The pattern
130 BPM · 4/4 · 16 step
| Instrument | Beat 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Beat 2 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Beat 3 | Step 10 | Step 11 | Step 12 | Beat 4 | Step 14 | Step 15 | Step 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest |
| Snare | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | hit | rest | rest | rest |
| Closed hi-hat | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest | hit | rest |
| Crash | hit | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest | rest |
How to play it and where it comes from
The motorik (Klaus Dinger of Neu!, then Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, PiL, Stereolab, Arctic Monkeys): an identical 4/4 bar repeated for minutes, even eighth-note hi-hat, snare on 2 and 4 with no ghosts, kick on 1, the '&' of 2 and 3 (one of the most common transcriptions: every drummer personalizes it). No fills: the tension comes from repetition and from the variations in guitars and synths; the start of a section is marked only with a crash or a splash. Moderate tempo, usually 120–150.