Deep Tech
Minimal · 1989 · 120 to 126 BPM
The London crossover of minimal and tech house in the 2010s: dark sub bass inherited from UK garage, rolling grooves, a basement mood rather than a festival one. A scene of residencies and intimate clubs, driven by FUSE and its offshoots, where the flow of the set matters more than any single track, and continuity between records is prized above drama.
7 reference tracks
- Baby Ford: Normal (1989)
- Losoul: Overland (1998)
- Hakan Lidbo: Televinken (1999)
- Little Green Men: Time Changes (1999)
- Interpol: Personal Use (2001)
- Michael Bibi: Hanging Tree (2019)
- PAWSA: Dirty Cash (Money Talks) (2024)
At a glance
- Tempo: 120 to 126 BPM
- First appeared: around 1989
- Machines: Ableton Live, Roland TR-909, Akai MPC
- The sound: Basses sub UK, Percussions roulantes, Hats serrés, Textures discrètes
- Labels: Up The Stuss, Moss Co., One Records, FUSE
- Key artists: Enzo Siragusa, Rich NxT, Seb Zito, Rossko
Producing Deep Tech
Sit at 125 to 128 bpm, with a groove inherited from UK garage: 55 to 58 percent swing on the sixteenths, accents landing on the off eighths, while kick and bass stay straight. Build a dry, short 909 kick with a marked click, a thin clap or rimshot on 2 and 4, tight closed hats on every sixteenth, and rolling percussion, a tom or conga with gaps, plus a shaker and a block pattern that drops a step every 4 bars. The sub bass carries the track: a low sine with light saturation, holding two beats then a short note, joined by a triangle an octave up, gliding to the minor seventh, sidechained from the kick. Keep textures sparse, a fading minor chord, a pitched-down vocal fragment, and low club recordings for atmosphere.
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 Deep Tech?
The London crossover of minimal and tech house in the 2010s: dark sub bass inherited from UK garage, rolling grooves, a basement mood rather than a festival one. A scene of residencies and intimate clubs, driven by FUSE and its offshoots, where the flow of the set matters more than any single…
What tempo is Deep Tech played at?
Between 120 and 126 BPM.
Who are the key Deep Tech artists?
Enzo Siragusa, Rich NxT, Seb Zito, Rossko.
