Pairing a four-to-floor kick with a filtered low tom on off positions gives techno a sub-heavy bouncy groove

The backbone of this dark Berlin techno beat uses two low-frequency elements: a deep, dubby, organic kick on every quarter note (four-to-floor), and a filtered low tom that acts almost like a second kick, sounding only at off positions (grid positions 7 and 15 of the four-bar loop, with a variation at the end). Because the tom occupies the same spectral territory as the kick but hits off the quarter notes, it plays against the kick rather than doubling it. A low-pass filter keeps both elements ‘subby and deep’. The result is ‘disparate parts playing against each other to deliver an almost bouncy groove’ — an effect that comes from sub-heavy elements in rhythmic tension rather than in unison.

Examples

Program the kick on every quarter of a 32-step, four-bar grid. Program the tom at positions 7 and 15 only. Low-pass both to keep them deep. The tom’s off-position hits push the pattern forward.

Assessment

Where does the low tom sit in the four-bar loop, and why does this create a different effect than simply doubling the kick? What filter treatment is applied to both elements?