How to make a good dance track

I've never actually made a proper attempt at creating a "dance track" before until yesterday, and I wondered if there´s anyone who might like to share some tips and wisdom if they are more experienced in it than this.

Dance music is one of my favourites but I´ve always found it hard to start or plan a dance track, mainly because you have to be very blunt and straight-forward, the beat has to be clear and stick out and above all it has to have a rythm which is impossible to stay still to. You kind of have to "state your case" very very clearly, you can´t be musically poetic and inconsistent in a way, which you can in pretty much everything if you´re not planning on it being a good dance hit.. Otherwise it usually just doesn´t work. (Obviously there´s room for creativity, but the main idea kind of has to stick with this).

Since Dance tracks are less original in a way, they´ve been around since the early 70s, and they haven´t really changed that much since then, in the sense that it all has to revolve around getting people to dance: There is more of a "formula" to it than most music has...

... So I want to find out what people´s opinions on what that formula might be, and so on..

And of course, I´m talking about creating a genuinely brilliant dance track here, not just pumping out beats ;) .. I´m talking about something that there is no living being on the planet who can resist dancing to it.

First go to a club/rave/party/disco/whatever and hear the music in proper setting and how it sounds with tons of wattage and bass and see how you and other people react to different things and what gets you and them moving. Then you might have some kind of basic idea how you want the track to sound like.

Personally I think good dance track is all about the beat and the bass, rest is just topping, but a catchy melody will help a lot to get people's attention. If you're aiming for something cheesy then maybe add something that people can sing/shout along.

I think this is pretty good example of a classic pumping dance track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0WJJFjfenM

Depends on your definition of dance track

but...

Moogish or SH-101 bassline, 4 on floor or slowed break, un-quantized clap/snare schlockin, slight to fucking voyeuristic compression, chunky hi-hats, alternate between the thunk-end being focused on the bassline or the bass-drum in the bass spectrum as you see fit ((but doing both (to me) can really shit out a good dance track if I'm looking for heavy bass)) -- delayed stabs, lush pads and the occasional vocal sample always seems to do it for me...

but thats more like a wanna-be tuss list now that I look at it...

do what makes you wiggle.

"Dance track" sounds almost as vague as "music track". This sounds like a wind up.

Be good at music.

if you like cocaine and pussy being thrown at you then you will have a greater desire to make dance music.

I'm still learning, but here's what I've managed to figure out:

- Keep it simple! A big ending with complex melodies can be great but in the buildups it's great to keep things minimal. People love to be teased on the dancefloor.

- It might sound obvious but make your bassdrums stand out by taking out some of the lower frequencies from your bassline. Depends on the genre though, I guess, but it really works for this kind of dance music:

- It's all in the breakdowns and buildups. The times when I've lost my shit most while out at a dance gig have been when the performers have had some really awesome contrast between hard dance sections and breakdowns. It's the world's most fucking cliche, but master the drop and you'll have people tearing the floor up.

- For the best advice, just go to a dance gig in the genre that you want to produce in, and analyse the flow of the tracks.

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:02 PM, Awepittance said:

if you like cocaine and pussy being thrown at you then you will have a greater desire to make dance music.

haha! This may be true, but my desire to make dance music stems from the first time I made people dance. It's fucking amazing and addictive. I just want people to be going crazy 100% of the time.

why do so many people struggle to spell rhythm properly?

dance track.

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:13 PM, BCM said:

why do so many people struggle to spell rhythm properly?

 

dance track.

Hahaha!

Also, keep it short. +5 minutes 4/4 dance tune is a no go.

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:19 PM, Squee said:

Hahaha!

Also, keep it short. +5 minutes 4/4 dance tune is a no go.

Not always true.

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  On 5/25/2012 at 1:24 PM, Rbrmyofr said:

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:19 PM, Squee said:

Hahaha!

Also, keep it short. +5 minutes 4/4 dance tune is a no go.

Not always true.

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If you were to put on that tune at a party you would empty the place floor in matter of 2 minutes. 9 minutes of the same shit won't get you anywhere in a club.

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:47 PM, Squee said:

If you were to put on that tune at a party you would empty the place floor in matter of 2 minutes. 9 minutes of the same shit won't get you anywhere in a club.

That would depend on the club, the audience, the DJ and how it was mixed into a set. I've heard this played out quite a bit, people into decent techno usually enjoy it. Obviously it wouldn't go down well at your local meat market.

Thanks for the comments guys, I´ve got some food for thought now and will try to analyze to create the best I possibly can.

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:24 PM, Rbrmyofr said:

  On 5/25/2012 at 1:19 PM, Squee said:

Hahaha!

Also, keep it short. +5 minutes 4/4 dance tune is a no go.

Not always true.

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I think this is a really nice track actually, only thing it´s missing though is some more dynamic variety, more build-ups and things like that, for it to be more of something I would actually think of playing at a club, since I seem to steer further away from calmer songs, I prefer to play more powerful and funky stuff :)

The length and structure depends on the audience/genre. Some dance music may have straight forward pop structure but for example psy-trance has build ups that last forever, so that the whole song may sound that it builds up to some huge climax at the end with even the BPMs rising as the track goes forward. Minimal stuff on the other hand relies more on the repetition and the hypnotic qualities that come from that.

put a donk on it.

1. make a good track

2. make it danceable

Come up with a memorable big hook, start with a standard intro-verse-chorus structure and go from there; for a true pop approach, your hook should kick in before 1:00 or 1:30. Come up with something very simple, and go to town with production and layering details. Try applying a wide chorus with little detune to your bassline, so you get a massive stereo spread bass. Experiment with major or maj7 chords, people are more likely to dance to something dreamy or happy-sounding.

As other people pointed out, "dance track" is a bit of a vague tag - usually that means some sort of formulaic, immediate music, which is commonly easy to replicate. Just think of whatever you consider a good dance record, and rip it off for a few first drafts.

You need a groove that people don't mind hearing for 5 minutes. So focus on beats + bass. The rest is just spice on top and is useful mostly for breaking the monotony.

Yes, "Dance Track" is a bit vague, I was pretty much just going for the general idea of it, nothing particular. At least it was roughly understood enough to get some good feedback :)

I totally agree with you kokeboka with the major7 chords, it is nice to hear while dancing

Ok I thought I might as well upload the "dance track" so to speak, that I attempted yesterday, just for some reference..

It´s a remix of a song by the band Sparks, called B.C.

A huge hunk of cheese and an overly happy funk to it (kind of unavoidable when remixing Sparks), I give you this little work in progress/ experiment:

http://soundcloud.com/hermann-3/sparks-b-c-remix-work-in

I´ve never been good with the blatantly major keys, so this is a bit of a first. Didn´t even plan on it being a dance track (whatever that is now I don´t even know anymore)

Love to you all! :)

Big kick drum

Big snare drum

Big bassline

Vocal that everyone knows

The rest doesn't matter.

sidechain compression

Btw. are we talking about danceable tunes or dance as in the genre dance?

Just danceable tunes. But not just dance-able, more... dance-compulsory :)

Tunes with the purpose of dance... Or something.