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Techno music has been around since the 1980's originating in Detroit and parts of Europe inspired by the sounds of Kraftwerk, George Clinton, Giorgio Moroder and others. The genre has consistently thrived in underground club scenes for years, and more recently with artists like Boys Noize, Boris Brejcha, and Gesaffelstein, techno is making big waves across dancefloors and even creeping into the mainstream. What makes a song techno is a sound that is electronic, repetitive, perhaps making use of "techno"-logy like sequencers, drum machines, and samplers - almost like a musical art form that reflects the relationship between man and machine.
In this set of videos you'll learn by watching talented producer and instructor Paul Laski compose a techno song from scratch. You'll also see the benefits, ease-of-use, and beauty of Ableton's Max for Live ecosystem - which gives you free access to a large library of custom made software - including emulations of hardware sequencers! Sequencers change the way you write and think about melodic or rhythmic composition. Your instructor will take you through some excellent tools for composition, and you'll quickly learn that sequencers are like having a robot bandmate - instant creativity, melody, and rhythm at your side, especially when you're looking for fresh ideas.
Lesson topics include:
Paul Laski (P-LASK) is an Ableton Certified Trainer with over six years of teaching experience at DubSpot New York and Icon Collective Music Production School in Los Angeles. Paul has been involved in the electronic music scene for over a decade as a producer, remixer, sound designer, DJ, and educator.
Blending sounds from house, techno, garage, and beyond, P-LASK's original productions and remixes have been featured on Moody Recordings, Groovebirds Records, Crowd Records, Cherrytree (Interscope) Records, Abe Duque Records, Mean Red Music, Krafted Music, and his own imprint, Electric Dangerous Records. He has done remix work for artists such as Coeur du Pirate, Abe Duque, Divisible, Pointe Claire, Edian (UK), Rainer Hoeglmeier (Germany), and Wei Wei (China).
A small selection of his sound design work can be heard in the factory preset bank of XFER Records’ SERUM software synthesizer. Paul continues to develop presets for software synthesizers, free Ableton Live Racks, and samples, many of which are available through his website (www.p-lask.com). When he's not busy in the studio, he offers instruction and consultation in Ableton Live and live performance for artists and producers in the LA area.