How to Make a Dancehall Type Beat (+ Free Loops)

What BPM and key is a Dancehall type beat?

The loops here run 100 to 140 BPM. Classic dancehall sits around 90 to 105, and modern records push higher, but the swing and the one-drop feel matter more than the raw number.

The key is usually minor, often E minor, F minor or C sharp minor, yet the mood stays bright and danceable. Take the key from your loop and put the bass on the same root.

How to make a Dancehall type beat in 6 steps

The loops in step 1 stream right here and the mp3 is free. Then work through the six steps.

1. 1Pick a sample▾

   A bright guitar skank, an electric piano or a plucky chord in minor, 100 to 140 BPM. Take one from the list below with an offbeat bounce you could loop for a whole track.

   • ▶
     Rubber
     140 BPM · Cmin
     AmbientDancehallSad
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     VHS
     110 BPM · C#min
     AmbientDancehallVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Pillow
     140 BPM · Amin
     AmbientDancehallVirtual
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Bubble
     104 BPM · Amin
     AmbientDancehallGuitar
     @ndacompany
     ↓
   • ▶
     Tundra
     120 BPM · G#min
     AmbientDancehallDark
     @ndacompany
     ↓
2. 2Set the one-drop▾

   Build the drums around the one-drop, the kick and snare landing together off the one, the first beat left open. That empty one is the whole feel.
3. 3Lay the skank▾

   A short chord stab on the and of each beat. Keep it clipped, not held. This offbeat chord is the single most dancehall thing on the beat.
4. 4Lay the bass▾

   On the root with space, bouncy rather than heavy. It rolls with the groove and leaves the low end breathing, so the riddim stays light.
5. 5Try the pitch▾

   Only once the groove sits. Move the loop a semitone or two and keep the brightest, bounciest lane. Pull the bass to the new root afterwards.
6. 6Arrange▾

   Keep it simple, less is more. Let the riddim loop and the groove ride, bring the hook early. A good riddim holds up even when nobody is singing on it yet.

Riddim culture is the signature

Dancehall grew out of riddim culture: a producer builds one instrumental and many artists voice their own songs over it. Sleng Teng alone has well over four hundred versions.

That means your beat has to stand on the groove, not on a clever one-off arrangement. Build it so a different vocal could ride it next week.

The engine is the offbeat skank plus the one-drop. Get those two right and you have a riddim, even before any melody on top.

Which sounds make it sound like Dancehall?

The core is the offbeat skank: a bright guitar or electric piano chord on the and of every beat. That offbeat is the genre.

The groove is a one-drop or rolling bounce, loose and swung, never stiff. A rim or clap sits on the backbeat and keeps it danceable.

The bass bounces with the groove, on the root with space, light rather than heavy. Keep the whole thing bright and simple so the riddim can carry a voice.

Pitch the sample up and down

The position of the loop is not fixed. A few semitones change its whole character.

Up the skank gets lighter and thinner, down it gets fuller and darker. The key moves with it, so pull the bass to the new root afterwards.

Common mistakes

Straight, stiff drums. Dancehall rides on the swing and the one-drop feel, so program it loose and let it breathe.

A melody that fights the groove. Keep the riff simple so the rhythm leads and a vocal has room to sit on top.

Burying the offbeat. The skank is the fingerprint of the genre, so let it ring clear instead of drowning it in the mix.

In FL Studio and in Logic

Nothing in the steps above depends on the DAW. You need a sampler for the bass, an EQ to cut the lows off the melody, and a reverb.

FL Studio: the bass goes in a sampler channel with cut itself on, plus clip and boost in the channel. Draw the skank stabs and the swung hats with the paintbrush.

Logic: Quick Sampler for the bass set to mono so the notes cannot overlap, the Step Sequencer for the one-drop and the hats. One bus for the melody tracks with a Channel EQ and a reverb.

Using the loops from NDA Company

Every loop here is played by hand, no AI, and free as an mp3.