Neo-Funk Dry Pocket drum pattern
A two-bar 2010s neo-funk groove in the dry, close-miked style of bands like Vulfpeck: tight 16th hats, a crisp backbeat, a kick that plays short syncopated figures and almost no decoration. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 105 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Neo-Funk Dry Pocket
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a · two bars. The pattern is a 2-bar phrase in 4/4 (two-bar dry 16th-note neo-funk pocket).
The Neo-Funk Dry Pocket pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Bar 1 | Bar 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Kick | X--x ---x --X- ---- | X--x --x- -x-x ---- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Ghost snare | ---- --o- ---- --o- | ---- ---- ---- -o-- |
| Closed hat | xooo xooo xooo xooo | xooo xooo xooo xooo |
Tempo and feel
Dead dry and very close to the grid. Every note is short and deliberate, and the groove relies on restraint rather than ghost notes or open hats. The default tempo is 105 BPM. It plays with 51% swing by default; move the Swing control toward 50% to hear it straight. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Neo-Funk Dry Pocket
Play the 16th hats with a tight, closed hi-hat and short strokes. Add the kick figures and make every note the same length. Add the backbeat and the few ghosts without letting anything ring.
Variations to try next
Mute the snare with a towel for an even drier sound. Play the hats as eighths. Drop the bar-two kick on the a of 3.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Vulfpeck - Dean Town, Vulfpeck - Back Pocket and Vulfpeck - 1612. This is a style study written for practice, not a transcription of any one recording.