How To Make Afro Tech Music (like Da Capo, Joezi)

In this tutorial, Niek from The Producer School breaks down how to make Afro Tech music from scratch, covering all the key elements that define the genre - from the sub bass and top bass layering to the groove-building percussion, mysterious arps, and full arrangement structure. Whether you are new to Afro Tech or want to refine your sound, this walkthrough gives you a clear and practical production framework to work from.

What Is Afro Tech and How Does It Differ from Afro House?

Afro Tech shares roots with Afro House but has a distinct energy that sets it apart. Where Afro House tends to be warm, uplifting, and melodic, Afro Tech is darker and more hypnotic. The groove is more mechanical and repetitive, designed to pull listeners into a trance rather than lift them emotionally. The BPM is typically around 120, which is relatively slow compared to other electronic genres but gives the track a heavy, deliberate feel. The key elements are a strong, punchy bass, layered percussion including hi-hats, thumb hits, and bongo-style hits, and a mysterious arpeggiated lead that plays off the bassline. Simplicity and groove are more important than complexity - the arrangement builds slowly and rewards patience.

How to Build the Sub Bass and Top Bass for Afro Tech

The bass is the most vital part of an Afro Tech track. The sub bass used in this tutorial is a preset from the Savannah pack, built in a way that recreates a classic modular-style bass sound. It is made from two basic wavetables - a square-shaped wave on oscillator A pitched down two octaves, and a saw wave on oscillator B pitched down one octave. Envelope 1 is shaped with the sustain lowered slightly and some release added. Envelope 2 mirrors that shape but with a longer decay, and is linked to an MG Low 24 filter with extra drive for added fatness. White noise and tube distortion at 50% are also applied. The result is a punchy, warm, and locked-in sub bass. Keep the rhythm simple - do not overcomplicate it, as you need space for percussion hits on top.

• Oscillator A: square-ish wave, pitched down 2 octaves
• Oscillator B: saw wave, pitched down 1 octave
• Envelope 2: longer decay, linked to MG Low 24 filter
• Filter: MG Low 24 with extra drive
• Extra: white noise + tube distortion at 50%
• BPM: 120

For the top bass layer, a lead preset from the Savannah pack is repurposed. This preset adds width and fills out the higher frequencies above the sub. Roll off the low end of this layer completely so it does not compete with the sub bass - you only want it to occupy the mid and upper-mid frequency range.

How to Create the Afro Tech Top Lead Sound

The top lead plays a slightly different rhythm than the bass and is the first step toward building the groove of the track. The sound used here is made in Serum with two saw waves - one using a slightly rounded wave table on oscillator A, and one using a standard default wave table on oscillator B pitched down one octave. Envelope 1 has a short shape with the sustain remaining relatively high. Envelope 2 has extra punch and is linked to the filter, which has drive on it. Without envelope 2, the sound loses its top-end edge. In the FX chain, an EQ cuts all low frequencies and boosts the highs to make it sharp, followed by distortion, chorus, and a dimension effect for width. OTT compression is then applied to make it even more crispy and compressed-sounding. The top lead rhythm should complement rather than duplicate the bassline.

• Oscillator A: rounded saw wave table
• Oscillator B: default wave table, pitched down 1 octave
• Envelope 2: adds punch, linked to filter with drive
• FX: EQ (low cut + high boost), distortion, chorus, dimension, OTT

What Percussion Elements Define the Afro Tech Groove?

Percussion is what truly defines Afro Tech. The key is layering multiple elements on top of the bass rhythm to fill the full audio spectrum. The core percussion stack consists of a hi-hat loop, a thumb hit, and a percussion hit all stacked together on top of the bass. This combination adds punch and density to every beat. For the hi-hat layers, you can widen them in the stereo field to increase the sense of space. Do not let layers clash with each other - if sounds start to fight, the result will sound muddy, not full. A triplet fill adds a polyrhythm on top of the existing rhythm, creating a complex, interlocking Afro groove. This polyrhythmic layering is the theoretical backbone of the Afro Tech feel and is what immediately separates it from a basic house groove.

• Core stack: hi-hat loop + thumb hit + percussion hit layered together
• Hi-hats: widen in stereo for more space
• Triplet fill: creates a polyrhythm over the main bass rhythm
• Tip: remove low frequencies from individual hits so they do not clash with bass

How to Design the Mysterious Arp and Harmonic Layers

The arp in Afro Tech is intentionally simple and mysterious. It starts on the root note (E in this tutorial) and moves through a small set of notes in a repeating pattern. The sound is a basic saw-based patch filtered through an MG Low 18 filter, cut down to around 65 Hz. Tape saturation, chorus, and delay are applied in the FX chain. An LFO is linked to the fine tune to introduce instability and movement, and a second LFO is linked to panning for subtle motion. Together these give the arp a slightly unstable, hypnotic quality that sits perfectly in the pocket of the groove. For longer sustained harmonic notes, a second lead made in Serum from two basic mini wave tables is used. This lead uses a 1/16th LFO on fine tune, a very sustained amplitude envelope, chorus, reverb, and some glide.

• Arp: saw base, MG Low 18 filter cut to ~65 Hz, tape saturation, chorus, delay
• LFO 1: linked to fine tune - adds pitch instability
• LFO 2: linked to panning - adds subtle movement
• Sustained lead: Serum, two basic mini wave tables, 1/16th LFO on fine tune, glide enabled

How to Arrange an Afro Tech Track

The arrangement for Afro Tech is deliberately unglamorous - it is about maintaining groove and adding variety through gradual layering rather than dramatic changes. The intro and buildup slowly filter in all the main elements: the bass rhythm, the arp, the thumb hits, and the atmospheric layers. A filter cutoff automation on the arp during the buildup creates anticipation. An additional offbeat saw step - a standard saw with unison voices - is added to pull listeners into the next section. The drop is simply all the elements layered together: bass, top lead, percussion stack, shakers, atmospheres, Foley loops, claps, and a snare. A simple vocal loop from the Savannah pack can be added for personality. Side chaining everything including the thumbs and hits to the kick is essential - without it the mix becomes messy.

1. Intro: bass rhythm + arpeggiated lead (filtered down), hi-hats
2. Buildup: gradually open filter on arp, introduce thumb hits and percussion
3. Pre-drop: add offbeat saw step, sweeps and down filters for tension
4. Drop: add kick, clap, snare, shakers, percussion loops, Foley, atmospheres
5. Side chain: apply to kick, bass, thumbs, and hits throughout

All of the sounds used in this tutorial - including the sub bass preset, top leads, drum hits, Foley loops, and vocals - are included in the Savannah pack from The Producer School. The pack is tailored specifically for Afro Tech and Afro House productions and includes project files so you can open the finished track and study every detail for yourself.

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