John 00 Fleming - Desert Rider
My new track "Rave with the duck" is coming along nicely and has taken a more tech trance fused with psy-trance vibe. However, I'd really like to put more psy-trance elements into the song. For a second reference track I've chosen a tune by one of my favourite producers John 00 Fleming which should give me the needed kick to get it over the line. Below is my breakdown of the track.
Check out my previous post 'Guide to song analysis' to better understand my process.
Background
The song:
(MrLemilica1, 2016)
Get your copy from Beatport.com
Released 9 May 2016 Desert Rider is the 8th track on John's album Alter Ego on the JOOF Mantra label; the psychedelic arm of JOOF Recordings. The album reached the all genre number 1 spot on beatport.com in its first week. (Discogs, 2017)
(J00F, 2017)
Alter Ego is John's 3rd artist album which explores the realms of psychedelic trance in all its wonderful flavours. The album is a complex journey through sound. The listener is immersed into a world where time stands still and all that matters is what's being played.
I personally love this album it's different each time I listen to it and the songs blend seamlessly to create a work that truly embodies the psy-trance experience.
"A full album, which travels the thunderous byways, equatorial highways and infinitely hypnotic arteries of Psy."
(J00F, 2017)
Key:
D Minor
Time Signature:
4/4
BPM:
140
Genre:
Psy-Trance
Check out my analysis of Simon Patterson's Opulence for a breakdown of the Psy-Trance genre.
The Artist:
John 00 Fleming
(Fleming, 2017)
“A national treasure of trance music” – BBC Radio 1 (Essential mix)
(Fleming, 2017)
With a career spanning 3 decades it's hard to sum this artist up in a small bio. Starting out as a teenager with a residency at the legendary Sterns Nightclub in Worthing he built his legendary reputation behind the decks. With an immense back catalogue including many compilations and mix cd's; in fact Reactivate 13 is one of the first trance mix CD's I ever owned.
Known across the world for the "J00F Sound" he has championed the underground electronic music scene for many years. His Journey sets are something one must experience to understand and I've been lucky enough to have been to more than my fair share.
"The J00F sound is as unpretentious as the artist, and is best described as deep and textured progressively edged trance, in an electronic dance music style that is an antithesis to what is normally produced within the genre."
(Moshtix, 2017)
Not only a DJ he is an active force in the industry as a whole. His label J00f Recordings and sub labels J00f Mantra and J00f Aura as well as J00f Editions compilations and club nights mean you can find his influence world wide. He also host Global Trance Grooves which is a monthly podcast hosting some of the biggest names in dance music and drawing a global audience.
“One of the Pioneers of the electronic dance music scene” – The daily Telegraph Newspaper
(Fleming, 2017)
In the studio he not only produces dance music for the underground but has scored major TV and film productions. He is truly a master of the craft and respected throughout the industry.
I could go on but lets get back to the case at hand.......
Structure
As always I stuart by breaking down the track in Logic Pro X. Desert Rider almost follows a classical theme and variation structure where each part is a reinterpretation of the previous whilst maintaining true to the theme of the track however, it is more a layering of soundscapes that build on the section before. Utilising 8 bar phrasing and typical rapid 16th bass line seen in psy-trance Desert Rider is a complex journey of sound. Below is my map for breaking this track down.
The sound design in this piece is what sets it part in my mind it clever use of panning, EQ and psychoacoustics makes every instrument not only have its own place in the mix but simultaneously blend together into something truly wonderful.
Following my map above I've broken each section down to the key elements I'll be discussing later and that sections relevance to the track.
Introduction Part A (2 phrases)
Sets the mood of the track by introducing the breath "atmospheric pad"that continues through the piece binding it together.
Introduction Part B (3 phrases)
Introduces the kick and bass line so synonyms with psy-trance (I explain how to make this kind of sound here), the chord structure of the song is also introduced.
Section A (6 phrases)
"Impact toms" and percussion are used to create energy and move the track forward while the melodic theme is maintained and clever use of sound design draws the listener into the track.
Section B (4 phrases)
A "sweeping acid synth" creates movement in the harmonic content that complements the sound design and percussive elements. There is also a "subtle background arpeggio" being played along with the bass line creative tension.
Section C (2 phrases)
Introduces us to the "lead synth" which has a wonderful syncopated rhythm and rich timbre.
Middle 16 (2 phrases)
Percussion removed and the "vocal" is played giving meaning to the track as well as an interesting use of sibilance.
Section C (4 phrases)
Repeat and development of Section C before the middle 16.
Section D (2 phrases)
Bridging section leading to the breakdown also using the "subtle background arpeggio" to create tension.
Breakdown (4 phrases)
Strips everything away back to the "atmospheric pad" we started with combined with the "subtle background arpeggio" and introduces the "acid hook".
Section E (4 phrases)
Peak of the track with the "acid hook" fully unleashed complemented by the "sweeping acid synth" from Section B creating not only a peak but also a returning home for the listener.
Outro (5 phrases)
Resolution to the track with an interesting finally and a fade out from the "atmospheric pad" we began with.
Instruments
Understanding each section and the parts that have peaked my interest in each part I'll try to breakdown those key elements mentioned above and try to recreate them.
Atmospheric pad
I really love this pad as it's introduced in the intro and carried throughout the piece. It's breathy and atmospheric with a haunting held descant note that really binds the entire track together. Listening to the sound it sounds as though it's chopped out of a reverb tail somewhere. Armed with this idea a colleague showed me the worlds longest echo (get your copy here).
(Cox, 2014)
Using Alchemy in Logic Pro X and started with a simple sine wave for oscillator A, I increased the unison to 3 voices with a 50% detune to add some pulse to the note.
Then I moved to the formant section and added 12 partial formants with a partial variant setting of 54%. I also enabled the stock additive effects saw + noise which added some harmonics, Shift set to 0.1 semi tone shift effecting the upper harmonics and set Req knob to -7 which down tunes the first harmonic by 7 semitones creating a rich texture, and finally added the auto pan to give it some stereo width.
Oscillators B and C I set to noise B was pink noise and C was brown noise as pictured below.
Oscillator B
Oscillator C
Getting the balance right in the global settings is challenging here are the final settings I used.
Next came the routing first I turned the output of the original channel and just worked using sends. Creating 3 auxiliary channel strips B1, B2, and B3 respectively. Sending pre fader from the original synth patch to B1 and B2. Then sending post fader from B2 to B3 with all 3 auxiliaries being outputted to B4 which is an audio channel for recording the sound.
As for the inserts on each auxiliary Apple has a plugin called Pitch which allows for any signal being inputed to be pitched here are my settings for each as you can tell each one raises the input signal by 1 or 2 octave.
Now we get back to our reverb using that audio file as an impulse response for Logic Pro X's built in Space designer with a slow attack and fully wet signal. Settings below.
All that was left to do was to play some notes now as the song is in D minor used a very simple and record the result as audio.
8 bar Midi information.
32 Bar recording
Now I have some beautiful audio to use and an atmospheric pad.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Sweeping acid synth
This technique with a sweeping acid line is very popular in trance and techno. Here is a short video on how I recreate this classic sound using stock Logic plugins.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Lead synth
To recreate this sound I had to do a fair bit of routing so enjoy another Doctor Duck video.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Acid hook
This is one of the most challenging synth patches I've tried to recreate heres my video on how I went about it.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Composition
Desert Rider is a masterful composition with each element being brought into and out of the mix with precision. So many layers stacked without any clashes make it rather difficult to pinpoint where each sound starts and stops which is perfect for a psy-trance song. This type of mixing and composition takes the listener on a magic journey while maintaining interest with a clear display of this master producers skill and audio knowledge. I've taken three items I found really interesting to explore.
Impact toms
In the first quarter of the song (excluding introduction and outro) there is not a lot of melodic content as the scene is being set with the complex textures. To keep the song moving forward these impact toms are perfect. With a a syncopated rhythm and a hint of delay and a nice reverb tail they provide both movement and and interesting counterpoint to the repeated nature of the other elements. By happening at bar one in each of the 8 phrases they are repeated they are an effective way of building structural nesting into a composition and maintain engagement with the audience. Have a listen to the first phrase of section A where they are first introduced.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Subtle background arpeggio
Introduced in Section B this synth line is hard to single out without listening attentively to the mix. However, in my opinion it is one of the most important lines in the track. It is a simple arpeggio in D minor with a filter sweep applied. See above when I breakdown the sweeping acid synth to see how this is created. This synths is wonderful at building tension into the mix creating an uneasy feeling that requires resolution. This technique works so well in psy-trance as the drops or big melodic lines will resolve this tension and is why I think this is a key compositional technique. Have a listen to the first phrase of Section B and see if you can hear it.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Vocal
The vocal in Desert Rider is very power and the fact that there is only vocals in the middle 16 only gives more impact to them. This vocal line uses sibilance creatively. Rather than using a De-esser to remove this sound it's embraced, most likely on a duplicate track with the de-eeser set to listen mode so all that is heard is the sibilance and then that channel run through a delay and reverb to and rhythm to the vocal and it works wonderfully. Have a listen below.
(Doctor Duck, 2017)
Spectral Balance & Soundstage
As I've discussed in every analysis of spectral balance in a psy-trance song it is very hard to single out individual items positions as they are all moving so much. Almost every instrument and sound in the piece will have panning and filter automation applied somewhere through out. To that end though Desert Rider is one of the best examples of thoughtful application I've heard. As much as everything is moving nothing moves in the same was as something else and each sound has it's place. I could write for days about each sounds movement through the soundstage but to really grasp how complex and wonderful all this movement is you have to list to the song as a whole. So if you haven't taken the time to listen to the whole track scroll up pump the volume and come back to me with a smile on your face.........
Dynamic Range
As usual I've plotted out the dynamic range of this piece using the automation tools in Logic Pro X. What impresses me the most about this track is although it's a psy-trance song there is no reliance on drops to create impact. Impact is created by the melodies and the interplay rather than the silence then drop method of most productions today. There is still drops and a breakdown however, the power of this piece is constant and un relenting rather than build and drop.
Conclusion
Being a massive fan of John 00 Flemings for almost 20 years I may be a little bias however, Desert Rider and the whole Alter Ego album proves he still pushes the boundaries and leads the genre of trance music forward. In an article about the creative process behind the Alter Ego album for trance-family.com John says,
"This album was never planned, I made the tracks to fit musical gaps in my DJ sets that I couldn’t find in shops."
(TranceFamily, 2017)
This is exactly what a forward thinking producer must do an John excels at it. He not only understands the rules but also creatively breaks those rules to push genres forward. His music stands out as it educates the audience as well as captivates their imagination. He clearly understands his audience so well that can understand what's missing from his sets and actively goes about creating moments on the dance floor from his studio.
As a thank you for making your way to the end of this analysis here is John 00 Fleming's Live set from Luminosity Beach Festival 2017. If you look closely you'll even see my head popping up (keep an eye out 16:29 took me 25 minutes to make it from the other end of the festival).
(LuminosityEvents, 2017)
References
Cox, T. (2014, January 20). The World’s most reverberant space | The Sound Blog. Retrieved from https://acousticengineering.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/the-worlds-most-reverberant-space/
Discogs. (2017). John '00' Fleming Discography at Discogs: Releases. Retrieved from https://www.discogs.com/artist/11706-John-00-Fleming?filter_anv=0&type=Releases
Discogs. (2017). John '00' Fleming Discography at Discogs: Remix - Credits. Retrieved from https://www.discogs.com/artist/11706-John-00-Fleming?filter_anv=0&subtype=Remix&type=Credits
Doctor Duck. (2017, August 16). Acid Hook Recreation. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/LTLpcEhVS4o
Doctor Duck. (2017). Audio#03D Minor Pad by Doctor Duck | Free Listening on SoundCloud. Retrieved from
https://soundcloud.com/doctorduck/audio03d-minor-pad/s-QthpX
Doctor Duck. (2017, August 15). Sweeping Acid Line ES2 Logic Pro X. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/vXNrSRY4OSE
Doctor Duck. (2017, August 17). Impact Toms Example by Doctor Duck | Free Listening on SoundCloud. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/doctorduck/impact-toms-example/s-oy7mr
Doctor Duck. (2017, August 17). Subtle Background Arpeggio Example by
Doctor Duck | Free Listening on SoundCloud. Retrieved from https://soundcloud.com/doctorduck/subtle-background-arpeggio-example/s-FEEh6
Doctor Duck. (2017, August 17). Lead Synth Recreation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m310Q6UYl-Q&feature=youtu.be
Fleming, J. (2017). BIOGRAPHY - John 00 Fleming. Retrieved from http://www.john00fleming.com/biography/
Fleming, J. (2017). [J00f Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.john00fleming.com/media/
J00F. (2017). Alter Ego Album Art. Retrieved from http://www.joof.co.uk/release/alter-ego/
LuminosityEvents. (2017, July 8). John 00 Fleming [FULL SET] @ Luminosity Beach Festival 23-06-2017 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTgmn4wEAAs
Moshtix. (2017, June). Buy John 00 Fleming- Brisbane Show tickets, QLD 2017 | Moshtix. Retrieved from http://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/john-00-fleming-brisbane/95355
MrLemilica1. (2016, May 27). John 00 Fleming - Desert Rider [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ReMshqj3M
TranceFamily. (2017). John 00 Fleming “Alter Ego” [Artist Album] + EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW #TranceFamily. Retrieved from http://trance-family.com/exclusive-interview-john-00-fleming/