Toro y Moi is a captivating musical project that effortlessly blends elements of indie pop, electronic music, and dreamy R&B, creating a distinct and mesmerizing sound. Led by the multi-talented musician and producer Chaz Bear, Toro y Moi has garnered widespread acclaim for their innovative approach to music-making and their ability to transcend genre boundaries.

Formed in 2007, Toro y Moi emerged as one of the pioneers of the "chillwave" genre, a movement characterized by its hazy, lo-fi soundscapes and nostalgic undertones. Over the years, Toro y Moi has released a string of critically acclaimed albums, including "Causers of This" (2010), "Underneath the Pine" (2011), and "Anything in Return" (2013).

In this article, i have chosen the song 'Ordinary Pleasure' from the album 'Outer Peace', one of the standout tracks on the album: an infectious blend of disco-inspired basslines, shimmering synths, and Chaz Bear's smooth vocals. The song exudes a contagious energy that is impossible to resist, encouraging listeners to embrace the joy of the present moment. Released in 2019, 'Outer Peace' album stands as a testament to Toro y Moi's ever-evolving sound and their ability to captivate listeners with their boundary-pushing creativity. Let's dive into it!

I leave you the video of the full remake below!‍

The chords of the song are the following in loop:

SYNTHS PRODUCTION

‘Ordinary Pleasure’ consists mainly of piano and synthesizers, supported by a very striking bassline that is repeated in a loop throughout the song.

Let's start with the piano chords that appear from the beginning. To recreate it I have used the Arturia Stage-73 V with a simple electric piano preset with chorus and a bit of EQ, with the following parameters. Listen to it below.

‍Stage-73 V Piano

In the chorus appears a new synthesizer with a brass sound that accompanies making the same melody of the voice with triads with the following parameters. I've added chorus and some distortion/EQ to finish shaping it up. Listen to how it looks solo and with the voice below:

Chorus Brass

Chorus Brass with vocals

Finally, after the second chorus there is a bridge where a third synthesizer appears, with a mix of brass/pad sound. I have recreated it with two different layers simultaneously with the following parameters. One has a more percussive sound and the other is softer.

Listen to each in solo and in unison.

‍Layer 1 Brass/Pad

‍Layer 2 Brass/Pad

‍Both layers Brass/Pad

And there is no more synths left! As you can see, the song is simple but at the same time very effective, with very well selected synthesizer sounds. Remember that you can download them on my Patreon, while supporting my work!

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BASS PRODUCTION

The bass of this song is one of the most important instruments. As I mentioned earlier, this is a catchy line that repeats throughout the song. I recorded it with a höfner viola bass and ran it through the Guitar Rig 5 amp simulator with the following preset and some autowah (very important!) to give it that touch, and then for a couple of compressors.

Listen to the result below. It's one of my favorite Toro Y Moi basslines!

‍Bass sound

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DRUMS SAMPLES AND PRODUCTION

For the drums I have tried to find drum samples that are as similar as possible. You can listen to these samples below without any added effects.

‍Drum Samples Sound with no effects

I've applied EQ and compression to these sounds with the Waves plugins, and finally I've run the entire drum kit through the RC-20 Retro Color with a bit of wooble, distortion and magnetic tape effect to give it a warmer and more lofi on drums Listen to the entire final result here.

‍Final Drums sound

It should also be noted that the percussions (a very important element of the song) have been sampled from the original song and played in a loop. Listen to this loop below.

Perc loop

There is also another sample that I have taken from the original song, in this case is a processed voice, which sounds regularly in some parts, listen to it here!

‍Extra sample

And now listen to all these sounds together!

Drums + samples

Remember that you can download all these samples and the complete Ableton project on my Patreon!‍

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VOCALS PRODUCTION

I've always liked Chaz Bear's warm voice, and it suited my voice range. To recreate their voices I recorded a single lead vocal track, and then another two chorus tracks for the choruses, making a fourth interval above the key of the lead vocal.

The base effects of the lead vocal are the ones I always use in almost all my articles, but with some small difference. In this case, I've added a couple of Waves effects like the JJP-Vocals, the Butch Vig Vocals, and perhaps the most important: the Reel ADT.

Reel ADT is the only plugin that delivers the authentic tape delay-based Artifical Double Tracking effect, created by Abbey Road Studios’ legendary technician Ken Townsend to meet the recording needs of John Lennon and the Beatles.

Listen to the voices with hardly any effects, and with all the effects afterwards to see the difference.

Vocals without some effects

Vocals with all the effects

Finally, in the chorus some choruses appear with the same effects, with the addition of Waves SuperTap to give it more stereo and double the voices. Listen to how these choirs work alone and together with the other voices.

Choir Vocals Solo

Choir Vocals with Lead Vocals

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That was all! As you have seen, this song perfectly combines simplicity without overwhelming with too many instruments, while resulting in a solid song from beginning to end with a very well chosen sound production.

I hope you liked it, do not forget to subscribe to my youtube channel and support me on Patreon to access exclusive content! See you in the next one.

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