Delta Heavy

When it comes to writing crowd-rockin’ riffs and melodies, DnB outfit Simon James and Ben Hall are two of the best in the biz. We grilled them for their top hook-writing tips…

CM: Do you guys have any background in music theory? Or do you create your melodies using trial and error?

DH: “We mostly create melodies through stages of development and tweaking after an initial idea. Sometimes you nail it first time and then spend days slowly working in a circle as you try to improve it… but other times you just make it worse and have to revert back to the original!

“It also depends on whether you create the melody with the finished sound you want to use, or develop the sound afterwards. With electronic music the sound is just as important, if not more important than note selection, so it can be a process of refining the sound and/or melody rather than just working on the notes.”

cm: Do you have a particular way of working when trying to nail a solid, memorable lead? Perhaps writing the lead synth first helps the other parts fit into place? Or do you lay down beats and bass before jamming out leads?