strudel-genres - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: strudel-genres description: Genre blueprints for electronic music — tempo ranges, drum-pattern signatures, bass character, structure, key sounds, and the one defining rule for each genre. Use when writing a techno/house/dnb/ambient/trance/IDM/dubstep/synthwave/lo-fi/downtempo/trip-hop track, asking "what BPM for X", "make it sound like [genre]", or needing genre conventions before composing. Distinct from the style-* skills (individual producers); this is the shared construction grammar every producer in that genre follows.

How to read these blueprints: each entry is a composing checklist. Hit the BPM, lock the drum pattern, then layer the rest. One wrong element (e.g., four-on-the-floor kick in DnB) instantly breaks genre plausibility.

setcps reference: setcps(bpm / 60 / 4) maps BPM to Strudel's cycle clock (one cycle ≈ one 4/4 bar). Examples: setcps(0.5) = 120 bpm · setcps(0.533) ≈ 128 bpm · setcps(0.583) ≈ 140 bpm · setcps(0.708) ≈ 170 bpm. For mechanics (swing, syncopation, sidechain) see [[strudel-groove]]; for sounds see [[strudel-sample-library]]; for arrangement arcs see [[strudel-arrangement]].

House (Classic / Chicago / NY)


BPM	120–130 (sweet spot 124–126)
setcps	`setcps(0.517)` @ 124 bpm
Drum signature	Four-on-the-floor kick, clap/snare on 2+4, steady off-beat hi-hats (16ths with occasional open hat)
Bass	Sub-bass or organ bassline; root-note, slightly bouncy; shares low-end with kick via sidechain
Structure	8-bar loops; 4-bar intro percussion → add bass/stab → add vocal chop → breakdown → rebuild; DJ-friendly with 16-bar intro/outro
Key sounds	Soulful vocal chops, Rhodes/piano stab, TB-303 acid line (acid house), clap with room reverb
The one rule	That kick never skips. Remove any element except the four-on-the-floor; that's still house. Drop the kick and it isn't.

Techno (Berlin / Industrial)


BPM	128–145 (classic 130–138; peak-time 140+)
setcps	`setcps(0.558)` @ 134 bpm
Drum signature	Four-on-the-floor but kick is long, punchy, engineered — NOT the warm house thump. Dense metallic hi-hats, ride-heavy percussion, no melodic clap (or a very dry snare)
Bass	Minimal, looping sub; often a pulsing sine or distorted low-mid growl; avoids melodic basslines
Structure	Long arcs 8–10 min; elements added/removed in 8–16 bar blocks; breakdowns strip to hi-hats/ride then slowly re-introduce; no verse/chorus
Key sounds	Processed 909 kick, metallic ride, acid TB-303 loop, industrial noise sweeps, sparse dark pad
The one rule	Repetition IS the content. A two-bar loop running for 4 minutes with one filter slowly opening is more techno than a busy track that goes somewhere every 8 bars.

Deep House


BPM	110–125 (typical 118–122)
setcps	`setcps(0.492)` @ 118 bpm
Drum signature	Softer four-on-the-floor (often 808-style), muted hi-hats with swing, minimal percussion; snare/clap pushed back in the mix
Bass	Warm sub-bass, slightly filtered; often follows simple 2-bar chord riff; never aggressive
Structure	Slow builds; a lot of space; pads/chords introduced gradually; spoken-word or soulful vocal fragments; long breakdown
Key sounds	Muted gospel piano, jazz-chord Rhodes, warm Juno pad, filtered soulful vocal, sparse rim shot
The one rule	Warmth and space above density. If the mix is crowded, it's not deep house. Every element should breathe.

Melodic House & Techno (Afterlife / Innervisions sound)


BPM	120–128 (typically 122–125)
setcps	`setcps(0.508)` @ 122 bpm
Drum signature	Four-on-the-floor with warm kick; snappy clap on 2+4; rolling closed hats with open hat lifts every 2 bars; sidechain pumping on pads/bass
Bass	Moog-style root-note sub, pulsing 8th/16th rhythm; minimal but present; never a wobble
Structure	32-bar macro blocks: intro (drums+atmo) → build (add bass+arp) → drop (full arrangement+lead) → breakdown (pad-only) → climax
Key sounds	Arpeggiated minor synth (heavy reverb+delay), layered pads (bright/mid/low), evolving filter automation, cinematic swells
The one rule	The arp IS the hook. One looping arpeggio through heavy reverb/delay does what a 16-bar melody does in pop. Let it hypnotize; don't add more notes to "develop" it.

Drum & Bass (Liquid / Neurofunk / Standard)


BPM	160–180 (classic 174)
setcps	`setcps(0.725)` @ 174 bpm
Drum signature	Syncopated breakbeat — NOT four-on-the-floor. Amen break chop is the template: kick off the one, snare on the 2.5, ghost notes and rapid 16ths. Pattern changes every 1–2 bars
Bass	Two-register split: sub-bass weight (low) + Reese mid-range texture (growling detuned saw). Liquid DnB: smooth rolling sub. Neurofunk: designed/distorted mid-bass
Structure	8-bar sections; intro builds tension (no bass drop yet) → bass drops at 32 bars → breakdown → second drop harder; 5–6 min
Key sounds	Chopped Amen break, Reese bass, atmospheric pads, vocal samples, snare roll fills
The one rule	The break is not a loop — it's a conversation. Every 1–2 bars it mutates: ghost note in, snare displaced, kick added. Static break = not DnB.

Jungle


BPM	160–175 (raw jungle often 170–175)
setcps	`setcps(0.708)` @ 170 bpm
Drum signature	Heavier sampled break chops (Amen, Apache, Think); raw, less surgical than DnB — swing and funk preserved; layered with sub-hits and percussion samples
Bass	Dub/reggae bassline character — rolling, pitched, melodic sub; also sampled upright bass chops; reggae-ragga vocal samples over the top
Structure	Similar 8-bar blocks to DnB; more sampling-dense; vocal snippets from ragga/dancehall signal section changes
Key sounds	Amen break (raw, not over-processed), ragga/dancehall vocal samples, sub-bass from dub tradition, reggae organ
The one rule	Dub in the roots. The bass should feel like it came off a Lee Perry dub plate before it came off a rave floor. Reggae DNA is non-negotiable — without it, it's just fast DnB.

Dubstep / UK Bass


BPM	138–142 (felt at 69–71 bpm half-time); UK bass spans 120–140
setcps	`setcps(0.583)` @ 140 bpm
Drum signature	Half-time feel: kick NOT on every beat — often on 1 and 3 with offset hits; snare/clap on beat 3 (not 2+4); syncopated shuffled hats; triplet feel common
Bass	The wobble: LFO-modulated low-pass filter on a sine/saw bass (rate = groove tempo); or heavy sub-bass drops with silence around them. UK bass is darker, more minimal; brostep is distorted and maximalist
Structure	Intro → verse (sparse, atmospheric) → drop (wobble/bass enters) → break → second drop; emphasis on the contrast between sparse and dense
Key sounds	Wobbly LFO bass, pitched sub-bass stab, spacious reverb on snare, dark atmospheric pad, sparse percussion
The one rule	Dubstep lives in the gaps. The silence between notes, the space around the bass hit — that's where the genre breathes. A continuous wall of sound is wrong.

Ambient


BPM	60–90 or none (free-floating)
setcps	`setcps(0.25)` @ 60 bpm; or use very slow cycles as texture time, not beat time
Drum signature	Usually absent; if present: sporadic, processed into texture (reverb-washed hit = a sound event, not a beat)
Bass	Long-sustained low tones; not a bassline — a drone or harmonic foundation. Changes rarely (once per 30–60 sec)
Structure	No traditional structure. Evolution: elements introduced, held, transformed, dissolved. Silence is compositional. Eno's rule: any element should be able to drop out without the piece "ending."
Key sounds	Heavily reverbed/delayed pads, field recordings, granular textures, sustained string or choir tones, sine drones
The one rule	Stillness is the content. Nothing should demand attention; everything should reward it. If an element is "catchy," filter it back or add reverb until it dissolves into the texture.

Downtempo / Trip-Hop


BPM	Trip-hop: 70–90 (max 90) · Downtempo: 80–110
setcps	`setcps(0.333)` @ 80 bpm
Drum signature	Slow sampled breakbeat with heavy swing; hip-hop-style (not four-on-the-floor); kick on 1 (+3 sometimes), snare on 2+4; dusty, compressed, slightly lo-fi
Bass	Hip-hop-style bass: root-note driven, bouncy, prominent but not complex; dub pressure on the low end; often live bass feel via sampling
Structure	Song-ish: intro/verse/hook/bridge; 3–5 min; vocals (often noir, female, haunted) anchor structure; instrumental sections between
Key sounds	Dusty vinyl-sampled break, Portishead theremin-style lead, jazz brass/vibes sample, noir Rhodes, sparse string pad, distant reverb
The one rule	Melancholy + groove simultaneously. The beat must feel good to move to AND feel sad at the same time. If it's just sad, it's ambient. If it's just groovy, it's hip-hop. The Bristol tension is both at once.

Lo-Fi Hip-Hop


BPM	70–90 (sweet spot 75–85)
setcps	`setcps(0.333)` @ 80 bpm
Drum signature	Sampled breakbeat, heavily swung; sidechain pumping; kick on 1+3, snare on 2+4; hi-hats with velocity variation; intentional imprecision (slightly behind the beat)
Bass	Simple, melodic; follows chord roots; warm, rounded; often electric bass or bass guitar sample
Structure	Loops dominate (often 2–4 bar repeating phrase); minimal structural change; the whole track IS the vibe, not a journey
Key sounds	Vinyl crackle/noise layer, tape saturation, jazz 7th/9th chords (Rhodes or piano), detuned guitar lick, muffled bass, rain/café ambience
The one rule	The imperfection is the perfection. Add vinyl crackle, pitch the sample slightly flat, add subtle wow/flutter. Clean and polished is the wrong direction — grit is the genre marker.

Trance (Progressive / Uplifting / Psytrance)


BPM	Progressive: 128–135 · Uplifting: 136–145 · Psytrance: 145–150
setcps	`setcps(0.567)` @ 136 bpm
Drum signature	Four-on-the-floor kick (crisp, punchy); sharp clap/snare on 2+4; 16th-note closed hats; often a ride for drive; reverb on clap for size
Bass	Driving 16th-note bassline on root note (the "pumping trance bass"); sidechained to kick; disappears in breakdowns
Structure	Strict 8-bar blocks: 16-bar intro (kicks only) → build (hats+bass, 32 bars) → breakdown (everything drops except pads, 16–32 bars) → buildup (noise sweep, filter rise) → drop (full arrangement); 7–9 min total
Key sounds	Supersaw lead (chord stabs or melody), sweeping LPF filter ramp into the drop, reverse cymbal before drop, arpeggiated pluck, long sustained pad in breakdown
The one rule	The breakdown earns the drop. Strip every drum and bass element. Let the melodic hook float alone over a pad. Then the sweep, then the snare roll, then the drop. The emotional payoff only works if the silence before it is real.

IDM / Breakbeat Electronica


BPM	100–140 (highly variable; often unstated or irregular)
setcps	`setcps(0.5)` @ 120 bpm as a starting point; patterns create perceived tempo
Drum signature	Deliberately irregular: unconventional time signatures (5/4, 7/8), polyrhythms, glitch edits, breakbeat fragments that skip/stutter; the beat is a texture not a grid
Bass	Ranges from absent (ambient IDM) to complex designed mid-bass; often sine or softsynth bass that changes role bar-to-bar
Structure	Anti-structural: long evolving pieces; no drop/breakdown convention; tension/release created through texture density shifts and rhythmic unpredictability
Key sounds	Glitched breakbeat, granular texture, processed natural sounds, complex FM synthesis, Aphex Twin-style polyrhythm, Autechre-style quantize-free percussion, Boards of Canada detuned nostalgia
The one rule	Break the grid intentionally, not accidentally. IDM sounds designed — every skip and stutter was chosen. Randomness that sounds random = lo-fi. Randomness that sounds inevitable = IDM.

Synthwave / Outrun


BPM	80–118 (most common 90–105; Outrun subgenre can push 128–140)
setcps	`setcps(0.408)` @ 98 bpm
Drum signature	Four-on-the-floor kick OR kick on 1+3 only; big reverb-washed snare on 2+4; gated snare effect; analog drum machine sounds (LinnDrum, TR-808/909 adjacent); closed hats start sparse, build with track
Bass	8th-note root-note bass following chord progression; clean, round; sometimes sequenced arpeggio doubling the bass
Structure	Song-like: intro/verse/chorus/bridge/outro; 3–5 min; cinematic swells signal section changes; instrumental or sparse vocals
Key sounds	Detuned supersaw / Juno-106 pad, bright arpeggio lead, gated reverb snare, 80s chorus/phaser on synths, slow LFO filter sweep on pad
The one rule	80s nostalgia is the instrument. Every sound should feel like it came from a 1984 synthesizer: warm, slightly detuned, chorus-washed, reverb-heavy. Clinical modern digital tones break the spell immediately.

Quick-reference BPM table

Genre	BPM range	setcps (midpoint)
Lo-fi hip-hop	70–90	`setcps(0.333)` (80)
Trip-hop / Downtempo	70–110	`setcps(0.354)` (85)
Ambient	60–90 or none	`setcps(0.292)` (70)
Synthwave	80–118	`setcps(0.408)` (98)
Deep House	110–125	`setcps(0.492)` (118)
House	120–130	`setcps(0.517)` (124)
Melodic House/Techno	120–128	`setcps(0.508)` (122)
Dubstep / UK Bass	138–142	`setcps(0.583)` (140)
Techno	128–145	`setcps(0.558)` (134)
Trance (Progressive)	128–135	`setcps(0.554)` (133)
Trance (Uplifting)	136–145	`setcps(0.567)` (136)
IDM / Breakbeat	100–140	`setcps(0.500)` (120)
Jungle	160–175	`setcps(0.708)` (170)
Drum & Bass	160–180	`setcps(0.725)` (174)

Cross-genre notes for composing agents

Tempo alone does not make genre. 130 bpm + four-on-the-floor + metallic hats = techno. Same BPM + soulful vocal chop + Rhodes = house. Same BPM + rising supersaw stabs = trance. The drum pattern + bass character lock the genre.
Four-on-the-floor is the dividing line: house/techno/trance/melodic-house all use it. DnB/jungle/IDM/dubstep/trip-hop/lo-fi all break it.
Sub-bass treatment: genres split into "sub carries the groove" (dubstep, DnB) vs "sub supports the harmony" (house, deep house, melodic) vs "sub is absent or dronal" (ambient, IDM).
For Strudel drum pattern mechanics → [[strudel-groove]]. For sound selection → [[strudel-sample-library]]. For arrangement arcs → [[strudel-arrangement]]. For melodic/harmonic choices within genre → [[strudel-melody]] and [[strudel-harmony]]. For mix decisions → [[strudel-mixing]]. For synth/sound design → [[strudel-sound-design]]. For high-leverage techniques → [[strudel-pro-tips]]. For section timing and transitions → [[strudel-conduct]] and [[strudel-transitions]]. For Strudel mechanics → [[strudel-compose]].
Individual producer styles that exemplify these genres → the style-* skills (Bonobo = melodic downtempo/deep house; Kiasmos = melodic techno/ambient; Skee Mask = IDM/techno; DJRUM = techno/jungle; Floating Points = deep house/IDM).

Sources: Ableton Learning Music — Tempo and Genre · Beat Kitchen — Genre Landscape · London Sound Academy — EDM Genres List · Beatportal — Melodic House & Techno Step-by-Step · Sound On Sound — Dubstep Basics · EDMProd — How to Make Jungle · MusicRadar — Trip-Hop Sound · House of Tracks — Synthwave BPM · Myloops — Trance Song Structure · Vision3Deep — Jungle vs DnB