Shaft! (Damn right)

January 1, 2005 12:21 PM

Is there a name for the synthesized "werdert" or "wiggit" sound that's overlaid, every other beat, on exceptionally cheesy disco records and incidental music of that era? It almost sounds like a precursor to hip-hop turntable spinning, but it's distinctly disco.
posted by Saucy Intruder to media & arts (8 answers total)

Could you provide a sample, perhaps?
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 1:26 PM on January 1, 2005

For a sample, check out the Two Dragons track sample from the Starsky and Hutch soundtrack.

That effect is called Wah Wah.
posted by jimfl at 2:22 PM on January 1, 2005

jimfl's right ... it's rhythm guitar through a wah wah pedal and it was an utter cliche during the 70s
posted by pyramid termite at 6:48 PM on January 1, 2005

Thanks! I had an instrumental in mind, the name of which I have no idea.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 7:04 PM on January 1, 2005

I've often heard this technique referred to as "porn guitar" and "wackawacka" guitar. These are, of course, colloquial terms.
posted by stet at 7:50 PM on January 1, 2005

There is nothing "synthesized" about that sound.
posted by jjg at 12:12 AM on January 2, 2005

'round these parts (Quebec) it's known as the "qua qua che che" sound, usually associated with bad (as in good) porn (as in pr0n).
posted by furtive at 3:53 PM on January 2, 2005

There is nothing "synthesized" about that sound.

well, if you want to get technical, my interpretation is that signal modulation is the foremost attribute of sound synthesis.

this is exactly what a wah-wah pedal does -- modulates a signal.

in this case, the signal is coming from an electric guitar, instead of an oscillator or wavesample.
posted by fishfucker at 1:10 PM on January 3, 2005