Motorik is the 4/4 beat often used by krautrock bands. Coined by music journalists, the term means "motor skill" in German. The motorik beat was pioneered by Jaki Liebezeit, drummer with German experimental rock band Can. Klaus Dinger, another early pioneer of motorik, later called it the "Apache beat".
Contents
The motorik beat is in 4/4 time and of moderate pace. The pattern is repeated each bar throughout the song. A splash or crash cymbal is often hit at the beginning bar of a verse or chorus. The basic pattern is as follows: Play
Etymology
The word's use in music journalism may be derived from a punning modification of "motoric", a term long used by music critics to describe relentless ostinato rhythm, or simply from a combination of "motor" and the German "Musik". The name may derive from the repetitive yet forward-flowing feel of the rhythm, which has been compared to the experience of driving on a motorway. The motorik beat is heard in one section of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn", a song designed to celebrate exactly this experience.
Application
The drumming style of Moe Tucker, the drummer in The Velvet Underground, has specifically been characterized by music critic Chris Jones as "proto-motorik."
Apart from the krautrock bands, the motorik has also been used by newer bands like Ultravox, Stereolab, Primal Scream, Radiohead, Sonic Youth and Fujiya & Miyagi