How to make the sounds from Kate Bush ‘Running Up That Hill ‘ with DRC

From the peak of her fame in the 80s to a recent resurgence in 2022, Kate Bush’s unique artistic flare and body of work continue to make a profound impact to this day.

Born in Kent, England, into a very artistic household, with her mother and father amateur dancers and pianists respectively, Kate explored her creative side from an early age. She began playing the piano at 11, before going on to study violin and start writing her own songs. Her desire and passion to express herself artistically extended beyond music, becoming a student of interpretive dance, under the guidance of David Bowie’s former dance teacher, Lindsay Kemp.

Bush released her debut studio album ‘The Kick Inside’ in 1978. In doing so she broke new ground for female solo artists, becoming the first to have written every track on an album that went on to sell millions.

Kate’s biggest hit to date is her 1985 single ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)’. On its initial release it reached number 3 in the UK singles chart, however in 2022, some 37 years later, it re-entered the charts and claimed the number 1 spot thanks to its inclusion in the popular Netflix show ‘Stranger Things’.

With this unexpected comeback, Bush broke three Guinness world records; the oldest female artist to reach number 1, the longest time for a track to reach number 1 after its initial release, and the longest time between achieving two number one singles.

For this song (and others), Kate Bush used the iconic Fairlight CMI, one of the first synthesizers to use audio samples, costing an eye-watering £12,000 back in the day!

Our resident sound design expert Lucas ‘Patch Master’ Palmeira can save you a few pounds though, as he recently recreated the track’s iconic sounds with our very own DRC – Polyphonic Synthesizer. Now you can learn how to create it yourself; watch our Kate Bush ‘Running Up That Hill’ DRC Sound Design Tutorial video now!

00:00 Music Demo
00:30 Intro
00:59 Patch Construction
16:42 Music
16:57 Final

Download the Ableton project from this video:
https://www.imaginando.pt/uploads/goodies/tutorials/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-project.zip

DRC – Polyphonic Synthesizer:
DRC on App Store – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/drc-polyphonic-synthesizer/id973055710
DRC on Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imaginando.drc
DRC for Desktop – https://www.imaginando.pt/products/drc/downloads
DRC Product Page – https://www.imaginando.pt/products/drc

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