Since 2009, the Genius website has been documenting song lyrics with meticulous footnotes, annotations and cross-references. Accompanying that noble work is their Deconstructed video series, which has lifted the hood on some of the biggest hip-hop and pop hits made in recent times. For those not familiar, the producers behind these tracks talk us through their entire beatmaking process – from initial idea to finished (chart-topping) song.

The Deconstructed series has also become a treasure trove of tips and tricks for Ableton Live users – here we’ve picked our five favourite episodes. Check out the whole series on YouTube.

The making of A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane”

We knew Kirk Knight had a knack for sampling when we interviewed him back in 2016. So it came as no surprise when his breakdown of A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane” proved to be a sampling masterclass – see how you can add extra flavor to your beats with train-track clatter samples and television white noise.