term "phonk."
Drift phonk
From about 2020, drift phonk exploded, especially in Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and on TikTok: faster and straighter, with melodic cowbells played as a riff (the tuned 808 cowbell), hyper-distorted 808s, Memphis rap vocal samples, and an association with drifting videos and car edits. Artists: Kordhell ("Murder in My Mind", 2022), DVRST ("Close Eyes", 2021), INTERWORLD ("Metamorphosis", 2021), Ghostface Playa, PlayaPhonk, KSLV Noh. From 2022–2023, Brazilian phonk (funk + phonk) brought the genre into the global charts.
Scales and keys
Phrygian
- Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (1-2-2-2-1-2-2).
- Example in C#: C# D E F# G# A B.
- Characteristic note: b2 (D): the horror effect of the cowbell dropping a semitone onto the tonic.
- Chords: C#m (i) – D (bII) – E (bIII) – F#m (iv) – G#dim (v°) – A (bVI) – Bm (bvii).
- Use: cowbell riffs, "evil" samples and horror intros; very typical of Memphis rap.
Natural minor (Aeolian)
- Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. In F#: F# G# A B C# D E.
- Chords: F#m – G#dim – A – Bm – C#m – D – E.
- Use: melodic drift phonk, cowbell riffs over minor triad arpeggios and over i–VI.
Harmonic minor
- Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7. In C#: C# D# E F# G# A B#(=C).
- Use: "Eastern" and dramatic tension in some cowbell riffs; the leading tone often appears only as a passing note.
Minor pentatonic and blues scale
- Pentatonic in E: E G A B D; blues: E G A Bb B D.
- Use: Memphis rap soul and funk samples, 808 lines.
How to choose
- Memphis / horror: Phrygian.
- "Chart-ready" drift phonk: Aeolian with a cowbell riff on 1, b3, 5, b6.
- Brazilian phonk: Aeolian or Phrygian, very short riffs.
The 808 cowbell has an inharmonic timbre (two square waves at ~540 and ~800 Hz in the original): tuned to a note, it still sounds "dirty": choose riffs with few semitones so the riff doesn't sound out of tune.
Harmony
Riffs, not chords
The harmony is implied in a cowbell or sample riff (1–2 bars) and in the 808: almost never full chords. The riff moves among the tonic, b3, 5 and b6 (or b2 in Phrygian).
Samples
In classic phonk the harmony is that of the sample (1970s soul, horror soundtracks, Memphis rap), slowed down and pitched down; often a single repeated chord.
Pedal
The 808 stays on the tonic or alternates between tonic and b6; the riff above creates the movement.
Density
Very low: one obsessive riff for the whole track, with small variations (octave above, filter, distortion).
Typical progressions
| Name | Key | Chords | Degrees | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phrygian horror riff | C# minor (Phrygian) | C#m D | i bII | The cowbell drops a semitone onto the tonic: the most recognizable Memphis gesture. |
| Aeolian drift phonk | F# minor | F#m D E C#m | i VI VII v | An Aeolian progression with no dominant, played by the arpeggiated cowbell; the minor v keeps the dark air. |
| One-chord pedal | E minor | Em Em | i i | A single chord for the whole track: the riff runs on E, G, B, C (b6) over a fixed 808. |
| Minor descent | A minor | Am G F E | i VII VI V | Andalusian with a major V: dramatic, typical of the more melodic phonk and of edits. |
| Harmonic tension | D minor (harmonic) | Dm Bb A Dm | i VI V i | The major V gives the 'Eastern/epic' air; the cowbell stresses the leading tone C#. |
Rhythm and groove
Classic Memphis
80–100 BPM with sixteenth-note or triplet hi-hats, eighth-note cowbell, syncopated 808 kick, snare on 2 and 4 (often programmed at double time 160–200 with the snare on 3).
Drift phonk
Straight grid (swing 0) at 120–145, more frequent kick (often on the quarter notes or semi-straight), cowbell in eighth or sixteenth notes playing the melodic riff, clap on 2 and 4 or on 3; continuous energy, suited to the speed of the videos.
Feel
Hypnotic and repetitive; the "drop" is often a change in distortion and volume more than in groove.
Drums
Kick
- Memphis: 808 with medium decay, syncopated (steps 1, 8, 11).
- Drift: distorted, short kick, often on every quarter note or on 1, 3, 3-and (very driving), supported by the 808.
Snare / clap
808 clap or noisy snare on 2 and 4 (drift) or on 3 (half-time); often with short reverb and saturation.
Hi-hat
Dry sixteenth notes, sometimes triplets (Memphis); in drift often reduced, because the eighth-note cowbells already do the job.
Cowbell
Main instrument: tuned 808 cowbell, played as an eighth- or sixteenth-note riff, with the pitch following the scale; velocity with accents for the groove. Often doubled at the octave and saturated.
Percussion and FX
Memphis vocal samples ("yeah," chopped phrases), gunshots, sirens, scratches, film samples.
Interaction
Cowbell, 808 and kick form a single rhythmic-melodic riff; the vocal (if there is one) is a repeated sample.
Sections
Intro with filtered cowbell (an LP that opens), drop with 808 and kick, breakdown with only the vocal sample, second drop with increased distortion.
Typical mistakes
Cowbell not tuned to the key; 808 and cowbell in rhythmic conflict; too much distortion on the sub as well.
Bass
Hyper-distorted 808
Long sine wave with heavy distortion (Decapitator, Trash, multiple clippers), often so saturated that it becomes a mid element (200–1,000 Hz). Glide on the jumps.
Notes
Tonic and b6 (or b2 in Phrygian), octave; in drift phonk the 808 follows the kick almost straight.
Sub
Keep a clean sub layer (LP 80–100 Hz, mono) under the distorted layer: otherwise on a large sound system the bass sounds empty.
Relationship with the kick
Often the kick and the 808 are the same sound (808 with transient); if separate, short kick + sidechain 3–5 dB.
Harmonic instruments
- Tuned 808 cowbell (the "lead").
- Slowed samples of soul, horror and Memphis rap.
- Dark pads and synthetic choirs (rarely).
- Synth bells and piano in the more melodic phonk.
- Register: cowbell C5–C7, pads C3–C5.
Melody and vocals
- Vocals: Memphis rap samples (Three 6 Mafia, DJ Zirk, Tommy Wright III…) slowed, pitched and repeated as loops; rarely a new rapper.
- Effects: pitch down (−2/−5 semitones), chorus, long reverb, distortion, tape.
- Hook: the sampled vocal phrase and the cowbell riff.
- Backing vocals: absent.
Instruments
TR-808 (kick, 808 bass, cowbell, clap), hi-hats, Memphis vocal samples, soul and horror samples, synth pads, distortion and clippers, tape (cassette).
Drum patterns
Synths and sounds
- Korg MS-20 V — Cowbell and distorted leads: Two square oscillators tuned to an inharmonic interval (about 3:2, slightly out of tune), short envelope and HP filter: a tunable, distorted synthetic cowbell.
- Mini V — Synthetic 808: Triangle with a short pitch envelope and long decay; saturate heavily afterwards for the phonk character.
- Augmented Voices — Horror choirs: Low, dissonant choral pads for intro and breakdown; lots of reverb.
- Prophet-5 V — Dark pads: Slow pads with a closed filter and a slow LFO on pitch (wow) for the cassette effect.
- Emulator II V — Cassette / sampler grain: Resample vocals and cowbell with the Emulator conversion for a lo-fi grain consistent with the Memphis aesthetic.
Song structure
| Section | Bars | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | 8 | filtered cowbell or vocal sample |
| Drop 1 | 16 | 808, kick, clap, full cowbell |
| Breakdown | 8 | vocal sample, 808 removed |
| Drop 2 | 16 | more distortion, cowbell at the octave |
| Outro | 4–8 | cowbell alone or stop |
Short tracks (1:30–2:30), designed for video edits and loops. Arrangement in 8-bar blocks with sharp changes.
Mixing and mastering
Sonic goal
Saturated, aggressive, but with a clean sub; cowbell up front and bright, dirty vocal samples. References: Kordhell "Murder in My Mind", DVRST "Close Eyes", INTERWORLD "Metamorphosis". Balance: cowbell 0, 808 −1/−3, kick −3, clap −4, sampled vocal −4/−6.
Kick
HP 30 Hz, punch 60 Hz, click 3–4 kHz; distortion and clipper; mono.
Clap / snare
HP 200 Hz, crack 2 kHz; saturation; short reverb (0.5 s) at −15 dB.
Hi-hat
HP 800 Hz, LP 12 kHz; low level.
Cowbell
- EQ: HP 300–400 Hz; presence boost 1–3 kHz; cut 4–6 kHz if shrill.
- Saturation/distortion: moderate to strong; OTT for density.
- Space: 1/8 delay and short reverb; stereo with octave doubling ±30.
808
- Two layers: sub (LP 90 Hz, mono, clean) + distorted (HP 90 Hz, heavy saturation, clipper).
- EQ of the distorted layer: cut at 2–4 kHz to make room for the cowbell.
Vocal samples
EQ: HP 200 Hz, LP 6–8 kHz (cassette effect); heavy compression; chorus; long reverb.
Buses and groups
Drum bus with clipper; "glue" master with saturation.
Sidechain
Kick → 808 (3–6 dB) and kick → cowbell (1–2 dB) for pumping.
Master
Clipper + limiter. Target −7/−5 LUFS integrated, true peak −1 dBTP. PLR 5–7 dB.
Common mistakes
Cowbell and vocal masking each other at 1–3 kHz (separate them with complementary EQ); distorted sub; clipped master with audible aliasing.
Reference tracks for the mix
- DVRST — Close Eyes (2021)
- Kordhell — Murder In My Mind (2022)
- INTERWORLD — Metamorphosis (2021)
Reference listening
- Three 6 Mafia — Tear da Club Up '97 (1997)
- DJ Spanish Fly — Ass & Titties (1995)
- DVRST — Close Eyes (2021)
- Ghostface Playa — Why Not (2021)
- INTERWORLD — Metamorphosis (2021)
- Kordhell — Murder In My Mind (2022)