Slap house

History and character

Commercial, radio-friendly house that emerged in the late 2010s, with deep, “bouncing” basslines on the offbeat, simple drops and pitched pop vocals. Its roots are in the Brazilian bass of mid-2010s Brazil: Alok is considered its initiator (his remix of “That's My Way” by Edi Rock & Seu Jorge, then “All I Want” with Liu & Stonefox and “Hear Me Now” with Bruno Martini and Zeeba, 2017, which took the sound to the world). The Lithuanians Dynoro and Lucky Luke adapted it for the European audience (people even spoke of “Lithuanian house”): Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino — In My Mind (2018) made the sound known everywhere.

In 2019 Imanbek's remix of “Roses” (SAINt JHN) became a global hit and won the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording (awarded on March 15, 2021); Vize, Topic & A7S (Breaking Me, 2019), Galwaro, R3HAB, Tiësto (The Business, Lay Low) and many remixes of pop and rap classics followed. The term “slap house” circulates among producers and playlists;

Aesthetic: simplicity, immediate impact, nostalgia (covers and remixes of famous songs), a bass that “slaps” on the offbeat, emotional or melancholic vocals.

Scales and keys

Convention: Roman numerals refer to the major scale on the same tonic (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° diminished, ø half-diminished, + augmented; b/# = degree lowered/raised relative to the major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). Notes and chords below are calculated exactly from the formula.

Aeolian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: T S T T S T T
• On G: G A Bb C D Eb F
• Diatonic triads: Gm i · Adim ii° · Bb bIII · Cm iv · Dm v · Eb bVI · F bVII
• Seventh chords: Gm7 i7 · Am7b5 iiø7 · Bbmaj7 bIIImaj7 · Cm7 iv7 · Dm7 v7 · Ebmaj7 bVImaj7 · F7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: the b6 (Eb): pop melancholy.
• Use: the i–bVI–bIII–bVII loop in the break with piano and vocals; in the drop the bassline follows the roots (G, Eb, Bb, F) on the offbeat.
• Common mistakes: a bassline that doesn't follow the chords: in slap house the bass is as “harmonic” as it is rhythmic.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7 — steps: T+S T T T+S T
• On G: G Bb C D F
• Characteristic note: five notes with no tensions, ideal for the drop's lead or vocal chop.
• Use: instrumental hooks (pluck, vocal chop), ad-libs.
• Common mistakes: leads that are too complex: it has to be singable on first listen.

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 — steps: T S T T T S T
• On A: A B C D E F# G
• Diatonic triads: Am i · Bm ii · C bIII · D IV · Em v · F#dim vi° · G bVII
• Seventh chords: Am7 i7 · Bm7 ii7 · Cmaj7 bIIImaj7 · D7 IV7 · Em7 v7 · F#m7b5 viø7 · Gmaj7 bVIImaj7
• Characteristic note: the major sixth (F#): a warmer deep/Brazilian bass color.
• Use: i–IV vamp in some Brazilian productions.
• Common mistakes: mixing F and F# between the bass and the lead.

Major (pop remixes)

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 — steps: T T S T T T S
• On C: C D E F G A B
• Diatonic triads: C I · Dm ii · Em iii · F IV · G V · Am vi · Bdim vii°
• Seventh chords: Cmaj7 Imaj7 · Dm7 ii7 · Em7 iii7 · Fmaj7 IVmaj7 · G7 V7 · Am7 vi7 · Bm7b5 viiø7
• Characteristic note: the leading tone and the major triads: many remixes start from pop songs in major.
• Use: vi–IV–I–V (Am–F–C–G) as the major version of the minor loop.
• Common mistakes: forgetting that the drop is more convincing on the vi (Am): start the loop from the relative minor.

How to choose between scales

90% of slap house uses a 4-chord loop in natural minor (or the major vi–IV–I–V, which is the same cycle seen from the relative); the lead and chops sit in the minor pentatonic. In remixes the key is that of the original track, often lowered to make the bass sound good between 45 and 60 Hz.

Harmony

Function

Pop: a 4-chord loop repeated throughout the track (verse, break and drop), with the bassline playing the roots on the offbeat. No modulations.

Techniques

• i–bVI–bIII–bVII or i–bVI–bVII–i.
• Triad or add9 chords; piano or pad in the break, almost nothing in the drop (just bass and lead).
• Inversions are rare: the bass has to play a clear tonic.

Harmonic rhythm

1 chord per bar (4-bar loop) or 2 bars per chord.

Examples

• Gm–Eb–Bb–F.
• Am–F–C–G (vi–IV–I–V in C or i–bVI–bIII–bVII in A minor).
• Fm–Db–Eb–Fm.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Feel: four on the floor with a bass on the offbeat that bounces; light swing (52–56%) on shaker and hats.
• Pickup: the bass closes the bar with two sixteenth notes leading into the next kick.
• Build: snare roll (also in triplets), HP filter, vocals alone; drop with kick + bass + lead.

Drums

Kick

Short, punchy, 808/909 style with click (decay 150–200 ms), fundamental 50–60 Hz.

Clap and snare

Layered clap and snare on 2 and 4, bright, short tail.

Hi-hat

Open hat on the offbeat (often right on top of the bass), sparse closed hats, swung shaker.

Percussion

Few: rim, snap, tambourine.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Minimal; the groove comes from the bass and the sidechain.

Interaction with bass and vocals

Kick on the downbeat, bass on the offbeat: this is the definition of the genre. Vocals in the verses and breaks, chops in the drop.

Sections

Short intro (4–8 bars); verse with vocals, piano and light drums; build; drop; verse 2; drop 2; short outro.

Fills and transitions

Triplet snare rolls, 1-bar stop with vocals, short risers.

Sound choice

Modern, simple samples.

Typical mistakes

Long kick that clashes with the bass; too many rhythmic elements.

Bass

• Sound: the “slap bass”: a synth with a square or saw wave (often both) through a low-pass filter with a very short filter envelope (decay 80–150 ms) and a slight downward pitch envelope (1–3 semitones in 20–50 ms), plus light distortion; sometimes a legato “reese” (two detuned saws) in the darker versions. Sine sub underneath or included.
• Register: sub G1–A1 (49–55 Hz); “click” and harmonics 200 Hz–2 kHz.
• With the kick: bass on the offbeat (steps 3, 7, 11) with a pickup (steps 14–15); deep sidechain (6–10 dB) on everything else.
• Notes: chord roots, octave jumps on the pickup.
• Rhythm: see r-slap-house; variants with triplets in the last bar.
• Examples: “In My Mind” (Dynoro), the remix of “Roses” (Imanbek).

Harmonic instruments

Piano (often very simple) and pad in the verses and breaks; in the drop a pluck or no chords at all; acoustic guitar in some remixes.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: pop, often pitched (+/− semitones) or with a formant shift that makes them robotic; famous voices sampled from old hits.
• Backing vocals: few, doublings.
• Lead: pentatonic plucks or vocal chops in the drop; sometimes a whistled or flute melody.
• Effects: pitch/formant shift, plate reverb, dotted 1/8 delay, sidechain.

Instruments

Software synths (Serum, Sylenth1, Spire), modern drum samples, piano, pads, vocal packs or samples of well-known songs.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Mini V — Slap bass: Oscillator 1 square + 2 saw, 24 dB filter at 25–30%, env amount 60–70%, decay 100 ms, sustain 0; slight downward pitch env (use the Mini V's modulation or an automated pitch bend); moderate drive.
• Korg MS-20 V — Aggressive slap: The MS-20's resonant filter with a short env gives a sharper “slap”.
• Piano V — Verse piano: Simple, bright piano; HP 150 Hz.
• Prophet-5 V — Drop pluck: Short pluck with a closed filter, 200 ms decay.
• Jun-6 V — Pad: Soft pad with Chorus I in the break.

Song structure

Radio edit 2:20–3:00: compact pop form.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Enormous bass on the offbeat, punchy kick, clear vocals; a simple mix with few, very strong elements. High loudness. References: Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino — In My Mind, SAINt JHN — Roses (Imanbek remix).

Kick

HP 25 Hz; +2 dB 55 Hz; −4 dB 300 Hz; +2 dB 4 kHz; transient +3 dB; clipper; mono.

Clap and snare

HP 200 Hz; +2 dB 2 kHz; +2 dB 10 kHz; 4:1 GR 4 dB; plate 0.6 s.

Hi-hat and shaker

HP 500 Hz; dynamic EQ 8 kHz; panning 15–40%.

Slap bass

• EQ: HP 25 Hz; fundamental 45–65 Hz +2 dB; −3 dB at 250–350 Hz; +2 dB at 800 Hz–1.5 kHz for the “click”; LP 5 kHz.
• Compression: 4:1, attack 5 ms, GR 4–6 dB; limiter for a constant sub level.
• Saturation: moderate (tube/tape), only above 150 Hz if multiband.
• Stereo: mono below 150 Hz.
• Automation: cutoff and decay to vary drop 2.

Piano, pad, pluck

HP 200 Hz; −2 dB 300–500 Hz; plate/hall 1.5–2 s; wide; sidechain 8–10 dB (obvious pumping).

Vocals

HP 100 Hz; FET 4:1 (6 dB) + opto (2 dB); de-esser; +3 dB 3 kHz; shelf +2 dB 12 kHz; plate 1 s + dotted 1/8 delay; centered. Pitch/formant shift before the chain.

FX

Short risers, impacts, reverses.

Buses and groups

Drum bus (glue + clipper), bass bus (limiter), sidechained music bus, vocal bus.

Sidechain

Everything that isn't kick and bass: 6–10 dB, release ~150 ms at 124 BPM.

Master

EQ → compressor 1–2 dB → clipper → limiter. Target −7/−6 LUFS integrated (drop −5/−6 short-term), true peak −1 dBTP, crest factor 6–7 dB.

Common mistakes

Bass too long, overlapping the next kick; stereo sub; vocals covered by the bass between 800 Hz and 2 kHz; bass pickup that “dirties” the kick.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino — In My Mind (2018)
• SAINt JHN — Roses (Imanbek remix) (2019)
• Topic & A7S — Breaking Me (2019)

Reference listening

• Alok, Bruno Martini & Zeeba — Hear Me Now (2017)
• Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino — In My Mind (2018)
• SAINt JHN — Roses (Imanbek remix) (2019)
• Topic & A7S — Breaking Me (2019)
• Vize — Stars (2019)