Changing BPM mid set

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

What’s your… process I guess. Or plan. Not sure of how to phrase it.

I have my first live all Elektron set coming up, scary as I have had the DT for two weeks and the OT I bought 30 mins ago.

My brief is as much live tweaking as I can, people will be close and they don’t want me to hit play and go away. The style is house with old school hip hop mixed in. Think lots of old samples and mangling.

At some point I want, I mean I’ve just decided I want to try this, to change up the BPM from 120 ish to 160 ish. It allows me to go a bit more nuts. In my head I’m thinking of, over several minutes, introducing the new BPM with some mangling of the samples, so the drums introduce more complexity, and then in comes the new pattern at the new BPM.

Maybe this is in the wrong place, as I think I’m interested how you’d all do that on the DT or OT, or the pair combined. Thinking the OT can loop the last DT pattern while I then change pattern on the DT and slowly introduce it.

Thoughts?

#2

SO many options. you can do it in a transition, after a transition, creatively in an immediate change, all of the above throughout a set. Are you asking for “technically” how to do it, or “aural-aesthetically”?

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#3

Why not just elegantly adjust the speed to the target bpm and then start the new pattern? I sometimes do this and I think it’s fun.

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#4

I think both, but let’s go with aesthetically first.

I want to introduce it slowly so it messes with people then resolves.

#5

Yeah, you can do it over time… I’d suggest the music is really simple, kick/share/hat kinda thing… too complex of a pattern with a time change can be irritating. You can also have a moment with a mess of delays and a new BPM comes in under it. I think i’ve tried every transition around… it’s really what works for you in the moment… and what works for the relationship between the two “songs.”

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#6

I’d give a transitional pattern with a polymeric element a try.

An 80BPM sequenced sound that is a bit wonky or odd but playful when it holds 80BPM amidst a 120BPM rhythm section…
Solo that, tweak it a bit as an interlude, and then bring in your drums at double time 160BPM.

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#7

I’m going to play with having the first “song” in the higher BPM but not playing some trigs, so it plays like the lower BPM. Then I’ll bring in the additional trigs to introduce the new BPM.

I’ll play. New bottle of wine, and play.

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#8

That sounds fun. I’ll try that too.