Dana Montana Inspired Techno

In this edition of Beat Dissected, we're diving into ‘90s-infused, high-energy techno and trance with all the elements of a future classic.

From DJ sets to producers’ latest releases, we’ve been hearing a distinct shift in electronic music —reviving the spirit of the 1990s and early 2000s rave scenes with a fresh, modern twist.

Belgium-based Dana Montana (they/she) is a rising Ukrainian DJ, producer, and event organizer whose sound moves fluidly between hard house, techno, and trance.

In this edition of Beat Dissected, we explore the 2022 release "Speed Killer (feat. SKEMER) – Edit" on London-based HE.SHE.THEY, a fashion brand, event series, and record label committed to talent, equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Rather than replicating the track, we’ll break down some of Dana Montana’s key production techniques and build a new track inspired by the sound.

Here’s what we're making today:

And here’s how the beat sounds with melody for context:

[spec tempo="147 BPM" swing="50%" sounds="Ableton 12"]

Let’s start with layering our kicks to punch through the mix. First, create a new MIDI track and load in the 909 Core Kit. Then we’re going to insert an empty MIDI clip.

On the Bass Drum, program in the following pattern.

Now copy the pattern, paste and move it with the arrow keys to the other kick.

Turn down the sample Volume of the deeper kick to -12.00 dB and -9.00 dB of the higher kick. Let’s also bring the 909 Core Kit track Volume down to -7.0 dB to avoid any signal clipping or distortion.

Onto the deeper kick, drop in Kick EQ 4. 

To glue the drums together and balance out the frequencies, we’re going to add the ‘Mix Gel’ Compressor after the 909 Core Kit.

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Now let’s give the track some movement by replacing the rack’s Open Hi Hat with  ‘Hihat Open 808’. 

Place a hi-hat on the third step of each quarter bar.

Transpose to -1 st and turn down Volume to -14.0 dB. 

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Let’s program in a beat on every 5th and 13th step of our four bar loop.

Next, let’s adjust the clap settings to: Attack 0.68 ms, Decay 60.0 s, Release 27.6 ms, Volume -5.00 dB. Pan the clap to 13L.

Now, we’ll insert Reverb from the Core Library. Turn Dry/Wet down to 40%.

For a nice accent, we’re going to replace the rack’s rim with ‘Rim-808.adg’. To pitch up, Transpose to +8 st. Pan the rim to 13R.

Ok, now let’s program our rim by copying the pattern.

Lastly, we’re going to pop in ‘Reverb-Delay + Room.adg’.

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Let’s add the Glue Compressor. as the name implies, to bind the sounds to sit cohesively in the mix. 

And follow these settings: Attack .3, Release .4, Ratio 4, Threshold -10.0 dB, Range 50.0 dB, Dry/Wet 34%.

Now we’ll include the Master Full Chain.

To finish off the chain and make sure our headroom is safe, we’ll add the ‘Lookahead’ Limiter.

With context:

Vamp Acid is a music producer, live techno artist, and co-head of Hrdwre.io based in Berlin. Find Vamp Acid on Instagram.

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