Futurepop
Industrial · 2000 · 120 to 135 BPM · also known as Future Pop
Futurepop is the melodic turn the electro industrial scene took around the year 2000: trance style song structures, clearly sung choruses, and a dark, uplifting sound built specifically for gothic and industrial clubs. VNV Nation wrote its manifesto, with Covenant and Apoptygma Berzerk following close behind, softening the scene's earlier harshness into something people could sing along to. It was adored by newcomers and hated by purists for the very same reason, because it finally made the industrial scene sing.
14 reference tracks
- Apoptygma Berzerk: Kathy's Song (2000)
- VNV Nation: Beloved (2002)
- Covenant: Call the Ships to Port (2002)
- Assemblage 23: Document (2002)
- Icon Of Coil: Access And Amplify (2002)
- Assemblage 23: Factory (2020)
- Empathy Test: Monsters (2020)
- VNV Nation: Invictus (2023)
- Icon of Coil: Shelter
- Icon of Coil: Dead Enough For Life
- Apoptygma Berzerk: Starsign
- VNV Nation: Illusion
- Covenant: Bullet
- VNV Nation: Further
At a glance
- Tempo: 120 to 135 BPM
- First appeared: around 2000
- Machines: Access Virus, Roland JP-8000, Clavia Nord Lead, Steinberg Cubase
- The sound: Supersaw trance, Séquences EBM adoucies, Chant clair lead, Production club léchée
- Labels: Metropolis, Off Beat, Dependent, Ka2 Music
- Key artists: VNV Nation, Covenant, Apoptygma Berzerk, Assemblage 23
Producing Futurepop
Futurepop runs 125 to 140 BPM, mostly 128 to 135, straight and steady with a trance feel, a regular four on the floor, open hats on the offbeats and snare rolls building into every chorus. A treated kick with a tight sub plays every beat under a layered clap and snare on two and four through a bright plate reverb, closed hats alternating velocities in sixteenths, an open hat on the offbeats. The bass sits between EBM and trance, a sawtooth through a lowpass filter playing sixteenths that avoid the kick for a rolling feel or run continuously with an EBM style accent. A supersaw built from detuned, unison saws carries the choruses, plucks carry the verses, and a clear, doubled vocal sits over wide cold pads and softened EBM sequences.
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 Futurepop?
Futurepop is the melodic turn the electro industrial scene took around the year 2000: trance style song structures, clearly sung choruses, and a dark, uplifting sound built specifically for gothic and industrial clubs. VNV Nation wrote its manifesto, with Covenant and Apoptygma Berzerk following…
What tempo is Futurepop played at?
Between 120 and 135 BPM.
Who are the key Futurepop artists?
VNV Nation, Covenant, Apoptygma Berzerk, Assemblage 23.
