Dub techno

History and character

The duo Basic Channel — Moritz von Oswald (a Hamburg percussionist) and Mark Ernestus (owner of the Hard Wax shop) — from 1993 released a series of legendary 12"s (Phylyps Trak 1993, Quadrant Dub, Octagon and Radiance 1994) and, as Maurizio, the M series (Ploy 1992, Domina 1993, M-4…M-7 1995–97); they founded Chain Reaction (Monolake, Vladislav Delay, Substance), Main Street and the mastering studio Dubplates & Mastering, then the Rhythm & Sound and Burial Mix projects with Caribbean singers.

The term “dub techno” appeared in The Wire in 2001; before that people spoke of “deep techno” or “ambient techno.” Other key names: DeepChord / Echospace (Rod Modell, Stephen Hitchell; “The Coldest Season,” 2007), Deadbeat, Andy Stott, Claro Intelecto, Shinichi Atobe, Fluxion, Quantec, Mike Huckaby; labels Echocord, Silent Season, Modern Love, Styrax Leaves.

Aesthetic: depth, fog, space, patience; minor chords immersed in delay and reverb, extremely slow evolution, multiple versions of the same track as in dub.

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 major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). The 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 D: D E F G A Bb C
• Diatonic triads: Dm i · Edim ii° · F bIII · Gm iv · Am v · Bb bVI · C bVII
• Seventh chords: Dm7 i7 · Em7b5 iiø7 · Fmaj7 bIIImaj7 · Gm7 iv7 · Am7 v7 · Bbmaj7 bVImaj7 · C7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: the b6 (Bb): deep melancholy; the minor seventh chord (Dm7, Dm9) is the symbol of the genre.
• Use: the classic Dm7/Dm9 chord stab repeated in delay; tonic bassline.
• Common mistakes: changing chords often: in dub techno a chord lasts a whole track.

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#): brighter m6 or m13 stabs.
• Use: Am6/9 stabs, i–IV alternation over a pedal.
• Common mistakes: F natural in the pad over the stab with F#.

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: all the notes “float” over the stab without clashing.
• Use: small melodic fragments, dub-style vocals.
• Common mistakes: melodies that are too present: in dub techno everything is texture.

How to choose between scales

An extended minor chord (m7, m9, m11, m6) built on the tonic and left there: Aeolian for darkness (b6), Dorian for light (6). The rest is filter, delay and reverb. The “notes” you hear changing are often harmonics of the delay feedback and of the resonance.

Harmony

Function

Static: one chord (often a minor seventh/ninth) repeated throughout the track, sometimes a second chord after 32–64 bars. The harmony lives in the timbre (filter opening/closing) and in the echoes that overlap.

Techniques

• Short chord stab (1/16) sent to a tempo-synced delay (3/16 or dotted eighth) with 50–80% feedback and a filter in the loop: the repeats form a rhythmic pad.
• Automated low-pass/band-pass filter on the stab (cutoff breathing over 8–16 bars).
• Bass pedal on the tonic.
• A second chord a whole step or a third away (i–bVII, i–bIII), very rare.

Harmonic rhythm

One stab every 1–2 bars (often on the “and” of 2 or on the offbeat), the same chord for 64+ bars.

Examples

• Dm7 / Dm9 for the whole track.
• Am9–G6 alternating every 16 bars.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Feel: straight and soft, light swing (52–55%); the groove comes from the delay repeats that create syncopations (3/16) over the 4/4.
• Accents: soft kick on the quarter notes, hats on the offbeat, stab on the offbeat or on the “and” of 2.
• Microtiming: provided by the delay and the modulations (tape wow/flutter).

Drums

Kick

On the quarter notes, soft and full (fundamental 45–55 Hz), little click, slightly saturated; often with a sub tail.

Clap and snare

Rare; an isolated rim on the “and” of 2 in delay; clap on 4 immersed in reverb.

Hi-hat

Open hat on the offbeat with medium decay, closed hats in eighth notes at low volume, shaker or filtered noise.

Percussion

Few, often “dub”: rim and perc sent to delay and spring reverb.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Low dynamics; the movement is in the FX.

Interaction with the bass and stabs

Bass on the tonic, soft; stabs in the spaces between the kicks.

Sections

Continuous evolution: filters, sends and feedback open and close.

Fills and transitions

None; “dub mixing” is used: mutes, delay sends, rising feedback.

Choosing sounds

Softened 909/808, samples with noise and hiss (vinyl, tape).

Typical mistakes

Drums that are too bright and present; no send automation; unfiltered delay (it clogs the mix).

Bass

• Sound: soft sub (sine/triangle), often long; sometimes a “dub” bass with a bit of saturation.
• Register: D1–D2.
• With the kick: light sidechain (2–4 dB) or short syncopated notes.
• Notes: tonic, sometimes fifth.

Harmonic instruments

• Minor chord stab (Juno, Prophet, sampled Rhodes, or a digital synth) through delay and reverb.
• Pad/texture: fog of reverbs, filtered noise, drone.

Melody and vocals

• Melody: almost absent; fragments in the delay.
• Vocal: in Rhythm & Sound and “vocal” dub techno, reggae/dub voices; elsewhere none or fragments.
• Effects: tape delay (Space Echo), spring reverb, plate, filters, phaser, chorus, saturation.

Instruments

Polyphonic synths (Juno, Prophet, DX), 909/808 drum machines, tape delay (Roland RE-201 Space Echo), spring reverb, dub mixer with sends, analog filters, samplers, tape recorders.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Jun-6 V — Chord stab: Minor stab: saw + pulse, filter closed at 35%, env amount 40%, decay 150–250 ms, no sustain, Chorus I; then an external 3/16 delay with 60% feedback and a filter in the loop.
• Prophet-5 V — Alternative stab: A more “digital,” brighter stab, great with the filter modulated.
• DX7 V — FM stab: Metallic, soft FM stabs (filtered FM electric piano) typical of some Chain Reaction productions.
• Solina V — Texture: Very distant string ensembles for the fog.
• Mini V — Sub: Soft sine/triangle.

Song structure

Long tracks (7–12 minutes), often in several versions (Version, Dub).

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Deep, soft, foggy: full, warm low end, dark mids, rounded highs; enormous depth created by delay and reverb; dynamics preserved. References: Basic Channel — Quadrant Dub, Maurizio — Domina, DeepChord presents Echospace — The Coldest Season.

Kick

HP 25 Hz; +2 dB at 50 Hz; −3 dB at 300 Hz; LP 8 kHz; tape; mono.

Rim and clap

HP 300 Hz; send to 3/16 delay (feedback 50–70%) and spring/plate 2–3 s; panning 20%.

Hi-hat and noise

HP 500 Hz; LP 10–12 kHz; tape; panning 15–30%.

Bass

HP 25 Hz; LP 200 Hz; tape; mono; sidechain 2–4 dB.

Chord stab

• Chain: synth → filter (automated LP/BP) → tempo-synced delay (3/16 or dotted eighth, feedback 50–80%, HP 300 Hz and LP 3–5 kHz in the feedback loop, light wow/flutter modulation) → reverb (plate or hall 3–6 s, HP 300 Hz) → tape saturation.
• EQ: HP 200 Hz on the dry stab; −3 dB at 400 Hz.
• Stereo: dry in the center, ping-pong delay or with an L/R offset (e.g. 3/16 left, 1/4 right).
• Automation: cutoff, delay feedback (up to near self-oscillation), reverb send.

Texture and pad

HP 200 Hz; LP 6 kHz; very wide; low level.

FX

The delay and reverb ARE the FX; spring reverb on the percs.

Buses and groups

Drum bus with tape; FX bus (delay + reverb) with light sidechain and saturation.

Sidechain

Light: FX 3–4 dB, bass 2–4 dB.

Master

EQ (−1 dB shelf above 10 kHz if needed) → tape → 1–2 dB compression → limiter. Target −11/−9 LUFS integrated, true peak −1 dBTP, crest factor 10–13 dB.

Common mistakes

Unfiltered delay feedback that clogs the mids; bright reverbs; a kick that's too modern; a master that's too loud and kills the depth.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Basic Channel — Quadrant Dub (1994)
• Maurizio — Domina (1993)
• DeepChord presents Echospace — The Coldest Season (2007, album)

Reference listening

• Maurizio — Ploy (1992)
• Basic Channel — Phylyps Trak (1993)
• Maurizio — Domina (1993)
• Basic Channel — Quadrant Dub (1994)
• DeepChord presents Echospace — The Coldest Season (2007, album)