To prepare a guide for using or finding the M83 "Midnight City" stems
, you should focus on the specific elements that make this track iconic—the vocal synth hook, the wall-of-sound production, and the explosive saxophone solo.
While official stems are rarely released for public sale, "Midnight City" stems have circulated through remix contests and specialized producer communities. 1. Locating the Stems Official stems for "Midnight City" were notably part of a remix contest
hosted by Mute Records and various production platforms shortly after the album's release. Search Terms
: Look for "M83 Midnight City Multitracks" or "Remix Parts." Common Platforms : Check archives on sites like Remix Comps , or specialized subreddits like
Deconstructing the Night: A Guide to M83 "Midnight City" Stems
Released in 2011 as the lead single for the double album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83’s "Midnight City" is a masterclass in synth-pop production. For producers and remixers, the song’s "stems"—the individual stereo recordings of specific instrument groups—offer a rare look into how Anthony Gonzalez and producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen layered sound to create its iconic, "neon-glow" atmosphere. Accessing the Stems
While a standalone, publicly downloadable "official stem pack" for general use is rare, there are several verified ways to study or acquire the multitrack components: m83 midnight city stems
Mix With The Masters: Professional engineers can access an in-depth breakdown of the original Pro Tools mix session. Mixer Tony Hoffer provides a Deconstructing a Mix series that showcases the actual stems and explains the processing behind the keyboards and vocals.
Official Remixes: The Midnight City EP features official remixes by artists like Eric Prydz, Trentemøller, and Big Black Delta. These artists were granted access to the original stems, and studying their versions is a primary way to hear individual elements like the isolated dry vocals or synth layers.
Remake Projects: Communities on platforms like Logic Pro and Ableton have created high-fidelity remakes that offer downloadable project files, acting as a "pseudo-stem" pack for educational purposes. Anatomy of the Mix
The track is built on several distinctive stems that define its retro-futuristic sound: Drum sound on M83's "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" - Gearspace
While there is no single "official" public download for the M83 "Midnight City" stems, the track's construction has been famously documented by those who built it. The song's 2011 release transformed it into a modern synth-pop masterclass, and its "stems"—the individual building blocks like the vocal riff, the wall of synths, and the saxophone solo—remain a holy grail for producers. 1. The Iconic Vocal Hook
The most recognizable element of the track is the high-pitched, chirping lead. : Anthony Gonzalez created this hook by heavily distorting his own voice
: By pitching his vocals up and applying extreme saturation and filtering, he transformed a human performance into a synthetic-sounding "riff" that functions more like a lead keyboard part than a traditional vocal. 2. Composition and Key To prepare a guide for using or finding
The track is a meticulous blend of shoegaze atmosphere and dance-floor energy. : The song is written in and set to a steady The "Wall of Sound"
: The production features a massive layering of synthesizers that creates a "Jackson Pollock" effect—a wash of auditory color that feels euphoric rather than messy. 3. The Saxophone Solo
The song famously concludes with a blistering saxophone solo that many initially thought was a synth. The Player : The solo was performed by James King Fitz and the Tantrums The Intent
: Gonzalez purposefully used the saxophone despite it being considered "clichéd" at the time, believing it was the missing element needed to finish the song. 4. Production Resources
For those looking to deconstruct or remix the track today, several high-level resources provide deep dives into its multitracks: Mix with the Masters
: Producer Tony Hoffer (who mixed the track) hosts a series on Mix with the Masters
where he breaks down the original session, showing the differences between the "rough mix" and the final polished version. Reconstruction Projects Arrangement and Mixing Observations
: Many producers have created "stock-only" remakes in DAWs like
to show how the sounds can be replicated without rare analog gear. Stem Requests : Platforms like SKIO Music
allow users to request official remix packs, though no public release is currently active. specific stem
(like the isolated vocals) for a project, or do you want to see a video walkthrough of the mixing session? Remixing 'Midnight City' by M83 with Tony Hoffer
Route the "Synth" stem out of your speakers and back into a guitar pedal or analog distortion unit. Record the result. You will hear how adding analog harmonics to the digital stems modernizes the "2011" sound into a 2024 sound.
The drum stems reveal that while the beat is fundamentally a "four-on-the-floor" dance rhythm, the texture is everything. The snare has a cavernous, gated reverb typical of the 80s, while the kick drum is tight and punchy. The stems show how Gonzalez balanced live drum samples with electronic programming to create a groove that feels live yet mechanically precise.
Load all the stems into your DAW. Loop the chorus (1:15 mark). Mute one stem at a time.