Dark Disco
Disco · 2017 · 120 to 128 BPM
Dark disco is a slow chug between 115 and 125 beats per minute, built on organic, often live played basslines and cold synths inherited from cold wave and italo, without the euphoric build of indie dance. The movement was born between France and Germany around 2017, and it recognizes one founding track: Damon Jee's remix of Power To The People, released on Roam Recordings. The scene lives through its labels and podcasts, moving between dark clubs and festivals that have since claimed it as their own. It favors mood and tension over release, staying low and heavy rather than lifting toward a euphoric peak.
7 reference tracks
- Red Axes: Sun My Sweet Sun (2020)
- Pardon Moi: Power To The People (Damon Jee Remix) (2017)
- Darlyn Vlys: Bladed (Pardon Moi Remix) (2019)
- Darlyn Vlys: Modelo 303 (2020)
- Leonie Pernet: Missing Love (Jennifer Cardini & Damon Jee Remix) (2019)
- Damon Jee: Revolte (2022)
- Perel: Jesus Was an Alien (2022)
At a glance
- Tempo: 120 to 128 BPM
- First appeared: around 2017
- Machines: Roland TR-808, Roland Juno-106, Korg MS-20, Ableton Live
- The sound: Basses jouées puis traitées, Synthés froids type cold wave, Clones de TR-808, Delays et réverbérations longues
- Labels: Roam Recordings, Dust & Blood, Bordello A Parigi, Pets Recordings, Correspondant, Polaris
- Key artists: Damon Jee, Darlyn Vlys, Pardon Moi, Freudenthal, AFFKT, MMYYLO, Surfface, Panthera
Producing Dark Disco
Set the tempo at 120 BPM, heavy and steady with little or no swing: the track should advance on a hypnotic plateau rather than build to a euphoric peak. An 808 clone kick, round and slightly long, holds all four beats, with a dry clap or snare on two and four and closed hi hats in eighths opening on the offbeat for a marching feel. 808 toms hammer eighth note patterns through the second half of each bar, the genre's tribal signature. The bass, often a real electric bass or a Korg MS-20, sawtooth, low pass filtered near 400 Hz, compressed hard, chorused and saturated, repeats a minor riff for bars at a time and doubles the kick. On top sit an acid MS-20 lead, unchorused Juno-106 pads, spoken low reverbed vocals, and long delayed guitars.
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 Dark Disco?
Dark disco is a slow chug between 115 and 125 beats per minute, built on organic, often live played basslines and cold synths inherited from cold wave and italo, without the euphoric build of indie dance. The movement was born between France and Germany around 2017, and it recognizes one founding…
What tempo is Dark Disco played at?
Between 120 and 128 BPM.
Who are the key Dark Disco artists?
Damon Jee, Darlyn Vlys, Pardon Moi, Freudenthal, AFFKT, MMYYLO, Surfface, Panthera.
