Swayed
Start a track the way Kiasmos often do, from a drum machine groove, and bring it to life with small changes on single steps.
What Kiasmos said
Ólafur Arnalds called Swayed a nod to their early, more techno days. Janus Rasmussen said it came late, was driven by the groove, and is full of micro edits to the synths and effects. Ólafur has also said they often start a track from a beat on an Elektron Machinedrum and jam over it. It runs at about 122 BPM.
Groove first
Starting from the beat gives every later part something to lock to. Techno at 120–130 BPM usually means a kick on every beat, an open hat between the beats, and a clap or snare on 2 and 4.
Found sounds as hats
On their first album they used a thumb piano, finger snaps and the grinding wheel of a lighter where others would use electronic hi-hats. Any short, bright sound can do a hi-hat's job.
Micro edits
Small changes on single steps, a bit longer here, a touch lower there, keep a loop from sounding copied and pasted. On Elektron machines these are parameter locks: hold a step and turn a knob.
Song study
- Swayed.
- In this lesson you will start a track the way Kiasmos often do, from a drum machine groove, and bring it to life with small changes on single steps.
The classic techno frame at 122 BPM
A kick on every beat, an open hat in between, a clap on 2 and 4. Press Play.
The open hat between the kicks is what pushes it forward.
Kiasmos swapped electronic hats for things like finger snaps and a lighter's wheel. Compare a clean hat with a mix of small found-sound hits.
The found sounds feel more like a room and less like a machine.
Micro edits
The same sound on every step, but some steps get their own small change.
Hold a step and turn a knob, and only that step changes. Elektron calls this a parameter lock.
Go to this study's own pattern
- Hold PATTERN, press T3 (bank C).
- Then press 3.
- If anything plays there, clear it with FUNC + PLAY.
- Press TEMPO, set 122 BPM with LEVEL/DATA, and press BACK.
C03 on the screen, at 122 BPM.
- Set the machines this study needs, the same layout as your course track: T1 KICK, T2 SNARE, T3 METAL, T4 PERC.
- For each: hold TRACK, press the pad, press MACHINES, turn LEVEL/DATA to the machine and press BACK.
Lay the frame
- Press RECORD.
- On T1, kicks on 1, 5, 9 and 13.
- On T2, a snare on 5 and 13.
- On T3, hats on 3, 7, 11 and 15, with DECAY turned up so they ring open.
- Press PLAY.
The techno frame from the grid.
Make a found-sound tick
- Select T4 (PERC), turn PITCH right up and DECAY down until it clicks like wood.
- Place it on every even trig, 2 to 16.
A small, woody tick filling the gaps, more object than drum.
Micro edits
- Hold 6 and turn DECAY up a little.
- Hold 10 and turn PITCH down a little.
- Hold 14 and turn DECAY down a little.
Three ticks now sound slightly different. Their keys flash quickly to show the locks.
Jam over it
- Press RECORD to leave grid recording, select T4 and slowly ride DECAY and COLOR while it plays.
- Save: hold FUNC and long-press SETTINGS.
The groove stays steady while the small sounds keep changing.
How do Kiasmos often start a track?
Answer
From a beat. Ólafur Arnalds said they often start from a groove on an Elektron Machinedrum and jam over it. Swayed is one of their most groove-driven tracks.
Start with the groove, then give single steps their own small changes.
This lesson's challenge
Lock a different PITCH on every one of the eight ticks to turn a percussion sound into a tiny melody.