Minimal Tech
Minimal · 1995 · 124 to 130 BPM · also known as Plinky Plonk, Berliner School, Minimal Tech House, mnml
Minimal tech is the club minimal of the 2000s, the sound of Berlin's after-parties: a reduced but fleshy groove, round basslines, and small details that circle the stereo field across ten-minute stretches. It sits between the austere dogma of Robert Hood and the pop instincts of Kompakt, a supple middle ground that built the reputation of venues like Bar 25 and Club der Visionaere.
6 reference tracks
- Daniel Bell: Baby Judy (1995)
- Richie Hawtin: Minus Orange (1998)
- Headgear: Believers Goodbye (2002)
- Glowing Glisses: Johannas World (2002)
- Plastikman: Ping Pong (2003)
- Chris Stussy: Blueprint (2024)
At a glance
- Tempo: 124 to 130 BPM
- First appeared: around 1995
- Machines: Ableton Live, Roland TR-909, Elektron Machinedrum
- The sound: Basses rondes sub, Micro-percussions, Delays dub discrets, Groove swing appuyé
- Labels: Perlon, Cadenza, Cecille, Fuse, NovaMute
- Key artists: Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Zip, Rhadoo (pont vers la Roumanie)
Producing Minimal Tech
Sit at 124 to 127 BPM with the heaviest swing in the family after microhouse, 58 to 62 percent on the sixteenths, applied to hats, percussion and often the bass. Add timing randomness, five percent in Ableton's Groove Pool, so nothing falls the same way twice. Build a round kick with a slight boost near 46Hz, and surround it with micro-percussion: a low tom in sixteenths with gaps where the kick lands, a click filling all sixteen steps at randomized velocities, a wood block ticking three steps every two beats, and a rimshot for the clap. The bass is a round sub, sine or triangle with soft saturation, playing a single note like F1 with gaps, ducked by a hand-drawn volume automation dipping six decibels after each kick.
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 Minimal Tech?
Minimal tech is the club minimal of the 2000s, the sound of Berlin's after-parties: a reduced but fleshy groove, round basslines, and small details that circle the stereo field across ten-minute stretches. It sits between the austere dogma of Robert Hood and the pop instincts of Kompakt, a supple…
What tempo is Minimal Tech played at?
Between 124 and 130 BPM.
Who are the key Minimal Tech artists?
Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Zip, Rhadoo (pont vers la Roumanie).
In the same family
- Minimal Techno
- Tech House
- Microhouse
- Clicks & Cuts
- Minimal Prog
- Ro-Minimal
- Minimal Wave
- Deep Tech
- Fidget House
- Micro Techno
Listen to Minimal Tech in the atlas · Cette page en français
