The one that plays while the lights drop and the first model steps out.
Cue sheet
Runway techno, minimal techno. Dry TR-909 kick with long sub tail, rubbery analog mono bass on the offbeats, detuned Juno chord stab, closed hi-hats ticking 16ths. 124 BPM, A minor. Tight dry mix, short concrete-room reverb, heavy low end, no shimmer. No drops, no hook: a locked strut groove. Cold hauteur: the bass lands a hair behind the kick. [0:00-0:45] kick and bass locked from bar one [0:45-1:40] Juno stab enters, filter half open [1:40-2:25] hats double, dry clap on 2 and 4 [2:25-3:00] stab cuts out, kick and bass alone. Instrumental, no vocals.
Backstage at full speed, everyone ten minutes late and furious about it.
Cue sheet
Electroclash, dark disco. Distorted TR-808 kick, snapping analog snare, sequenced 16th-note mono bass with resonant filter, cheap detuned Juno lead riff, wordless clipped breath sample on the offbeat. 132 BPM, D minor. Saturated, bright-mid grit, dry room, punchy sub. No breakdown, no sung vocals. Nervous vanity: the filter keeps snapping open a beat early. [0:00-0:40] kick, snare and bass at full tilt [0:40-1:30] lead riff enters [1:30-2:15] breath sample stutters, bass filter screams [2:15-3:00] riff doubles an octave up, cuts dead. Instrumental, no vocals.
Slinkier and colder, the look that makes the front row stop typing.
Cue sheet
Minimal house, microhouse. Soft round 909 kick, clicky rimshot pattern, deep sine sub-bass, muted Rhodes-style chord stab through a narrow bandpass, shaker ghost notes. 118 BPM, A minor. Very dry, close, low-passed, deep sub, no top-end sparkle. No drops, no lead melody: skeletal groove. Aloof sensuality: the rimshot swings late against the grid. [0:00-0:50] kick, sub and rimshots [0:50-1:45] muted chord stab enters, one note moving [1:45-2:30] shaker and a second rim layer [2:30-3:00] sub drops out, rimshots and stab only. Instrumental, no vocals.
The heaviest walk of the night, boots on bare floor.
Cue sheet
EBM, industrial techno. Distorted 909 kick, sequenced Moog-style bass in driving eighths, metallic clang sample, gated noise snare, cold detuned Juno stab. 128 BPM, E minor. Dark saturated mix, warehouse reverb on the snare only, heavy sub, rolled-off highs. No melody, no vocals. Armoured defiance: the bass sequence never varies while the clang shifts position. [0:00-0:35] kick and bass sequence together [0:35-1:25] noise snare and clang enter [1:25-2:10] stab added, bass filter opens [2:10-3:00] kick distortion pushed harder, stab mutes. Instrumental, no vocals.
A breather between collections, still wearing sunglasses indoors.
Cue sheet
Downtempo electro, dark minimal. Slow broken 808 beat, round analog mono bass, detuned Juno pad swelling behind, tape-delayed stab, soft wordless breath sample. 110 BPM, A minor. Muffled low-passed mix, tape hiss, dark medium reverb, heavy sub, no top end. No drop, no hook. Bored glamour: the delayed stab repeats and decays unevenly. [0:00-0:45] beat, bass and pad together [0:45-1:40] delayed stab enters [1:40-2:30] breath sample layered, pad filter opens [2:30-3:00] beat falls away, pad and bass hold. Instrumental, no vocals.
The peak, where the show stops being about clothes.
Cue sheet
Hard techno, peak-time warehouse. Pounding distorted 909 kick, rumbling offbeat sub-bass, overdriven 303 acid line, open hats on the offbeat, industrial noise sweep. 136 BPM, F minor. Loud saturated club mix, big dark reverb on noise only, heavy low end. No vocals, no euphoric breakdown. Ruthless elation: the acid line's resonance climbs bar by bar. [0:00-0:30] kick, sub and hats at full power [0:30-1:20] acid line enters low [1:20-2:05] noise sweep rises, acid resonance maxed [2:05-3:00] kick drops for four bars, slams back with doubled hats. Instrumental, no vocals.
For watching the room while pretending you belong in it.
Cue sheet
Dub techno, deep minimal. Muffled 909 kick, dub chord stab soaked in tape delay, sub-bass pulse, filtered white-noise wash, soft shuffling hats. 122 BPM, D minor. Dark dubby space, low-passed, tape saturation, heavy sub, no shimmer. No hook, no drops: hypnotic loop. Watchful poise: each delay tail shifts filter slightly. [0:00-0:50] kick, sub and stab echoes [0:50-1:40] noise wash rises underneath [1:40-2:30] hats enter, stab delay feedback longer [2:30-3:00] kick drops, delays trail over sub. Instrumental, no vocals.
The slowest strut on the record, all hips and contempt.
Cue sheet
Witch house, slow darkwave. Heavy slow 808 kick, clipped trap-style hats, pitched-down wordless breath chord, detuned Juno pad, long sine sub. 100 BPM, A minor. Murky, low-passed, heavy sub, tape hiss, cavernous dark reverb on the pad only. No sung lines, no hook. Languid menace: the hats half-time while the kick stays on. [0:00-0:45] kick, sub and pad together [0:45-1:35] breath chord enters [1:35-2:20] hats switch to half-time rolls [2:20-3:00] pad pitches down a tone, kick thins out. Instrumental, no vocals.
Everyone out at once for the last lap, cameras flashing.
Cue sheet
Techno, electro-industrial runway. Driving 909 kick, clap on every beat, rubbery analog mono bass, detuned Juno stab riff, arpeggiated square lead. 130 BPM, E minor. Dry punchy mix, short concrete reverb, heavy sub. No vocals, no drop. Victorious coldness: the arpeggio rises one step each phrase. [0:00-0:40] kick, bass and stab riff [0:40-1:30] arpeggio enters sparse [1:30-2:20] clap on every beat, arpeggio full [2:20-3:00] everything cut to kick and clap, bass returns final bars. Instrumental, no vocals.
The cab ride home, still hearing the kick through the floor.
Cue sheet
Deep techno, after-hours minimal. Muffled 909 kick heard through a wall, sub-bass pulse, filtered Juno chord, soft rim clicks, distant noise room tone. 120 BPM, A minor. Heavily low-passed, dark, heavy sub, no top end, cavernous basement reverb. No hook, no drops. Tired satisfaction: the chord filter slowly opens then closes. [0:00-0:50] muffled kick and sub [0:50-1:45] chord enters filtered [1:45-2:30] filter opens, rim clicks added [2:30-3:00] filter closes, kick fades into room tone. Instrumental, no vocals.