“Every Summertime” is a delightfully retro pop jam that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of summer. From the lyrics to the music, this song conjures a feeling of lazy days, fun nights, and nostalgia for simpler times. One of the ways this song captures this magic is a deceptively intricate chord progression. These establish two distinct summer moods. Explore how to create the retro sounds of “Every Summertime” by NIKI from the Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
About ZENOLOGY
ZENOLOGY is a powerful software synth that brings fresh possibilities to any musical experience—including recreating the tones of “Every Summertime” by NIKI. At the heart of ZENOLOGY is the ZEN-Core Synthesis System. It allows users to design large and complex sounds using a wide range of detailed parameters.
ZENOLOGY Pro gives you full access to all the tools you need to take your sound design game to the next level. Each tone contains four distinct synthesis voices called “partials” that can be used simultaneously. (Model Expansions may contain fewer partials.) In each partial, you can select the oscillator waveform and adjust parameters for the dual low-frequency oscillators (LFOs), filter, amplifier, and EQ. Choose from thousands of waveforms. In addition, there are 10 types of modeled filters, 11 LFO shapes, and 90 audio effects.
A Tale of Two Progressions
The main chord progression of this song centers around a funky two-chord vamp between Eb and Db major. There are a few pentatonic riffs that tie the different sections of the song together. However, for the most part, this song centers around Eb major. What makes “Every Summertime” interesting is how it modulates during the chorus and the harmonic lead up to this section.
Verse Vamp
While the majority of the verse centers around a two-chord vamp, the pre-chorus takes us to the IV chord (Ab major). It then does an ii-V (F minor and Bb7) progression back to Eb, which is very common in jazz and soul music. The second time we get to the pre-chorus, the progression descends from the Ab major chord to G minor, F minor, and then Eb major. This creates a symmetrical harmonic motion of descending by whole steps.
After this, there is a clever use of what’s known as a secondary dominant. The term refers to a dominant chord that suggests another key rather than the home key of the song by using the V-I cadence. In this case, it takes us back to F minor using a C7 chord with a flat 9. From here, we get an ascending progression (F minor, G minor, Ab major, F/A) which leads back to Bb.
"The verses evoke the season's hot days while the chorus brings to mind its cool nights, thanks to the implied minor tonality."
Contrasting Melodic Moods
At this point, a common songwriting choice would be to return to Eb major. Instead, the song modulates up a half step to B major. The progression on the chorus is B major, Gb major, Ab minor, Gb major, B major, Gb major, Ab minor, Bb suspended. What makes this section work with the rest of the song is that Eb major and the new tonality, Gb major, share notes in common. These are Eb, Ab, Bb, and F.
The melody itself centers around Ab minor. This is still the IV chord in Eb. Only now it’s minor instead of major. This gives “Every Summertime” the full feeling of summer. The verses evoke the season’s hot days while the chorus brings to mind its cool nights, thanks to the implied minor tonality.
Piano
The most defining characteristic of “Every Summertime” is the opening piano riff. This infectious pattern drives the song’s verses. To create this piano texture, use the “Piano 1 Amp” preset and adjust a few parameters. For this sound, adjust the PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) oscillator by changing the instruments in the sample banks.
Retro Vibes
PCM synthesizers use audio samples as the basis of their sound source. When you open the edit window in ZENOLOGY, you can select different types of oscillators (PCM, Noise, Super Saw, VA, PCM Sync) as sound sources. On the original preset, the PCM oscillator combines two acoustic piano samples. However, to get a more retro sound, change one of the sample choices to the “Soft SA EP A.” This resulting tone is a blend of acoustic and electric piano.
"The most defining characteristic of 'Every Summertime' is the opening piano riff. This infectious pattern drives the song’s verses."
An ’80s Sound
To fully dive into the retro aesthetic, add the MFX “Hexa-Chorus.” Then adjust the rate until you achieve the desired sound. The use of the chorus effect on guitars and keyboards was very popular during the ’80s. In fact, this is the era from which the “Every Summertime” production draws its primary inspiration.
Clavichord
Another sound that sets the mood is a subtle clavichord. It features prominently in the intro of the song and throughout the verses. To generate this sound, use the “Twah Clav” preset. Then make slight adjustments to the Cutoff and Reso parameters: 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock respectively.
String Pad Bell Synth
During the chorus and the outro, we hear a string pad as well as a bell synth. To generate the bell sound, use the “Bell 6” preset and adjust as follows:
- Cutoff: 1 o’clock
- Reso: 10 o’clock
- Attack: 1 o’clock
- Release: 1 o’clock
- Vibrato: 1 o’clock
Tweaking Effects
In addition, slightly adjust the rate of delay in the MFX window. The preset comes with the “3Tap Pan Delay.” This features a left, right, and center delay control. You can adjust each rate separately. Try turning down the left and center channels so the delay comes from the right side.
For the strings, use the “Tremolo Strings” preset and adjust the Cutoff slightly. At the same time, add another layer to the PCM oscillator of Partial 1. By layering tremolo strings with synth strings you can achieve a sound in between a string section and a moody pad.
"By layering tremolo strings with synth strings you can achieve a sound in between a string section and a moody pad."
Arp Synth
During the chorus and the outro, you will notice a very subtle synth in the background. It plays a few flurries enhanced by a delay. For this sound, use the “Hot Coffee” preset and slightly adjust the Cutoff to 10 o’clock. Then turn up the feedback for the delay effect in the MFX menu.
Bass and Drums
Although very understated, the bass helps to round out the groove. For a nearly exact sonic match, use the “Pop Bass” preset without any adjustments. For drums, try the one-shots and loops from the Roland Cloud sample pack, ’70s Soul. By combining these various layers, you can program the foundation of the retro pop gem you hear below.
DOWNLOAD
"Every Summertime" Patches for ZENOLOGY
Try out the patches from this article in ZENOLOGY Pro, ZEN-Core-compatible Roland hardware, and the ZC1 Synthesizer* in the Zenbeats music creation app.
DOWNLOAD: “Every Summertime” Patches
*ZC1 does not support patches using sample packs
