House & Techno | Fall ‘26

Classes meet online weekly on Thursdays @ 7pm CST for 12 weeks, starting October 22, 2026.

Learn the origins of house and techno music, and how to create songs that move the dance floor all night.


FORMAT

live instruction over zoom

START DATE

Thursday
10.22.26

DURATION

12 WEEKS
3 HRS / WEEK*

END DATE

Thursday
01.21.27

PRICE

$499 / MONTH

START TIME

7PM CST

*Class lengths may be reduced to 2 hours for very small class sizes.

MAKE A DANCE FLOOR BANGER.

In this course, you will learn how to program drum machines, synthesizers, and other elements of Ableton Live to move dancefloors. Create hypnotic, driving rhythms and psychedelic soundscapes that resonate with crowds looking to sweat.
Everything you need to know to create the classic and futuristic sounds of house and techno:

  • 808 and 909 Drum Machines that summon classic dance music energy.
  • 303 synths and effects to take the dancefloor to another dimension.
  • Soundscapes and ambience that can be dystopian, other-worldly, or dream-like.
  • Arrangements that DJs will want to play on repeat for their favorite dance floors

Meet your instructor.

James Patrick (JP)

Ableton Live | Sound Design | Modular Synthesis

James Patrick is a sound artist, music producer, author and educator. He has been creating original electronic music works and events involving technology and live music since the 1990s. He is the co-founder and owner of Slam Academy, an Ableton Certified Training Center based in Minneapolis that teaches music production, DJing, and specialty music industry courses.

James was one of the first Ableton Certified Trainers in the world, helping pilot the trainer program in 2008, and has since been a leader among Ableton educators. His first 10 years of teaching sound design and audio production were at the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis, before moving onto Dubspot in New York City. Since starting Slam Academy in 2012, he has taken on private clients from around the world that range from beginners to some of the most prolific musicians of our time.

James has written two books: Sound Design for Electronic Music - Creating Original Sounds with Ableton Live: Part One - Essentials of Analog and FM Synthesis, and Sound Design for Electronic Music - Creating Original Sounds with Ableton Live: Part Two - Effects Processing, Sampling, and Advanced Digital Synthesis. Through his professional involvement in both academic and popular electronic realms, James curated the international Spark Festival of Electronic Music in collaboration with the University of Minnesota. James is also the recipient of the American Composer’s Forum MECA award, among other awards.

get the lesson plan.