EVERY GENRE PROJECT - April 1 - Neurohop
Genre of the Day - Neurohop
Album of the Day - Polychrome by KOAN Sound (2018)
April 1, 2024
Easter Monday? NeuroHOP? The jokes write themselves. This genre is not a neurologically divergent rabbit. I don’t think anyone would think it was. Sometimes the jokes don’t write themselves that well. Slow day at the Every Genre Project. Yesterday was a quirky, juiced-up electronic dance subvariant from 2018. So is today’s. Sometimes I try to avoid having genres in the same area consecutively. Other times, it’s a fun challenge that forces me to prick at the differences a little more. So bear with me as we try to probe the nuances.
Neurohop on the surface resembles hybrid trap quite a bit. They’re both, at their most elemental, fusions of hip-hop and electronic dance music. However, neurohop doesn’t rely on one type of percussion as hybrid trap does. Neurohop sits back and simmers at a more leisurely tempo of around 80-120 BPM. it also includes more prominent influences from jazz and funk. However, it also aligns with glitchy, skittering sonics and synth distortion. It makes for a slightly lighter tone, but don’t get it twisted: its bass design is still at the forefront, though it might not be as brash as some other peers. It also has major influence from drum’n’bass.
One minor synth tweak can shape the sound of not just one genre, but a whole arena of music. The Reese bass is a sound that exists right under our noses when we listen to drum’n’bass, dubstep, and a ton of other dance genres, but until we have the words to identify it, it might fly under the radar. The Reese bass was first used by Kevin “Reese” Saunderson, one of the early pioneers of Detroit techno, all the way back in 1988. Simple experimentation brought him there: on his Casio CZ-5000, he messed around with the oscillators and buttons until reaching an usual pulsing, deep, dark bass. It quickly caught on among UK dance producers who sought to darken their sound, and it became the perfect instrumental accompaniment to their frenetic beats.
Today’s genre balances that dark sound with lighter textures wonderfully. Classic drum’n’bass is at work such as on “Drift”, but KOAN Sound fills the soundscape with whistling bells, chimes, and strings, making for a rich experience. Many tracks are subtle, with a minimal emphasis on huge drops. There’s more riding on the Reese bass and exploration of the groove. “Chalk It Out” filters Japanese city pop-esque funk through the depth of a Reese bass. “The Zulla” spotlights cinematic string arrangements with ambient wash over the Reese. These tracks are twitchy, atmospheric, and pulsating while retaining funk and groove. It’s a fantastic collision of elements, but one pulled off with grace. Unlike my intro today.