Folktronica
Downtempo · 2003 · 80 to 110 BPM · also known as Folk Electronica, Acoustronica
Folktronica is the folding of folk music into electronic production at the turn of the 2000s: acoustic guitars chopped up on a laptop, clicks and textures layered over chamber sized melodies. Four Tet's album Pause is its founding statement, with The Books offering a more collage driven version. The name has aged badly, and the approach it described became so common that nobody bothers naming it anymore, which may be the very definition of success.
11 reference tracks
- Four Tet: She Moves She (2003)
- The Books: Take Time (2003)
- The Books: Tokyo (2003)
- Four Tet: My Angel Rocks Back And Forth (2003)
- Tunng: Bullets (2007)
- Caribou: Melody Day (2007)
- Bibio: Curls (2019)
- Four Tet: Teenage Birdsong (2019)
- Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
- Tunng: Hustle
- The Books: Twelve Fold Chain
At a glance
- Tempo: 80 to 110 BPM
- First appeared: around 2003
- Machines: Guitare électrique, Akai MPC, Ordinateur
- The sound: Guitares acoustiques samplées, Découpes granulaires, Field recordings domestiques, Laptop et MPC
- Labels: Tomlab, Domino, Leaf, Temporary Residence, Text
- Key artists: Four Tet, The Books, Tunng, Caribou (frange), Múm
Producing Folktronica
Folktronica runs 80 to 125 BPM with often irregular loop lengths, three bars, five beats, seven eighths, because the tempo is a consequence of the loop rather than a starting choice. The kit is built from noises and fragments, a table hit, a key, a finger snap, a soft kick from a low tom, a snare that might be a rimshot or chopped guitar hit, granular clicks standing in for hats. The bass stays discreet and often skips the sub range, a sampled double bass, gently played electric bass, or looped low guitar string, playing sparse root and fifth motifs, since the genre is meant for living room speakers. Sampled acoustic guitar is the raw material, chopped into slices that get reordered and pitched, joined by harp, banjo, toy instruments and domestic field recordings.
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 Folktronica?
Folktronica is the folding of folk music into electronic production at the turn of the 2000s: acoustic guitars chopped up on a laptop, clicks and textures layered over chamber sized melodies. Four Tet's album Pause is its founding statement, with The Books offering a more collage driven version.…
What tempo is Folktronica played at?
Between 80 and 110 BPM.
Who are the key Folktronica artists?
Four Tet, The Books, Tunng, Caribou (frange), Múm.
