First 28 minutes of class

 

History and Overview

Neo-Soul House music is a subgenre of house music that blends the soulful aesthetics of Neo-Soul, RnB and Hip-hop with the infectious repetition of house. Emerging in the late 2000s, it draws inspiration from the rich chord progressions of Neo-Soul and R&B, incorporating elements of swung grooves reminiscent of J Dilla's influence. Here are some key features of the Neo-Soul House music style:

1. Soulful Fusion: Neo-Soul House music seamlessly fuses the soulful melodies and harmonic richness of Neo-Soul with the rhythmic and electronic elements of house music, creating a genre that is both emotionally resonant and dancefloor-friendly. In this session we'll see how to achieve these complex chord progressions without any music theory knowledge.

2. Live Instrumentation: A hallmark of Neo-Soul House is the use of live instrumentation, most notably live hats. We'll explore groove techniques with live hat loops and one-shot samples.

3. Laid-back Grooves: The genre is characterized by laid-back, groovy rhythms that provide a relaxed yet danceable feel. The incorporation of hip-hop elements further contributes to the genre's distinct vibe. We'll explore off-grid editing and how to achieve that distinct groove.

4. Vocal Expression: Neo-Soul House often features soulful and emotive vocals and vocal sampled instruments and chops. We'll see how to create instruments from our own voice and how to chop up acapellas to use in the style.

5. Contemporary Relevance: While Neo-Soul House emerged in the late 2000s, it continues to be relevant in the contemporary music landscape. Producers and artists worldwide continue to explore and expand upon the genre, keeping its soulful spirit alive.

Check out this youtube playlist HERE

 

Off-Grid Editing

In this session, We'll explore 2 main approches to off-grid editing to get that signeture groove of the style:

• Using Self-Groove Clips for timing randomization
• Manually editing audio samples off the grid

 

The Right Sounds for the Style

 

Included in the Project are 6 custom presets from my Preset Packs:

- Kay Bass - Wavetable bass patch, hybrid between sub and 808. Check out the different Variations for 5 different tones.

- Kay Saw - A versatile instrument for Neo-Soul chords. Play with the Macros for endless variation of the sound in different sections of your projects.

- Jarp - Dreamy synth harp for beautiful space arpeggios

- The 1 - Glitchy flume style lead

- Forest Storm - Analog style keys

- Star Bells - Ethereal synth bells

 

Groovy Basslines 

One of the key characteristic elements of Neo-Soul House is the funky baseline that is inspired by the old disco/funk/soul records. We'll explore techniques on how to add a bassline to your Neo-Soul chord progression.

 

Gating Techniques 

 

In order to achieve a cool groove for the chords, we're going to explore different techniques for gating our chords with various side chain triggers.

 

What's Included with this session

• 2+ hours of Ableton Certified Training Video
• Neo-Soul House Ableton Project
• Free tools to make complex RnB/Neo-Soul Chord Progressions
• 8 Synth Presets
• 2 Sample Packs
• Compressor from Live 8 for cleaner side chaining
• Style Overview PDF

 

 

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Yeuda Ben-Atar, a world renowned Ableton Certified Trainer, hails from Los Angeles, California. Originally from Israel, Yeuda’s passion for music led him to the United States, where he discovered his true calling with Ableton Live in 2007, embarking on a journey of mastery.

He approaches Ableton in a unique way; producing and performing with video game controllers under the moniker Side Brain.

One of Yeuda’s most remarkable qualities is his exceptional knowledge and speed, combined with his unparalleled ability to explain complex concepts in a simple and engaging manner.

With years of experience as a music production instructor and educator, Yeuda has contributed his expertise to prestigious institutions throughout the United States, including USC, UCLA, UCSD, Colburn Music School, Berkley School of Music, Cal Arts, NAMM, Skywalker Sounds, Bedrock LA, Sonos Studios, Sweetwater Headquarters, 1500 or Nothing studios, Grammy U, Pensado’s Place, Vintage King, Museum of Making Music, Lynda.com (now known as Linkedin Learning), and Perfect Circuit Audio, among many others.

His projects have included working with and teaching artists such as Timbaland, Ludacris, Lavel Kali(Beyonce, Drake) DJ Numark and Jurassic 5, Beck, Skrillex, Flying Lotus, Ed Sheeran, Rick Rubin, Giorgio Moroder, Simi, Bootie Brown (Pharcyde), Dave Pensado, Madison Mcferrin and countless others.