i think the technical term describing what you are hearing is common tones. You can sustain certain tones across an entire progression and although It might not be part of an actual chord, the added tension adds colour and sounds relatively consonant.

a really simple example in C minor. You can sustain a G and although it results in a 7 (pitch class for that chord ) for VI and 2 for iv, it doesn't really get in the way.

i
VI
iv
V
i

So could you say have a pad following the chords and another different timbre pad holding the g?

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Processing a highly structured and complex pattern of sensory input as a unified percept of "music" is probably one of the most elaborate features of the human brain.....understanding how music is perceived and how it may elicit intense sensations is far from being understood.

I would leave the chords alone as the bass will support them and just use a pad on one or 2 notes. It is often better to leave notes out than to include them all. EDM is always ram packed with musical elements that less is usually better.