The Sound of Saudade: How Melodic House Music Teaches Us to Be More Present

In Portuguese culture, the term ‘saudade’ is often defined as “the love that remains” after a person is no longer active within our lives.It’s that melancholic, bittersweet feeling of having felt or experienced something that no longer exists.

When it comes to electronic dance music, saudade draws parallel lines to the melodic house sub-genre.Much of today’s EDM is driven by escapism and the euphoric release of big drops, but melodic house provides a deeper conduit for emotional unity.

Its palpitating sound inherently mirrors the root of what saudade is: a yearning for what once was, a memory that burns and a feeling that may never return, but also the conscious acknowledgment that it was felt and lived previously.This flavor of house music leans heavy into ethereal, reflective vocals that drift atop warm synths and atmospheric pads.

It triggers memories when produced to perfection, grounded in steady basslines that propel through the mix and demand emotions head on, in the moment.A reminder, without compromise, that sometimes to move forward, you must look back.

To understand the concept of saudade in practice, look no further than ‘Come Together,’ a track released by Marsh and Nox Vahn back in 2021 on Above & Beyond’s esteemed Anjunadeep label.A sample from the late philosopher Alan Watts kicks off the record, floating atop celestial synthscapes and nudging us to experience the meditative state through one simple concept: listening.

A heady bassline then enters the fray as faint vocal chants and airy chords elevate the mind before Watts’ ageless voice, a prevailing staple of electronic music, returns over naturistic, ambient elements in the break.Here, his spoken-word weaves with Marsh’s and Vahn’s production to beautifully convey the duality of saudade: the ability to look inward to the past while being present in the moment.

“Soon you will find that the so-called outside world, and the so-called inside world com...