The Neo-Soul Loop

In Eb major

Ebmaj7 – Gm7 – Cm7 – Fm7 — lush, unhurried, floating, around 84 BPM.

1. Bar 1 Imaj7 Ebmaj7
   Eb · G · Bb · D
   ▶ Hear it
2. Bar 2 iiim7 Gm7
   G · Bb · D · F
   ▶ Hear it
3. Bar 3 vim7 Cm7
   C · Eb · G · Bb
   ▶ Hear it
4. Bar 4 iim7 Fm7
   F · Ab · C · Eb
   ▶ Hear it

Why it works

Adjacent diatonic seventh chords share three of their four notes, so a whole loop can be played with the top voices almost stationary while only the bass moves. The result is closer to a slowly shifting colour than a chord progression. Because every chord carries a seventh, no plain triad ever appears to break the texture — the moment one does, the spell drops.

Where you'll hear it

R&B, neo-soul and lo-fi. It rewards extensions: add ninths freely, since the loop has no dominant chord whose tension they would blunt.

Imaj7–iiim7–vim7–iim7 in every key

The same progression transposed. The roman numerals never change — that is the whole point of writing progressions this way.

Related progressions

• Imaj7–vim7–iim7–V7 The Turnaround
• I–III–IV–iv The Minor Plagal Turn