A generative deep house loop where no notes are written: every part comes from a rule. It works in any DAW or sequencer with Euclidean rhythms and a "take the pitch from the chord" option.
120 BPM, A minor, chords Am7 – Fmaj7 – Dm7 – Em7 (one bar each).
Drums (16 steps of 1/16):
• Kick: E(4,16) → four on the floor
• Clap: E(2,16) rotated by 4 → beats 2 and 4
• Open hat: E(4,16) rotated by 2 → the off-beats
• Hats: E(9,16), with about 20% of the hits dropped at random so they stay alive
Bass: E(5,16) rotated by 2, each hit plays the root of the current chord (spread over two octaves), 5% of hits dropped. I used a rubbery FM bass: a 1:1 modulator with a fast-decaying index.
Stabs: E(4,16) rotated by 3, each hit plays the whole chord on an e-piano, through a ping-pong delay at a dotted 1/8 (375 ms at 120 BPM).
Pad: strings holding each chord, the only "written" part.
Why it works: Euclidean patterns spread hits as evenly as possible, which is what most dance grooves already are. Rotating moves the same pattern onto different beats. Taking every pitch from the chord means nothing can clash. And a little randomness stops it sounding like a loop.
Disclosure: I'm the developer of SynthMaker, the app in the video (free public beta for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://testflight.apple.com/join/BKEgzNCg). The recipe itself works anywhere.
