Brooklyn-based Tommy Value gives big-room techno a tropical twist with Gávea Groove, his debut full-length EP. Inspired by a recent trip to Brazil, Gavea Groove interprets the vibrant sights, sounds, and communal energy of Carnival through a techno lens. The result is a driving hardgroove sound marked by swung Latin percussion, bursts of samba ear candy, and looped vocal samples that nod to the call-and-response chants of the street parades.
The 5-track offering is set to land on vinyl and digital on June 13th via Planet Rhythm, and with early support from JakoJako, Alarico, XClub, Dax J, Marcel Fengler, Takaaki Itoh, Ilario Alicante, and Pan-Pot — these dancefloor heaters are quickly becoming favorites at clubs and open-air events this summer.
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Hi, this is Tommy Value, and here’s a look at how I produced my track Jungle Juice, taken from my EP Gávea Groove, which was released on vinyl through Planet Rhythm on June 13, 2025.
This track was inspired during a trip to Rio de Janeiro for Carnivale, which left a big mark on me. Surrounded by the communal energy, percussion-heavy samba and parade songs, and the sense of joy in the streets, I started imagining how that vibrancy could be translated into techno – something groovier, funkier, more optimistic.
I was full of ideas, but without access to my studio gear, I had to produce entirely in the box using just Ableton’s stock tools. It turned out to be a fun challenge and a reminder that limitations often sharpen ideas, and that you can do a lot with just the basics.
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Jungle Juice rides a groovy bassline that anchors playful synth stabs, an airy countermelody, call-and-response vocals, and scattered jungle sounds that breathe life into the track. Let me step through each component in turn.
Using Operator to synthesise a groovy bassline
I used Ableton’s Operator to synthesize a bass tone, using a stacked algorithm with two oscillators to add subtle modulation and find the right timbre. I then drew in a half-bar midi loop with quite a bit of movement to get a groovy and bouncy bassline. Slapped a sidechain compressor onto glue it with the kick, and a bell EQ to tidy it up, and it was good to go.
Using delays to create stab synths with syncopation
Next for the tops, I was after some rhythmic synth patterns that complemented the bassline groove, but were relatively sparse to keep things light. Simple Detroit-style stabs with creative use of delay units became the approach to achieve this feeling. First, I wanted a straight-up single-note stab with a simple rhythm. I loaded up a sample into Simpler, using a heavy low-pass filter and a pretty standard ADSR envelope. Adding an Echo unit really brought it together, adding some nice syncopated stereo delays to fill in the gaps and create a feeling of inertia.
I then introduced a second, more airy synth, using a simple 1-5 melodic pattern to provide a countermelody to the single-note stab. I used velocity variation to emphasize the syncopation. Again, I made use of delay, this time the stock Ableton unit, to create a galloping pattern that brought together the groove.
The finishing touches: Samba percs, vocals, and tropicale ear candy
To get the Carnivale feel, I made use of Brazilian percussion, including pandeiro, timbal, and tambourine. I then chopped up some vocal samples and created a call-and-response pattern as a nod to the chants of the Bloco street parades. Finally, I layered in jungle ambience – cicadas, birds, and monkey calls – to complete the tropical mood.
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That’s it! The limitation of using just Ableton tools supported my creativity by helping me stay focused on groove, space, and clarity. The result is a track that feels stripped back, simple, but effective.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Gávea Groove EP – the vinyl is stacked with five tracks, plus a digital bonus cut to round it out.
Grab your copy here.
The post How It Was Made: Tommy Value – Gavea Groove [Planet Rhythm] appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.