History of Progressive House…
Leftfield – Neil Barnes Right & Paul Daley Left.
Progressive house made its way across Europe in the late 1980’s, but it made its home in the UK in the 1990’s. Progressive House is a mix of American and European House.
In 1990, Leftfields’ Neil Barnes released his debut single, ‘Not Forgotten’ [2]. This was the first ever Progressive House track to be produced. After, this song was created, many DJ’s tried to sample it, however it received backlash and it didn’t make the charts. Neil Barnes blames Rhythm Kings; the record label he was signed to at the time, for his song not making t into the club scene.
Neil and Rhythm Kings were fighting back-and-forth. Paul Daley left A Man Called Adam, to help Neil begin his long journey to get away from the Rhythm Kings contract. This would spark a friendship and later they would start creating Progressive House tracks under the name of Leftfield. They later go on and create ‘Release The Pressure’ [2] Which would make it to the charts and pioneer Progressive House for generations. [1]
Technology of Progressive House…
I have found a website [4] that explains how to create a Progressive House track, however it reads about today’s Progressive House and not the 90’s. I will refer to this in a blog and will use this when creating a track.
In the 90’s Progressive House was in its early stages, so many instruments that were used in the 90’s was the conventional: Synthesizers, 808 & 909 Drum machines, Roland TR-303 Bassline Synth Machine. [5] These instruments are used in every House sub-genre.
The TR-808 has a very distinctive sound, it sounds very vintage and resonant.
However, the TR-909 is very different to the 808. It sounds very late 80’s , almost acid-y.
And finally the Roland TR-303 Baseline Synth, this also sounds very acid-y however, it can be changed to different sounds using the controls.
In the 00’s, the instruments didn’t change, however the way they were played did. In the late 90’s Progressive House was beginning to make its way into the club scene, similar to its older relatives: Deep House, House, Trance and Disco. However once its was in its “Teenage years” it became dark and moody.
In the 2010’s some House artists made the transition to Progressive House and made a new style of it. They would use a more up-to-date drum machine and implement pianos, guitars, percussion, brass and more lyrical elements. This paved the way for a new artists wanting to make different style of House.
How to play Progressive House: The Characteristics…
When making any type of House track you need to think about what instruments you want, usually I would find the right drums first before I make any song. I do this as it helps narrow down the sub-genre I want of make. I usually go with the drums that sound similar to either the Roland TB-808 or 909.
Most Progressive House songs are played at around 125 – 130 BPM [6]. But like in most House genres, it can vary. Key Signature, it depends on what type of mood you want to give your audience. there is no main key, it is entirely up to you. [7 & 8]
‘Progressive house is based on the melody of the synthesizer lead and its repetition. The tempo averages around 125-130 BPM, with 128 BPM being the most common. The drum beat is simple; a 4/4 kick drum is used to keep the track in time, claps are placed on every second beat (sometimes on every beat) and closed hi-hats are often placed between the kick and clap (rhythmic patterns vary).’ – [9]
Some producers even add reversed hi-hats and reverbed claps to make the beat more interesting for the audience.
[10]
References…
[1] Dj Tó-zé Bruno. (2018). Release The Pressure – Leftfield. [Online Video]. 2 June 2014. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z15lJR79pTg. [Accessed: 1 May 2018]. Secondary Source
[2] Backintday. (2018). Leftfield – Not Forgotten. [Online Video]. 27 July 2009. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwvxtg1_zAs. [Accessed: 1 May 2018]. Secondary Source
[3] PushStuff. 2018. LEFTFIELD RELEASE THE PRESSURE!. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pushstuff.co.uk/mmfeatures/leftfield051292.html. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Secondary Source
[4] Skifonixsounds.com. 2016. 5 Progressive House Tips. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.skifonixsounds.com/single-post/2016/03/18/5-Progressive-House-Tips-1. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Primary Source
[5] Roland.co.uk. 2018. Flashback: TB-303 Bassline Synth. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.roland.co.uk/blog/flashback-tb-303-bassline-synth/. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Primary Source
[6] Vince. 2013. List of Average Tempo (BPM) By Genre. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.digitaldjhub.com/average-bpm-of-music/. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Primary Source
[7] forum.djtechtools.com. 2018. Reading/Learning how to do Progressive House melodys?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=40177. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Primary Source
[8] lostinmusik.wordpress.com. 2011. Is there a correct key to write dance music in? The short answer is yes. [ONLINE] Available at: https://lostinmusik.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/is-there-a-correct-key-to-write-dance-music-in-the-short-answer-is-yes/. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Primary Source
[9] davidharpersae. 2015. AN ANALYSIS OF PROGRESSIVE HOUSE. [ONLINE] Available at: https://davidharpersae.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/analysing-the-characteristics-and-techniques-used-in-progressive-house/. [Accessed 1 May 2018]. Primary Source
[10] Luke Morton. (2018). How to Reverse an Audio Track. [Online Video]. 3 May 2018. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT3cB6oEhTw&list=PLGOsRrvrBlBdctV1lipSse1Dy8z0uHquT. [Accessed: 3 May 2018]. Primary Source
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