EPT***Seems like people are getting confused as to what Djent really is, heres Quesadilla's OP which summarizes things much better than me. Thanks again Ques***
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For everybody here that enjoys a bit of that double-bass and ditry vocals so commonly opening up MSL's and Proleague matches, you may enjoy this music industry forecast and find some good new music along the way. For a community as technically oriented as TL, you might appreciate some excessively technical music. Djent is going to get very big in the metal scene.
Welcome to the genre, "Djent". Djent, by definition, is purely a homophone. It won't take incredibly long for you to understand why after a listen or two to the purveyors of this growing sub-genre. While Djent should broadly be considered Metal music, it is definitely it's own entity characterized by incessant bending of deep notes. This music is full of constant polyrhythms, off-time patterns, progressive song structure, and out of control chord progressions.
soliddew put it perfectly:
On April 19 2010 07:32 soliddew wrote:
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the main goal of "djent" is to create a groove based around a cyclical rhythm/riff, but will generally total up to 4/4 in terms of beats. sure, you can count Periphery's Icarus Lives in 4/4, but you'll notice that the riff does NOT start again on beat 1, and it repeats OVER the bar. This is because the rhythm they are playing is either longer OR shorter than 4/4. However, the groove is still felt in 4, and the snare and cymbals are also in 4. meshuggah said it themselves: they do not count the time signature they are playing, they feel the polymetric groove they create.
therefore,
4/4 riff timing is not welcome.
There are a few basic requirements to play Djent. It's forefathers, DIY math/music masters Meshuggah from Sweden, have long been the lone rangers playing this ridiculously heavy style of music. Second only to Dream Theater, Meshuggah is the bane of every modern music theory student's existence. They made 8-string guitars famous in the metal world. Recently, 8-string guitars to metal kids are like SC2 Beta keys to nerds. Let's survey the gear:
Most Djent guitar players by default play custom Ibanez 8-strings, and they have recently become a stock production guitar. There are many custom guitar companies also making them. 8-strings enable sounds that most of our brains have not heard before in music. Green Day plays in E-standard; most Djent band's lowest string is in F#, nearly an octave lower. The tones of choice are purely digital. Usually, a Line 6 midi controller will control a rack of compression and digital effects that are then run out of the house sound system, or directly into a computer. Those who don't use racks usually opt for Engl Invader 100 amplifiers or Diezel's. Orange Amplification cabinets have found a resurgence in the metal scene because of their incredibly warm tones and extra-thick ply-wood that can actually handle the low tones our brains have trouble comprehending.
Drummers require 4-part independence, which means, they need to be able to play 4 different parts in different time signatures, simultaneously. Their kick drums usually mimic the patterns of the overly-percussive guitar riffs, and the snare is used to accent whichever time signature they are in (which is usually only for a moment). Some Djent bands like to use electronic drum kits that are triggered when recording. That means they play the songs exactly like a real kit, but a computer synthesizes the tones. Excluding jazz music, there isn't anything more difficult to do behind a drumkit than this.
Bass players are bass players.
Vocalists are required to talk about space, why Earth isn't fun, and use huge words that nobody understands. Keep in mind, their job isn't easy though. They must know the time signatures and parts as well as the other members, for their voice is used partially as a percussive interjection into the songs. Some Djent bands prefer no vocals at all. Vocals usually aren't the centerpiece of this genre, anyways.
Welcome to the genre, "Djent". Djent, by definition, is purely a homophone. It won't take incredibly long for you to understand why after a listen or two to the purveyors of this growing sub-genre. While Djent should broadly be considered Metal music, it is definitely it's own entity characterized by incessant bending of deep notes. This music is full of constant polyrhythms, off-time patterns, progressive song structure, and out of control chord progressions.
soliddew put it perfectly:
On April 19 2010 07:32 soliddew wrote:
Show nested quote +
the main goal of "djent" is to create a groove based around a cyclical rhythm/riff, but will generally total up to 4/4 in terms of beats. sure, you can count Periphery's Icarus Lives in 4/4, but you'll notice that the riff does NOT start again on beat 1, and it repeats OVER the bar. This is because the rhythm they are playing is either longer OR shorter than 4/4. However, the groove is still felt in 4, and the snare and cymbals are also in 4. meshuggah said it themselves: they do not count the time signature they are playing, they feel the polymetric groove they create.
therefore,
4/4 riff timing is not welcome.
There are a few basic requirements to play Djent. It's forefathers, DIY math/music masters Meshuggah from Sweden, have long been the lone rangers playing this ridiculously heavy style of music. Second only to Dream Theater, Meshuggah is the bane of every modern music theory student's existence. They made 8-string guitars famous in the metal world. Recently, 8-string guitars to metal kids are like SC2 Beta keys to nerds. Let's survey the gear:
Most Djent guitar players by default play custom Ibanez 8-strings, and they have recently become a stock production guitar. There are many custom guitar companies also making them. 8-strings enable sounds that most of our brains have not heard before in music. Green Day plays in E-standard; most Djent band's lowest string is in F#, nearly an octave lower. The tones of choice are purely digital. Usually, a Line 6 midi controller will control a rack of compression and digital effects that are then run out of the house sound system, or directly into a computer. Those who don't use racks usually opt for Engl Invader 100 amplifiers or Diezel's. Orange Amplification cabinets have found a resurgence in the metal scene because of their incredibly warm tones and extra-thick ply-wood that can actually handle the low tones our brains have trouble comprehending.
Drummers require 4-part independence, which means, they need to be able to play 4 different parts in different time signatures, simultaneously. Their kick drums usually mimic the patterns of the overly-percussive guitar riffs, and the snare is used to accent whichever time signature they are in (which is usually only for a moment). Some Djent bands like to use electronic drum kits that are triggered when recording. That means they play the songs exactly like a real kit, but a computer synthesizes the tones. Excluding jazz music, there isn't anything more difficult to do behind a drumkit than this.
Bass players are bass players.
Vocalists are required to talk about space, why Earth isn't fun, and use huge words that nobody understands. Keep in mind, their job isn't easy though. They must know the time signatures and parts as well as the other members, for their voice is used partially as a percussive interjection into the songs. Some Djent bands prefer no vocals at all. Vocals usually aren't the centerpiece of this genre, anyways.
As i am always looking for more djenty bands to listen to, i hope to see a plethera of bands being put up, and maybe some musicians around can teach us a thing or two about the music itself. Im no genius, so some of the rythms and timings are very difficult to understand, and require multiple listens, so please, enlighten us all.
For anyone into math!!!!!!!!
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After the burial has a song called Pi. Which they play as their intro song for shows. its extremely complex, but a guitarist took the time to explain the math behind it!
For people into math-metal stuff - An explanation of 'Pi' by After the Burial
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"Breakdown in 3.14
Pi was written and recorded only a few days before the completion of the Master copy, at around 10 am, with a couple of serious hangovers. Justin and I had talked about having a classical guitar intro into some sort of heavier riffage, but we weren't quite sure what that was exactly going to be.
We remembered back to a few weeks prior, when we were throwing around an idea of using the mathematical constant Pi, and incorporating it into some sort of complex breakdown pattern where the kick drum corresponded to each number as the figure progressed. Kinda creating the ultimate mind boggler of a riff. The complexity of the intro is often overheard, because it's hard to discern what is actually going on within the track, UNTIL NOW!!!
Here's a breakdown of the....um, breakdown, in the intro to our album, "Pi: The Mercury God Of Infinity"
The actual tempo is 120 beats per minute (bpm). You can hear this by listening for the closed hi-hat that is panned left: it is playing constant eighth-notes.
The snare is on beat three in 4/4 time at 120 bpm.
A crash cymbal accents beat one of the first measure in 4/4. It is repeated every four measures.
Now this is where it gets tricky: the china cymbal.
It's hard to feel the breakdown in Pi at 120 bpm, and this is mostly due to the china cymbal, which is playing a 4 over 3 (4/3) dotted-eighth note ostinato that begins on the "E" of one.
Confused?
Check it out: A quarter note is equal to one beat in 4/4 time, but so are two eighth notes, or 4 sixteenth notes. It's all about subdividing note values.
When you count a measure of 4/4 in quarter notes, it's: 1, 2, 3, 4.
When counting in eighth notes, it's: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +. (a plus sign refers to the spoken count "and" ex. "One and two and three and four and")
When counting in sixteenths, it's: 1 E + A 2 E + A 3 E + A 4 E + A. (Spoken: "One e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a)
So when I say the china starts on the "E" of one, I'm referring to the spoken counting value assigned to the second 16th note in a quarter note duration.
A dotted eighth note is a duration of three 16th notes, an ostinato is a persistently repeated pattern. Basically, the china plays on the bold-capitalized letters:
one E and a TWO e and A three e AND a four E and a ONE e and A etc.
Starting to get it? Cool.
At last, the reason Pi is what it is: the Double-bass pattern.
The formula of Pi for the kick drum was pretty far fetched at first, but seemed to work well once the track was finished. The numbers and rests in the formula translate to 16th notes on the kick drum, and 16th note rests. There is no kick drum beats where there are snare drums. Sooo, here it is:
With the decimal point BEFORE the number, and starting with the first number, move that many decimal points to the right and insert that many 16th note rests. Use one 16th note rest to divide the numbers you passed (when applicable). Continue on throughout the rest of the figure. No repeats.
So basically for the first step, you'd place the point (pt) before the first number, three: (pt)3.14159265
Next you jump the decimal three points to the right: 3.14(pt)159265
That's where you insert three 16th rests, and insert one 16th note rest between the other numbers you passed: 3(16th rest)1(16th rest)4(dotted-eighth)159265
Now, your decimal lies in between the 4 and the 1. So, following the formula, you move one point to the right of the 1 and insert one 16th note rest. There are no numbers to separate with single 16th rests, so you move onto the next number, which is 5, and follow the same instructions.
That's all there is to it! The formula extends out to 71 decimal points "
heres the song played live. amazing the drummer can remember 71 decimal points.
For people into math-metal stuff - An explanation of 'Pi' by After the Burial
+ Show Spoiler +
"Breakdown in 3.14
Pi was written and recorded only a few days before the completion of the Master copy, at around 10 am, with a couple of serious hangovers. Justin and I had talked about having a classical guitar intro into some sort of heavier riffage, but we weren't quite sure what that was exactly going to be.
We remembered back to a few weeks prior, when we were throwing around an idea of using the mathematical constant Pi, and incorporating it into some sort of complex breakdown pattern where the kick drum corresponded to each number as the figure progressed. Kinda creating the ultimate mind boggler of a riff. The complexity of the intro is often overheard, because it's hard to discern what is actually going on within the track, UNTIL NOW!!!
Here's a breakdown of the....um, breakdown, in the intro to our album, "Pi: The Mercury God Of Infinity"
The actual tempo is 120 beats per minute (bpm). You can hear this by listening for the closed hi-hat that is panned left: it is playing constant eighth-notes.
The snare is on beat three in 4/4 time at 120 bpm.
A crash cymbal accents beat one of the first measure in 4/4. It is repeated every four measures.
Now this is where it gets tricky: the china cymbal.
It's hard to feel the breakdown in Pi at 120 bpm, and this is mostly due to the china cymbal, which is playing a 4 over 3 (4/3) dotted-eighth note ostinato that begins on the "E" of one.
Confused?
Check it out: A quarter note is equal to one beat in 4/4 time, but so are two eighth notes, or 4 sixteenth notes. It's all about subdividing note values.
When you count a measure of 4/4 in quarter notes, it's: 1, 2, 3, 4.
When counting in eighth notes, it's: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +. (a plus sign refers to the spoken count "and" ex. "One and two and three and four and")
When counting in sixteenths, it's: 1 E + A 2 E + A 3 E + A 4 E + A. (Spoken: "One e and a two e and a three e and a four e and a)
So when I say the china starts on the "E" of one, I'm referring to the spoken counting value assigned to the second 16th note in a quarter note duration.
A dotted eighth note is a duration of three 16th notes, an ostinato is a persistently repeated pattern. Basically, the china plays on the bold-capitalized letters:
one E and a TWO e and A three e AND a four E and a ONE e and A etc.
Starting to get it? Cool.
At last, the reason Pi is what it is: the Double-bass pattern.
The formula of Pi for the kick drum was pretty far fetched at first, but seemed to work well once the track was finished. The numbers and rests in the formula translate to 16th notes on the kick drum, and 16th note rests. There is no kick drum beats where there are snare drums. Sooo, here it is:
With the decimal point BEFORE the number, and starting with the first number, move that many decimal points to the right and insert that many 16th note rests. Use one 16th note rest to divide the numbers you passed (when applicable). Continue on throughout the rest of the figure. No repeats.
So basically for the first step, you'd place the point (pt) before the first number, three: (pt)3.14159265
Next you jump the decimal three points to the right: 3.14(pt)159265
That's where you insert three 16th rests, and insert one 16th note rest between the other numbers you passed: 3(16th rest)1(16th rest)4(dotted-eighth)159265
Now, your decimal lies in between the 4 and the 1. So, following the formula, you move one point to the right of the 1 and insert one 16th note rest. There are no numbers to separate with single 16th rests, so you move onto the next number, which is 5, and follow the same instructions.
That's all there is to it! The formula extends out to 71 decimal points "
heres the song played live. amazing the drummer can remember 71 decimal points.
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i stumbled upon this article (i think its an article) all about meshuggas rythms. its called
Re-casting Metal: Rhythm and Meter in the Music of Meshuggah
found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6375990/Recasting-Metal-Rhythm-and-Meter-in-the-Music-of-Meshuggah
Re-casting Metal: Rhythm and Meter in the Music of Meshuggah
found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6375990/Recasting-Metal-Rhythm-and-Meter-in-the-Music-of-Meshuggah
Right now i am preety much only listening to Meshuggah, their rythms are godly and i actually physcially cannot stop myself from always having it on. I think people hear the vocals and get turned off, for me, I almost forget the vocals are there, i just love the rythms so much and use of polyrythms.
But enough talk, here's some music!!!
Added spoiler since theres alot of songs here! enjoy!
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One of my personal fav songs right now is
Ok people thats a start! let me here some more! GL to all. Will try to keep adding new ones!
On a side note: got into this music about 3 years ago listening to Textures 1st album, then the 2nd, and 3rd lol. It was so good i listened to it, and only it for over 1 year. 3 albums for one whole year essentially. Thats how good this music is folks!@!!!!!@!@!!@!@
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EDIT!!!::::
Here is 2011's top 20 albums from www.got-djent.com, i agree with almost all the choices, but theres a few which i substituted with some of my personal favorite albums of the year. so enjoy this plethora of new music!
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20 - Sithu Aye - Cassini
19- Substructure - Monolith
18 - Erra - Impulse
17 - Modern Day Babylon - The Manipulation Theory
16 - Friend For A Foe - Source of Isolation
15 - Halcyon - Pastures
14 - Aliases - Safer Than Reality
13 - David Maxim Micic - Bilo
12 - Periphery - Icarus EP
11 - Circles - The Compass
10 - Red Seas Fire - Red Seas Fire
9 - Corelia - Nostalgia
8 - Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
7 - Volumes - Via
6 - Born of Osiris - The Discovery
5 - Textures - Dualism
4 - Animals As Leaders - Weightless
3 - TesseracT - One
2 - Uneven Structure - Februus
AND # 1!!!!!!!!!!!
Vildhjarta - Måsstaden
