Francis' Drumming Blog

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In this article, we’ll discover a unique drum groove unlike anything you’ve ever heard, opening your musical horizon to the multifaceted world of electronic music.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Wolf Cub
3. Drum Groove

Introduction

Two of the most influential figures in the indie electronic scene are Burial (birth name: William Emmanuel Bevan), a South London producer whose groundbreaking work on Hyperdub Records helped define the future garage, and Four Tet (birth name: Kieran Miles David Hebden), whose popularity has grown considerably in recent years.
Burial’s music is known for its haunting atmospheres, ethereal soundscapes, crackling vinyl textures, and unconventional rhythmic frameworks. His tracks feature meticulously crafted samples, fragmented vocal snippets, and heavily processed beats, all woven together to create an otherworldly sonic tapestry.
Burial remains an elusive and mysterious figure, shying away from the limelight and allowing his music to speak for itself. His sonic explorations continue to captivate and inspire, pushing the boundaries of electronic music and leaving an indelible mark on the genre.

Wolf Cub

“Wolf Cub” is one half of the collaborative 12″ release Moth / Wolf Cub, created by Burial and Four Tet and released in 2009 on a vinyl-only pressing. The track merges elements of future garage, deep house, and ambient techno, characterized by a syncopated 4/4 beat, subtle percussive textures, and evolving melodic loops. “Wolf Cub” still carries its signature atmospheric depth, enhanced by Four Tet’s melodic sensibilities, genius music instrumentation, and experimentalism. The result is a hypnotic, warm, and groove-oriented track that showcases the creative synergy between the two artists, making it an interesting study for music producers and drummers alike.

* Unfortunately, the track is not available on Spotify.

Drum Groove

The drum groove of “Wolf Cub” is something different from anything you’ve ever heard. Unlike most drum beats, there isn’t a continuous cymbal pattern, but a “broken” 8th-note hi-hat pattern that interacts with the bass drum/snare part. A processing effect is applied to the hi-hat, giving the sensation that it’s displaced and played on the 16th-note upbeats. What defines this groove is the syncopated bass drum/snare pattern, consisting of one bar repeated 3 times and a variation to complete the four-bar cycle. The snare is played on the cross-stick position, avoiding the classic “2” and “4” and instead anticipating or delaying the backbeat of one 16th note. The bass drum pattern gives the groove a jungle/tribal feel, perfectly complementing the snare part.

Take note, the drum part is not quantized, especially the second snare hit on the second 16th note, which is played “in the gap” between straight and swing. Burial doesn’t use a traditional sequencer, preferring to use an audio editor to create tracks with drum parts that don’t rigidly fit a regular grid. The drums come up at 2:38 with a 2-beat pickup measure.

Discover my previous article, including a collection of Burial grooves. “Wolf Cub” was originally transcribed with a 16th-note upbeat hi-hat pattern—refer to the transcription above for the final version.