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future rave

Future Rave

France · 2020s
EpicDarkDancingIntenseDreamy
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Description

Future rave is an electronic dance music style popularized by David Guetta and MORTEN that fuses the dark, muscular drive of techno with the euphoric tension-and-release of trance and the festival scale of big room house.

It typically sits around 126–130 BPM, uses minor-key progressions, saturated supersaw leads, reese/rolling basslines, chunky offbeat stabs, and cinematic build-ups. The sonic palette favors gritty, modern sound design (distorted yet controlled), 909/modern drum kits, and atmospheric FX that enhance a nocturnal, high-stakes mood.

Unlike brighter, pop-facing EDM, future rave keeps a moody, industrial sheen while still delivering emotional, hands-in-the-air breakdowns and anthemic toplines.

History
Origins (2019–2020)

David Guetta and Danish producer MORTEN began experimenting with a darker, more driving festival sound in 2019, blending techno’s pummeling groove with trance-style euphoria and big room house structures. Early singles and edits road-tested at large events and in livestreams during the pandemic crystallized the aesthetic and the "Future Rave" moniker stuck.

Breakout and Codification (2020–2022)

Through a run of collaborative singles, remixes, and branded "Future Rave" sets, Guetta & MORTEN codified the formula: mid-to-upper 120s BPM, gritty rolling basslines, saturated supersaws, dramatic breakdowns, and tension-heavy builds. The sound quickly propagated across festival main stages and radio-friendly EDM, with marquee DJs adopting elements in their sets and releases.

Ecosystem and Impact (2022–present)

As the style spread, producers from big room, progressive house, and trance folded future rave motifs into their own work, while some labels and playlists carved out dedicated spaces for the sound. The genre helped re-inject a techno-influenced, nocturnal mood into mainstream EDM without sacrificing stadium-scale hooks, influencing pop-leaning dance tracks and pushing mainstage sets toward darker, more driving textures.

How to make a track in this genre
Tempo, Groove, and Rhythm
•   Aim for 126–130 BPM in 4/4. Keep a steady, understated but powerful kick with tight sub support. •   Use rolling 1/8 or syncopated 1/16 bass patterns that lock with the kick; add offbeat rave stabs to create propulsion. •   Hi-hats: combine crisp closed hats on the offbeats with occasional shuffled hats for urgency.
Harmony and Melody
•   Write in minor keys; favor modal colors like Aeolian or Phrygian for darker tension. •   Create a simple, anthemic topline (lead or vocal) that blooms in the breakdown; support it with evolving pads and suspensions (add9, sus2/4) for trance-like lift. •   Use call-and-response between a gritty bass motif and a soaring supersaw lead in the drop.
Sound Design
•   Leads: saturated supersaws (stacked detuned oscillators), controlled with multiband compression and gentle tape/saturation. •   Bass: reese or layered analog-style bass with movement (filter/LFO automation) and harmonics to cut on big systems. •   FX: risers, downlifters, industrial sweeps, and distant ambiences to maintain a cinematic, nocturnal atmosphere.
Arrangement
•   Structure like big room/progressive house: intro (DJ-friendly), build, breakdown (emotional theme), tension build, drop, short mid-break, second build/drop, outro. •   Keep breakdowns spacious (pads, vocal hooks), then tighten the spectrum before the drop with snare rolls, pitch risers, and filter sweeps.
Mixing and Mastering
•   Prioritize kick–bass relationship (sidechain and low-end carving). Keep the midrange focused so leads cut without harshness. •   Use saturation and clipping tastefully for loudness while preserving transient punch.
Performance Tips
•   Design DJ edits with long intros/outros and alternative drops for energy control. •   Build live tension with filter sweeps on leads and mutes on the kick to set up explosive re-entries.
Main artists
Influenced by
Big Room House
Big room house is a festival-focused strain of EDM built for massive sound systems and outdoor main stages. It typically runs around 126–132 BPM (most commonly 128), uses four-on-the-floor kick patterns, and features huge, simple lead riffs designed to be instantly memorable to large crowds. A defining trait is the contrast between cinematic, reverb-washed breakdowns and ultra-dry, percussive drops driven by a powerful kick, sub, and a few bold supersaw or horn-like synth stabs. Arrangements lean on dramatic builds with snare rolls, risers, and crowd-hyping vocal chops, culminating in drops that emphasize impact over harmonic complexity.
Trance
Trance is a form of electronic dance music characterized by steady four-on-the-floor beats, long build‑ups and breakdowns, and euphoric, melodic progressions designed to induce a hypnotic or “trance‑like” state. Typical tempos range from about 130 to 142 BPM, with arrangements often stretching 7–10 minutes to allow DJs room for tension, release, and seamless mixing. The sound palette emphasizes shimmering pads, arpeggiated synth motifs, supersaw leads, and wide, reverberant spaces. Harmonically, trance tends to favor minor keys, modal mixture, and extended suspense before cathartic drops. Production hallmarks include sidechain compression (“pumping”), off‑beat open hi‑hats, rolling basslines, and lush delay/reverb tails. While largely instrumental, a major branch—vocal trance—features lyrical toplines and pop‑leaning structures without losing its club‑centric dynamics.
Techno
Techno is a four-on-the-floor, machine-driven form of electronic dance music that emerged in mid-to-late 1980s Detroit. It is characterized by steady 4/4 kick drums, repetitive and hypnotic rhythmic patterns, synthetic timbres, and an emphasis on texture, groove, and forward momentum over elaborate harmony. Producers typically use drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers to build layered percussion, pulsing basslines, and evolving motifs. While often dark and minimalistic, techno spans a wide spectrum—from soulful, futuristic Detroit aesthetics to hard, industrially tinged European strains—yet it consistently prioritizes kinetic energy for dancefloors and a sense of machine futurism.
Progressive House
Progressive house is a melodic, long-form strain of house music known for gradual builds, evolving textures, and a strong sense of tension and release. It favors hypnotic grooves, lush pads, and emotive chord progressions over abrupt drops. Typically sitting around 122–128 BPM in 4/4 time, tracks unfold over six to nine minutes, introducing small changes every few bars to keep momentum. The sound balances club-focused punch with cinematic atmosphere, making it equally at home in late-night dancefloors and long-form DJ sets.
Electro House
Electro house is a high-energy branch of house music characterized by distorted, buzzing bass leads, crisp four‑on‑the‑floor drums, and dramatic, festival-ready drops. It typically runs around 125–130 BPM, favoring aggressive, sawtooth-based synth timbres, heavy sidechain compression, and big, riff-like hooks over lush chord progressions. Production emphasizes powerful low-end, gritty midrange textures, noise sweeps and risers, and tightly structured builds and breakdowns that set up explosive drops. While rooted in house and electro traditions, its sound design borrows from techno’s intensity and big beat’s punch, resulting in a bold, modern, and club-focused aesthetic.
Rave
Rave is a high-energy electronic dance music style and party culture that crystallized in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom, growing out of acid house nights and warehouse parties. Musically, it emphasizes relentless dance-floor momentum, big breakdowns and drops, bright "rave stabs" and hoover leads, chopped breakbeats or four-on-the-floor kicks, and euphoric vocal samples. While the word "rave" refers to the broader culture of all-night events, the genre tag often points to the early 1990s UK sound sometimes called hardcore rave or breakbeat hardcore: uptempo BPMs, Amen/Think breaks, 808/909 drums, M1 piano riffs, diva hooks, sirens, and airhorns. The mood ranges from ecstatic and communal to dark and intense, with DJ-friendly structures designed for long blends and peak-time rushes.
House
House is a dance music genre that emerged in Chicago in the early 1980s, defined by a steady four-on-the-floor kick drum, off-beat hi-hats, soulful or hypnotic vocals, and groove-centric basslines. Typical tempos range from 118–130 BPM, and tracks are structured in DJ-friendly 16–32 bar phrases designed for seamless mixing. Drawing on disco’s celebratory spirit, electro-funk’s drum-machine rigor, and Italo/Hi-NRG’s synth-led sheen, house prioritizes repetition, tension-and-release, and communal energy on the dancefloor. Its sound palette often includes 808/909 drums, sampled or replayed disco/funk elements, filtered loops, piano/organ stabs, and warm, jazzy chords. Over time, house diversified into many substyles—deep house, acid house, French house, tech house, progressive house, and more—yet it remains a global foundation of club culture, known for emphasizing groove, inclusivity, and euphoria.
Big Room Trance
Big room trance is a festival-ready offshoot of trance that fuses euphoric, supersaw-led melodies and breakdowns with the drop-centric, minimal heft of big room house. The result emphasizes towering anthemic leads, thunderous 4/4 kicks, and massive crowd-centric builds that resolve into simple but explosive drops. Typically sitting around 128–132 BPM, it retains trance’s emotional chord movements and uplifting tension while adopting big room’s stripped-back, stadium-oriented sound design: punchy mono kicks, sidechained pads, white-noise risers and snare rolls, plus short, high-impact drops that spotlight a memorable lead hook. It’s engineered for mainstage impact and instant recognizability.
Edm
EDM (Electronic Dance Music) refers to the mainstream, festival-oriented wave of electronic dance styles that rose to global prominence in the early 2010s. It emphasizes high-energy drops, ear-catching toplines, and crowd-pleasing arrangements designed for large stages and mass audiences. Musically, EDM typically sits around 124–130 BPM with a strong four-on-the-floor kick, wide supersaw leads, bright plucks, and heavily sidechained pads and basses for a pumping feel. Tracks are structured around tension-and-release: intros and builds lead to explosive drops, followed by breakdowns that rebuild energy. Vocals and pop-style songwriting frequently appear, enabling crossover success on radio and streaming platforms.
Future Bass
Future bass is a melodic, drop-focused style of electronic dance music built around lush, detuned saw-tooth chords, dramatic swells, and emotive, pop- and R&B-leaning progressions. It typically runs at 70–90 BPM (or 140–180 BPM in double-time), uses trap-inspired drums (808 kicks, crisp snares on the third beat, syncopated hi-hats), and features heavy sidechain compression for a breathing, "pumping" feel. Producers often layer shimmering supersaws, pitch-automated leads, and chopped/pitched vocal snippets to create euphoric, weightless drops that contrast with airy verses and cinematic builds. A hallmark is its glossy, future-leaning sound design—gliding chords, LFO modulation, wide stereo images—paired with catchy, sentimental melodies that make it equally club-ready and radio-friendly.
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