What it sounds like
Minimal deep tech (often shortened to mdt or sometimes deep tech) emerged in the 2010s UK house scene — Hot Since 82, Solardo, Toman, Patrick Topping — as a response to the maximalism of EDM. Where big room threw everything at the wall, mdt left almost everything off the wall. A typical track has a kick, a hi-hat, a single bassline, a chord stab, and one vocal chop, and that’s it for seven minutes. It became the dominant warm-up sound at clubs like fabric and Sankeys.
A bar in and you’ve got it: a steady kick at 122–126 BPM, almost nothing else for the first 90 seconds, then a chopped vocal phrase (“yeah”, “ooh”, “make it go”) arrives and that’s the song. The discipline is what makes it work — the genre teaches producers what to leave out.
The chord moves
Minimal deep tech barely uses chords. When it does, they’re single sustained m7s (no 9ths, no extensions) that hint at harmonic context without committing. A typical chord move is i–v–i over 16 bars — barely a movement at all.
The harmony is suggestion, not statement. The vocal sample carries any real melodic content. Use --chord minor7 --voicing closed --pattern pulse and let almost nothing happen.
The groove
4-on-the-floor kick at 122–126 BPM with a bouncy offbeat bass — the bass plays on the “and” of every beat, ducking under the kick. Open hat on the offbeats, closed hat on 16ths but very low in the mix. Clap on 2 and 4 with short reverb tail (snappier than house’s longer plate reverb).
The vocal chop pattern is the entire song. A 1-bar phrase (“yeah, alright”), pitched and gated, repeating with subtle filter movement. That’s the hook. That’s all you get.
The sounds
- Bass: warm sub + mid bass on the offbeats. Saturated. Sidechained hard to the kick. Played mono.
- Chord stab: short Rhodes-style m7 stab on offbeats, sometimes only present in the chorus.
- Kick: punchy 909 derivative, EQ’d for clubs (not headphones). Tight transient.
- Vocal chop: 1-bar phrase from a soul/disco sample, pitched and repeated. Filter modulation across the bar.
- Hats: open on the offbeat, closed on 16ths, mixed low. Subtle stereo width.
- FX: white noise risers (very brief). Reverse cymbal at section boundaries.
Production tells
Want it modern? Cleaner low end, tighter sidechain, more space. The 2024 mdt sound is even more minimal than 2017 — fewer elements, more silence.
Want it 2017-Solardo-vintage? Slightly more drum layers (extra percussion shaker, ride bell). Wider stereo on the chord stab. Master at -8 LUFS for club punch.
Am7 → Am7 → Em7 → Am7
Click to hear it.
Listen to
Three records that show the style at full strength. Read them as listening pointers, not templates to copy.
Wisemen
Toman
listen ↗
Tribesmen
Solardo
listen ↗
Like You
Hot Since 82
listen ↗
Six recipes
Six ways to cook Minimal deep tech.
One starter recipe, three variations that each take the style in a different direction, one sectioned recipe, and one curated Live handoff recipe. Each one cooks from a Markdown recipe — edit it before the MIDI lands in your DAW.
Starter
Clipped Sub Pocket
A reduced deep-tech first cook with clipped minor stabs, tight offbeat sub, sparse house-shuffle drums, and tiny motif answers.
Study: Ricardo Villalobos, “Easy Lee” (2003). Use the reference for reduction, patience, and low-slung pressure, not for vocal, riff, or groove copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/minimal_deep_tech/minimal_deep_tech_clipped_sub_pocket.mdVariation
Late Bleep Return
A small return-lift recipe with sidechain gaps, offbeat bass, evolving support, and call-response bleeps kept intentionally sparse.
Study: East End Dubs, “Argo” (2013). Use the reference for low-slung return energy, not for riff, bassline, or arrangement copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/minimal_deep_tech/minimal_deep_tech_late_bleep_return.mdVariation
Micro Stab Pressure
A pressure-loop alternate with 3-3-2 chord nudges, offbeat bass, dry drones, and clipped motif bleeps.
Study: Raresh, “Vivaltu” (2008). Use the reference for tiny-loop pressure and restraint, not for phrase or riff copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/minimal_deep_tech/minimal_deep_tech_micro_stab_pressure.mdVariation
Pedal Dub Cell
A darker pedal-bass cell with push-pull chord timing, fifth-drone support, and sparse motif hits for dubby deep-tech rooms.
Study: Zip, “Aqua Viva” (2001). Use the reference for dry space and hypnotic patience, not for bassline or motif copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/minimal_deep_tech/minimal_deep_tech_pedal_dub_cell.mdSectioned
Bass Cold-Open Section Sketch
A full-song minimal-deep-tech sketch with drums and sub first, late stab reveals, section clips, and mute-ready arrangement structure.
Study: Petre Inspirescu, “Sakadat” (2007). Use the reference for patient structure and reduced movement, not for phrase or groove copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/minimal_deep_tech/minimal_deep_tech_bass_cold_open_section_sketch.mdLive handoff
Live Micro Session
A minimal-deep-tech DAW handoff with section MIDI files, clipped-stab sound cards, and sample-search prompts for percussion and texture.
Study: Janeret, “Fusion” (2015). Use the reference for polished reduced groove and spatial balance, not for bassline, phrase, or riff copying.
python jamburgr.py --config configs/recipes/minimal_deep_tech/minimal_deep_tech_bridge_ready_micro_session.mdOpen in Live or Download uses the local bridge on this Mac. Download MIDI works in any DAW.
Ready when you are
Cook a Minimal deep tech pack.
Drop this in your terminal and you'll have a Standard MIDI pack in a folder, ready to drag into Live. Edit anything, swap any sound, throw out what doesn't work.
python jamburgr.py --key "A minor" --style minimal_deep_tech --progression i,i,v,i --pattern pulse --output-mode pack --out ./jams/minimal-deep-tech