Afrobeats Groove
Genre: Afrobeats · Tempo: 104 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: contemporary Afrobeats' syncopated kick and swung shaker/conga groove
Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)
The pattern
| Instrument | Steps (1 = start of the bar) | Velocity | Timing and chance |
|---|
| kick | 1, 10 | 85-100 | step 10: early by about 4% of a step, plays 85% of the time |
| perc1 | 3, 7, 11, 15 | 50 | step 3: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 7: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 11: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time; step 15: late by about 8% of a step, plays 90% of the time |
| rim | 5, 13 | 60 | step 5: plays 80% of the time; step 13: plays 80% of the time |
| perc2 | 6, 14 | 55 | step 6: late by about 4% of a step, plays 60% of the time; step 14: late by about 4% of a step, plays 60% of the time |
| clap | 9 | 90 | on the grid, always plays |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: clap
- T3: rim
- T4: perc1
- T5: perc2
Settings
- Kick (T1): AMP page ATK locked to 0 with DEC around 70 and FLTR page 1 machine LEGACY with TYPE Lowpass (2-pole), FREQ around 85, for a rounded punch without harsh top end
- Step 9 (clap, T2): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 90, landing the pattern's main downbeat accent on beat 3 rather than a Western 2-and-4 backbeat — don't move this back
- Step 10 (kick, T1): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 85 (down from the base-sound 100) with TIME locked to -1, for the early syncopated kick hit that defines the off-center groove
- Perc1 shaker (T4): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to +2 (Elektron µtime units) on every hit for the genre's laid-back swing; SRC page PLAY set to FORWARD LOOP with AMP page DEC around 25 for a continuous shaker texture
- Perc2 conga (T5): SRC page TUNE raised to around +12 for a higher, more melodic conga-adjacent pitch than a plain noise hit, with AMP page DEC around 35 for a short plucky decay
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 4, plain carrier)
- T2: clap (high-FDBK FM noise)
- T3: rim (ALGO 1, bright plain carrier)
- T4: perc1 shaker (high-FDBK FM noise, swung)
- T5: perc2 conga (ALGO 1, tuned carrier with pitch movement)
Settings
- Kick (T1): SYN page 1 ALGO 4, RATIO C 0.50 for a rounded low body with the operator's own envelope-affected output; AMP page ATK 0, DEC 65, SUS 0, REL 35 for punch without harshness
- Step 9 (clap, T2): TRIG page 1 VEL locked to 90, landing the pattern's main downbeat accent on beat 3 rather than a Western 2-and-4 backbeat; SYN page 1 FDBK 95 for the noisy FM-clap texture — don't move this back
- Step 10 (kick, T1): TRIG page 1 VEL locked to 88 (down from the base sound's ~100) for the softer syncopated kick hit — the early placement itself comes from this step's own -1 microTiming value in the steps array; Digitone II's TRIG page has no confirmed on-device micro-timing field the way Digitakt/Syntakt's TRIG PARAMETERS TIME does
- Perc1 shaker (T4): SYN page 1 FDBK 100 for the constant FM-noise shaker texture; FLTR page 1 TYPE set toward HP with FREQ ~90 to keep it thin and bright; AMP page DEC 25, SUS 0 for a short, continuous pulse — the genre's laid-back swing comes from this track's own +2 microTiming value on every hit (steps 3, 7, 11, 15), not a separate on-device lock
- Perc2 conga (T5): SYN page 1 ALGO 1, RATIO C 2.00 for a higher, more melodic conga-adjacent pitch than a plain noise hit; FLTR page 1 ENV set to -30 (bipolar) for a touch of downward pitch movement into the hit; AMP page DEC 35, REL 20 for a short plucky decay
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD Acoustic)
- T10: rim (RS Classic)
- T11: perc1 shaker (UT Noise Gen)
- T1: clap (CP Vintage)
- T2: perc2 conga (SY Chip)
Settings
- Kick (T9, BD Acoustic): SYN page TUNE set low (~25) and DEC around 55 for a rounded, natural low end that supports rather than dominates — not a hard techno-style kick
- Step 10 (kick, T9): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 85 (down from the base 100) with TIME locked to -1, for the early syncopated kick hit that defines the off-center groove
- Step 9 (clap, T1, CP Vintage): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL locked to 90, placing the pattern's main accent on beat 3 rather than a Western 2-and-4 backbeat
- Rim (T10, RS Classic): SYN page TUNE set brighter (~85) for the clicky backbeat texture common in Afrobeats production
- Perc1 shaker (T11, UT Noise Gen): TRIG PARAMETERS TIME locked to +2 (Elektron µtime units) on every hit for the laid-back swing; FLTR page TYPE set to Highpass with FREQ around 90 and AMP page DEC short (~20) for a bright, constant shaker texture
- Perc2 conga (T2, SY Chip): AMP page DEC around 35 for a short, plucky, melodic conga-adjacent tone rather than a noise-based hit
Notes
A mid-tempo Afrobeats pattern built around a syncopated kick and a downbeat accent on beat 3 rather than the Western backbeat, carried by a warm, consistently-late shaker and conga-style percussion layer. An original pattern inspired by the genre's rhythmic conventions.
Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.