Drop (music)

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In this spectrogram of Disparition's track Glass Tiger, the buildup and drop are visible leading up to 2:05 Disparition - Neukrk - Glass Tiger.svg
In this spectrogram of Disparition's track Glass Tiger , the buildup and drop are visible leading up to 2:05

A drop or beat drop in music, made popular by electronic dance music (EDM) styles, is a point in a music track where a sudden change of rhythm or bass line occurs, which is preceded by a build-up section and break. [1]

Contents

Originating from disco and 1970s rock, drops are found in genres such as EDM, trap, hip-hop, K-pop and country. With the aid of music production applications, drops can vary in instrumentation and sound. Electronic instruments and tools for making drops include oscillating synthesizers, vocal samples, a drum beat, and basslines.

Certain drops can include a "beat-up" (so-named because it is a point where the volume of the foundational kick drum beat is increased, after it has been faded down during a break or buildup) and "climax" (a single, striking drop done late in the track). There are also types of drops which deviate from the standard, such as "anti-drops" (songs in which the chorus is more minimal than the build-up) and consecutive "superseding-drops".

History

The drop "...grew out of '70s rock". [2] A subtype of the drop, the bass drop, was used in the Miami bass subgenre of hip hop music in the 1980s. The bass drop was produced using the Roland TR-808's deep drum machine kick drum sound. [3] Since then, the TR-808 bass drop has been incorporated into a number electronic dance music genres, either produced by a TR-808 or using a sample of a TR-808 bass drop. The EDM drop has continued to evolve over time, circulating through different sub-genres.

Genres

Electronic dance music

Many genres of EDM have more than one drop during a track, especially if the song is built on a "dance-pop" verse/chorus with vocals; a drop may be heard somewhere during each chorus as the high point of that verse/chorus cycle. Some songs tend to emphasize a single drop as the beginning of the high point, or climax, of the track; in vocal sub-genres this occurs most in the last repetition of the chorus, while in nonvocal genres it occurs in the last quarter of the track.

Pop-drop

Pop-drop is an element in a pop music track which, from a traditional perspective, serves as a kind of "post-chorus interlude", but is also regarded as the new climax point in pop music songs since the mid-2010s, downgrading the chorus to a building element of the drop section. [2] [8] [9] [10] [11] It has been described as early as December 2016 by Switched on Pop author Charlie Harding in the Billboard magazine, claiming 2016 to be "the year of the pop-drop". [2]

Artists having included pop-drops in their songs include Rihanna and Calvin Harris's "We Found Love" (2011), Ariana Grande's "Problem" (2014), Justin Bieber's "Sorry" and "What Do You Mean", and The Chainsmokers's "Closer" (2016). [8] [9] [11]

Other genres

In hip hop, the first drop and the climax are particularly emphasized using kicks, snares, hi-hats, 808 bass line and a melodic element. [12]

In metalcore subgenres, bass drops are often utilized under the first chord of a breakdown, to emphasize the breakdown and give it a pronounced presence. A bass drop in this genre may be done using electronic drums with a sample pad triggered by the drummer or a backing track, either of which is sent to a venue's PA system. [13]

Production

Tools and applications

In EDM, drops are created on applications such as FL Studio, Ableton, or Logic. [14] These are digital audio workstations built with electronic music-making capabilities that allow producers and DJs to fine-tune sounds for their music. Within these applications, producers can use built-in sound kits, custom sounds, or synthesizers to create unique electronic sounds and effects.

Creation of the buildup and drop

The composition of a drop is preceded by a buildup, which is accomplished through a transition from the verse into an interlude of repeating sounds, increased drum speed, and substantial volume growth. [15] For example, in Calvin Harris's "This is What You Came For", the buildup consists of a repeating vocal line, accompanied by a rapidly increasing snare drum tempo, and swells of synthesizers rising in volume. The repetitive vocal lines and increase in volume and tempo create tension that is broken by the full capacity of the drop. Some build-ups end with a bar of silence that adds to the dramatic flair of the drop. [16]

The drop of a song may consist of a fuller bass, an affected vocal line, swelling atmospheric synthesizers, layered leads, hard-hitting drums, and white noise. [17] The drop is the loudest portion of an EDM song. Buildup and verses are frequently utilized to bring focus to the drop. This is exemplified in "This is What You Came For", as the drop consists of a catchy vocal sample of the previous lyric "you" chopped up and heavily processed to create a repetitive and enchanting melody. This is complemented by a bass vox, layered house synths, and a high-hat focused drum beat. At the climax of the song, the drop in EDM diverges from the notions of pop songs that are vocal-heavy, and shifts it onto the electronic sounds. [18]

Live mixing

Drop mixing is a transition technique which involves a sudden switch from one song to the next. There are two ways in which this can be done: "dropping on the one", where the transition occurs at the beginning of the bar, and "dropping at the four", where the transition occurs at the end of the bar. [19] DJs use this technique at the location of the drop: the build-up of one song transitions into the break of another song. This abrupt change in melody or tempo can be used to draw the audience's attention to the performance. A similar drop technique commonly seen in trap and dubstep performances is drop swapping, where the build-ups of two songs are simultaneously played and then swapped at the climax. [20]

Suggested physical effects

Effects on the brain

The brain commonly interprets music through predictions and recognition of melodic patterns. This does not apply to a drop as it subverts musical predictability. For this reason, different regions of the brain can be stimulated more than others during a drop. [21]

According to one study during the pre-drop, the precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus, whose functions are related to the recognition of tempo, pitch, rhythm and intensity, show the highest level of activity. Activation in this area correlates with the formation of emotions such as tension and anticipation. A large amount of activity in the PreCG and the PostCG during the pre-drop thus reflects the listener experiencing these emotions ahead of the climax. [21]

Effects on the body

The body’s natural reaction to music is movement, mainly by means of dancing to the beat of the song. These include head and hip movements, tapping feet, and waving arms. The effects that music has on the brain stimulates the listener’s tendency to dance, so a large objective of a DJ’s performance is to exploit this phenomenon. In a group setting, strong musical elements such as bass lines can cause an interpersonal synchronization response where the pleasure created from music is transported to the collective movement of people. Dancing in a group can create changes in behavior, enhancing social bonds between group members and generating relaxation and euphoria. [22]

In an EDM drop, each component of the break routine creates a different intensity peak as they vary in structure and instrumentation. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drum and bass</span> Type of electronic music

Drum and bass is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast breakbeats with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples, and synthesizers. The genre grew out of the UK's jungle scene in the 1990s.

Miami bass is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexually explicit lyrical content differentiate it from other hip hop subgenres. Music author Richie Unterberger has characterized Miami bass as using rhythms with a "stop-start flavor" and "hissy" cymbals with lyrics that "reflected the language of the streets, particularly Miami's historically black neighborhoods such as Liberty City, Goulds, and Overtown".

Electro is a genre of electronic music and early hip hop directly influenced by the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machines and funk. Records in the genre typically feature heavy electronic sounds, usually without vocals, although if vocals are present they are delivered in a deadpan manner, often through electronic distortion such as vocoding and talkboxing. It palpably deviates from its predecessor boogie by being less vocal-oriented and more focused on electronic beats produced by drum machines.

In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece. A break is usually interpolated between sections of a song, to provide a sense of anticipation, signal the start of a new section, or create variety in the arrangement.

Tadao Kikumoto is Roland's senior managing director and head of its R&D center. He designed the TB-303 bass synthesizer and the TR-909 drum machine. He was also the chief engineer of the Roland TR-808 drum machine.

Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. Since its inception EDM has expanded to include a wide range of subgenres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance music</span> Music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance music. While there exist attestations of the combination of dance and music in ancient history, the earliest Western dance music that we can still reproduce with a degree of certainty are old-fashioned dances. In the Baroque period, the major dance styles were noble court dances. In the classical music era, the minuet was frequently used as a third movement, although in this context it would not accompany any dancing. The waltz also arose later in the classical era. Both remained part of the romantic music period, which also saw the rise of various other nationalistic dance forms like the barcarolle, mazurka, ecossaise, ballade and polonaise.

Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many DJ Mag Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Aoki, and Deadmau5.

Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is characterized by complex hi-hat patterns, snare drums, kick drums, some tuned with a long decay to emit a bass frequency, and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence.

Future bass is a style of electronic dance music which developed in the 2010s that mixes elements of dubstep and trap with warmer, less abrasive rhythms. The genre was pioneered by producers such as Rustie, Hudson Mohawke, Lido, San Holo and Cashmere Cat, and it was popularised in the mid to late-2010s by artists such as Flume, Martin Garrix, Illenium, Louis the Child and Mura Masa. 2016 was seen as the breakout year for the genre.

Tanner Petulla, known professionally as Getter, is an American DJ, producer, rapper and actor from San Jose, California.

Big room house or simply big room is a fusion subgenre of house music that gained popularity in the early 2010s. Characterized by its simple instrumentation yet complex structure, big room house soon revolutionized the EDM scene into multiple subgenres that we know today.

EDM trap is a fusion genre of hip hop, rave music and EDM, that originated in the early 2010s on peaking popularity of big room house and trap music genres. It blends elements of trap, which is an offshoot of Southern hip hop, with elements of electronic dance music like build-ups, drops, sound designs, productions and breakdowns. As it was popularized, it increasingly began incorporating more pop elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agen Wida</span> 2018 single by Joyryde and Skrillex

"Agen Wida" is a song by English DJ and producer Joyryde and American record producer Skrillex. It was released on 19 October 2018 by American record label Owsla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sell Out (Marshmello and Svdden Death song)</span> 2019 song by Marshmello and Svdden Death

"Sell Out" is a song by American electronic music producer and DJ Marshmello and Los Angeles–based riddim producer Svdden Death. It was released on February 8, 2019 by Marshmello-owned American record label Joytime Collective/Geffen Records.

Bass music is a term used to describe several genres of electronic dance music and hip hop music arising from the 1980s on, focusing on a prominent bass drum and/or bassline sound. As one source notes, there are "many different types of bass music to fall into, each putting a different spin on one of music's loudest elements". Typically, the bass sound is created using synthesizers and drum machines such as the influential Roland TR-808.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Must Die!</span> American electronic musician

Lee Austin Bates, better known by his alias Must Die, is an American electronic musician, DJ, and producer. Born in Houston, Bates is associated primarily for his music in the dubstep genre. Bates is known for the track "VIPs", a collaboration with American musician Skrillex, released on the label Owsla. Bates has collaborated with artists such as Skream, Eptic, Zomboy, and Boyinaband, and has produced remixes for Svdden Death, Seven Lions, Excision, and Slander, among others.

References

  1. ↑ Young, Rob (2010). La guida alla musica moderna di Wire (in Italian). Isbn Edizioni. ISBN   978-88-7638-180-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Harding, Charlie (19 December 2016). "How the Pop-Drop Became the Sound of 2016". Billboard.
  3. ↑ Owen, Frank (February 1990). "Pump the Bass". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 11. pp. 22–24.
  4. ↑ "What is Trap Music? Trap Music Explained | Run The Trap". Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  5. ↑ Iler, Devin (December 2011). Formal Devices of Trance and House Music: Breakdowns, Buildups, and Anthems (Thesis).
  6. ↑ D’Errico, Mike (2015). "Electronic Dance Music in the Dubstep Era". Oxford Handbook Topics in Music. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935321.013.74. ISBN   978-0-19-993532-1.
  7. ↑ Steventon, John (2010). DJing for dummies. Internet Archive. Chichester, West Sussex, England : John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-0-470-66372-1.[ page needed ]
  8. 1 2 Savage, Mark (11 January 2020). "Five ways music changed in the 2010s". BBC . Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 Hogan, Mark (25 September 2017). "Uncovering How Streaming Is Changing the Sound of Pop". Pitchfork . Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Sloan, Nate; Harding, Charlie; Gottlieb, Iris (2020). "When the Drop Broke the Pop Song". Switched on Pop. pp. 46–52. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190056650.003.0005. ISBN   978-0-19-005665-0.
  11. 1 2 Sloan, Nate; Harding, Charlie (14 March 2021). "Opinion | The Culture Warped Pop, for Good". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ "Beat Making 101: How to Make a Beat". iZotope. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  13. ↑ Giordano, James (2016-04-19). Maldynia: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Illness of Chronic Pain. CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-4398-3631-6.
  14. ↑ "How To Make EDM Music - A Quick Guide". Supreme Tracks. 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  15. ↑ "The Ultimate Guide to Build-ups". EDMProd. 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  16. ↑ Osborn, Brad (2019). "Risers, Drops, and a Fourteen-Foot Cube: A Transmedia Analysis of Emil Nava, Calvin Harris, and Rihanna's 'This is What You Came For'". In Vernallis, Carol; Rogers, Holly; Perrott, Lisa (eds.). Transmedia Directors: Artistry, Industry and New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Humanities Commons. pp. 159–168. doi:10.17613/mhwb-xm96. ISBN   978-1-5013-3926-4.
  17. ↑ "9 Tips to Produce an EDM Drop that Hits Harder". iZotope. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
  18. ↑ "The Major Difference Between Pop and EDM". One EDM. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  19. ↑ "How To Dropmix Like A Pro Hip Hop DJ - Easy Beginner Tutorial". Digital DJ Tips. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  20. ↑ "DDJ-400 DJ Controller Mixing Technique Tutorials - News - Pioneer DJ News". Pioneer DJ. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  21. 1 2 Turrell, Amelia; Halpern, Andrea R; Javadi, Amir-Homayoun (14 May 2019). "When tension is exciting: an EEG exploration of excitement in music". doi:10.1101/637983. S2CID   164783136.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. 1 2 Solberg, Ragnhild Torvanger; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum (March 2019). "Group behaviour and interpersonal synchronization to electronic dance music". Musicae Scientiae. 23 (1): 111–134. doi:10.1177/1029864917712345. hdl: 10852/59846 . S2CID   148733811.


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