You know that bit of a track you’re still humming the next morning? The part someone’s trying to sing back to you at the DJ booth when they request it? That’s the hook – and according to our tutor James Hype, it’s the single most important element of any club banger.
In this free lesson from James Hype’s Club Banger Method (just one of the full suite of DJ and production courses students get with an All-Access Pass), James breaks down exactly what a hook is, why every big track needs one, and three ways to find or create one for your own productions.
Watch the video above, then use this guide to lock in what you’ve learned.
This free lesson is pulled from our James Hype’s Club Banger Method course – click here to find out more, or unlock the full training alongside our entire suite of DJ and production courses by grabbing an All-Access Pass.
So what exactly is a hook?
James describes a hook as that one bit of track you’re going to be singing after you’ve heard it – the part you whistle back to yourself. It could be a synth, a vocal, an instrument. It could hit at the start of the track, in the middle, or on the drop. Point is, if it’s a banger, it’s got one.
He uses “Show Me Love” by Robin S as the perfect example – everyone can sing that vocal hook almost instantly, but then there’s also that iconic instrumental line. James reckons that track might actually have two hooks, which is a big part of why it’s stuck around so long. “Insomnia” by Faithless is a different kind of hook entirely: that massive synth sound, no words, completely unmistakable.
For a club track, though, you don’t need more than one. One really great hook is what carries the record – get that right, and you’ve got something memorable.
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How to find your hook
James breaks this down into three approaches, each one giving you a different way in:
- Find an instrumental hook on Splice – browse samples until something jumps out, and use it as it is
- Manipulate a Splice sample – chop it up and transform it into something that captures the vibe but is now uniquely yours
- Rework a vocal sample – find an inspiring vocal and make it your own so nobody else has that exact version
Go here next: James Hype’s 5 Tips For A Better Sounding Home Studio
That last point matters. Plenty of producers are all listening to the same Splice samples at the same time, and if you drop a vocal hook that five others have already used, listeners will dismiss it before it even registers. If you make it your own, you’re the only one who’s got it.
Next Steps
Want to take this further? Finding your hook is just one part of what James Hype’s Club Banger Method covers. The full course takes you through everything that goes into making a track that works on a dancefloor – from structure and sound selection to the finishing touches that separate a demo from something club-ready.
Phil Morse
