LEFTFIELD - Melt - How Was It Made? Ep 3

[@wavespeech1973]

Memories of Melt: Camping in Ullswater listening to Leftfield Essential Mix Aug 94, in the dark open air, camp fire burning down, milky way in a clear sky and they open with Melt. A memory I'll never forget and a favourite track ever since.

[@sandwich-breath]

This album has aged so well. Some of my favourite electronic music ever made.

[@MarkButton1]

Modern classical music really, isn’t it? Gives me goosebumps every time.

[@GyuBeats]

It certainly stands the test of time which is rare with dance music

[@djx64]

That Leftfield album was the absolute sonic bible from the mid 90's onwards. just every single track is incredible.. and Massive Attack - Mezzanine , huge influences.

[@GyuBeats]

Yeah I love Mezzanine too

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

Sven Vath, Banco de Gaia, Orb, FSOL, Hillage, happy days...

[@funkEntelechyPlacebo]

10.06 it's a trumpet with half valves- guessing it could be from Don Cherry ECM album again(first sample)

[@kimasher]

I love the joy and passion for the acoustic nuances and the energy you bring to recreating these masterpieces. It's such a nice way to explore production.

[@liamh9814]

I sat on a beach in Portugal for almost half a day, under the shade, looking at the sea, listening to Melt all the time. A state of utter 'bliss' perhaps, maybe more.

[@Rubicon1985]

Really feel it's a conversation between the different samples / instruments

[@GyuBeats]

Yes definitely :)

[@SonofChurchill]

100% a tune make me Smile great after party & early Sunday morning tune. Sad think 90s long gone.,

[@diddyuk]

Melt is just an amazing piece of music even when you try to deconstruct it and I never tire if it. The squiggle at 2:59 is from a patch on a voice crystal card on the JD-990. Its possible to do it on any JD990 once you know the settings. Pulse wave - LFO Saw -> Pitch and HPF. I believe the bass intro is 106, tho I had thought it was SE1 but it just doesnt twang like that. Your enthusiasm is a tonic to see.

[@carlbuckler1807]

Great job, very difficult thing to break down such a timeless track. Well Done, i really want Leftfield to see this and invite you in to the studio and show you exactly how it was done. mainly to put you at ease but also for the rest of us! I remember the first time i heard Melt and i will never forget where i was and what i was doing (record shopping). Can't wait for the next one as sunshine underground is in my mind a similar timeless masterpiece!

[@GyuBeats]

That would be a dream come true for me! Thanks :)

[@jjs3287]

I first heard this when I was driving back in the late evening after a fishing trip with my son and it totally captured me, but I didnt know what it was. I then spent years trying to identify it - even wrote to the radio station. In the end I heard it as background music to a scene in " Swimming with sharks" with James May. A bit of searching through the comments and bingo.

[@GyuBeats]

@@jjs3287 I know that feeling! So nice when you finally find it!

[@spidericemidasiosmusicprod1309]

This track is a supreme lesson on less is more. The spaces left in the arrangement make you listen closer and hang on to each sound until the next one arrives. Everything is weaved together so nicely by these short little sounds that are timed to punctuate the spaces perfectly. The note sequences of things like the bass, lead, strings, and pizzicato synths are so simple but together they produce something very elegant. Thanks for another very enjoyable breakdown and reconstruction. You have a great ear for recreating the original sound designs. 😎👍

[@GyuBeats]

Fantastic comment, I totally agree. It's really inspiring! Thanks for the kind words :)

[@AudioPervert1]

It's like in the 1980s, certain rock musicians used to waste their time (years) learning Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Who etc etc. Now these folks sit and do the same with electronic music. Learning how to sound (or copy) artists who are long gone. Done with. Oh yes the nostalgia surely lingers on. We must remember that, Leftfield recorded Melt in 1995 when there was no ableton, no instant effects and zero virtual instruments. Also the computers could at best load up 256Megabytes of memory. This is utterly stupid if not inconsequential.

[@ChantingInTheDark]

I ADORE this track, I can never tire of hearing it.

[@RichardWakefield]

To get even 80-90% close to the original is so commendable! Loved how close you got that LFO part, and also how close that (tribal) drum/percussion loop was. I always try to imagine which parts of the original track were ‘happy accidents’ from jamming etc, and which were completely calculated and deliberate - so it’s fun to hear your own take on things. Can’t wait for the Chem Bros breakdown - again, another fav track with such amazing and uplifting progression!

[@GyuBeats]

Thanks! Yeah it's fascinating 😀👍

[@AudioPervert1]

It's like in the 1980s, certain rock musicians used to waste their time (years) learning Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Who etc etc. Now these folks sit and do the same with electronic music. Learning how to sound (or copy) artists who are long gone. Done with. Oh yes the nostalgia surely lingers on. We must remember that, Leftfield recorded Melt in 1995 when there was no ableton, no instant effects and zero virtual instruments. Also the computers could at best load up 256Megabytes of memory. This is utterly stupid if not inconsequential.

[@CJRavenant]

@@AudioPervert1 knock it off Man, it's interesting expirience how 2 do ...DIY.

[@calirun1]

Great work and very close to the original. Thank you. Leftism is my all time favourite album - hearing it as a teenager blew my mind as hadn’t before heard any non-mainstream music. The ethereal and out-of-this-world opening to Release the Pressure is still special - a remake of that would be much appreciated!

[@mvashton]

Said it before....This series has had a great start and can only see an impressive future for it.

[@AKAtAGG]

Man you nailing it on here. Melt is one of the all time classics from an insanely talented couple of geniuses.

[@GyuBeats]

Thank you. It really is!

[@MySparky1975]

I have no idea how you ended up on my feed. Thanks algorithm. Subscribed. This is awesome

[@GyuBeats]

:)

[@HeartFeltGesture]

Always pulled hard on the Heart-strings this one. Cosmic timelessness. Up there with Jean Michel Jarres' Oxygen. Our personalities are not who we are, they are just defensive covers, let it Melt. Prior to time and space, We Are Consciousness Itself.

[@OutWithMyGear]

im on your 5th video in 2 days and am in love with you channel. thank you for making these vids.

[@GyuBeats]

Bless you. Welcome aboard!

[@Kobymaru0678]

The little LFO blip sound and the hi-hats are both from the Special Part section of the Roland JD-800. Tony Banks from Genesis famously used several sounds from it in "I Can't Dance".

[@GyuBeats]

Amazing thank you! I'll have to get a Roland cloud subscription and try it out 🙂👍

[@samsylo7328]

would love to see a fsol we are explosive remake...great stuff, remember walking thru a sea of empty water bottles at the end of a rave and the sound engineer played melt, always stuck with me as a poignant memory

[@thomas.moerman]

YES!

[@futurebleeps]

Love FSOL

[@Expressionistix]

Anything from Lifeforms would be amazing but probably very hard to recreate.

[@futurebleeps]

@@Expressionistix yes 👏🏻 and Cascade Part 1

[@spidericemidasiosmusicprod1309]

FSOL ❤️

[@mephisto212]

Art of Noise - Ransom on the Sand is an incredible track. They're really known for their 'Moments in Love' which was pretty huge in late 80s and 90s.

[@StrangeAttractor]

boomtown 2014 they played this over the speakers throughout the entire venue and campsites mid sunny Sunday morning. Me and this girl Layla crawled out of our tent and just watched and listened as everyone on the other side of the main arena bowl emerged from their tents... beautiful tune, beautiful moment.

[@GyuBeats]

Cool! I've never been to Boomtown even though I know some people involved with it

[@HighMonkeyMonk]

Check out the track "Friends, Lovers & Family - Underscore". Sound is at 2:13. Seems to be the same sound within melt... Wonder if it was on a sample CD.

[@jez-s]

Amazing job mate! What a timeless track, it’s so rare for an artist to produce an album you can listen to start to finish. Leftism is an all time great for sure and Melt is my favourite track. Found your breakdown interesting and inspirational. What geniuses Leftfield were/are! Keep going I’m loving your videos! ❤

[@cmddelete2169]

Always found it strange that producers sample The Art of Noise who mostly made records made of samples... so bascially sampling a sample. Maybe those sounds were so evocative & familiar, they gave some deeply spacey music a bit of grounding & context.

[@PendelSteven]

19:48 I suppose it could be a modular system. Maybe the Roland 100M or such. With those wires connecting you could modulate a lot even back in the day, quite like we do now virtually.

[@james4001]

Holy smoke your series is priceless .. beautifully presented .. THANKYOU & inspiration for the next time i'm in the studio

[@Exupace]

One of my all time favourite tunes, beautiful, give me goose bumps every time. Great breakdown. Bass is incredible in this track. Like your "strings" gives it a slightly more ethereal sound.

[@wutangpaul]

Mate, this is like Columbo but for synth nerds. Love your work

[@ttttiiimmy10bit]

What a tune. I remember rolling my head off to it !!!!

[@suffist]

Any chance of you breaking down how 808 state made PACIFIC STATE?

[@MF-yw9vu]

I have Melt on a loop when I go for my morning walk in the local woods. Such an awesome track.

[@danoliver8804]

love these vids....I met Paul Daley a few years ago at one of the ALFOS parties.....nice when you meet one of your heroes and their sound.

[@ChrisLodyMusic]

A consistent reoccurring theme of these videos is you saying "I'm not really happy with my version", then you absolutely nail it 😁 Legend. The LFO bit could have been done with separate legato\mono notes in the sequence rather than a held note with each note retriggering it's pitch modulation envelope and\or pitch LFO

[@Rubicon1985]

I felt the exact same when I first heard the track after borrowing the album off my sister. You can really get lost in it and it's intensely visual. Glad I got to see them live a few years back. Was everything I'd hoped! Super cool to hear the samples and it's construction - really deepens my love of the track. Thank you!

[@Scripach]

songs for those series are one by one my favorite tracks of all time couldn't imagine i'll find someone with so similar music taste as mine pleasure to watch, thank you very much

[@LockStoppageSandwich]

LOVED Leftfield first time around and still do. Please. Keep these coming as have subscribed.

[@oOBeagleOo]

What an amazing track been listening to it for years but listening to you break it down makes you realise how incredbible it is.

[@elcasho]

Brilliant!

[@rectify2003]

I still have this brilliant album

[@Toronto_James]

I feckin love your vids - absolutely fantastic & very entertaining. WRT Melt - Possibly my favourite track ever - I have always used it as the perfect track to test speakers / soundsystems - such a richness of sound & when the bass kicks in, you get an idea of what the speakers are capable of - always raises eyebrows in the store - lol

[@vausemike]

The percussion at 16.00 sounds like Adam and the ants

[@therealb3yond]

Very cool ! This was such a classic track already in the 90's and still sounds fresh. You have some serious skills to remake this!

[@andyhall7032]

a stunningly beautiful piece of music one of the standout moments on an incredible record thanks for the breakdown !!

[@guitargirlutube]

Thank you! A real favourite!!! )

[@djkrptdnb]

Wow, happy to hear where the horn sample comes from finally - for my recreation I played it in using a synth patch, wasn’t too far off but it took a long time getting the notes and pitch variations sounding right!

[@mk5khriss199]

amazing concept and work from you, can't wait for more ! thank you very very much ^^

[@GyuBeats]

Thank you very much!

[@idarlison]

Great video on such an awesome track, it’s sublime beauty never ages and somehow makes my heart ache. Keep up the good work fella!

[@jjs3287]

Love this piece of music.

[@cph2004]

This brings back memories. Back in the early 2000s coming back from a club absolutely mashed. Being in my mates car driving down a country lane listening to this. It was magical.

[@GyuBeats]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean :looks for gurning emoji:

[@cph2004]

@@GyuBeats haha. I was trying to grab a pot of gold off the bar that night at a club, but everytime I tried to grab it, the bloody thing kept on disappearing. 🤔🤭😆

[@GyuBeats]

😂😂😂

[@dizzygillespy]

The trumpet sound sounds like Don Cherry to me, probably Codona 3 album.

[@KieranOConnor139]

Amazing

[@mickharrison90]

Can't believe you have made a video of this! I remember it being on a football game years ago and I never knew what it was called then I stumbled across it thanks to my college tutor. Thanks!

[@mogmason6920]

I just made a shocking discovery. I was listening to Madres by Peruvian DJ Sofia Kourtesis the other thinking to myself “this reminds me of Leftfield” Then, all of a sudden, halfway through the track, comes this eerie, squeaky trumpet sound that’s nearly identical to the sample at 10:00. I think this is the same sample, I’m gonna go down a rabbit hole and update this comment when I find something.

[@lukealexander6233]

Just discovered you this week! Your energy and understated enthusiasm really puts across your passion for this music, loads of love x

[@f1endish1]

That second phrase from the trumpet sample was used on a track from Coldcut: Journeys by DJ mix, can't remember which track tho.

[@davidjazay9248]

Great job! The elephantine trumpet sample you were looking for, could it be Toshinori Kondo?

[@GyuBeats]

Thanks! Wow, great idea, I'd actually never heard of him before but having a listen now and A: it is totally the kind of think I was thinking of and B: such great music! Thanks so much for the introduction!😀

[@bobeyes3284]

Such a good album.

[@braddeeley]

Amazing! We share the same favorite songs, for the same reasons! I used to dabble in ACID in the early 2000s - Please do more how its made! More Leftfield! Orbital would be great!

[@888berg]

These are Brilliant - please keep going... thoroughly enjoyed!!!!

[@angstrom]

my guess at the "LFO" sound at @18:50 is that its not actually an LFO sound. To me it sounds like a sample of "dub feedback" delay saturated through the track its patched back into (dub delay returns on a normal track not a return track). Thats why the beat of it does that tuplet which restarts with a second beat at the bar loop/ retrigger. Think of a delay return overdriven and into feedback, it's possible to "carve" or construct a sound using the EQ boost in the FB path. Its very unpredictable so a classic 90s thing was to record a bunch of it to dat and sample a good bit

[@GyuBeats]

Wow, that's a great idea, definitely likely. It might even be a dub siren where they've been play with the lfo speed. I might try and make it with my trusty monotron delay. Cheers for the insightful comments, I recognise your name from the Ableton forum (back when people used to actually use it)👍

[@spacehoppermark6161]

Crackin choice of track to cover!

[@redpeople2192]

Oooohhhh lovely - indeed. Thanks for the detailed analysis of a classic. It used to be one of the last tunes we'd play after a big night out then either crawl into bed on pass out on a sofa. Another track in the same vain is The Sabres Of Paradise - Ballad Of Nicky McGuire

[@GyuBeats]

Thanks for watching :) I don't know that one - I'll check it out

[@davidosborn8309]

Another well articulated breakdown of a well loved classic track. Great job and look forward to the next one

[@GyuBeats]

Ah thanks so much!

[@andyb-com]

My idea at the time for a video of Melt was to have a camera shot walking along next to people with blurred out faces on a long stretch of road with tall buildings. As the song progresses the seasons change from winter through to summer. It just seemed to fit with my morning commute

[@GyuBeats]

Great idea!

[@AVxLautaroGarcia]

One of the best albums of the 90s decade. Thanks for this insight. This track brings me profound memories of my early 20s.

[@deeday09]

What an album. One of my all time favorites

[@chargedrat5415]

Another great deconstruction! Love getting to see and understand all the constituent parts that went into some of the finest electronic music ever created. Would be great to see you have a go at Afro Left next ;)

[@nathanbryers]

Wow so good - that was such a huge style explosion in music at the time

[@oliverlewis5976]

Amazing breakdown again, looking forward to your future episodes!!

[@QWLMusic]

Amazing! Is it possible to maybe attempt an Orbital track?

[@GyuBeats]

I'll try

[@MacheteCrunk]

This is great, thanks so much for making this, I am sitting here listening to this on a saturday morning and getting teary eyed over and over as you go through the track

[@GyuBeats]

aw! ❤❤❤

[@chriswilliams6944]

Superb work. The AON sample is Ransom in the sand by the way.

[@andrewanyplace]

I know nothing about synths or music production but I've enjoyed watching your first 3 episodes tonight. Really looking forward to the next one - The Sunshine Underground is a great track.

[@Fensta]

First heard this track on Adidas Power Soccer on Playstation 1, loved it but forgot about it.Years later i found it by accident, such a great track, beautifully produced by Leftfield, so mellow.

[@magendrag]

Loving these mate.

[@DjangoFlaherty]

As soon as I watched your Song of Life breakdown I thought about Melt. Awesome work!

[@Kurgan618]

When you watched them live this tune was when ev1 left to do a wee wee. But not me.

[@yoshi314]

this is my favourite Leftfield track ever.

[@hupekyser]

Great way to learn. Looking forward to checking out more of your stuff

[@GyuBeats]

Welcome aboard!

[@IrrationalRecreation]

Just like to add my voice to the chorus of the deeply impressed. Always a pleasure to watch one maestro deconstructing the work of others, but the additional demands of the sound design and sample sourcing takes it to another level.

[@nealohara782]

excellent stuff

[@Dochouse12113]

Really loving these videos, I'm so glad the algorithm suggested them to me! Melt is a fantastic track, and I agree with others this album has aged well. The ending of Melt also has delicious extra context from the fact it's in the tracklist right before Song of Life

[@Dochouse12113]

and I now realise you've just said that at the end of the video :D

[@morgan0]

would be really cool to see a video on a phonem track, maybe blone kone

[@morgan0]

reminds me i should work more on the tracks i made in that style, maybe i can finish one or two of them

[@SendyTheEndless]

Just a thing about the "free time" trumpet sample. I believe the best thing to do with arhythmic riff samples is move them around (no snapping) until the main note of the melody falls on a strong beat, and/or lines up to create a harmony in the place you want it. The rest of the sample will then sort of flow into and out of that one main sonic event, grounding the whole thing. It's a technique I don't really hear much these days. Anyway, I'm enjoying your videos and insight.

[@jamesthedriver1887]

At 20:39... were the original sounds recoded in reverse

[@jacobnoergaard]

Hey! New subscriber here. Love your "How was it made" videos so keep them up!

[@tjhell]

Great work on the deconstruction. Really enjoying these. The elephant sound is a bit like a pitched up sample from the intro of Buffalo Girls.

[@angstrom]

that high pitched noise around 3 minutes. I think thats the sound of an analogue tape being rewound. The pitch bend upwards is as the motor picks up speed. They were probably rewinding the 24 track of the song itself and said "hey, sample that!"

[@GyuBeats]

Oh wow, that's something I hadn't considered at all, probably as I've never had the chance to work with analogue tape machines. I'll look for a sample though. Great idea thanks. 👍

[@angstrom]

@@GyuBeats it's probably as easy to take a sample of the main outs of your version and play it backwards in Sampler at a high pitch with a pitch envelope upwards applied. The contents of the tape/sample are key to the sound. Here's someone messing with a Multitrack ...with the wrong sound! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGPIdKFtirqmprs

[@nickmonk634]

Could well be. Leftism was produced in an analog soundtracs Jade. Likely paired with 24track tape

[@cluckingbell1772]

What a fine track this is and great content on breaking it down, many thanks!

[@cluckingbell1772]

I'd love you to do a breakdown of my favourite track on the album Storm 3000!

[@agentcarbunkle]

I remember this being on the BBC intro music with a balloon rising before the program. I remember from primary school just before through the dragons eye came on .. haha showing my age, really got me into electronic music at an early age didn't realise what the song was until in my 20s, but remember that piece of music intently

[@UR_HR]

Absolutely loving this series, you're like the Rick Beato of electronica

[@GyuBeats]

That's a massive compliment! I love Rick and this series is totally inspired by 'What Makes This Song Great'

[@purm0ndis]

SUPER FUN SERIES!

[@GyuBeats]

Ah cheers!

[@lewistaylor5654]

@15:40 ..That percussive sound, I always thought may actually be muted guitar strings?

[@GyuBeats]

Yeah it could well be!

[@tColorsinspacerecordings]

How about Water from a Vine Leaf by William Orbit?

[@GyuBeats]

That's one of my favourite tracks! I intend to try!

[@markgiddings8382]

Hey Gyu ......... SO Inspirational ..... Thank you SO much. As a newbie into Production, you have helped me to 'peep' into the abyss of how such amazing songs have been made. Respect both to you & Leftfield !!!!

[@GyuBeats]

Ah thanks! I'm so glad it was helpful!

[@cmdrbuzz7779]

Enjoyed this a lot. One of my favourite records of all time

[@GyuBeats]

Mine too!