When looking at the Brazilian electronic music scene, it’s easy to find important pieces that move the board there. Gabriel Evoke is one of them. It has been 15 years of career and experiences in the effervescence of the rave-movement that took place in the country in the 00s, which allowed the artist to have enough versatility to try different sounds such as Tech House, House, Deep and Minimal.
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All this connection with music motivated him to create his own label, Namata Records, which references the forest in its name and takes us to the style that appears in the title of this article. It is through it that the artist has delved deeper into the clean lines of the style and through the curatorship and his own creations he has made Namata stand out.
Embracing the concept of less is more and always seeking to numb and hypnotize the listener, Gabriel Evoke found in the lines of Minimal House the right form of expression, flirting with Deep Tech as well. His new EP, Sun Seek, by the label itself, represents well what we are saying.
Today he shares with us 5 important tips for a truly assertive Minimal House song:
1. Origin
I find it quite important to study the musical roots of the genre, to know its origins and who were its precursors. In fact, as you can see, the present is nothing more than the legacy of the past “revisited”.
It’s important to note that Minimal House back there is quite different from what we’ve seen in the industry today, a less purist sound and with broader mixes of influences. If you access Beatport and analyze the Minimal/Deep Tech section, you will notice a variety of aesthetics for the same musical proposal, in fact, it can often be confused with Tech House or Deep House.
2. Synths
The SY group is perhaps the most feared by beginning producers because to create something original, a certain knowledge of music theory and sound design is required. House Music is very present here. Instruments like Stabs, Chords, Pads and Strings work in perfect harmony and add that refined touch to your compositions. Quite characteristic in most tracks of the genre.
A good tip is to explore the instrument parameter automation – filter, ADSR, LFO, among others. FX plugins such as Delay, Pan and Reverb are also effects that should be worked on and when combined in the right amount they create interesting ambiences.
Minimal, as the name suggests, requires few elements in its construction, but the tracks still need movement and dynamics. My favourite plugins are Sonic Academy A.N.A, u-he Diva and Juno-106 by Roland.
3. Drums
This is an extremely important group to give movement to the track. When developing your drums, explore the swing and place the elements outside the grid, this will humanize your work. Very precise drums can give your sound an artificial impression.
Another idea is to explore the sounds of Roland Tr-909, a drum machine from the 80s with great importance in the development of House Music. For those who don’t have the hardware, I recommend the Roland Cloud plugins pack from Roland, which also includes an emulation of the Tr-808 as well.
Working with saturation on drum parts is interesting for elements to sound less digital. Combining effects like Phaser, Auto Filter and Pan in your Hi-Hat or Shaker grooves can make for a really cool and interesting vibe. Try it!
4. Bassline
Bassline plays a key role in my work. The idea is to get off the conventional. Create melodies that go through the musical scale and don’t be monotonous. Take notes off grids and explore velocities. Humanize!
For my bass production, I really like the Roland SH-101 and Rob Papen SubBoomBass plugins. As for hardware, the Moog Minitaur is pretty good.
5. Texture / Background
It’s super interesting to compose a background with textures and glitch touches. I particularly don’t like a clean mix and these elements help to give that “dirty” good touch. They are even striking noises in tracks of real Minimal and I find it important to keep them in the aesthetics of the current Minimal House.