Electro Hop
Electro · 1983 · 105 to 120 BPM · also known as Electro Rap, West Coast Electro
The West Coast took up electro-funk in the mid-1980s: dry 808 drums, vocoders, breezy rap, and the block party culture of Los Angeles. Egyptian Lover and the World Class Wreckin' Cru, featuring a young Dr. Dre, were its stars. This is the electronic prehistory of California rap, before G-funk swapped out the machines for something warmer and funkier.
10 reference tracks
- Egyptian Lover: Egypt Egypt (1984)
- World Class Wreckin' Cru: Surgery (1984)
- Arabian Prince: Strange Life (1984)
- Unknown DJ: 808 Beats (1984)
- Rodney O and Joe Cooley: Everlasting Bass (1988)
- Uncle Jamm's Army: Dial-A-Freak (1983)
- The Unknown DJ: Basstronic (1984)
- Egyptian Lover: Girls (1984)
- World Class Wreckin' Cru: Juice (1985)
- L.A. Dream Team: The Dream Team Is In The House (1985)
At a glance
- Tempo: 105 to 120 BPM
- First appeared: around 1983
- Machines: Roland TR-808, Vocodeur
- The sound: Vocoder, Scratches, Basses synthé funk
- Labels: Egyptian Empire Records, Kru-Cut Records, Macola, Freak Beat Records
- Key artists: Egyptian Lover, World Class Wreckin' Cru, Arabian Prince, Uncle Jamm's Army
Producing Electro Hop
Play slightly faster than its Bronx electro-funk parent, between 120 and 130 BPM, with Egypt, Egypt sitting around 125, everything quantized to the sixteenth with no swing. Keep the pattern dense throughout, driven by a continuous closed hi-hat, with the rapping sitting on the eighth notes for that breezy, almost sung feel. Program the 808 dry and bare: kick on beat 1, the off-beat of 2, and just before beat 4 with a short decay, snare on 2 and 4 with a snappy top, closed hats in steady sixteenths, open hats on the off-beats, and an 808 cowbell in eighths every other bar as a near-signature sound.
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 Electro Hop?
The West Coast took up electro-funk in the mid-1980s: dry 808 drums, vocoders, breezy rap, and the block party culture of Los Angeles. Egyptian Lover and the World Class Wreckin' Cru, featuring a young Dr. Dre, were its stars. This is the electronic prehistory of California rap, before G-funk…
What tempo is Electro Hop played at?
Between 105 and 120 BPM.
Who are the key Electro Hop artists?
Egyptian Lover, World Class Wreckin' Cru, Arabian Prince, Uncle Jamm's Army.
