Description : Watched the movie, Berlin Calling. Got inspired. Decided to try making a German style techno track using only loops and samples that come with Logic Pro. Watched a lot of US cable news. Parallels between developments in 1935 Germany and those in 2025 USA are striking and troubling. One thing leads to another.
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Comments (9)
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Really enjoyed this, great production elements in the intro and the little drop. All the sound has a ton of texture and there are a few little ear candies I quite like. Thanks for sharing this here!
-BN -._.-
EricMilligan replied 5th Jun 2025 - 20 minutes ago
Thanks, BadNode. Took a while to figure out where I wanted to go with the track. I think I need to refine the mix a bit, though. Some of the ear candies are, I think, buried a bit too much.
Very good track. Yes troubling times definitely. Seems a bit like the perfect storm at the moment and the near future. Will have to check out the movie too.
Thanks, Zootman! Yes, definitely check out the movie. For me, it was like stepping into another world. Interesting to visit. Not a place I'd be comfortable staying in, though. :)
Thanks for the positive feedback on the track, TheFrenZ. I listened to it last night for the first time on my monitors. Had only used my headphones previously. It generally has a Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" sound to it and you can see from the waveform display on LM that I pushed the output level way up into a hard limiter. That's very unusual for me. I usually try to keep each instrument/sound in the mix quite distinct and always try to maintain a lot of dynamic range in the output. It sounds a lot better on my headphones than it does on my speakers. Might need to not be so lazy next time and test it on a variety of systems. I usually do that, but did not this time.
Thanks, Oli. This was unusual for me. Kind of an experiment. I typically will use midi drum patterns in my tracks, but rarely use loops. I usually play everything else using my controller keyboard. Was interesting also to limit myself to only loops and samples available stock in Logic Pro. Did have to go elsewhere for the vocal parts, but everything else was drawn from the stuff supplied with Logic.
Hello Eric, What a fantastic piece of work youre presenting to us! I think its definitely worth watching this film, which is excellently cast with Michael Kalkbrenner. The story it tellsabout the rise and fall, drug use, PMA, ecstasy, failed relationships of a fictional Berlin producer and DJ, his breakdown leading to psychiatric hospitalization, and his attempt to get his life back on track after his releaseis truly phenomenal.
Your song fits the film perfectly. Youve produced it brilliantlyan outstanding achievement!
I broadly share your thoughts on the current global events and their comparison to 1935. I am also afraid of these unfolding developments. It has never been good for the world when powerful propagandists have believed they could control it. This has always led to worldwide sufferingnot just in 1935, but also in earlier periods of human history. Why have we not learned to prevent such things? Why do people keep believing these so-called strong autocrats, who never act in the interest of the people but always for their own material and psychological gain?
Thanks for the kind words. Truth is, I've never actually been to a club or to a festival of any kind. I love the music, but I suspect that one really needs to be immersed in the scene to produce it well. It is interesting to me that so many DJs actually make their own tracks. Berlin Calling was a really interesting. I didn't realize that Kalkbrenner was actually at DJ/producer until I researched him after watching the film. I thought he was an actor pretending to be a DJ! So, then, I was doubly impressed! I am relieved that the "message" I was trying to convey in the track was properly understood. I was a bit afraid the it might be mis-interpreted as the opposite of what I was feeling.
Thanks, Kayos2. I'm glad you like different. I had a lot of false starts and going down dead-ends making the track, but I guess that's not totally unusual. Didn't quite know what I actually wanted to do with it. I still have no real idea if it actually qualifies as "techno", which is what I was aiming at. One think I got reinforced when I watched the film is that, unlike pop, dance music can have long passages with little or no introduction of new elements as dancers/listeners lock in to the groove. I guess trance is theoretically a prime example of that. In my tracks I have typically not done that because I realize that they will never actually be played in a club or for dancing anywhere. But, with this track, since I was trying on purpose to make a German style techno track, I did change the production a bit accordingly.
Worries of an artist, transformed into a great song. You have done a very nice work with this song, ultilised the best way those loops from Logic Pro. I really liked it. Haven't seen the movie yet. I wish healthy and peaceful lives to all.
Best regards, Anthony
Hi, Anthony. Thanks for the kind words. I think it is very interesting movie. I sometimes think what my life might have been like if I'd decided to try to be a professional musician instead of a lawyer. I think I would have been a complete and miserable failure. I definitely make the right decision keeping music as my escape, not my job.
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-BN -._.-
Eric
Your song fits the film perfectly. Youve produced it brilliantlyan outstanding achievement!
I broadly share your thoughts on the current global events and their comparison to 1935. I am also afraid of these unfolding developments. It has never been good for the world when powerful propagandists have believed they could control it. This has always led to worldwide sufferingnot just in 1935, but also in earlier periods of human history. Why have we not learned to prevent such things? Why do people keep believing these so-called strong autocrats, who never act in the interest of the people but always for their own material and psychological gain?
It frightens me!
Sending warm greetings to Canada, Manuela
Thanks for the kind words. Truth is, I've never actually been to a club or to a festival of any kind. I love the music, but I suspect that one really needs to be immersed in the scene to produce it well. It is interesting to me that so many DJs actually make their own tracks. Berlin Calling was a really interesting. I didn't realize that Kalkbrenner was actually at DJ/producer until I researched him after watching the film. I thought he was an actor pretending to be a DJ! So, then, I was doubly impressed! I am relieved that the "message" I was trying to convey in the track was properly understood. I was a bit afraid the it might be mis-interpreted as the opposite of what I was feeling.
Eric
Best regards, Anthony