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Published in deep house ·

Martin Waslewski

Gerd

A seven-minute deep house homage from the Halle producer Martin Waslewski to his grandfather: driving percussion, piano chords, shakers and a guitar riff, a long build-up and a drop after a long break.

By korczis 3 min read
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Review

Genre and Mood

Martin Waslewski made Gerd for the dance floor and for someone he loved. It is deep house in the long club form, electronic but built, as its label describes it, from warm parts such as piano chords and a guitar riff. The mood is groovy and uplifting, and because of its dedication it is also heartfelt: a track meant, in its label’s words, for smiles on the dance floor.

Song Summary

Mother Recordings introduced Gerd as an homage to Waslewski’s best friend, his grandfather. The label described a long build-up with driving percussion, piano chords, groovy shakers and a catchy guitar riff, a warm, jazzy vibe, and a drop after the long break that it said no words could describe. The dedication lives in the title and in the warmth of the arrangement. The memorable detail is patience: Gerd takes seven minutes, with a long build-up and a long break before its drop.

Musical Breakdown

No source we found describes Gerd minute by minute, so this breakdown follows the label’s own description and leaves out what it does not say. Mother Recordings named the parts: a long build-up of driving percussion, piano chords, groovy shakers and a catchy guitar riff, then a long break, then the drop. The released recording runs a little over seven minutes, the length of a track made, in the label’s words, for the dance floor. Nothing we found describes how Gerd opens or how it ends, or how long the break lasts; listen for those yourself, and above all for the moment the break gives way to the drop.

Concepts in Focus

Gerd is a clear example of a build-up in deep house. The label speaks of a long build-up and names what it is made of: driving percussion, shakers, piano chords and a guitar riff. A build-up that does not rush lets the groove feel earned.

Its centre is what the label calls the long break, a breakdown. In a breakdown the beat drops out or thins, and dancers are left with the melody and their own anticipation. Length matters: a short pause is a breath, a long one is a story.

That story ends in the drop, the moment the full beat and bass return. Compare the patient, loop-based warmth of WHTKD – Say to Me, another German deep house record of those years.

Artistic Context

Martin Waslewski is a German producer and DJ from Halle (Saale). According to his Amsterdam Dance Event profile, he grew up on hip-hop and discovered electronic music in 2010; he has released on Hommage, Monaberry, Heulsuse, Exploited Ghetto and the Berlin label Mother Recordings, which he first sent a demo in early 2015. Mother released the Gerd EP, catalogue number MOTHER039, on 28 September 2015, two tracks: Never Leave You and Gerd.

Impact and Reception

Gerd is a club record; the label premiered it on its YouTube channel and the producer uploaded it to his own. It belongs here as a reminder that an instrumental can carry a personal story. Wait for the long break, and let the drop arrive.

Learn from this track

Introductory

What you will learn

  • Follow the parts of a long club track that its label describes: a long build-up, a long break and the drop after it.
  • Explain what a breakdown does on a dance floor and why its length changes the force of the drop that follows.
  • Hear how piano chords and a guitar riff can give a house track the warm, jazzy feel its label described.

Listening guide

  1. the build-up The long build-up the label describes, with driving percussion and groovy shakers; listen for what is added as it grows.
  2. the piano and guitar The piano chords and the catchy guitar riff that, in the label's words, give the track a warm, jazzy vibe.
  3. the long break The long break the label names. No source gives its length or where it falls, so listen for when it arrives.
  4. the drop The drop after the break, the moment the label said no words could describe.

Concepts in this track

breakdown

20 tracks

A section where the beat drops out or thins, leaving pads, melody or vocals. On a dance floor it gives a moment to breathe before the music builds back.

build-up

35 tracks

A passage that raises tension toward a release: rising pitch, faster drum rolls, opening filters, added layers. In dance music it prepares the drop.

drop

6 tracks

The moment after a build-up when the full beat and bassline return, often after a short silence. It is the release the arrangement has been preparing.

Listen next, and why

Questions for discussion

  1. Gerd is named after and dedicated to the producer's grandfather. Can instrumental dance music carry a personal dedication, and how would you hear it?
  2. Why might a club track be seven minutes long when a radio song is three?
  3. The label calls it a long break. What would change if it lasted only eight bars?

References

  1. YouTube (Mother Recordings). MOTHER039: Martin Waslewski - Gerd (2015). Label
  2. YouTube (Martin Waslewski). Martin Waslewski - Gerd (Original Mix) (2015). Artist
  3. Amsterdam Dance Event. Martin Waslewski. Artist
  4. Music is 4 Lovers. Martin Waslewski: Closer EP interview (2016). Interview
  5. MusicBrainz. Gerd (recording). Database

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