Listening

Sounds I gravitate toward. Production structure and signal chains matter more than lyrics.

Lens
Change how each card describes the same genre: production, structure, texture, or mood.

Genres & Influences

rhythmic tension negative space sub weight clean drums arrangement-first
Production structure and rhythmic tension, not lyrics.
Optimizes for
Swing, pocket, sub control, and tension-building with minimal elements.
Avoids
Overcrowded arrangements, melodic clutter, and reverb-heavy smear.
What I track
  • Kick/sub relationship (translation at low volume)
  • Hi-hat phrasing and swing (micro-timing feel)
  • Arrangement tension: how long they can hold space before the drop
  • Headroom and transient control (clean loudness)
UK Drill artifact (e.g., drum grid or low-end analysis)
Artifact — drum grid / low-end behavior
Optional visual proof, not decoration
Examples
808Melo — “Only You Freestyle”, “Body”
AXL Beats — “Loading”, “Doja”
mechanical repetition gated space texture-first control distortion as design
Mechanical repetition, texture, and control.
Optimizes for
Relentless groove, rigid timing, and texture that reads as “machinery.”
Avoids
Overly-polished softness, wandering arrangements, and sentimental dynamics.
What I track
  • Kick articulation and consistency (machine feel)
  • Distortion staging (where the grit lives: bass vs bus)
  • Repetition discipline (variation without “drifting”)
  • Midrange texture that stays intelligible at volume
Industrial / EBM artifact (e.g., distortion staging or gate envelope)
Artifact — distortion/gate envelope
Show the system, not the vibe
Examples
Front 242 — “Headhunter”, “Rhythm of Time”
Nitzer Ebb — “Join in the Chant”, “Control I’m Here”
KMFDM — “A Drug Against War”, “Juke Joint Jezebel”
atmosphere lo-fi harshness long-form pacing texture distance
Atmosphere, texture, and production harshness over technicality.
Optimizes for
Immersion, tonal fog, and emotional temperature through soundscape.
Avoids
Over-clean modern sheen, tight quantized polish, and “showy” precision.
What I track
  • How “air” is created (hiss vs room vs cymbal wash)
  • Guitar texture vs intelligibility (blur that still reads)
  • Dynamic monotony control (flat without being dead)
  • Vocal placement (in the storm, not on top)
Black Metal artifact (e.g., ambience/air spectrum snapshot)
Artifact — ambience / air snapshot
Texture documentation
Examples
Darkthrone — “Transilvanian Hunger”, “Under a Funeral Moon”
Burzum — “Hvis Lyset Tar Oss”, “Filosofem”
Mayhem — “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, “Freezing Moon”
bass-led minimal effects vocal delivery steady pulse restraint
Bass-driven, minimal guitar effects, vocal delivery over production.
Optimizes for
Bass movement, hypnotic repetition, and vocal character that cuts cleanly.
Avoids
Over-layered guitars, excessive ambience, and “modern loudness” smear.
What I track
  • Bass tone and chorus modulation (movement without mud)
  • Vocal placement and intelligibility
  • Drum dryness vs room (how “close” the kit is)
  • Minimal arrangement that still feels full
Goth artifact (e.g., bass modulation chain snapshot)
Artifact — bass modulation chain
One screenshot beats paragraphs
Examples
Bauhaus — “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, “Dark Entries”
Sisters of Mercy — “Marian”, “Temple of Love”
Christian Death — “Catastrophe Ballet”, “Romeo’s Distress”
weight slow pacing tonal density saturation room drums
Weight, pacing, and tonal density.
Optimizes for
Mass, sustain, and arrangement patience—making “slow” feel inevitable.
Avoids
Thin guitars, clicky drums, and over-edited cleanliness.
What I track
  • Low-end stability (no flub, no uncontrolled bloom)
  • Saturation stages (where the density accumulates)
  • Drum room vs direct balance (size without wash)
  • Tempo patience (how long a riff can hold)
Doom/Sludge artifact (e.g., guitar bus chain or saturation staging)
Artifact — guitar bus / saturation staging
Density is engineered
Examples
Electric Wizard — “Funeralopolis”, “Dopethrone”
Sleep — “Dopesmoker”, “Dragonaut”
Eyehategod — “Take as Needed for Pain”, “Sister Fucker (Pt. I)”
bass design negative space sub pressure restraint impact
Mechanical bass design and negative space.
Optimizes for
Sub movement, drop impact, and arrangement that respects space.
Avoids
Constant “full spectrum” noise and too many competing bass layers.
What I track
  • Sub behavior (steady vs modulated; translation on small speakers)
  • Where the “air” lives (vinyl noise, ambience, sampled space)
  • Drop contrast (how different the drop feels vs intro)
  • Kick/bass phase and punch without clipping mush
Dubstep artifact (e.g., sub modulation or spectrum snapshot)
Artifact — sub modulation / spectrum
Impact is measurable
Examples
Burial — “Archangel”, “Ghost Hardware”
Skream — “Midnight Request Line”, “Rutten”
Benga — “Night”, “26 Basslines”
structure cinematic controlled brightness stable stereo motif-driven
When it emphasizes structure over nostalgia.
Optimizes for
Motif clarity, arrangement lift, and “big” sound that stays disciplined.
Avoids
Cheesy retro pastiche and overly glossy top-end that fatigues fast.
What I track
  • Motif strength (simple idea that carries)
  • Drum punch vs brightness (impact without glare)
  • Stereo width stability (wide without phase collapse)
  • Arrangement lift (energy increases via parts, not volume)
Synthwave artifact (e.g., stereo image / arrangement map)
Artifact — stereo image / arrangement map
Big but controlled
Examples
Perturbator — “Future Club”, “Humans Are Such Easy Prey”
Carpenter Brut — “Turbo Killer”, “Leather Teeth”