Techstep
Breaks · 1995 · 170 to 180 BPM · also known as Tech Step
Techstep is the cold turn drum and bass took between 1996 and 1998: industrial two step breaks, twisting basslines and dystopian science fiction imagery. Labels like No U-Turn and Virus were its factories, with Ed Rush and Optical as chief engineers. Techstep shifted the genre's center of gravity from the sound system to the laboratory, and it paved the way for neurofunk, which would later systematize its methods.
12 reference tracks
- Photek: UFO (1995)
- Dom and Roland: Thunder (1998)
- Ed Rush & Optical: Wormhole (1998)
- Konflict: Messiah (2000)
- Ed Rush and Optical: Bacteria (1998)
- Dom & Roland: Industry (1998)
- Noisia: Motion Blur
- Dom & Roland: Elektra
- Ed Rush, Optical & Fierce: Alien Girl
- Dom & Roland: Connected
- Noisia: Alpha Centauri
- Dom & Roland: Spirit Train
At a glance
- Tempo: 170 to 180 BPM
- First appeared: around 1995
- Machines: Akai S3000, Clavia Nord Lead, Roland TR-909, Steinberg Cubase
- The sound: Basse Reese distordue resamplée, Breaks two-step secs, Filtrage et resampling en série, Ambiances SF froides
- Labels: Virus Recordings, Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, No U-Turn, Individual, Vision Recordings
- Key artists: Ed Rush & Optical, Trace, Dom & Roland, Fierce, Bad Company UK (charnière)
Producing Techstep
Techstep runs at 170 BPM, colder than classic drum and bass because everything sits on a square grid: kick on the one, snare on two and four. There are only two real drum layers, a very short kick with no sub around 80 to 120 Hz and a dry, unreverbed snare, often an isolated Think or Amen hit compressed hard. The bass is a Reese built from two detuned saws in mono, recorded to audio and run repeatedly through overdrive, a slowly moving lowpass filter and further distortion until it vibrates on its own. A Nord Lead supplies the raw Reese material and an Akai S3000 resamples and refilters it in series, while dystopian film dialogue, machine noise and metallic drones sit low in the mix around a single melodic synth.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Techstep?
Techstep is the cold turn drum and bass took between 1996 and 1998: industrial two step breaks, twisting basslines and dystopian science fiction imagery. Labels like No U-Turn and Virus were its factories, with Ed Rush and Optical as chief engineers. Techstep shifted the genre's center of gravity…
What tempo is Techstep played at?
Between 170 and 180 BPM.
Who are the key Techstep artists?
Ed Rush & Optical, Trace, Dom & Roland, Fierce, Bad Company UK (charnière).
