The next two tracks in the Totems project were created using parts from demos I made in early 2024. Both of these were originally produced around 120 BPM and used a combination of samples and played sounds.

Going through the previous versions I have of these tracks, I notice a distinct influence from 90s drum and bass, so although that wasn’t the original intention behind the productions, it’s clear they retained that sound that I’ve loved for decades now and were likely always destined to be sped up at some point.

The first of the tracks I’ve uploaded is called The Choral Tune, a title inspired by Good Looking Records, named because of the heavenly choral vocal sample in the intro. This was a new addition to the pads, bleeps, and arp which were key components of the slower track.

Like most of my early Totems demos, I took the musical elements from the original downtempo demo, sped them up to 160 BPM, and then added an amen loop to see how they would sound as a drum and bass song. While this sounded great to my ears, Dom quickly pointed out that it was a bit too obvious, so we explored other beats to use. So we instead went for a classic Think and Hot Pants combo. The Think variant used here is the one from Kid ’n Play’s Do This My Way, which was widely used in the mid-90s.

The combination of drum breaks gives the track energy and forms a key part of the arrangement, especially during the second section where Dom crafts a lush techno soundscape before switching back to the key elements from the first half of the track.

As for inspirations, there is a noticeable Alex Recce and Wax Doctor vibe to this, two producers who I feel deserve more credit for the way they fused Detroit techno elements into their productions.

Although we dismissed using the amen break here, which was definitely the correct thing to do, I would like to hear an amen take on this, so I may have something to upload for you later in the year.

Until then, here is the original version of The Choral Tune by Dom and myself.