How to sound like Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)  ·  Source: Kate Bush

Well, Kate Bush must’ve indeed made a deal with God. Her ghostly 1985 hit single, Running Up That Hill, is back, haunting the charts once more. The explosion was sparked by the launch of the fourth season of the cult Netflix series, Stranger Things. As a result, the song is reaching a completely new generation of listeners! Let’s look at what makes this song so iconic and how to go about creating some of the sounds.

Besides the vocal orchestration, which is immense, the approach to the instrumental production is rather minimalistic and understated. We’ve discussed the use of 1980s reverb previously, and here it is the key that gives this song its ethereal character.

Every instrument in the mix seems to have at least a touch of echo, delay, or reverb. As with most Kate Bush songs, the way in which she shapes her voice and her pitch articulation is absolutely immaculate.

In addition, it’s important to note that the use of vocal resampling in creating the pitched-down deity-like vocals on the outro is also way ahead of its time, as this is a common technique used in pop music production today.

Kate Bush with her Fairlight CMI.

The relentless galloping drums were likely created on the famous Linndrum drum machine. Although the pattern is simple with very few fills or variations, it becomes the rhythmic foundation of the track. The bass, and later, rhythm guitar, both rely heavily upon the drum pattern for their feel.

This is achieved through the careful use of stereo delay or tape echo, as well as reverb over the drums in their entirety. The resampled delayed drum hit just before the third beat of each bar is crucial. It jumps out of the left side of the mix and really adds to the rolling feel.

Besides the kick, which is drier, the drums have a healthy immersion of reverb, which sounds like a 40-50% wet/dry blend, giving them a more natural tone. There is also a gated reverb on the snare as well as the tom fills, giving them that larger-than-life 80s character.

The Linndrum was responsible for countless hits from this era.

The Reel Machines ADpak for XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2 gives you all the classics like the Linndrum, DMX, SDS-V, 808, and 909 with the power to control and sculpt your drum sound.

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The main melodic theme is created from a staccato cello sample from the Fairlight CMI stock library. The modulations in pitch that you can hear were created with a healthy dose of portamento.

A somewhat similar style of strings was later used to great effect on Enya’s Orinoco Flow (1988). But here, a distinctive slapback delay makes this iconic hook sound like it’s echoing through the hills. The glistening choral pads in the chorus are most likely also created using the Fairlight CMI. Meanwhile, the bass guitar is a simple, steady pulse, aligned with the drums.

As the song builds, the relatively clean rhythm guitar parts use an ADT effect. This is created by hard panning the two parts left and right. and the screaming distorted lead tones are processed individually, and pushed further back in the mix with plenty of reverb.

With the Meris LVX you can easily create modulated delays like those used on 80s records like this one. Meris pedals are suitable for both guitars and synths and you have plenty of processing power. Read more about the LVX here.

Meris LVX Modular Delay System

We know the monolithic Yamaha CS-80 was used throughout the Hounds Of Love album. On this track, the use of synths is subtle and constant throughout, from the ambient droning synth pad at the back of the mix to the synth brass chords in the verse.

To create a drone pad, simply loop the synth chord and ensure the length of the MIDI notes reach the end of the bar. If you sustain the chord for four bars, you almost create a crescendo/decrescendo at the end of each cycle. The key to this trick is using your envelopes, so have your sustain full and your release at twelve O’clock as a starting point.

You can create more complex sounds by setting your filter and amp envelopes to work independently. But in this song, the synths are mostly filtered to allow space for the vocals and the other instruments.

Within the Arturia V Collection 9, the CMI V gives you the sound and the user experience of the classic Fairlight CMI sampler. Also, the UDO Audio Super 6 is a great choice for creating ’80s-style synth sounds, with its hybrid architecture.

Like any great vocal piece, the mix is built using a combination of techniques to create perspective. The balance between microphone distance and additional reverb is important. Here, these are used to place the lead and harmony parts in different spaces.

Although the vocal production is great for 1985, the way the vocals are written and performed is far more pivotal in creating the end result. Being a great singer is useful, but it isn’t enough if you don’t have a feel for melodic writing. In this case, the way the vocal performance builds the song up slowly into a climax is a central theme.

In addition, the way the vocal harmonies and overdubs are sequenced clearly defines each section of the song. Otherwise, it might feel rather repetitive. Matching and contrasting natural vocal reverb with digital reverb is also a technique that requires practice, and it’s used extremely well here.

The Neumann TLM 103 is a great choice for female vocals, used recently by Billie Eilish on her massive 2019 debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

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