Post-Punk Motorik

Genre: Post-Punk · Tempo: 128 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: early-80s DMX-programmed post-punk: a mechanical, driving four-on-the-floor pulse with zero swing

Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)

The pattern

Instrument	Steps (1 = start of the bar)	Velocity	Timing and chance
kick	1, 5, 9, 12, 13	70-115	on the grid, always plays
clap	5, 13	100	on the grid, always plays
hat-closed	3, 7, 11, 15	55	on the grid, always plays
tom-low	16	90	on the grid, always plays

Digitakt II

Tracks

• T1: kick
• T2: clap
• T3: hat-closed
• T4: tom-low

Digitone II

Tracks

• T1: kick (ALGO 1, plain low carrier)
• T2: clap (FM noise + MOD retrigger)
• T3: hat-closed (FM noise)
• T4: tom-low (ALGO 1, plain low carrier, pitched)

Syntakt

Tracks

• T9: kick (BD CLASSIC)
• T1: clap (CP VINTAGE)
• T12: hat-closed (HH BASIC)
• T2: tom-low (SY RAW, pitched down)

Notes

An original pattern in the mechanical, drum-machine-driven post-punk mould of early New Order: after Joy Division's Stephen Morris moved from acoustic drums to an Oberheim DMX, the genre's rhythm section got noticeably more precise and icy -- zero swing anywhere in this pattern, dry unreverbed hits, and a syncopated extra kick giving the four-on-the-floor pulse forward motion rather than just marking time. Not a transcription of 'Blue Monday' or any other specific track, just built in that documented programming style.

Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns, synth patches and modular hints written for a selection of real hardware.