Make old school Italo Disco | Tutorial
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Do you want to make old school Italo Disco/ Synth pop using old gear and techniques, while at the same time wondering how to do this? This tutorial is for you then. I go through what it takes and I'll even perform the work-in-progress live.
Support this channel on Patreon:
/ espenkraft
Episode 2 in my series where I construct, and perform a track totally dawless and with only 80s synths, samplers, drum machines and modules.
In this episode I take a look at Italo Disco, a very popular genre in the 80'ies and its sound has some key signature sounds and structures that I go through here.
Each episode ends with me performing the song, recorded in one take. Could be sour notes, playing errors and more, but it's the raw performance. No autotune or post editing.
The track in episode 2 is called "Greyhound".
I go over each synth I use, why I use it and the different parts will be broken down to show you what I think each part contributes to the song. I also program the drum machines or sequencers to show how these old machines work.
the patches I refer to in the video (free download) had to be taken down due to many people having problems installing them
Check out my latest album here:
espenkraft.ban...
This is insane. Please do a whole album.
I have a albums worth of music in this style on all the digital platforms. You can find this through this channel. Thanks! :)
Espen Kraft This is great news
Haha, that "Blue Monday" reference while showing the kickdrum!
Couldn't resist...
exactly!
Kick + Snare = Take On Me A-Ha 2:32 )))
hahaha yeah, I saw that
2:19 reminds me of the beginning from Bad Boy by Miami Sound Machine
Amazing! This could have been an italo hit back in the 80's. Congratulations
Sweet! Thanks for saying! :)
how can people give this guy thumbs down his work is so awsome(:
RICKY GARCIA
They're just angry, jealous and envious because they have only crappy "music" today while we had some of the greatest music and sound in history back in the 80s and early 90s.
RICARDO GARCIA, Espen Kraft rules!! Probably some frustrated assholes who simply can’t get it done were the ones with thumbs down.
those are hard rock fans...they are jellaous
Because of their state of retardedness!
Magic ! love the Sabrina and Moroder screensavers !!
PR Indeed I was sold the minute I saw Sabrina's picture!
Sabrina is still super hot now. Mega Milf. Check her IG.
It’s such a treat to see how the legends were created in the 80’s. Wow, thank you for this. You mastered this game! Modern Talking is still with me till this day. Great job Sir!
Awesome. Thanks! :)
Wow, I'm very impressed by so much 80s spirit in your track :)
Awesome! Can't make it any other way ;-)
So smooth. Great sounds, great chord progression, playing is on point. Top notch gear as well, haha.
Awesome. Thanks man! :)
Love Italo Disco....grew up with it...
Very nice bro. Im very glad im not the only one that likes the 80s synthesizers like the Yamaha Dx7, Roland Juno etc. Yes!! And im only 22 yrs old
Marvin Pinzon yep 80s synth are way cooler I just bought new ones from sweet water roland fa6 yamaha moxf6 to name a few but are started to by older ones and now my new synth are put aside lol now I have korg dw8000 roland d50 yamaha dx7iifd ensoniq Esq 1. and slowly still collecting.
boi, I'm 16 and I love this stuff just as much
Wow this is pure synth gold. I love this!
Awesome, thanks! :)
2:15 New Order - Blue Monday kick pattern. :)
the Juno1 is incredible at providing sounds straight from the 80's
so glad i have one
I love how you keep the D# during that descending chord progression.
It seemed the natural way to go to create some tension. It's also the 80s way :P
Yes, the tension created is just perfect. I gotta work on that kind of stuff.
His composition by the title " TONIGHT " is awesome ! it has that magical feeling.
That Juno-6 sounds so sweet! I love Italo disco and this sounds wonderful.
Beautiful chord progressions
Thanks Alvaro! :)
Very interesting tutorial for an insight in the italo-disco basics. Thank you!
Thanks! :)
Cm and Gm are the best chords ever. Great work!
Thanks! :)
no nonsense ...only material and few patches sounds so superb ...good feeling character of this genre..
Nice. Thanks! :)
Espen Kraft welcome😊
That was a lot of fun to watch. I enjoyed the breakdown and explanation on the parts, and seeing the old gear in service was cool too. I'm a big fan of that Roland Juno/JX sound.
Thanks! Old Rolands never sound bad :)
Great. I love Italo Disco too.
Cheers!
I find myself liking this over and over again; even after all these years. Thank you, Espen!
Many thanks Steffen!
Synths, synths and again... Synths!!!!! Good job! ❤
Cheers!
This is a man with a passion for SYNTHS. Great stuff Espen
Many thanks! I appreciate you saying that. It IS a passion! :)
this song could have been a hit, back then! Ciao from Italy
Thanks for saying man! Greetings from Norway :)
That hook takes me back to the 80's in such an authentic way - love the whole thing...can listen to it over and over again! And the setup is very cool - using the real beasts from back in the day...The pad on the JX-8P is so organic and warm!!! Very cool!!!
Awesome, thanks! :) The track sort of got worked on to form the finished song in the form of "Greyhound" like you hear it in one of my latest videos.
THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!
I love the snare sound you had triggering by the #4 pad on the 626. It is almost exactly the same that New Order was using on the Brotherhood album.
Thanks!
Most of the drums in this video is my own samples, made through multi layering of different sounds, processed and samples back.
This guy is a pure genius.
I hope to see someone in this synth part of youtube do an 80s Latin freestyle music breakdown or demo!
Edit - love seeing Giorgio Moroder in the background lol
That was awesome, thank you for taking your time to walk through everything. Italo is my favorite genre from the 80s, primarily songs prior to 86. You have a natural gift for it! Do you know how the octave styled bass lines came to be? or who primarily popularized it in that particular fashion? anyhow, The song sounds Great. thank you again.
Thanks my friend! The octave bass is something that's existed a long time, longer than the disco genre, but when synths with arpeggios started to appear with the Roland Jupiter 4 and later the 8 and Juno series with octaves, it got easy to put it in +1 on the octaves and just let it rip. I don't know which song used that technique at first though.
Octave bass is common in Disco
Master of his craft!!! Such a pleasure to watch and listen 😍
Thanks Flo! :)
Where was this stuff when I was learning music at school!!
Great performance Espen Kraft! I like the way you drive your synths with this vintage sequencer ;)
Thanks! More to come! :)
Thanks for the reply Espen, i will keep listening to your music, and enjoying your tutorials, Italo is a great style of music
Many thanks! :)
Your videos are so amazing!! great sound selection and chord progression... love italo.. FANCY (slice me nice)
Thanks Amul! :)
Congratulations! I am from Brazil and love italo disco, I was born in 1993. I will try to play an italo disco music on my CTK7200. Great sounds! Hugs from Brazil.
Thanks! :)
Espen, I just listened to the track you put together for Woody's challenge...you have great skills my friend! And to think of it that you did all that in one day is CRAZY talent!!!!I really enjoy your playing!
Sweet! I've since then completed the track and recorded it properly to form a finished song. With vocals. I will release this after the ongoing remix competition is complete.
Great!!!Looking forward to it!
Espen Kraft, you are a pro. Very interesting videos you make and your domain of what’s needed to do to make the track is impressive. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
My pleasure. Thanks for saying! :)
Excellent Espen Kraft ... Excellent synthesizing work ....
Many thanks Ahmed! :)
ahh memories... a young couple running at the beach in a FIAT 127 and two kids on the rear with a TOSHIBA BOOMBOX boosting sounds like that ... and i was one of those kids !! ciao caro !!!
Sweet!
Ahí está! La fábrica de éxitos. Italos gapul. Hig . Energi . Gracias x publicar , todos los dias se aprende algo nuevo. Que sonido por Dios.
:D
Wow simply amazing love italo so much
Nice! :)
Great pacthes for the DX7, like the poly... could barely believe the DX could sound like that so had to download just to check it out lol, great song aswell Love it!
Thanks! :D
Beautiful chord structure and variation.
Thanks Jimmy! :)
This is so my favourite youtube channel now!!
Awesome!
Back watching again, great playing man!!
Cheers!
I’m loving these videos! It’s helping me conceptualize all these different genres.
Please make a video where the vocals are tuned down or run through a filter :). Your voice is so relaxing it would be interesting to hear it in a more “energetic” genre.
Excellent, thanks! A more energetic genre than Italo is hard for me to fathom myself in. I usually go for the more muted softer synth-pop, but have you checked out all my videos?
hey Espen. you bring me joy. i would definitely download those drum sounds. count me in
Thanks! Most of these drum sounds are in fact part of my Roland D-50 patch pack. As a bonus folder with drums.
@@EspenKraft can i purchase without a paypal account?
Yes, you can buy it here and you can use a credit card or PayPal
thepatchbay.co.uk/product/roland-d-50-32-retro-patches-for-synth-pop-synthwave-italo-disco-electronica/?description=true
Thanks :)
Espen, you nailed it man! Just dope.
Thanks David! :)
Nice! And everything with Giorgio and Sabrina watching you....
Your kick is very reminiscent of Blue Monday and I love that snare up top.
The track in a reworked version with vocals are included in my upcoming EP. :)
Your videos have helped me so much when it comes to writing thank you sir
That's great to hear. Thanks! :-)
Un grazie grande a questo signore amante della nostra musica dance che ha fatto storia in questo grande bellissimo paese Italia.
Thank You
Grazie amico mio. Thanks for watching! :)
Our phones do listen to us! Lmao I was talking to a friend about my love and inspiration of Giorgio Moroder, and the realization of the synth music I love has a genre called “Italo Disco”. I look at my phone this morning and jump on TH-cam and I see this amazing example of the genre.
Awesome playing man! And fantastic sounds!!! Absolutely authentic! Loved it! Trying to capture that sound and feel with my Take5 synth and a Roland TR08. Only a month into the synth life. Lol
All the best!
Cheers!
Cool! I quite dig those dog samples in the beginning, reminds me of the petshop boys.
Thanks! 😃
Muito interessante, essas frequencias tranquilizam os ânimos. 👏👏👏🖒
Gracie!
italo disco really made synth famous!!!
Beutyfull! Once again Espen Kraft made me smile like a kid! Awsome job! I wish one one day I will play like you
Sweet man, thanks! :)
Its Jamie Davies I love this music he's awesome at music and keyboards keep it up Espen Kraft my mate.
Hey Espen, I've watched this many times just for the Entertainment value. You still lead the pack in this Genre. Miles ahead of the rest.
Well done Buddy.
Always great.
Cheers
Sweet man, thanks for saying! :)
You, Sir, are a total legend.
i love the drum samples..
Sweet. Those samples, or most of them, are available to download. They are included in my Roland D-50 patch pack. Not for free though admittedly.
Thanks for this💯
Literally hitting all my fav genres
Cheers!
Would love to do something together!! open.spotify.com/artist/4HpPGld9b79S2IEge18kQ7?si=KnV8CAqrRVeq98YxVEzZig
Great fun, reminds me of Bobby Orlando Bobcat stuff from the day!
Nice!
Neat Espen! Instant Pet Shop Boys intro... (Suburbia is one of my favourites next to West End Girls disco version).
Very Moroder + Pelandi feeling here. Btw, have you heard "Generique Top 50" by Paolo Pelandi? It's my all time favourite Italo Disco. :D
Thanks Anders! It's funny you should bring it up. "Dreams" with P.Lion (or Paolo..) was one of my first obsessions with Italo Disco back in the day. A couple of years after its release I had it on a mixtape cassette in my first car and I listened to it 10 times a day, learning the chords and stuff like that! Great! :)
Suburbia is on my top10 PSB so I had to have a homage to them in this, just because they were so close to Italo in many ways.. Paninaro oh-oh-oh...
I have so many hours building LEGO while listening to that particular PSB album back in '86. Laid some of the foundation for my way of composing.
When it comes to Paolo Pelandi/P.Lion, I actually have a weird approach, because I've only heard this version first:
eox.no/projects/Generique_Top_50_Remake.mp3
My dad brought back one of those Best of Synthesizers vol. where this song was one of the remakes done. And it has stayed with me ever since. Want to make a remake/remix, but there is something about the way these guys played that makes it surprisingly hard to recreate the same vibe. Anyway, my forever goto happy song.
Great story bro! Something's better left undone right? 2 diveded by zero -zero . . .
It's a fact that PSB were into Italo , like other Synth Pops groups
very nice
Cheers!
I simply love this genre!
Awesome video's Espen. Thank you so much for your work!
Thanks Robert! :)
Damn that shit was dope ! Can you please make another one like this ? I kept repeating your live performance while working in my garage ! Italo Disco was the shit in the 80'S ! I also loved P Lion's Happy Children ! Or Clio -Eyes ! Gazebo - I love Chopin ! Gary Low - You Are a Danger ! Awesome Music ! =)
Thanks! I have other videos on my channel that has similar content and I have lots of music online that's Italo in nature, although I make 80s inspired synthpop with focus on "only" synthpop.
subscribed !
Thanks!
There is no italodisco without a picture of Sabrina Salerno :-)
Great job, Mr. Kraft!
Thanks!
great work mate!...cheers from New Jersey, U.S.A.
Thanks Derek! :)
nice, i see why your channel was in my recommandations ;D
Hey, that's great! :)
We have soooo many synths in common! :) Unfortunately I am still building my studio and all my rack synths are not in place yet so cant show it off as good as you yet ;) Great content and great music! Thanks for sharing!
I know all about space and time.. ;-) Thanks!
the 80s, demystified. sick AF!
Awesome! :) Thanks for watching ! :)
Cracked up when he mimicked '19'. You must have perfect pitch to pick out all the notes of the covers you do in other videos. 😁
I have far from perfect pitch. ;-) Cheers
WOW that sounds good!!
I noticed the arpeggio being glitchy with the korg dw8000 also when syncing with my MIDI setup. I always thought it was a problem with the version of cubase I was using at the time (vst24). Glad to know that it was something others noticed with the dw itself!
Korgs apreggiators are always glitchy. When using in productions I often have to go into the audio at macro level and time correct them.
Cool sampling trigger with the TR 707 :-)
Love this session sir! So warm!
Thanks!
que grato es escuchar mirar y aprender de un gran músico como vos , la verdad te admiro saludos y buena vida
Gracias amigo :)
Very, very nice!!!
Many thanks! :)
Thanks for the video, this brings back so many good memories. Those drums are on point!! Slice me Nice, Midnight Radio, Passion, Living on Video, Don't Wake Me Up, Happy Song, Deliverance, Don't Cry Tonight, Hey Hey Guy, Disco Band, Somebody To Love. :)
Thanks! Yeah, there's so many great tracks you're listing up there. The list is endless really. I'm currently working on a Italo Disco EP coming later this fall. I'm sure you'll like it. Just watch my channel :)
Excellent work and video.
Thanks!
I love your tutorials and videos. thank you
Thank you Andrea! Thanks for the support! :)
very solid! wow! totally authentic - bravo bravo! xx
Thanks! :)
How did I miss this one! This is FANTASTIC! Great tutorial, great talent! Great gear!
Nice! It's one of the earliest videos I posted after I started up my channel fresh. Thanks my friend :)
Very nice demo, thanks :) Great sounds! Why can't we have music like that today!
Thanks Nickie! :)
Great work👍😃
Thanks! :D
Dayumn you're awesome! I'm going to be plowing through all your videos now. The free dx patches giveaways are simply amazing for a volca fm newbie like me. Keep up the good work!
Thanks man! Got lots of new stuff coming soon :)
Truly inspiring! You're a wonderful performer. I need a hardware sequencer too these days. I find DAWs so uninspiring.
Thanks Paul! Yeah, hardware sequencers can release a different kind of feel to tracks so I definitely recommend getting one :)
great video and thoroughly explained! helped a lot thank you
Thanks Max. Glad it did! :)
Instruments like the TR626 were responsible for creating these styles. The fingerprint was born before the composers 👽
That Juno 6 brass sounds extra fat. Love it!
Ouch, the look of that G-key...
But hey, nice set of videos man, you really capture the sound and style of the 80s.
Thanks man! I appreciate it :)
absolutely perfect
Great Performance please show us more.
Thanks! I show you each Friday, right here on this channel. ;-)