Chapter 34: Sampling

[Chapter 34: Sampling]

There was no doubt that Tremor was an amazing electronic music track. Ryan hadn't found anything like it on Ultra Music; this simple yet energizing electronic piece had been ahead of its industry peers by several years. Sure, great music often gained recognition over time through word of mouth, but that didn't guarantee an immediate market explosion.

Given its lack of a "talking point," Tremor had to rely on reviews, which required more time to build traction. From this perspective, for Ryan, who hoped to quickly gain fame from scratch, Tremor might not have been the best "debut effort."

However, since he had already experienced that initial rush, Ryan didn't feel he had the luxury to be picky. But the situation changed completely with the next electronic piece. If Taylor could gain initial attention through celebrity connections, why couldn't he?

But honestly, the urgent task at hand was to finish the song. Ryan picked up on the female voice in the music, which was in Spanish.

...

He immediately dragged a heap of equipment back to the lounge, where the others had gathered their belongings and prepared to leave. The show had been abruptly canceled, and everyone wore a serious expression.

"So, can we head back to Nashville now?" Ryan was solely focused on finishing Harlem Shake.

Deadmau5's manager, Marvin, scoffed, "Are you kidding? You can leave, but you'll need to pay the breach of contract penalties first. You two now owe us money, got it?"

Ryan had already apologized on Joel's behalf, and while Joel had messed up the show and caused Deadmau5's team to incur extra costs, the fact was that Ryan still had a collaboration with Deadmau5. They agreed that part of the penalty would be deducted from Joel's earnings from the single.

"Next, we can only hope Marvin finds a suitable club for a last-minute gig, and that we can negotiate the price," Deadmau5 said with a forced smile.

The team has already arrived from Canada to New York. Air tickets, food, accommodation and salary for the past few days are all expenses. Even if they can't turn a profit after this incident, it would be nice to recover some losses.

Since they had to continue performing, Ryan and Joel couldn't leave just yet.

"I don't want to see either of those two next week!" Marvin had truly had enough. He pulled out his phone, trying to contact local New York venues and promoters.

...

Once Ryan and Joel returned to their hotel room, Joel, who had been sobbing moments before, suddenly stopped.

"Marvin looked like he'd eat me for dinner. If I don't cry so hard to show weakness, hiss~ These black people are really deadly," Joel said as he examined his injuries in the mirror.

Ryan shook his head, unsure whether to call Joel smart or foolish. He quickly opened his equipment case and pulled out his laptop.

"What are you doing with that computer?" Joel asked.

"I'm in the zone," Ryan said, hardly looking up.

"You're in the zone?" Joel rushed over to Ryan's side.

...

After a month of intense mixing practice, Ryan was no longer a novice. Under Joel's watchful gaze, Ryan began his fluid workflow.

The track used 808 bass drums, mixed with snare drums and claps... and a bit of hi-hats. Ryan recalled the sounds, his hands moving swiftly and decisively. The lead synth had a classic brass sound common in Trap, layered with multiple effects. He thought about it, considering that distortion, reverb, and delay likely rounded out the mix.

Ryan put on his headphones and listened a few times.

Something felt off -- a bit incomplete. Yes, that's it; a low-pass filter on the drum group made all the difference. Now it sounded right -- perfect!

After finishing the lead, Ryan quickly completed the FX track. A new electronic song was essentially done in just fifteen minutes. Joel stared, completely dumbfounded.

Typically, DJs would first establish a lead and then build it up, adding various effects and details, like sculpting a statue. Taylor's creative process didn't stray too far from that.

But Ryan was different; he completed the entire track first and then added the other elements afterward, much like constructing a house -- laying the foundation before the framing, then working on the external and internal details.

In other words, Ryan had envisioned a complete electronic song from the start.

"You're a genius!" Joel exclaimed, completely forgetting his earlier pain.

"But there's still something missing -- the vocal part," Ryan replied.

Now came the challenging part of the song's production. The vocal section of Tremor only had a simple "3, 2, 1, GO," making it easy to find a substitute.

But this track was different; its tone and lyrics were unique. Ryan imitated the lyrics from the song as best he could.

"That's Spanish," Joel scratched his head.

"Can you spell it out?"

Joel shook his head. "But Deadmau5's buddy is Hispanic; he'd definitely know."

...

Ryan immediately went to find someone and finally got the Spanish lyrics, "Con los terroristas."

"Maybe that line is a sample too?" Ryan suggested, then turned to the internet for research, only to be disappointed.

Ryan's guess turned out to be correct, but the original track Con Alegria, which Harlem Shake sampled, wouldn't be produced until two years later.

"Well, we'll have to record it ourselves," Ryan concluded.

"Right," Joel nodded. "So, where do we find a woman who speaks Spanish? There might be plenty of women like that, but finding one who can deliver the required vibe isn't easy."

As they spoke, Ryan directed his gaze at Joel.

"You don't expect me to do it, do you?" Joel was taken aback.

"Why not? Your voice is already pretty high-pitched, and I can pitch it to sound like a woman," Ryan spread his hands casually.

"As long as you don't mind the final product, I'm on board," Joel chuckled.

As for the recording equipment, Ryan made use of Joel's gear. Although it was an unsuitable recording environment, with various effects applied, the minor distortion wouldn't affect the overall sound; there was no need for high-end equipment.

"Right, just like that, letting the final syllable of 'ta' leap out," Ryan guided Joel's pronunciation, with the Hispanic assistant correcting him. Half an hour later, they finally captured a version they were both happy with.

Next came tweaking the voice to give it a feminine quality, integrating it into the song as the vocal track.

"Almost there, there's just the final line, 'do the Harlem shake.'" Ryan utilized his search skills once more, and this time he smoothly located the source -- the line was from the hip-hop song Miller Time by the group Plastic Little released in 2001.

Ryan planned to contact the group the next day to seek sampling rights, but first, he needed to extract that line from the track to complete the production.

...

There was a knock at the door. Joel opened it to find Deadmau5 standing outside.

"What are you three up to in here?" Deadmau5 squinted.

"Ryan's working on a new song; in fact, it's already finished! You've gotta hear it; it's different this time -- an actual dance track," Joel beamed with excitement.

"So, did Marvin find a new club for the performance?" Ryan turned to inquire.

"Yeah, still in Manhattan, but this time in Greenwich Village. That club is close to NYU, so there should be fewer issues," Deadmau5 nodded.

*****

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