A drop or beat drop in music, made popular by electronic dance music (EDM) styles, is a point in a music track where a sudden change of rhythm or bass line occurs, which is preceded by a build-up section and break.^[1]

Excision (producer) mixing a heavy dubstep drop.

For example, in the pop song 'Summer' by Calvin Harris, right at the 1 minute mark, would that be a drop? A few examples in dub step or trance or dance music would be appreciated. The wikipedia explanations are just confusing to me. The beat drop is at 1:30 and another at 3:00. It's more subtle and less dubstep gimmicky but if you tune your. Example Sentences. Will you please stop beating about the bush and get to the point? When I asked George whether he knew who had taken the files from my desk, he started beating around the bush and refused to give me a direct answer. Don't beat around the.

Originating from disco and 1970s rock, drops are found in genres such as EDM, trap, hip-hop, K-pop and country. With the aid of music production applications, drops can vary in instrumentation and sound. Electronic instruments and tools for making drops include oscillating synthesizers, vocal samples, a drum beat, and basslines.

Certain drops can include a 'beat-up' (so-named because it is a point where the volume of the foundational kick drum beat is increased, after it has been faded down during a break or buildup) and 'climax' (a single, striking drop done late in the track). There are also types of drops which deviate from the standard, such as 'anti-drops' (songs in which the chorus is more minimal than the build-up) and consecutive 'superseding-drops'.

Drops are performed in music festivals and concerts, as pyrotechnics, visuals, and lighting are designed to correspond with the music. At EDM festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival, drops are accompanied by confetti explosions, fireworks, and light flashes.^[2]

The electronic dance festival experience, heightened by a drop-build up, is frequently accommodated by MDMA, a synthetic drug belonging to the amphetamine substance family.^[3]

The arrangement of drops can produce pleasurable feelings in the brain, which consequently translates into the listener’s behavior. These positive sensations are most enhanced when sharing the drop in a social setting.

History[edit]

The drop '...grew out of '70s rock'.^[4]^{[citation needed]} A subtype of the drop, the bass drop, was used in the Miami bass subgenre of hip hop music in the 1980s. The bass drop was produced using the RolandTR-808's deep drum machine kick drum sound.^[5] Since then, the TR-808 bass drop has been incorporated into a number electronic dance music genres, either produced by a TR-808 or using a sample of a TR-808 bass drop. The EDM drop has continued to evolve over time, circulating through different sub-genres.

Genres[edit]

Electronic dance music[edit]

Go to: Electronic dance music

Many genres of EDM have more than one drop during a track, especially if the song is built on a 'dance-pop' verse/chorus with vocals; a drop may be heard somewhere during each chorus as the high point of that verse/chorus cycle. Some songs tend to emphasize a single drop as the beginning of the high point, or climax, of the track; in vocal sub-genres this occurs most in the last repetition of the chorus, while in nonvocal genres it occurs in the last quarter of the track.

In trap, the drop incorporates a dense vibration accompanied by a hard bass style.^[6]
In pop electronic music, the drop initiates a heavy bounce effect to be used for large audiences. Billboard magazine states that in 2016, the 'pop-drop' is the '...post-chorus musical interlude that blends techniques from electronic dance music to hip-hop, and it's taken the chorus' place in pop music.^[4]
In trance, eurodance, hardstyle, hardcore, house and other dance genres where melodies and chord progressions are emphasized, it is known as a climax. This is where the main melody and accompanying beats enter with the drums and usually a syncopated bass line, giving the track a 'bouncy' feel.^[7]
In dubstep, the drop involves a heavy full bass line and commonly a 'wobble' or 'vowel' bass accompanied by a strong shuffling beat. There can be emotional melodies combined with varies of common dubstep bass lines. Melodic Dubstep is a sub-category under Dubstep that includes powerful chords, with the use of different light melodies accompanied by the heavy bass line, to create harmonious melodies.^[8]
Electronic music DJs sometimes perform a 'double drop': beatmatching two tracks where the drop, and hence the respective climaxes of both tracks, occur at the same time.^[9]

Other genres[edit]

In hip hop, the first drop and the climax are particularly emphasized using kicks, snares, hi-hats, 808 bass line and a melodic element.^[10]

In metalcore subgenres, bass drops are often utilized under the first chord of a breakdown, to emphasize the breakdown and give it a pronounced presence. A bass drop in this genre may be done using electronic drums with a sample pad triggered by the drummer or a backing track, either of which is sent to a venue's PA system.^[11]

Production[edit]

Tools and applications[edit]

In EDM, drops are created on applications such as FL Studio, Ableton, or Logic.^[12] These are digital audio workstations built with electronic music-making capabilities that allow producers and DJs to fine-tune sounds for their music. Within these applications, producers can use built-in sound kits, custom sounds, or purchasable online wavetables, such as Splice’s Serum, to create unique electronic sounds and effects.^[13]

Creation of the build-up and drop[edit]

The composition of a drop is preceded by a buildup, which is accomplished through a transition from the verse into an interlude of repeating sounds, increased drum speed, and substantial volume growth.^[14] For example, in Calvin Harris’s This is What You Came For, the buildup consists of a repeating vocal line, accompanied by a rapidly increasing snare drum tempo, and swells of synthesizers rising in volume. The repetitive vocal lines and increase in volume and tempo create tension that is broken by the full capacity of the drop. Some build-ups end with a bar of silence that adds to the dramatic flair of the drop.^[15]

The drop of a song may consist of a fuller bass, an affected vocal line, swelling atmospheric synthesizers, layered leads, hard-hitting drums, and white noise.^[16]The drop is the loudest and most unique portion of an EDM song. The buildup and verses are meant to bring focus to the drop. This is exemplified in This is What You Came For, as the drop consists of a catchy vocal sample of the previous lyric “you” chopped up and heavily processed to create a repetitive and enchanting melody. This is complemented by a bass vox, layered house synths, and a high-hat focused drum beat. As the climax of the song, the drop in EDM diverges from the notions of pop songs that are vocal-heavy, and shifts it onto the electronic sounds.^[17]

Drop quantities[edit]

Within EDM, drops are recurring and typically happen two to three times per song, each accompanied by a verse and buildup. This can lead to reprises to add variety in style of the different drops.^[18]

There are instances where there is only one drop accompanied by multiple buildups. An example of this is Illenium’s Sad Songs, which features an initial build-up that does not drop immediately, rather leads into the next verse, reserving the primary drop for the second build-up. This is a popular technique that builds to the suspense of the final drop.^[19]

Beat Drop Example