We’re excited to share a brand new Deconstruction from our Head of Curriculum and master of Deconstructions, Ski Oakenfull. This time, Ski pulls back the curtain on American singer-songwriter Halsey’s mega-hit, ‘Without Me’, exploring each of the track’s elements. You can check out Ski’s catalogue of deconstructions on our YouTube channel and don’t forget to check out our production courses in London and Online for more in-depth tuition.
‘Without Me’, Halsey’s woozy breakup song, was released by Capitol Records back in 2018 and has since amassed over 216 million views on YouTube alone. The track (as you’ll hear below) features bluesy guitar riffs, trap-style beats and Halsey’s signature voice. ‘Without Me’ reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart subsequently becoming the singer’s first number one record. Without further ado, jump into the deconstruction below and if you’re eager to get a closer look at the project file, you can download it here for the price of your email.
Equipped with Ableton Live 10, a Push 2 and Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol, Ski kicks off the Deconstruction using the Roland Cloud JV-1080 plugin to breakdown the track’s guitar melody. After this, he turns his focus to the future RnB drums and shows how to recreate the track’s skipping hi-hat pattern, before padding the pattern out with the rest of the elements. Ski finishes off the deconstruction by adding in the different basslines and flute melody, then does a run-through with the acapella for good measure.
These deconstructions are a tool we use frequently to teach elements of composition and arrangement, but to get the full picture we recommend you study with us. The most comprehensive study we offer is our flagship degree programme, the BA (Hons) in Music Production and Sound Engineering (also available online). We’re also launching a brand new degree next semester, the BA (Hons) in Music Production and DJ Practice. Get in touch if you have any questions.
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** Editors note: Things have moved on significantly since this article was published 🙂 Please head to our blog homepage for the very latest track deconstructions from Point Blank.