Phonk

What it tastes like

Phonk has two distinct eras. The original phonk was a 2010s SoundCloud micro-scene of producers (DJ Smokey, Mythic, SoudieRR) sampling early-90s Memphis underground rap — Three 6 Mafia, Tommy Wright III, DJ Squeeky — into lo-fi instrumental tracks with cassette-tape grit. The drift phonk / “neo-phonk” wave that exploded on TikTok around 2020 (Kordhell, Phonk Killer, KSLV) sped the BPM up, added distorted 808 cowbells, and synced everything to car-drift videos. Both branches share DNA: minor-key gloom, 808 cowbells, lo-fi filter, vintage hip-hop atmosphere.

A bar in and you’ve got it: a half-time trap kick at 140–160 BPM, distorted 808 cowbell on the offbeats, and a Memphis-rap vocal sample chopped and pitched into the chord stack. The bass is a deep distorted 808 sub following the chord roots. Everything is run through cassette-tape saturation. The whole track sounds like it was found on a dusty TDK in someone’s grandmother’s car.

The chord moves

Phonk barely moves harmonically. One minor key, one chord (often just a single sustained Dm or D-minor pad), maybe a iv lift at bar 9 or 17. The chord is atmosphere; the energy comes from the cowbells, the bass, and the vocal sample.

--chord minor --voicing closed --pattern stab and don’t add complexity. The genre punishes melodic ambition.

The groove

Half-time trap pattern at 140–160 BPM — kick on 1, snare/clap on 3 (so it feels like 70–80 BPM). Distorted 808 cowbell on the offbeats — this is the genre’s tell. Hi-hats either trap-style 16th rolls or absent entirely.

The 808 bass slides between chord roots with pitch glide — that’s the second tell. It’s tuned to the song’s key and plays the bass note for each chord change. Often distorted with light overdrive.

The sounds

• 808 sub: deep sub-bass with pitch glide between chord roots. Saturated. Mono.
• Cowbell: distorted 808 cowbell on offbeats. THIS is the genre. Layer with overdrive.
• Chord pad: dark sustained Rhodes or string pad in minor key. Low in the mix.
• Vocal sample: chopped Memphis-rap vocal (legally tricky — use original-style samples or royalty-free Memphis packs). Pitched and looped.
• Drums: layered trap kick + snare with cassette saturation. Sometimes a chopped jazz drum break.
• Atmospheres: cassette hiss, vinyl crackle, low-bitrate compression artifacts. The dirt is the sound.

Production tells

Want it modern (drift phonk)? Tighter low end, brighter cowbell, wider stereo. More energy at the drop. Master loud at -7 LUFS for car speakers.

Want it 2017-DJ-Smokey-vintage (original phonk)? Maximum lo-fi. Cassette-tape simulator on the bus. Pre-EQ rolling off everything above 8kHz. Master quietly at -16 LUFS. Should sound like it’s being played from a 90s boombox in the next room.

python jamburgr.py --key "D minor" --style phonk --progression i,i,iv,i --pattern stab --output-mode pack --out ./jams/phonk