How to Create Marten Lou Style Afro House Tracks: Complete Production Tutorial

This tutorial breaks down how to build an Afro House and melodic house track in the style of Marten Lou - covering emotional chord progressions, organic drum layering, atmospheric percussion, and arrangement structure from scratch. By the end, you will understand the specific production choices that define his sound and how to apply them in your own work.

What Is the Marten Lou Sound and How Is It Defined?

Marten Lou has risen quickly through the Afro and melodic house scene by combining emotionally rich melodies with intimate, organic grooves. His productions balance accessibility with texture - the melodies are immediately engaging, but the layering keeps listeners drawn in over repeated listens. The sound draws on deep Afro house rhythmic patterns but adds a melodic house sensitivity that makes it feel personal and atmospheric rather than purely functional for the dancefloor. Key characteristics include wide, reverb-heavy piano chords, syncopated tom-driven grooves, atmospheric ambient textures like drones and nature sounds, and carefully chosen percussion hits that add high-frequency sparkle without cluttering the mix. Understanding these elements individually is the first step toward building tracks in this style.

How to Build Emotional Chords in the Marten Lou Style

The chord-building process starts at 121 BPM, a tempo that matches several tracks in his catalog. The piano sound used here is a preset called Sin Special - an ambient piano with a heavy reverb tail that makes every note feel spacious and atmospheric. Once a chord progression is in place, two techniques add realism and movement:

1. Use the strum tool (Option/Alt + S on a Mac) to offset the notes slightly so they do not trigger all at the same time - this mimics the feel of a pianist pressing keys in quick succession
2. Add a simple bassline by copying the lowest note from each chord into a separate bass preset

The bass preset used is called Bass Sunny - a deep saw bass that sounds almost like a sub. Sidechain compression is applied below a specific frequency so the bass ducks against the kick without losing its full low-end presence.

How to Layer Drums for Afro House Groove

The drum architecture in this style is built around toms rather than a traditional kick-snare pattern. The foundation layers are:

• A deep house kick in a simple four-on-the-floor pattern
• Two tom sounds - a high 808-style tom and a second slightly different tom to add variety - sequenced with velocity changes for a natural feel
• A rim and snare shot playing a syncopated rhythm, inspired by the pattern in a Marten Lou track called My Love for You
• An open hat loop for drive, a shaker, a texture shaker loop, a close hat loop, a top loop, and a metallic percussion loop for high-frequency sparkle

The higher tom gets a touch of Decapitator distortion and a short room reverb to sit it in a realistic space. The layered combination creates a full, organic groove that feels like a live percussion ensemble rather than a programmed drum machine.

How to Add Melodic Layers and Synth Elements

On top of the drum foundation, several synth layers build the melodic atmosphere:

1. A Serum sequence playing the root note of the track - a simple Afro House pattern that adds subtle motion without drawing attention away from the chords
2. An Afro House plug lead sound that follows the rhythm of the tom - boosted in the high end and widened using OZone Imager (a free plugin)
3. A clave percussion hit with heavy reverb, inspired by a similar sound in My Love for You - the reverb is extended further with a Vocodex noise preset and an additional reverb to boost the high end, making it feel spatial and atmospheric
4. A drone ambient sound playing the root note at low volume to add harmonic depth
5. A rainforest ambient sound for natural texture

The plug lead includes a macro called Build that can be automated during the buildup to create tension - a simple but effective technique for adding energy without adding more elements.

What Makes the Build and Drop Arrangement Work?

The arrangement structure is straightforward but effective. The buildup starts with just chords and synths before adding uplifters and a shaker transition. A whoop sound - a typical Afro House element with distortion and reverb - adds energy before the drop hits. The buildup also features a found vocal from Splice that fits the emotional, mellow energy of the style. The Build macro on the plug lead is automated to grow during this section, creating a sense of controlled tension that resolves when the drop arrives. Cutting the vocal just before the drop creates a brief gap that makes the impact of the main section hit harder. Keeping the arrangement simple - with the same elements throughout and only adding or removing layers - is consistent with how this style works in a DJ context.

How to Use Atmospheric Ambience to Deepen the Sound

Ambient texture is one of the most defining features of the Marten Lou sound and one that is easy to overlook. Beyond the reverb and delay applied to individual elements, there are dedicated ambient layers running throughout the track. A drone sound on the root note adds warmth and harmonic richness at low volume. A rainforest recording brings natural organic texture that connects the electronic production to something physical and alive. These layers do not play melodies or rhythms - they sit beneath everything else and create the emotional atmosphere that makes the track feel personal rather than clinical. Placing these sounds in a mixer channel and keeping the volume low is key. If you can clearly hear the ambient layer as a distinct element, it is too loud.

All the sounds used in this tutorial come from the Tantra pack - an Afro and melodic house producer pack containing Serum presets, a sample pack, vocals, and more. If you want to build tracks in this style and need a complete sound library to start with, Tantra is built specifically for this genre. Check out the link in the description or visit theproducerschool.com to see the full contents.

Tutorial by Niek, co-founder of The Producer School. For more production tutorials, subscribe to The Producer School on YouTube (280K+ subscribers).