Referencing the Master: an Expansive Conversation with Matt Davis

Written by Alyssa Barnhill

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It's never a one man show, even if there is just one person in the spotlight. From the front of house to your ribcage, from the bass weight to the record crate, Hacienda Audio provides an all-encompassing workhorse through professional audio engineering and studio design. Outside of the studio, their master engineer Matt Davis recently unveiled his latest rig deployment for the home-grown Reference Sessions series in Denver, Colorado. Featuring an enormous and meticulously designed sound system, expansive LED walls, and precision front of house engineering, he and his cohorts are aiming to set a new bar standard for high fidelity concerts and events.

Matt Davis

Sound system hardware and music production software have evolved parallel to one another, which in turn plays into the dynamic evolution of traditional and modern conceptions of “sound system music”. One of the many contemporary brains at the center of this phenomenon is Davis himself. His own roster of projects reaches far beyond just our musical niche, and that experience in concert with his rigorously academic application of engineering fundamentals is precisely what sets him apart from his peers. Consequently, those same skills are what should also set Reference Sessions apart from the competition. I had the opportunity to sit down and reference the master himself after their recent Reference Sessions 002 deployment in Denver for an intimate conversation about the philosophy and engineering behind one of the latest developments in the live audio playing field.

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Alyssa Barnhill: What technology or equipment was used to achieve such an articulate and immersive sound experience at the event tonight, especially balancing the heavy bass weight with clear and crisp highs?

Matt Davis: For this event I really wanted to create an impactful evolution on existing tech that could be perceived and appreciated, not only by the connoisseurs and audiophiles of the room, but even to lay people coming directly from another event, with who knows how much hearing fatigue. For this reason I used a multi-pronged approach to improving sound quality through a few different mechanisms.  

The first was by using a full digital signal path the entire way from the CDJs to the amplifiers, which did not contain the insertion losses which are present in your usual signal path in DJ based events. The usual exchange goes from digital in the CDJ back to analog in the DJ mixer output to the FOH path, and then to digital in the FOH console’s A/D converters and back to analog leaving FOH, before being converted back into digital by the amps’ DSPs and then back to analog for amplification. In our configuration the entire chain stays not only digital, but is also synchronously locked to the DJM’s clock for the most direct, coherent signal possible, much like is found in mastering rooms.

We also brought a LOT more headroom/wattage in the sound system than is typical of a 400 capacity room, which carried with it a lot of benefits both in the latitude of tonal expression possible in the sound system, and lower distortion figures, which allow me to run the subs hotter than in normal rigs without the incorporated harmonic distortion which extends into the upper bass/low mids masks detail. By using subs with a ton of headroom I find you can still yield a balanced sounding tone, but with much more bass weight than you’d usually be able to get away with due to the lower distortion, making the sound not only detailed and accurate, but very involving and at times extremely aggressive with subrange pressure.  

There is a concept in acoustics known as “cabin effect” which occurs in small air spaces with very large amounts of SPL (sound pressure level) in them. Cabin effect is essentially the state where the entire air volume is fully pressurized and dynamic compression takes place not due to electrical/displacement shortages, but simply by the air molecules being unable to propagate any further. I’ve been familiar with this effect since high school due to my interest in car audio design for bass competitions, and it’s been a long term goal to bring enough displacement, wattage, and xMax to a venue to create that effect on a much larger scale than in a car. There were moments during Murkury’s bass bath and at other points in the weekend where I felt that we were near the threshold of that cabin effect sensation, I’ll never forget feeling my whole body tingle in a way I’ve never experienced for at least 10 minutes after the bass bath, I attribute this to powerful infrasonic extension and the subrange SPL we were able to attain even at FOH towards the back of the room for those three minutes during the bass bath.

Reference Sessions · Reference Sessions 002: Murkury & Lavier // Denver // 11/29/24

It could be argued that we have also improved upon the low end punch of a standard rig by trisecting the kick drum into three separate boxes (Kick First Harmonic Bin, TSW-718 (65-200hz), Kick Fundamental Bin, HSD Sherman (30-65hz), and Rumble/Infra Bin, V-Plated Battle Axes (15-30hz)) which separates and independently generates the different partials of the kick drum in a perfectly phase aligned manner, courtesy of our very talented alignment tech Brady Chionbian. Most rigs are 3-way or 4-way and use one box for the entire subrange or maybe a sub reproducing the fundamental and a kick bin to handle the first harmonic of the kick.  In our 6-way configuration each partial of the kick drum is generated by a dedicated box which is inherently better protected from intermodulation distortion than a shared bin reproducing the full kick signal.

Another component of the secret sauce is the way that I perform FOH duties.  I find most FOH engineers for DJ events have a tendency to either “respect the master of the music” by not altering it, or simply have a hands off approach to conducting FOH once they’ve established a starting level and tone. I, as a mastering engineer, don’t really care much for maintaining other peoples’ masters as they are when they don’t translate to the sound systems they are being played on, and take a very active role in improving the translation of those masters, mostly via dynamic EQ settings made on a song by song basis for each set of the night.

I vet the acoustic qualities of every room that I rent for an event by hearing, measuring, and messing with a sound system in the space in advance of renting it, and I personally vet every box of every sound system that we bring out for these events. I spend a lot of my time roaming around the country listening to what people say are the best rigs in the country, and I bring hybridizations of the ones I like best out for my events. For this event, we used most of Trash Fence’s inventory of Floodlights/718s and all of their subwoofers, and added four of Unify Mountain Soundz’ Battle Axes to round out the deployment.

We also design and fabricate new sound system technology to get closer to my metric goals of low frequency extension and lower distortion figures.  We brought out the world’s first HSD Battle Axe V-Plate array at this last event which moved the low frequency cutoff of each 4-pack of axes from 26hz down to 18hz.  I was shooting for 15hz, but I know how to get that low if not lower with my design for the next event’s sound system.  I want the infrasonic range to be flat to single digits within the next few parties.  

Lastly, we acoustically treat every venue that we use for a Reference Sessions party with materials donated by Hacienda Acoustics.  A sound system will only ever be as good as the room you put it in, it doesn’t matter how talented of a deployment engineer and alignment tech you are, if the room sucks the sound will suck.  I’ve been patiently waiting for years for the standards of acoustics/sound reinforcement in the US to get better, and somewhere along the line I got tired of waiting, so now we leave a wake of acoustically treated performance spaces to slowly and incrementally improve the standards of live playback in the US after every event, one venue at a time.

Alyssa: How was the sound system materially designed to create such a physical experience?

Davis: I attribute it to two things. Infrasonic extension which provides a more tactile/visceral/physical response when combined with strong subrange, and micro-dynamic control of transients in the program material by myself in FOH. There is a tendency in bass music to mix the snares and hats very loud with very little dynamic control, and this will tend to get very harsh through live sound speakers, even quite good ones due to their horn loaded nature and compression drivers. By controlling the energy/sound stage position of the snare and hats you keep them from jumping as far in front of the rest of the mix and becoming grating/fatiguing to the patrons while also revealing detail in the mix which was previously being obscured by the snare/hats.

Alyssa: What exactly are the “Reference Sessions”?

Davis: I basically wanted to create a series of parties that could be a “thank you” to my mastering/acoustics clients by paying them well to perform with a lot of amenities, a love letter to sound system culture, and a means for myself, my organizations, and my very talented friends to show off at a high level. We pride ourselves on very big productions in intimate and unconventional spaces, with excellent sound quality.

Alyssa: What techniques did you use to work with this specific venue?

Davis: I liked this particular venue because it had a classic dirty warehouse vibe, roughly the right size that I thought we could comfortably fill up with guests and that we could afford to acoustically treat, and the non-parallel ceiling with fiberglass lining. I tend to pick venues with fiberglass either attached to the ceiling or suspended above a drop ceiling. They usually sound considerably better than a flat and/or purely reflective ceiling. The main room had a moderate footprint with a lossy partial wall on one side which I knew would not present as a boundary for low frequencies and would allow the subrange to propagate through the entire footprint of the warehouse, allowing for deeper subrange extension. I also noticed a pretty strong constructive 25hz antinode in the room during analysis that I figured would support/enhance the deep sub/infrasonic range, and it very much did that.

Alyssa: What kind of challenges were in the way of achieving such a professional experience in a warehouse space like this?

Davis: Climate control was a big one, as the warehouse had no HVAC and the weather was pretty inclement at the time in Denver. We relied heavily on propane torches for heat during load in/alignment but we obviously couldn’t use them once doors open to guests. Electronics can be sensitive to temperature swings so navigating the logistics of keeping the place warm enough to keep the gear happy was a bit of a challenge.

Another big challenge was that we simply kept shaking our tech to death with subrange during stress testing of the sound system, and during the actual events. We killed one Armonia router a day for three nights straight, which was problematic seeing as how it provided our system engineer with amp health diagnostics during the event.  These diagnostics are critical when you aren’t applying a highpass to your subwoofers as infrasonic energy can become incredibly destructive to subwoofer drivers if not properly tailored on a song by song basis, so I was essentially flying blind and relying on my ears to hear and correct for the drivers bottoming out in their unloading range in order to keep the subwoofers safe. We also killed an unused amp input on one of the Powersofts after stress testing the system, not via abuse but simply as a result of the incredible SPL taking place in “amp world” (which was between the front/rear sub arrays).

Alyssa: What steps were taken to balance the immersive visual elements, such as lasers and LED walls, with the impressive spread of sound?

Davis: I started planning this party hell bent on doing a temporary full visual immersive room using LED walls. We slowly had to pair that down to the realm of sanity and practicability for this event, though I intend to make it happen at a future party once we’ve built up a better internal supply of LED wall/trussing. What we wound up with was roughly 48x9’ of continuous LED which extended from behind the stage, around the speaker stacks, and into the sidewalls of the room. They were zoned into three segments that could be controlled by either Glass Crane or Tenorless, or both if they chose.  I liked the idea of having multiple VJs working in congress with each other to create a unified vision, and I think they succeeded admirably, as did our laser specialist, Spilt, who did a great job of synchronizing his color patterns with the visuals through the three nights.

Alyssa: What successes did the team achieve while designing this experience?

Davis: I think creating the world’s first 6-way dance stack is definitely an accomplishment, and debuting a brand new deployment style with front/rear sub arrays which tested very well was a triumph for us as well.  Just being able to organize productions on this scale, conducted equitably with our staff/artists, while only designed for 400 attendees or so per night, and getting away with it was our biggest achievement. Without the incredible logistical planning of Elias Walker and Mike Hollier,  none of this would have been viable.  The “bass cave” concept under the stage between the sub arrays was also a huge hit, and we’ll almost certainly be bringing that back and developing into the concept as well.

Alyssa: How did the design and setup of the sound system enhance the performances on the artists’ end? What qualities in producers do you look for when building your clientele at Hacienda?

Reference Sessions · Reference Sessions 001: Pathwey | Orlando, 9/14/24

Davis: I let all of our artists know that it’s OK to write sub notes far below F1 for playback at these events, and many of them are beginning to cut Reference Sessions dubs with extremely low sub notes that would not be audible on most touring rigs for these events. Dillard played a song with a 22hz sub note in it that was absolutely devastating, and had most of the patrons looking around at each other after they heard it the first time, likely because they’d never heard a sub note that low with anywhere near that kind of authority, it was an incredible moment for me and the sound team. We also have started commissioning Reference Sessions dub specials through different crews in Jamaica, which will mostly be heard at our events and are equipping our artists’ catalogs for the soundclash battles we’ll be bringing into the equation at upcoming parties. Shout out the One Sting Crew for our dub specials for this last event!

I don’t have any strict requirements for clientele at Hacienda per se, but I definitely have preferences in what I choose to platform at my events.  I see the lineups for these always composed of eclectic varieties of bass music, whether that’s dubstep, grime, drum & bass, jungle, footwork, breaks, or whatever.

Alyssa: What role did the speaker layout and driver selection (e.g., 40/80 drivers) play in creating the physical presence amd clarity we felt?

Davis: There is a principle in acoustics/transducer theory known as Hoffman’s Iron Law. In layman’s terms, it states that you can only get deeper bass extension via larger drivers or by more electrical signal. There are obvious limitations inherent to the latter of the two options, as drivers have maximum headrooms that you cannot surpass without higher distortion figures, followed by a linearity, and lastly damage to the driver.  Therefore we add driver size for extension, and for this reason we have spec’d very large subwoofer drivers (21” on the Axes, 24” for the Shermans), and a large number of them for more air displacement and coupling, for deeper extension. My old audiophile friend Mike Chafey always used to say “there is no surrogate for headroom” and I’ve subscribed to it in the design of my mastering studio and in the way that I spec deployments.

Having more drivers playing the same level drops the drivers’ individual levels, which in turn lowers their overall distortion figures.  Good steering patterns make a huge difference, too. I’m one of few deployment guys who toes-in the mains for imaging purposes whereas most will fire the stacks straight back into the room for better coverage. I wanted to define a zone in the room where you would not only get an equivalent amount of L/R speaker in the space, but where the two sides would deliver strong localization and imaging qualities to the listener, which is usually outside of consideration for most live sound deployments. This space was defined directly in front of FOH and it was full of people all night who were probably hearing actual imaging out of a live sound PA for the first time.  

A funny thing though, we actually ended up not using the attachments on the floodlights as they worsened the impulse response measurements. As a result, they were present but we didn’t wind up using them during the event. An interesting fact: if you have a speaker in a room that isn’t plugged into a powered amp, it will actually act as a passive resonator that will absorb the other speakers’ energy, so we hooked them up to a spare amp for the night that was powered but not receiving signal. I probably will be looking for lower distortion tops moving forwards as the subrange/bass/mids actually had lower distortion than the upper mids/highs on this particular rig, which bums me out a little because those Floodlights are probably my favorite top I’ve ever heard so far. They were designed in the 90s and our particular set of Floodlights was previously owned by Pink Floyd, before being lovingly restored and customized to improve upon the original specification by my dear friends Bill Weir and Citron Arbel at Trash Fence.  

Since then, technology has advanced in ways that allow greater maximum output from tops, but Bill and I strongly feel that the Floodlight 760 represented a high water mark in live sound sonics that has never been replicated. I’ve been eyeing the Danley Jericho J7-95s and will be heading to the Danley factory to try them out soon. I absolutely adore the idea of synergy horns, on paper they should beat any non-coaxial top for impulse response measurements, and with 18 internal drivers per top the headroom is astronomical, and as a consequence the distortion figures at level should be much lower. They are rated to extend from 60hz-20k, but I suspect that using these in conjunction with TSW-718 kick bins crossed over circa 200hz, subwoofers, and infra subs will create a beautiful 6-way system.  I just have to hear them and like them first!”

Alyssa: As a fan, I’d like to thank you and your team so much for choosing Denver for this incredibly special experience. The question is, what and where is next?

Davis: Deeper infrasonic extension, lower distortion figures, definitely soundclashes, bigger productions, and probably our own festival as well in the next year.

 I’ve been in talks with the manufacturer of the largest infrasonic subwoofer driver in the world for super high end home theaters, which is outlandishly expensive, and requires the construction of the sub enclosure in the room it will be used.  Their specs more than qualify them for use in live bass music, with 20,000 watt peak ratings, 35mm xMax, and 172L of air displacement. They would provide flat extension down to 8hz.  However, the logistics of deploying an 80” subwoofer are extremely complex as you can’t fit a driver this big into an enclosure that would fit in the back of a truck or be able to fit through doors. They require a minimum enclosure size of 10m³ per driver!  We would need to build rigid enclosures for these inside of the venue, which is not impossible, but would definitely add extra days to load in and require more staff to assemble.
I think there’s a lot more room for showmanship and spectacle in sound system culture, the most engagement I ever get on social media posts are pictures/videos of the big rigs I put together for these events.  I know it resonates with people in a big way like it does for me, and I want to deliver more of what it seems like people really want out there, which is big fuck off sound systems that greatly exceed the sonic expectations of the listener.

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As a patron, home is where the heart is, and Reference Sessions 002 brings a family-sized serving of master class engineering. This series is a tribute to the modern sound system, its impact, and the legends born from it, and these shows are one of a kind, precisely tuned, larger than life experience that can’t be missed. Let the system take you for a drive and let the team take the wheel; Reference Sessions is a breath of fresh air in the dynamic space of the musical counterculture. 

“Every sound system has a story, and we are here to bring you that story.” - Matt Davis.

FOLLOW Reference Sessions: Facebook / Instagram / Youtube / SoundCloud

Discussing Influence, Balance, and Community with Murkury

Written by Alyssa Barnhill

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Alec Seifart, the creative force behind Murkury, is poised to bless Denver audiences November 23rd at Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station alongside a cast of hand-picked characters. With years of production steeped in psychedelia and modern bass music fundamentals, he’s dialed in a sound, style, and presence that defines the Murkury brand with clear intention and direction. Seifart’s recent collaboration with Rafeeki resulted in a track specifically crafted for Denver's eclectic audience. He explains, "Denver has a really dense population of sophisticated listeners... so we tried to come as correct as possible!" This dedication to his craft is evident in his upcoming projects, including a psytrance-inspired EP, and various collaborations set for release in 2025. Balancing his creative pursuits with community involvement, Murkury continues to inspire through his music and unwavering commitment to Asheville's cultural vitality.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, many faced overwhelming loss, but the initial shock and awe of flooding on a biblical scale has given way to an impenetrably strong sense of community and support. It is a testament to the resilient strength and spirit of the Appalachians, both the people and the territory. In my interview with Alec, I got the chance to dive a little deeper into the experience and the inspirations that drive his project and output, as well as attempts to address and assist community needs through his platform. 

Murkury · SEE YOU AT MEOW WOLF DENVER 🌿 11/23

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Alyssa Barnhill: We all feel for your community there. What was your experience with the hurricane in Asheville?

Alec Seifart: Thank you, my personal experience pales in comparison to what a lot of other people went through but it’s kind of hard to even boil down what it was like into a paragraph. A lot of tears and stress but also these little moments of laughter, like, cooking over a fire with a neighbor, making dumb jokes, simply grateful to be alive. We lost power and water and the cell towers were down for a good while but my house was spared. I was able to secure food and water for myself and my neighbor but going out into the world was like entering a warzone. My neighborhood in Barnardsville was devastated. I can’t describe the level of destruction around me, even now, a month later. But any time I go out, now, the conversations all start with questions like, “how’re ya holding up?” and “do you need anything”? It’s extremely heartwarming. My hope is that that level of general reciprocity continues into the future.

Alyssa: How is the music and art scene there now? Post hurricane issues? 

Alec: Music scene was hit hard, for sure, but we have some really good venues and promoters here stepping up and providing the community with a place to womp out and hug friends. One of the biggest issues is water. The city of Asheville still doesn’t have potable water a month after the hurricane and I’m hearing estimates it’ll be another month before it’ll be safe again, maybe longer. What’s been really beautiful to see is all the local + national fundraisers in the immediate aftermath. From here in Asheville to Charlotte all the way to Denver, people have been spreading awareness and raising money with bass music and visual art and to me, it’s an example of what our scene is all about.

Alyssa: I saw you mentioned trying to make music and feeling conflicted. Speak on that 

Alec: Absolutely, yeah the desire to help out around the community battling my need to continue working on music and prepping for gigs so that I can keep paying bills. Like, I knew internally that it was alright to sit with this feeling and it would pass, but honestly, expressing it out loud still helped a lot. Hearing that positive reinforcement from homies who are going through similar things definitely helps.

Alyssa: What do you think of the future of our kind of music in Asheville?

Alec: It’ll be interesting to see what the producers here create and what comes out of this destruction. I’m really curious about that, because I’ve already started to dig into those feelings and found good results in the studio. As for shows, it’ll be tough because without the tourism industry, a lot of people are without jobs right now. While a couple venues got wiped off the map, the scene here is extremely strong and people definitely want to dance at this point. I think towards the end of the year we’ll see more things happening (hint hint).

Alyssa: New track with Rafeeki is dark and ominous. Temple step? Deep and gritty. You guys made that just for Denver? 

Alec: We did! We wanted to cook up something special for the occasion. Denver has a really dense population of sophisticated listeners, aka they always get the best shit and so their threshold for dopeness is very high. So we tried to come as correct as possible! Plus, it’s so much fun to collaborate with Jorge and we have really good chemistry in the studio. We actually have another collab together with Tunic, JuJu Beats, and Sum.Simpl called, ‘Flip’. That one also features verses from Rafeeki and Toh of Sum.Simpl, and will be coming out sometime next year but we’ll be highlighting it at Meow Wolf, as well!

Alyssa: What other concepts for tunes are interesting to you right now? And how Is that influencing your music today?

Alec: Well, I’m working on a psytrance-esque EP right now. Fast, four on the floor 140 bpm music with wubs and gritty basses has got me in a chokehold right now haha. But I’m still working on dubstep and finishing up some real special collabs, flute boi music and some meditations. Got about 15 songs wrapping up or already scheduled for release in 2025.

Alyssa: Anything special your audiophile fans would like to geek out on. 

Alec: Well, my mastering engineer Matt Davis is doing these ridiculous sound deployments around the country right now when he’s not running FOH for Detox Unit or whoever. The first one in Orlando was the best sounding show I’ve done in my 14 years of DJing. He’s big on getting the best possible low end response and has challenged me to make a song that’s lower than I ever have made before. So I guess look out for that and apologies in advance because you literally will not be able to hear the sub on regular systems.

Alyssa: The reference session Orlando show in September,  then DC with Artifakts, Yoga in Iowa, AND  Denver Meow Wolf the 23rd? Do you ever sleep? 

Alec: I sleep more than you think haha! I love to sleep. Sleep is life. Also I like playing helldivers or elden ring when I’m not producing or sleeping!

Alyssa: What Is your work life balance like and where are you finding inspiration these days? 

Alec: It seems basic but I’ve been writing a lot of to-do lists lately, trying to cross out as many as possible each day. That’s been helping me balance things so much, stay on task and get my priorities straight. Highly recommend it.

Alyssa: I read that you're planning to go “ALL OUT” for this curated event, complete with temple forest deco, and Koja Sound paraflex sub rig? What's that looking like?

Alec: Yes!! We are going to transform Meow Wolf into a forest as much as possible, basically, and integrate with their awesome temple-style stage design. When we came up with the concept, ‘Magic Temple’, we definitely had that room in mind! The Koja Sound lads have been generous enough to bring out their whole rig for this one, including the paraflex subs, so we are really really grateful to them for helping us elevate the experience for everyone coming! We also have Hummingbird Productions out of Fort Collins providing deco, who specialize in forest-y environments. They’re going to make it look amazing there.

Alyssa: Yourself, Rafeeki, Tunic, BANkaJI and Quite Possibly. I'm sure you guys are going to throw down. Any hints at the vibe of the night and what can we expect of this secret guest? 

Alec: Oh boy. I mean, each of these lads is a headliner in their own right, as I see it. They each have such a unique and powerful vibe and are such amazing humans. That’s why we stacked the evening with the best talent start to finish we could manage. Starting the night with a Tunic set might be the craziest part of the lineup because he is such a masterful artist and it’s almost insane starting out with him, but it’s gonna be perfect. Into our secret guest, who I’ll give you a hint that he has played Tipper and Friends events before and is bigger than all of us, in a sense, haha. Incredibly grateful to have him on board for a special offering. Then into Rafeeki followed by myself and finishing off the night with a high energy back to back between Denver-based legends Bankaji and Quite Possibly. We have some surprises up our sleeves, too, so everyone (including us) is in for quite the wild ride.

Alyssa: In your words what is the impression or significance of the intersection of nature or spiritualism and bass music? You intertwine them very beautifully and  organically. Where do you think people feel this connection comes from? 

Alec: It’s strange because the more I dig into those ‘spiritual’ realms, the less meaning I find myself attaching to the actual moments of creation in the studio. It’s only after a session where I can reflect on where the flow state came from. I use quotes for spirituality there because you can find it in any genre, even mumble rap or something people may classify as “low-vibrational art”, I believe. If the song is made with love/passion for creation, then it’s gonna naturally be a container for emotion and soul.

And as for the sound palette of eastern spiritual music, I really enjoy how flutes sound and how mantras make me feel. The vibrations during sound baths, for example, make me feel good, so I do it. Does it induce healing for me? Absolutely, but does it mean I should worship that process or see it as above other types of music? Each genre or whatever you wanna call it has a unique service it can provide the listener & can be healing in their own way! Hardcore techno is healing for me, too, haha, but obviously I’m not sitting down for that.

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As the night at Meow Wolf approaches, it’s clear this show will be nothing short of extraordinary. With Murkury leading the charge alongside an all-star lineup of Rafeeki, Tunic, BANkaJI, and Quite Possibly, the event promises a transformative experience filled with deep bass, stunning visuals, and an unforgettable vibe. From the immersive “Magic Temple” concept to the powerhouse Koja Sound paraflex sub rig, every detail has been crafted to elevate the night into something truly magical. For fans of boundary-pushing bass music, this is one show you won’t want to miss. Prepare to dance, connect, and lose yourself in the music. 

FOLLOW Murkury: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Official

An Expansive Conversation with Culprate in the wake of "Normal" LP

Resurfacing for air two years after the release of his psychedelic α​ρ​ι​θ​μ​ό​ς τ​έ​σ​σ​ε​ρ​α LP, the Bristol-based producer John Hislop has come up for air with another minted project. Stretching back to his formative days with the Dubsaw and Inspected labels, Culprate has become a staple producer in the arc of bass music and contemporary audio production. His Deliverance LP shines just as brightly now as it did ten years ago, and both it and α​ρ​ι​θ​μ​ό​ς τ​έ​σ​σ​ε​ρ​α feature an abundance of lush instrumentalism, novel arrangements, and nooks and crannies that feel like they’re still slowly revealing themselves to this day. In contrast, his latest release through Inspected, Normal, puts pure force on display, harkening back to the energy in the formative years of Culprate compositions.

It’s dark, dense, and frenetic in ways that feel leagues removed from the expectations set by his previous LPs. And yet it doesn’t come as surprising, with the foundational elements of fundamentally heavy bass music having always been a part of Hislop’s skill set. A merging of club-centric rhythms, lumbering half-time, drum and bass, and high-fidelity sound design deliver on the Culprate seal of quality, while exploring dance-floor relationships that exceed the boundaries of his previous contemporary works in many respects. Some might find there to be a lack of the melodious and harmonious elements that made him an indelible part of many burgeoning palettes throughout the 2010s, but that would be a disservice towards the altogether fresh interpretation of Culprate music that we’re now gleefully chewing on.

In collaboration with this publication, Hislop agreed to an insightful interview that has given us a proper lens into his thought process, approach, and interpretation of his own productions and some of the wider context to his career so far. 

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The Rust: Your time in the limelight stretches back to early releases on Dubsaw Recordings over 15 years ago, well before the establishment of the sound you're concurrently associated with. Looking back from "Normal", what are your thoughts on records like Flatline and Colours? How does your early work hold up in your ears?

John Hislop: Indeed! It's been a wild ride! Those records still hold up for me, especially Colours! Obviously they don't sound as huge as some of the stuff being released nowadays. But the ideas and vibes are still interesting, to me anyways. Sometimes I even think the ideas on those records are better than the ideas I come up with, now!

The Rust: For those of us on the outside of the process, the synergistic unveiling of your label Open Outlets and the "Deliverance" LP 10 years ago feels like a waypoint in your career, with a clear before and after. Can you speak on your influences at the time, and what your initial vision was with the genesis of Open Outlets?

Hislop: Yea, Deliverance was definitely a departure from what I was known for at the time. I actually created it to get less shows, if you can believe it! Being an in demand DJ is fun, but it's not as easy as some may think. At the time of recording all the instruments for that LP, I found out my wife and I were expecting our first child. At that time, I was away in 3-4 different counties per week doing shows. Not really sustainable for a parent. So I guess I subconsciously knew I needed a change of pace. The main reason for the birth of Open Outlets was the fact that I couldn't find a label willing to take on Deliverance.. So I decided to put it out myself. As for my influences at the time. I was really into Amon Tobin, Squarepusher, Pink Floyd, Radiohead and had just discovered footwerk. I still love all of that stuff, but Deliverance was definitely the record which really took all of those things and blended them into a single package.

The Rust: Your last two solo LP's, Deliverance and αριθμός τέσσερα, are primarily known for their lush instrumentalism and pensive atmospheres, where "Normal" clearly has its influences in breakcore, neuro, and other techy forms of broken beat music. Can you speak on the divergence and development of your sound from then to now?

Hislop: Deliverance and αριθμός τέσσερα are really the sort of records I love to make. I find it more difficult, therefore, more fulfilling than "regular" club music.

Deliverance LP Artwork

I guess you could call Normal an experiment, too?? For me, it's just that. It’s definitely got a weird energy to it. Not what you’re likely to hear on a lot of dancefloors. I was trying to think of things I haven't (or rarely) covered, and put them all in a somewhat familiar package which might be accessible to people who might never really listen to that sort of thing. There is a clear divergence. However, I can't really explain it.. Other than to say.. I think artists should try new things and explore new areas. All of my favourites do this. I think I'm always going to try new things with my music. To me, it's important to keep things interesting for myself.

Developmentally, I think I have upped my mixing game. Not that the tracks on Normal are the most aesthetically pleasing tracks I’ve ever done. But I managed to be a lot more purposeful with how this record turned out, than on previous records. Writing-wise, much of Normal was written at about the same time as αριθμός τέσσερα, as a way to decompress from the toil which comes as part of making an overly detailed LP. The Normal tracks were a welcome break, a bit of fun, and very normal in comparison.

The Rust: The progressions and compositions in your catalogue are a clear part of the reputation you've gained under the Culprate umbrella. What's your history as a producer and songwriter? Do you view yourself as a conventional musician?

Hislop: I started making music when I was around 13. Nothing electronic, though. It was all Rock and Metal. None of it was good, haha! I started on the guitar and slowly worked my way through the usual “band” instruments. (Drums, Keys, Bass, etc.. ) I never did learn to sing, though.. My first experience with electronic music was just before I started secondary school (around 1996-97). Older family members had DnB tape packs (peak 90’s) and I quickly got into it! 

I didn’t get the opportunity to create anything electronic until I was around 18, I think. I got expelled from school at the age of 14 (almost 15) and managed to get into a music college a year early. My first couple of years in college were spent doing “band stuff”. The first year was a music practice course. In which you learn how to be in a band. After getting access to recording facilities, I realised that’s where I belonged! I swapped over to the tech side and began recording the college bands on hardware and tape. At the age of 18, I discovered reason 2 on some of the college PC’s. After playing with it for a while I realised “This is how they make dance music!!!” It was a lightbulb moment! From there, I never really looked back. 

Do I consider myself a “conventional” musician? Na.. I stopped practising instruments when I discovered Reason. So my standard of actual playing is now very low.. It’s all still in my head, but my hands won’t do as they're told, haha! Clearly I can write riffs, melodies, harmonies and tie them all together with rhythm. But I need a keyboard and mouse to achieve anything listenable, these days.

The Rust: Where does the design start with a record like Normal? Did you set out to write this album as a cohesive unit, or did it come together as a result of circumstance?

Hislop: With Normal, it was the latter. I had “LIGO”, “Myka” and “Area51”, from back when I was making αριθμός τέσσερα. “LIGO” got an entire remake in a totally different style, but kept the rhythm of the kick/bass sound and tempo. “Myka” also got an entire remake. It was initially a Dubstep track, which had a 2 bar 4x4 section. I decided to audition the whole thing as 4x4 and it just made so much more sense! After this, I remade all the bass sounds to better suit the new groove.

The other two stayed much the same as they were back then, except the final mix. “Singularity” came from an exercise. I was trying to make a techno rumble kick/bass type thing. Something which I’d never managed to get right, in the past. It progressed pretty naturally and the arrangement was finished relatively quickly. “Lightfold” as an idea, is actually from 2016! It originated from the tracks I made for “Dawn” but was initially shelved. This also got a total remake, from the ground up. 

It’s the total opposite to how I thought about Deliverance, Colours, and αριθμός τέσσερα, which were all planned out before I started any of the writing.

The Rust: What's the musical philosophy to "Normal"? What were the sort of vibes and juxtapositions that informed the writing process for these songs?

Hislop: The writing/arrangements all feel pretty alien to me. Hence some of the track names. Like I said, they weren’t specifically made to “be together” but they all seemed to share a vibe, of sorts. I think the overall vibe mostly comes from how I mixed the tracks. I tried to get something close to the feeling I got when listening to old DnB tape packs back in the 90’s but a lot cleaner. I wasn’t going for a particularly “HiFi” sound. I was more going for a “classic” sound, without things sounding dated, if that makes sense?

αριθμός τέσσερα LP Artwork

To me, it almost sounds like, for example, “LIghtfold”, “LIGO” and “Area51” are DnB tunes that are made by someone who’s never heard of DnB. Once I noticed this, I leaned into it and made the other tracks reflect the same sort of thing, uncharacteristic of the genres. While having them all tell a story independent of the other tracks on the record.Almost like how original Dubstep was created by someone, I forget who, trying to make Garage, but doing it totally wrong. The two VIP’s “Ghost Machine” and “Tentacle” were tracks which I had updated to use in live sets. This is something I do with older tracks, to keep them fresh and able to stand up next to other modern tracks. 

The Rust: What kind of space do you work within? Is there a place for hardware in your process and studio, or do you approach production from a primarily "in-the-box" angle?

Hislop: Until very recently, I’ve always had a tiny workspace, no room for hardware, at all.. So I’ve developed a very “In-the-box” workflow. I’m also quite stubborn with the plugins I use. I try to keep things native and not jump on the same stuff as everyone else. For example, I still, to this day, have never used NI Massive or Serum… I tend to make all my sounds with either Operator or Analog. Both native to Ableton.

Other than that, I use the Fabfilter stuff and a select few other, what I consider, “tools” to make sounds and mix tracks. I’ll only buy something new if it’ll save me time. Like Shaperbox from Cableguys. I used to spend hours layering things with specific envelopes, only to find that it sounds like s**t and need to do it all over again! I do have a few hardware synths, but they’ve thus far been kept in their boxes and out of my workflow, due to space. Something which is much less of an issue now. So who knows, I might start a new and very expensive hobby in the near future.

The Rust: 15 consecutive years into the Culprate project, what keeps this fresh for you? Are you drawn to conversations and developments around music and music tech, or do you find yourself primarily focused elsewhere in the context of your musicianship?

Hislop: I do try to stay aware of what’s happening around me, in regards to tech and trends. But I also try to make music with an almost “timeless” feel to it. I think that’s been one of my strengths, over the years. With the vast upgrades in tech, you can now get far superior tools to what I had when I first started making music. However, none of this can substitute knowing what you’re doing and more importantly, knowing why you’re doing it. 

I do welcome the future, and all the new timesaving tools which will come. But I’m of an old school mindset. I’ve always been really nerdy about the physics of what I’m doing. Why things do what they do and why I’d want those things to happen, or not. I’m not sure much of that will change in the life I have left as a producer. Unless we discover a new form of physics.. 

The Rust: What are you hoping to achieve in the wake of "Normal"?

Hislop: After the phenomenal and unexpected success of “Deliverance” I’ve learned to temper my expectations when releasing new records. Nowadays, I just try to put out the best thing I can do and not worry too much about what I’m going to achieve after the fact. The achievement is the record, itself.

Like I said before. I made the bulk of these tracks to decompress from LP life! Which was really needed at the time when we were all locked in our homes. I feel like I’ve learned a ton while working them into what they’ve become and I’ll be using that information to make my next full LP something really unique. For me, that’s all I feel like I want to achieve from this process, in general. To get better and more deliberate with each release. Anything else is a bonus!

Submersion Aftermath: Mark Farina

At its core, Submersion Festival has no defined “home sound”; there’s no singular lane or style that fully engulfs the breadth of the festival’s musical vision. Both as a part of its appeal, and as a result of the palettes that craft each successive lineup, a diversity of sound and presentation is the fundamental characteristic that carries the event from year to year. High on our own list of desired acts, and standing atop a three-decade career, was Mark Farina, the prolific DJ & producer who’s remained an invaluable staple across the domestic and international touring circuits. Graciously presenting a set of his widely-lauded Mushroom Jazz experience, fans and attendees took advantage of a late afternoon jaunt in the sun against the backdrop of Farina’s vivacious presence and undeniable groove at the Woods Stage. Even measured against the much more intense and weighty electronic music featured throughout the weekend, his impact and reputation cut through to the center of the collective attention span. A few days ahead of his appearance at Submersion, we had the opportunity to have a conversation covering a number of points that sat parallel to Mark Farina’s hour in the Saturday sun.

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[The excerpts from this conversation have been edited for brevity and grammar.]

In conversation with Mark prior to the Submersion weekend, it became clear that getting the full picture of his 30 year presence on and off the stage meant going back to a foundational epoch in Chicago’s House music scene. Coming from the same nest of greats such as Derrick Carter and Ron Hardy, Farina’s history is first and foremost a history steeped in House and steady-beat flavor. The meat of that scene starts with the selective and heralded hardware, from the renowned Technic-1200 turntable to tape-based samplers and a plethora of other analog gear. The barrier to entry was altogether higher than it is now, from the need to physically collect the music in question, to the specificity and expense of the equipment in circulation in the late 80s.

“I remember going to this club, a teen club, back towards the end of the 80s where we’d start to experience and see DJing and mixing from a dancefloor perspective. You start to hear the way a continuous blend can really get dialed in, and that’s sort of where the bug takes hold. [...] Then getting into it, I had some friends who had Technic 1200s, which is really all you would use at the time, and that’s how I’d start to get my head around mixing records, and going ‘oh ok these songs line up nicely with each other,’ and then figuring out things like BPM, beatmatching, tempo changes. You sort of build out a kit of routines and doubles and the knowledge of how to actually use the thing. [...] Around the same time, I started to understand sampling and its role in the music I was listening to, in the Chicago House scene, and from there how production with these physical machines and synthesizers really worked. Back then, the physical nature of the tools and the samplers was absolutely a part of how the music ultimately came out, the shape it would take.”

The liberatory rhythms and motifs of early House anthems made a palpable imprint on Farina’s tastes and career, but shortly thereafter in the mid 90s, his Mushroom Jazz mix series would find its genesis first in the dark chill-out rooms at various clubs in San Francisco. Taking cues, cuts, and the musical DNA of European acid jazz and early trip-hop progenitors, fused with the right percussion and manipulated with just enough finesse, he’d stumble into a style and genre that would proliferate into a now long-running series of near endless, laid-back mixes.

“The Mushroom Jazz thing really started not too long after I really started to play out at clubs and get some notoriety. I had moved to San Francisco, and in these side rooms, these chill-out rooms, I'd take like, European and particularly French acid jazz, and combine those tracks with drum rhythms and other things like acapellas, and really it just took on a life of its own. From there I eventually turned it into a dedicated mix that I would occasionally put out, which I still do through this Ibiza station called Openlab. It’s changed a bit over time, evolved to include more styles and tempos, but for me it’s really in its own lane.”

One of the more curious and adventurous aspects of catching Mushroom Jazz live in action was its placement amidst a fairly high-energy lineup for the Submersion weekend. Though far from the chill-out rooms where the style made its first foray through speaker cones, the Woods Stage provided ample ambiance, soft light, and crystalline sound particularly fit for a lightweight sonic serving in the afternoon. Its low rise and accessible placement puts both dancer and performer right in the action, giving him the space and opportunity to do the crowd and his time slot proper justice.

OpenLab Radio · Mushroom Jazz 16 - Mark Farina

“I come from the time where DJs were sort of off to the side, often in a room with a literal door, pretty separate from the crowd and the party. It can be a little daunting with the way things have changed, how stages have become so much larger and in front of everyone’s attention. It’s built out for a concert, you know? But the thing is, there’s something really powerful when you’re at the center of it, you know, right up with everyone where you can really read the room, get a feel for where everyone is at.”

While we mused about changing stage dynamics and the evolution of electronic music events, he was keen to touch on the music’s modern paradigms, and the sort of formulas that draw him to the selections he’s most interested in. Juggling the onslaught of contemporary releases with an immense collection of yesterday’s finest tracks, he’s got a veritable arsenal to choose from, and a tremendously vested career to back up those decisions.

“It’s really great to look back and realize that there’s 30 years of music history behind me, and so I sort of dig into that history to discover or sometimes rediscover records that have sort of been lost to time. I still have a collection of CDs, from maybe the 2001 to 2007-ish range, when promos were all on CD and there hadn’t yet been a big push into digital as a format. And of course there’s all my vinyl, I still have pretty much every record I’ve ever collected. Sometimes finding new tracks to play is as simple as finally putting on the B-side to a record and realizing there was something great there all along, maybe even better than the A-side. [...] I find that the speed of the music cycle is pretty fascinating today. Kids and younger guys will put out, you know, it feels like a track every two weeks on a different label. There’s so much of it, it gets disorienting pretty fast. I personally feel like, sometimes it’s like sifting through so much music that feels very ‘throw-away’ just to find the things that have the right ingredients. It can even be daunting finding music from labels or acts I know I like, especially if they have a quick output. For me, you know, it’s gotta have the right groove, a solid rhythm, the bass line needs some kick behind it, it’s like a sort of formula that feels right when I hear it.”

Of course, alongside the Dj fundamentals and ample selections, Mark has also been a producer for nearly as long, cutting his teeth on composition and programming in tandem with his development behind the decks. Coming from a youthful background as a drummer, it's no wonder he eventually found his way into percussion-driven genres and the hard-hitting, transient punch of electronic music.

“I’ve been dabbling and producing for almost as long as I’ve been DJing, and obviously I’ve been playing music for even longer, it’s always been there. I’m really a physical guy, in the sense that I do everything ‘out of the box’. I use drum machines and hardware samplers and keyboards and turntables all chained together. When it comes to including it in my own mixes, you know, it's really something I do first and foremost for myself because I enjoy it. A lot of times, I’ll feel like my friends are making better tracks, or just better music for whatever situation I’m in or thing I’m doing, so only so much of it really comes out or gets a real release. […] I’ve been considering making an all-original Mushroom Jazz mix, which is something I think can happen in the near future.”

Reflecting back on some of the major points in our conversation, it’s easy to understate the humility with which he describes himself, his career, and his skill set against the backdrop of his performance that Saturday afternoon at Paradise Lakes. The cool, effusive confidence and choice selection after choice selection reveals an artist that deserves to be called a real DJ’s DJ. The fast-changing dynamics of DJing as art, it’s inevitable crossover with our especially American brand of producer culture, and the evolving direction of electronic music as a global music pillar all feed into a gradually intensifying singularity, but so long as there’s space and appeal, the veterans that carved a path upward for all of us are staying firmly in the mix.

“I’m grateful that, you know, 30 years later, I still have this career, and can still play gigs. Like Derrick Carter, DJ Snake, a lot of those guys are some of my oldest friends and still have their careers, and it's good to see so many of the people from the Chicago scene are still in the mix all these years later. [...] I’ll keep on doing this and DJing and making mixes for as long as I have the opportunity, and probably still after that.”

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With the inevitable final notes of Submersion’s Mushroom Jazz experience, there’s a clarity to the role that such a niche, yet palatable kind of music plays in the wider festival and touring circuits. Flipping the script from the sunrise sets and extremely late night appearances, downtempo and laid back electronic music surely has a place in both the spotlight and the sunlight, priming appetites with digestible, sultry melodies and transitions for much heavier musical meals in settings like Submersion and beyond. While there’s no telling what’s in store yet for Submersion 2024, we surely haven’t seen the last of Mark Farina in the northeastern US, and with a career and future as bright as his, it’ll be impossible to miss his next foray in our quaint backyard.

FOLLOW Mark Farina: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Submersion: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Official

A Quaint Conversation on the new Collaborative DOS Project

Individually, Ilya Goldberg and Random Rab have extraordinarily fruitful careers on their own merits, with the former both through his Lapa project and being Doug Appling’s right hand man in Emancipator, and the latter through a dedicated, double-decade approach to the Random Rab sound. Their creative talents have existed in parallel for at least the last 10 years, filling the space with melodic, instrumentally-driven trip-hop and downtempo music on numerous lineups across the touring and festival circuit. With such a self-evident sonic crossover, it was only a matter of time before these not so disparate camps found themselves unified under the same banner, and this year saw the inception of their collaborative project, DOS.

Where others may feel the need to pull from and establish entirely fresh palettes of sound and influence for on-going collaborations, Rab and Goldberg don’t just lean further into their respective creative lanes; they actively elaborate on the air-tight fit of their compositional and instrumental backgrounds. DOS’ self-titled LP, released in February of this year, doesn’t feel so much like a third path taken as much as it feels like a maturation of both individual inputs. The benefit is as clear as the overall mixdown; there’s no lag or lull in their collaborative arrangements, with both musicians letting the multitude of instrumental layers blend as they will, and rest when they need to.

While combinations of popular producers from within the studio are in no shortage of supply, such a naturally congruent mix always has a particular shine to it, and we’d be remiss not to dive further into the makeup of the DOS dynamic. Consequently, and ahead of their appearance at Secret Dreams later this month, the Rust felt it necessary to have a quaint conversation with these artists on the nature of their collaborations, the inception of the project, and the lens through which they view their own musicality.

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The Rust: Where does your relationship with one another start? Did you meet as a consequence of your creative projects?

DOS: We met at Burning Man (year?) We were both on our way to play a set.  When we first met, we instantly said that we need to make music together.  This was before either of us had even heard each other play.  I think we both instantly knew there was some sort of connection that needed to be explored.  We started by collaborating on our first track which was Vapour Train off the Random Rab album aRose.  Since then we wrote over 20 songs before finally deciding to start a new project with its own identity.

The Rust: Why start this new collaborative project? What was the genesis point for DOS?

DOS: We had done a lot of collaborations and sets together.  However everything either fell under the Random Rab or LAPA umbrella.  While we love these songs, there was always a feeling that we weren’t able to explore a true artistic collaboration.  Somewhere along the line we decided that we needed to make an album together that was more 50/50 and allowed us both to forget about our individual identities and be a part of something fresh and completely unexplored.

Random Rab · On Magnificence

The Rust: There's a notable overlap in the style of your individual works, particularly regarding a focus on laid back and pensive compositions; what was the initial writing process for the DOS project like for the both of you? 

DOS: Our approach has always been “when we both say yes, it’s a yes”  This allows us to avoid any kind of conflicts or confusion.  Basically if we both agree, it’s a go.  This makes the whole process very relaxed and explorational.  It’s true that a lot of these songs might feel more laid back, but there’s an intensity to the production 

The Rust: The landscape of contemporary electronic music tends to lean towards a much grittier array of motifs. Can you talk a bit about your experiences within that dynamic? What keeps you both drawn to the more grounded palettes of your overall works?

DOS: We are passionate about true self expression which naturally comes out as the music we hear.  We made the creative decision to be less concerned with what is happening in the scene at large and more focused on what’s in our hearts.

The Rust: While your self-titled album contains trace elements and infusions of your individual works, it carries itself with a much more distinct world-music appeal, especially in the percussive sense. Was this a conscious choice, or a consequence of happenstance? 

DOS: Everything we do is a conscious choice.  We have an array of acoustic instruments and percussion which bring irreplaceable textures to our sound.  We also collaborate extensively with our friend Custom Phil who injects custom fire to all of our percussive elements.  Although we generally perform as a duo, we bring out Custom Phil to a handful of select performances.  For instance, we’ll be performing with him at Red Rocks on July 22.

Lapa · SPIRIT VESSEL

The Rust: How much energy are you looking to put into the DOS project? Was this a convenient outlet at a convenient moment, or are you looking to dive headfirst into this new collaborative environment? 

DOS: Rather than seeing this as a convenient opportunity, we see this as a natural evolution of our decade long collaboration.  Our goal with DOS is to keep it special and always bring a unique performance and audio experience to our listeners.

The Rust: What can we expect from future DOS releases? Are you sensing a stride with the styles and grooves that dominate the debut album?

DOS: We are currently working on some new singles and have another album in the works. For our live performances we strive to bring a balance of lush melodic content and undeniably danceable grooves.

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FOLLOW DOS: Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook / Official

Getting Acquainted with NYC's Edica+

Making a fast-paced break into the spotlight of NYC’s sound system culture and musical underground, the texas-raised and New York-based DJ Edica+ has already made an ample name for herself. Stretching from Reggae and Cumbia to contemporary bass music and beyond, her effusive influences and pronounced mixing fundamentals have made her a potent force behind the decks, showcasing ecstatic and expansive DJing in pure form. In tandem with her burgeoning career as a prime selector, she’s also the host of the Dub & Effection radio show and an onboarded member of the legendary Dub-Stuy record label and sound system crew, rounding her out as a multi-disciplined and locally enmeshed artist.

Tomorrow evening, The Rust and our long-time co-conspirator Sermon are slated to host Commodo, Ellis Delta, EasyJack, and Edica+ at The Meadows in Brooklyn, and in anticipation of the rambunctious evening ahead, we felt it necessary to get ahold of Edica+ for a brief primer on her influences, background, her experiences as a show-host, and her time with Dub-Stuy records.

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The Rust: Between EDICA+, Dub-Stuy, Dub and Effection, you have your work cut out for you. How do you divvy up your bandwidth of attention between responsibilities?

Edica+: The nice thing about it is that these projects tend to overlap in one way or the other. For instance, Dub & Effection is now supported by Dub-Stuy, as well as other upcoming EDICA+ projects. It’s great that my ideas are encouraged and welcomed by the label because our visions are so similar.

The Rust: While you've made a veritable mark in Brooklyn, NY, you're originally from Texas; what kind of influence does that bring to table, musically? 

Edica+: Being from South Texas, I was exposed to a lot of Latin music growing up, which has overlapping qualities with my natural Caribbean roots. Selena is from my hometown of Corpus Christi as well as a major Cumbia artist, El Dusty, who encouraged me to DJ. So when I first started, I played a lot of Latin parties influenced by Bass, Dub, Reggae, Moombahton, Cumbia, etc.

The Rust: In the context of your sets, where does your preparation start? You've earned a reputation as a selector with a wide berth; how do you narrow it down for each evening?

Edica+: Digging for music and pairing sounds together in my head is just as natural to me as brushing my teeth, so I’m always in prep mode. My musical tastes all share the common thread of Dub traits as the foundation, so my sets are versatile yet still complimentary as I take audiences on a journey through different BPMs and genres.

The Rust: What's home for you, musically? What are the cuts and influences that brought you and your EDICA+ project to where it is now? 

Edica+: I’m 100% Guyanese, so I grew up listening to Caribbean and Hindi sounds from my heritage, along with Smooth Jazz my parents loved. Now looking I see why Bass-heavy music resonates with me, as my dad always bumped it from his sound system. I love repping all my roots, which is why I even incorporate East Indian sounds in my sets. 

I also have a project in the works called “Grown & Dubby” which is my outlet for the same type of Jazz I was exposed to as a kid. So I’d say my parents are largely responsible for my tastes with everything coming full circle now.

EDICA+ · Mungo's HiFi & Friends with EDICA+ from Dub-Stuy

The Rust: You're the founder and host for the "Dub and Effection" radio show. What was the genesis for your part in the program? Are you operating according to a specific vision, or have you narrowed your focus over time?

Edica+: I first created Dub & Effection as an outlet to play the songs I love that all exhibited Dub characteristics. This includes anything with echo/reverb, sound effects, instrumental/remixes, and sub-genres of dubstep/grime/hip hop/electronica to name a few. It’s also my way of educating others on the power that Dub has had on today’s music, an effort to champion the sound engineers and innovators like Lee Scratch Perry & King Tubby who really were magicians on the mixing board. It’s amazing how their experimental techniques set the tone for much of the music we love today.

Due to time constraints this year I’ve primarily been focused on the radio show hosted on Dublab. But in the near future, we’ll be launching some new projects under the brand.

The Rust: Dub-Stuy has a venerable reputation as a veteran record label and sound system crew of the Northeastern circuit; how did you get linked upon with them in the first place?

Edica+: I’ve always frequented Dub-Stuy events under the radar for the sole purpose of just being a fly on the wall and enjoying the sessions. It was because of Dub & Effection where the founder discovered me and really liked my musical taste and the passion I have, for not only preserving the culture, but supporting the future of it as well. From there, I joined the musical crew, and eventually began helping with the business side of things as well. 

The Rust: How do you view Dub-Stuy in the context of NYC's musical social culture? 

Edica+:  I have so much respect for Dub-Stuy, as they were one the first crews promoting proper sound system culture stateside. Over the years, they’ve influenced many other crews in the US and have made a significant mark on the NYC DIY club culture. It’s been awesome being on the team and really inspiring to see how the movement continues to grow and carry on to the next generations.  

The Rust: What's on the plate for the rest of the year? Where do you want to take EDICA+ as you continue to navigate your slice of the music industry?

Edica+: This year's focus has primarily been touring. We’ve already hit US & Europe, and next up have Asia then Mexico in the Fall.  

I’m also stoked about expanding the Dub & Effection brand across the country and building meaningful connections with like-minded people through special collaborations we have in the works.

Lastly, I’m looking forward to honing in on my own original music and taking my live performances to the next level. For me, it’s really all about what truly matters in art, which is creating for self-expression, sharing it with the world when possible, and having a blast doing it.

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Even with such a plate of creative endeavors and responsibilities in front of her, Edica+ has a clear vision for the future of her project and the wider proliferation of sound system music and it’s ephemeral cousins, placing her right in the spotlight of our interests. If you’re as keen on hearing her in booth as we are, make sure you grab a ticket to our show tomorrow evening, and be sure to stay connected to Edica+’s social profile.

FOLLOW Edica+: Soundcloud / Mixcloud / Facebook / Webpage

Exploring New Perspectives on Music and Photography with SMYAH

Across the pond, the pensive and surefooted Bulgarian creative Yavor Zografski has spent the last several years tightening the reigns around both his own musical project SMYAH, and the wider Sound in Picture label under his purview. A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to premiere the track “Labyrinths” ahead of the full release of SMYAH’s Narratives LP. Exploring a marriage between stoic rhythms and airy composition, “Labyrinths” was just a taste of the wider Narratives arc, scratching the surface of a much deeper project that fuses compositions and photography into a multi-disciplinary artform.

Sound in Picture · SMYAH - Narratives [SIP 010]

Narratives covers a variety of styles and genres, with notable influences from IDM, jazz, downtempo, trip-hop, and ambient film audio. It’s a meticulous blend of intricate audio design and pastel colorways of sound that bend, morph, and break apart to create a collaged, emotive LP. Be it “Spirits”, featuring the washed, reverberant vocals of Desy atop a ghostly, slow-rolling instrumental, or the gradual swell of sporadic, fractured artifacts in “Time Dispersion”, there’s a clear musical command that reaches through a number of unique territories and influences. Accompanying each track is a poignant photograph, provided in this case by the photographer 8MIN. Pairing each respective song and visual backdrop brings a clarity to the moving themes in Narratives, but also connects the album back to Yavor’s other focus; the Sound in Picture label.

Founded in 2018, Sound in Picture features dozens of individual releases, all paired together with accompanying photographic art. Under that same umbrella, it hosts purchasable prints, a podcast, and expansive profiles on some of the in-house talent responsible for this duality in vision. It’s a testament to the timeless marriage of visual and aural design, and places the label in a squarely multimedia space, allowing it to function somewhere in between a traditional musical outlet and a zine, making sure to put the focus on both ends of its fused artistic approach.

Given the expansive scope of both Yavor’s personal musical output, and the approach to his particularly curated label, The Rust felt an immediate necessity to sit down with this affluent artist and discuss the genesis and direction of his dovetailing projects.

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The Rust: You've got your plate full as both the owner/operator of your label Sound in Picture, as well as through your own creative project. Where did that dual road start? What's your musical background like?

Yavor Zografsky: It all started with music first - more out of curiosity; I got my first MIDI keyboard and FL Studio about 15 years ago. I am self taught from the time before all this knowledge and these tutorials flooded the internet, so I was just practicing and figuring stuff out on my own and as I went. I didn’t study music, I graduated in the Netherlands with [a degree in] Media and Entertainment, but more on the video production side. None of my friends did music back then, so I was on my own in that endeavor during my first 10 years, but this didn’t discourage me at all. It started getting serious about 5 years ago, and Sound in Picture was coincidentally born then too, back in 2018. Back then, I was going through some photo magazines and listening to music and I said to myself, why shouldn’t I make a platform where you could do both at the same time, where the images and sounds are telling the story together, and the musician gets not one, but a whole series of artworks. After thorough research, I discovered that nobody has done that yet so it didn’t take me much to act on it. I’ve always wanted my own label, so this was the perfect opportunity. 

Back then, I was working as a video editor and also did some directing and shooting, so the synergy between both worlds has never been foreign to me and it’s all coming together naturally.

The Rust: How would you categorize your musical influences? Your recent "Narratives" LP showcases a number of styles and disciplines.

Yavor: My musical influences come from a variety of fields, mainly the sound system culture, film soundtracks and the UK electronic scene. Artists like Massive Attack and Calibre are definitely some of the names I admire. When I get to create, I don’t really think about genres (unless it’s a commercial project, but that’s different) and I just go with the flow. That’s when it works out the best and that’s why I make music in the first place - to feel total freedom without any boundaries.

I feel that when you make an album, it’s good to have a balance between action, tension and moments to breathe, so that’s why you can hear some ambient tracks next to beats, autonomic and half time music. Some of my favorite music to listen to in my free time is drum and bass and dubstep, and I also have tunes in these styles, but I will put out separate EPs with them as they didn’t really fit here. For this album, it was important to tell a story that transcends genres. I feel what propels the story is the sound design and the overall atmosphere, which is similar despite the stylistic variety. I’d characterize some of the tracks as ‘cinematic beats’.

Of course, we have to give credit to Merian Nikolova, 8MIN, who shot a whole series of photos dedicated to the album and they definitely make the whole project more impactful.

The Rust: Where's home plate for you, stylistically? What are the rhythms that drew you to production and composition in the first place?

Yavor: If we have to start from the very beginning, my first musical discoveries as a child were in hip-hop and r’n’b - both from Bulgaria and from all around the world. I was making some mixtapes recording tracks from the radio. Then, during my first couple of years in secondary school, I was listening to mostly death and thrash metal and that’s when I first started making music. I was just playing some melodies and even then, I was watching a ton of films and got inspired by their soundtracks. I learned the piano part from The Matrix theme and some other songs from bands like Cradle of Filth and Children of Bodom. Shortly after I got into producing, I discovered drum and bass and later on dubstep and grime, and that’s when I felt music which really connected with me, way deeper than the other genres. So I guess if we have to sum it up, those rhythms, mixed in with some world and indigenous motifs (also super important for my music) are the main drawing force. I feel the indigenous and tribal sound really close to me and I feel really drawn to the jungle - I can’t explain why since I’ve grown up in Sofia, which is a totally different type of jungle. Maybe it has to do with a past life.

The Rust: How, if at all, does your personal musicianship inform your decisions as a label head?

Yavor: I will sign anything I like. I have a soft spot for dub and dubstep, so this is a prevalent but not exclusive stylistic choice. We’ve done beats, halftime, ambient and IDM, sometimes even jazzy stuff. The most important thing is the vibe and the quality of the sound. The cinematic sound is also a big “yes”. I usually invite musicians I admire and follow as a fan, as well. 

The Rust: What's the genesis point for Sound in Picture? Did you always envision a relationship between aural and visual art?

Narratives LP Release Party, photographed by Gully Wabbit

Yavor: SiP’s core action is releasing music dressed in a series of photos, and the idea came shortly before realising it. Before that, I have always paid attention to soundtracks in films and other types of art but the idea of Sound in Picture wasn’t planned, and it's the product of a sudden, blissful moment of realization. But even back then, I knew that the scope could allow many other types of activities and that potential really motivated me to invest my time into growing it. By other types, I mean events, creating physical items, a podcast, licensing material and other offshoot activities. 

The Rust: The chosen visual pieces that accompany each of the label's releases are often very syncretic with the themes and tones in the accompanying music. What's the process for those pairings? Do you source art for music you intend to release, or do the artists source that themselves? 

Yavor: It all happens organically; we usually start off with the music and based on its atmosphere, I am reaching out to photographers who I feel can best illustrate it based on their overall visual perspectives. I am very particular about the visual styles and their consistency when I am searching, but the photographers have the full creative freedom to interpret the story their way. We pay equal attention to both sides of the collaboration and it’s important for them to have fun too and express their side. I feel that this way, the photographers manage to put out the best of themselves, and I can compare it similarly to the process of music production.

I believe that if you know what you’re looking for as a curator, it’s really not that hard to match the right people who will produce something organically, and there’s art to this process too.

The Rust: Do you envision Sound in Picture as a strictly digital media label? Do you have any stake or interest in physical media regarding the label?

Yavor: Of course. It’s important for SiP to exist in the physical dimension - the main goal for the platform is not to depend on social media for reaching out to people. Our home base is the website, but we’ve produced some physical items as well - we have a photo book where you can find some of the best photography we’ve published, plus some thought provoking quotes from our artists, and we have a second edition on the way this year.

Apart from that, we adapted some artworks as t-shirt designs, and on the musical side, we put out a tape of the album release we did with Valance Drakes & Ivan Shopov, featuring photography by Zlatina Tochkova.  

My aim for the near future is also some vinyl releases and we’ll see how it goes.

Another physical aspect of SiP is the events we do on a monthly basis here in Sofia, Bulgaria, where I live. The nature of the platform allows for a wide scope of events and we do music parties, exhibitions, bazaars, and lectures with artists from different fields who share their experience in an open talk. That’s a great way to form a community and I hope we do an event somewhere abroad soon!

The Rust: What's the future like for Sound in Picture? What do you see over the horizon line as you continue to run the label?

Yavor: Something I am working on is getting into the sync licensing business, which wouldn’t be an easy step but it’s definitely something worth pursuing, especially with such a catalogue that is literally sound for pictures. Apart from that, I will keep the podcast going, we have 2 episodes out and you can hear/watch them here: https://biglink.to/SiPcast 

And of course, more quality releases on a regular basis.

The Rust: What's the future look like for your own project? Have you considered your next move after Narratives?

Yavor: I am currently composing music for an American feature film. Being a film composer is my dream job, so I am working hard towards it and that’s where I intend to put my focus more.  In terms of releasing SMYAH music, I plan to put out a dubstep and a drum & bass EPs later down the year. 

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It’s clear that both Yavor’s vision and execution of his artistic gait develop in tandem, and benefit immensely from his salt-of-the-earth approach and perspective to multimedia art. Be it his own SMYAH project, Sound in Picture, or any of the other creatives hosted and put in the spotlight through his platform, every tendril crawls back to the well of influence that he both pulls and dispenses from, creating a vibrant ecosystem of opportunity and curation in musical and visual art. Be sure to stay up to date with Sound in Picture’s latest exploits, and keep your eyes and ears peeled for more developments from the distinct imagination of Yavor Zagrofsky.

FOLLOW SMYAH: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Sound in Picture: SoundCloud / Instagram / Youtube / Official

Conversations and Afterthoughts on Sunsetting the Craftal Project

Authored by Alyssa Barnhill

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With nearly a decade of considerable effort under his belt, the multifaceted producer Ian Mckenna recently announced the retirement of his storied Craftal moniker. As a musical entity, he’s an embedded Denver staple, and widely respected across a sea of contemporary acts and producers. Much to the surprise of his longtime fans and collaborators, McKenna recently publicized the resounding decision to seek out new musical horizons, and announced the closing chapter of the Craftal project. 

Craftal’s range stretches across a slew of tempos and rhythms under the permeable glitch music umbrella, and has maintained and massaged a particular appeal towards the audiophile scene. With the project at the height of its impact, a clear call to another slice of the musical pie has pushed McKenna to sunset the Craftal experiment indefinitely. To fans, Ian’s last release was suspiciously sweet, aptly named This Was All A Test. One can’t help but speculate if he had been mulling over the decision to change projects for a while. Was it all a test? And if so, for what? The framing raises a few poignant questions.

Craftal · This Was All A Test

The grand farewell for Craftal is set for December 15th at The Black Box night club here in Denver. The highly anticipated show will feature other psychedelic favorites such as Base2, Sylph, and Wij. Accompanying a “most righteous” sonic lineup, the event will also feature a full A/V presentation through every performance, provided by the artistic anarcho-collectivist project neuro.studio, in order to amplify the immersive visual experience. In a statement provided to us by its members, neuro.studio stated that “2022 is our first year involving ourselves in this space as a collective since the launch of neuro.studio. We are incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished so far in such a short amount of time, and will be continuing to aim for setting the bar higher with each iteration of our involvement in the music scene. As for Craftal's last show at the Black Box on 12.15, we are simply ecstatic to be involved in celebrating Ian's last set as Craftal & will have a unique VJ pairing for each musical act.”

Consequently, The Rust publication team felt it as necessary as it is enticing to sit down with Ian Mckenna for an exclusive one on one discussion about the future of his music and what his Craftal project really was all about. 

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Alyssa: What did the Craftal project mean to you?

Ian: To me, I mean, I made up the name and the whole project when I was 20. When I learned how to make digital music and was really getting into everything. I was falling in love with psychedelic bass music culture and the art scene and everything. Now, I am just kind of finding myself falling out of love with it. 

Alyssa: Any particular reason?

Ian: I am trying not to be jaded,  but I am definitely falling out of love. It also represents my 20’s in a weird way. I am going to be 30 in April. Not looking forward to it. 

Alyssa: So are you looking to find something more fitting of this time in your life?

Ian: Yeah, that and honestly I am just feeling like the bass music scene, at least from where I am sitting, is kind of like an overripe peach. I am just not having as much fun going to shows and honestly I don't fully understand the drug choices of everybody. People doing drugs isn't ruining my time, it's just one part of why I am just not as inspired by the scene anymore. 

Alyssa: I understand that. The music has always been a huge draw for me.

Ian: I really love the inherently abstract and fundamental nature of dance music. And what I mean is music without words in general, because music transcends language. Abstract expressions can be very beautiful. You don't want to preach to people, you don't want to commit to saying something that is outdated, but you want to reach people. 

Alyssa: Completely, where do you find yourself leaning now?

Ian: I find myself more interested and inspired by artists that are trying to say something. Trying to say things. Risking being preachy, and risking saying the wrong thing. And I don't know, I am finding that more interesting. I am still going to keep doing weird sounds, sound design, and electronic music because I love it…  I just want to try doing something different in my 30s. 

Alyssa: What is the name of the newest project? What are you going for?

Ian: I have been trying to brainstorm for a couple of months now, and nothing is really sticking.  A friend of mine told me that marketing is an art. The more you are overthinking it, the farther you are getting away from the relatability of your thing. I will probably end up using my real name, honestly. I don’t know yet, it’s all kinda meh. I don't mind sticking with my real name, that's fine.

Alyssa: So, I asked you about “This is all a test”, the last time we spoke for The Rust. Does that feel like a thread of truth from before? You used it as the title of the latest compilation you just put out.

Ian: I thought that it was kind of a funny coincidence that I named that song that, what, two years ago now?

Alyssa: Yeah something like that.

Ian: Yeah, I thought that was a funny way to tie it all up in a bow. 

Alyssa: I thought so too. Would you say making music as Craftal was like an incubation phase for you?

Ian: I sure hope so. Yeah, I hope that everything I make is the incubation for the next thing. 

Alyssa: Do you think similar elements of sound design will always be a theme in your music?

Ian: Probably always. I love music made with passion and heart, you know? I am hearing some really interesting stuff being made by, like, kids. You know, people born like 2000 and later, they are just like smashing everything together. It’s interesting. I would like to expand beyond the sonic palette that I have been comfortable with the past few years. But that's going to take some time. The new stuff will have me singing so that will be different.

Alyssa: That’s very exciting, I think a lot of people share that want for a little more passion, and I am excited to hear what it sounds like. When can we expect more from you?

Ian: I am a slow worker, so I don't have any dates. But definitely next year for sure. This was a good year, I played Tipper and Friends. 

Alyssa: I know, I missed that one entirely. How was it?

Ian: Oh, that was amazing. That was a bucket list item. The whole team there treats all their artists better than any event that I have ever been to in the last nine years, or played at in the last nine years. Yeah, that was just an amazing time. 

Alyssa: That's amazing. I am glad you are not going anywhere. I am sure I will still see you out. 

Ian: Yeah, I am not going anywhere. Just looking to do something different.

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Where Ian goes from here is anyone’s guess; music reflects the most exploratory and inquisitive part of ourselves. When we feel something different that has a magnetic quality, it’s extraordinarily human to answer the call of that attraction. Ian’s adventurous ideas, conversations in creativity, and motifs within his music remind us that creativity and expression live and grow with us daily. It’s the kind of perspective that transcends scenes and subcultures, even if it often incubates within them. Regardless of what sonic landscape Ian’s journey takes him on, or where it takes him for that matter, we’ll be in lock-step right behind him for the curious resolution to this next transition.

GRAB TICKETS for the final Craftal performance on 12.15 HERE

FOLLOW Craftal: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify

Conversations and Explorations on Generative Visual Art with Actualize

Denver-based visual artist David Schunemann, or more familiarly known as Actualize Visuals has been diligently cultivating his most progressive body of work to date. Carefully collaborating and decorating stages across the country summer after summer, Actualize has become a household name amongst the wider fandom of digital visual artists and designers.

Directly influenced by painters, 3-D sculptors, animators, and live performance, David aims to create an act that not only accompanies top-tier musical artists, but adds an undeniable depth to every experience. Building off of natural moments of hype, the vibe, and his own take on relevant art in the adjacent scene, he builds an unforgettable dive through vivid dreamscapes, ardent colors, and creative movement. While the pool of visual artists and VJ’s has steadily grown in both size and manifest talent across the last five years, David’s work continues to speak volumes about the sheer tenacity behind his confidence.

Appropriately, The Rust took advantage of an opportunity to sit down at a downtown Denver cafe and speak about the Actualize vision, perspective, and manifestations. 

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The Rust: Where do you hail from, and where are you now?

David Schunemann:  I am a transplant to Denver, a brand new transplant. I am from Boston. I was born in the Boston area and then moved up to New Hampshire when I was like 8, and then lived there till like 3 or 4 years ago and moved back down to boston. Lived there for a while, but now I am here. 

The Rust: What brought you to Denver?

David: Mainly music and art.

The Rust: Where did it all begin? How did this project get started?”

David: I guess just going to a lot of events. I started going to shows in 2016, electronic shows, and I just was like automatically addicted. It was the craziest shit I had ever seen. As soon as I went to my first electronic music festival I was like, “I've seen bands play before but it's not like this.” The stage production in general is crazy. My first festival was Mystery Land in 2016. It was at the original Woodstock grounds actually.

The Rust: Wow, in upstate NY? That's a legendary venue.

David: Yeah, it only happened for like 3 years, then someone bought it and fucked it all up. So it’s not a thing anymore, but it was amazing when I went. After that I just started going to as many music festivals and shows as I could go to. Then after about a year of going to non-stop events. I simply needed to know how it all worked, I needed to understand what's happening here. I started like looking shit up online, diving into it, trying to figure out what was actually going on. The video mixing thing I thought was super cool. I kinda tried DJ-ing a little, but once I realized you can do the same thing with video, it was over. Essentially, just mixing video, you can do it even crazier than you can mix audio. You can have infinite layers, run effects through everything, and route shit different places. The effects are not just limited echo and delay, you can do literally everything. Fuck, you can stack as much as you want until you build something insane.

The Rust: Did that start by combining your audio with your video? What's your speciality?

David: Yeah! What I specialize in is like building custom effect stacks (in Resolume). So I will take tons of different effects and stack them on top of each other in a way that makes something really cool and unique. Then you can go into each of those effects and make different parameters audio reactive or whatever you want. So when the bass hits the whole thing or fine tuned parts will wiggle or shake, change color, or flex.

The Rust: I love that subtle movement in visuals, especially on a big stage or screen.

David: Yeah, not the whole thing. Just very fine tuned. The fact that you can do it live and on the spot with any piece of video content, picture, anything. Just completely blew my mind. As soon as I realized you can do that, I was all in. Playing with it like everyday. Friends would come over and put on music. I'd be like “Yo, check this out.” I would end up sitting there while my friends are just chilling.

The Rust: So it was basically all consuming for you?

David: Insanely.

The Rust: Your first festival was in 2016; it's now 2022. When did you start making your own visuals?

David: 2017, pretty much right away. I have been doing it full time for like 4-5 years now.

The Rust: What did you go to school for?

David: I went to school for software engineering actually. I was working software engineering jobs while I was going to all these festivals. So that was kinda funding everything. Then I got laid off in 2018. I got another job and I had been working that job for a couple years and doing visuals on the side. Then I got laid off again at the beginning of the pandemic, and I was like, “Alright, I don't really want to do this anyway. There is probably a reason I keep getting laid off.”

So after that I was like, “fuck it.” Whether I make money doing this or not, I'll figure that part out later.

The Rust: Completely. I love that train of thought. Fuck it, might as well make art. Can I ask how old you are?

David: 30. So I started going to festivals around 25.

The Rust: Where does the name come from?

David: When I first started I thought about it a lot. Like, what I wanted my name to be…. something. Because I wanted it to be something that kind of reflected what I was doing, then also sound cool you know. It literally came to me at a G Jones show. He is one of my biggest inspirations. Visually and also musically because it is so experimental. He is just trying things no one else thinks to try.

The Rust: He’s earned his reputation through and through.

David: Yeah, so I was getting my mind blown and someone came up to me and told me he did all his own visuals for that tour. I was like, “How? How does someone even have the time?”

What's my excuse? So he had all these visuals with eyes. And there it was... Like “Actual” “EYES”.... Actualize. All he did was actualize the eyes. I was cracking up. In the beginning my name was Actual Eyes. I quickly realized I didn't want to make eye-based content. Then someone messed it up on a flier and put Actualize and it stuck. It looks way cooler and had my motivations all wrapped up in it. So it's also a reminder to myself to just do it. Just wake up and do it.

The Rust: “What’s your excuse?”

David: Yes, exactly. If G Jones can make all his own shit, touring, making music, and incredible visuals. “What's your excuse??

The Rust: Is that how you approach art? Just hit the ground running?

David: Yes. pretty much. Just do it, make art.

The Rust: You spoke earlier live sets. Do you do all your visual sets live?

David: Oh yeah, definitely.

The Rust: Like mixing the movements and textures? Interacting with them?

David: Yes, all live. A lot of it is literally being made on the spot. It's not like I prerender a whole lot of content. Like, I have content that I have either made, bought, or been given over the years. But what I do live is run it through all these custom effect stacks so it looks like something totally different. Then I can switch between the different effect stacks, layer them on top of each other. Speed it up, slow it down, change the colors. Put trails on it, make it vibrate, shake or whatever combination. So basically, I just like playing with it. Listening to the music and playing with the toys that I have and trying to match the speed and the vibe, the colors of the stage and everything.

The Rust: It's like you're reacting, even playing with the musician(s). 

David: Yes, exactly. It's amazing practice doing it live. It makes me a better VJ everyday.

The Rust: So I normally ask musicians this but how do you describe your art? To a layman, what’s your style?

David: Man, it's tough because there are not really well defined genres within visuals. Psychedelic, for sure. Effects-based, psychedelic, geometric, live experiential art, I guess. I like music and art experiences, so [my art is] where those two meet.

The Rust: What can we expect from you this summer?

David: Gotta keep an eye out to find out, but more than one line up should be dropping here in the next week or so. 

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Alongside some of the most high-profile visual artists in his field, David hopes to captivate audiences in the same way he was captivated back on the fields of upstate New York. The future is clearly set, and David's mission above all else is the successful progression of art, music, and this particular creative culture. For those of us that get to attend music festivals this summer, Actualize will be one to set your alarms for; a sight for your actual eyes. 

FOLLOW Actualize Visuals: Facebook / Instagram / Official

Charting New Territory with Nikki Nair and n goes to infinity

djmag · Recognise: Nikki Nair

In the context of electronic music, crossing the sonic Rubicon to unite formerly disparate genres and styles has become a mark of high composition. As our collective community rolls through various conflicting waves of artistic stagnancy and growth, the overall motifs that we’re drawn to in music progress in tandem, and that’s most reflected in the contemporary focus on dissolving the hard lines between the sounds that catch our ears. Sitting squarely within that paradigm is Nikki Nair, an Atlanta-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and audio engineer with a burgeoning appetite for weaving new threads between even the most incongruent of BPM’s. In an effort to concentrate his new personal discipline and exploration in production and composition, he’s launched n goes to infinity, a creative label with an expansive focus on music outside the comfortable lines of the traditional wheelhouse.

Nikki’s early years within the space of electronic music were dominated by a hardware-centric and DIY approach to electronic production, zeroed in on the lane of steady-beat techno and house music. In time, he’d be exposed to what is often considered the inverse world of broken-beat bass music. Finding clarity amidst the parallel influences of minimalist production elements and progressive, maximalist sound design is already its own hill to climb, but it comes with parallel challenges in the social sphere. No historical music scene is without its natural guardrails; umbrella genre’s dictate the overall feel of the music in question, and the subsequent sub-genres dictate the terms on which that feeling is met in context. Ostensibly, sub-genres tend to propagate tight-knit communities and scenes of like-minded revelers, and the old paradigm involved rarely, if ever, crossing those imaginary boundary lines. Once you found your people, and your sound, the next natural step was to sit tight and hold the flag atop your hill. While there’s no good moment to point to where the dissolution of that old paradigm began to reach a terminal velocity, Nikki’s experience coming into his late adolescence and adulthood within various iterations of musical communities gives him a perspective with a swivel. 

Cracking into Nikki’s background and motivations for both his own unique project and n goes to infinity unravels a rich tapestry of influence and a vibrant vantage point on how to best shape the abandonment of hard genre separation. As such, The Rust felt it pertinent to dive into his thoughts, musical processes, and perspectives on where we’ve come from and where we may be going.

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The Rust: So how did you find your way into electronic production in the first place? 

Nikki Nair: 2012 is around when I started actively participating. The scene I found were people who were really into Jeff Mills, Underground Resistance, and even the more “EBM” sort of goth/industrial stuff. Yea, I think when I started making proper dance music, I was also in this scene of people who were really into hardware, so it was a lot of doing shows with drum machines and synths. So I got really into finding cheap production and hardware gear to make “hardware techno” and similar stuff. That workflow carried over into what I’m doing now, where I still like having real outside-the-computer sound sources, or processing through analog channels, or recorded instruments. Now, I’ve just become a nerd about audio engineering, so it all feeds off of itself.

The Rust: How do you find your own marriage between the American bass music movement and its dance-floor oriented cousins?

n goes to infinity · Nikki Nair - 1overf

Nikki: It feels like the rave and club oriented scene (where you normally hear house, techno, and breaks) is almost completely separate from the bass music scene in the US. I'm sure there are a ton of reasons for this, but I'm also sure that there are many people from each scene that love music from the other and just don't get to play tracks from the other side.

I think on the bass-music side, part of this is because rave-oriented music is usually quite simple/functional and doesn't focus too much on sound design, and so wouldn't sound that engaging in the middle of a complex and intricate bass music set. Similarly, the half-time energy of a lot of bass music makes it tough to play in a situation where you are trying to maintain forward momentum on a dancefloor. I really want to be able to play music from both sides of and find ways to combine these scenes because I think there is some really exciting, uncharted musical territory in between.

The Rust: When did you first begin to envision n goes to infinity as a sort of bridge between those camps? How did it first come to mind?

Nikki:  It was kind of a moment of clarity. I'd certainly had the dream of having a label for a while, but did not want to start a label just to start one. I'd been playing bass music in my dance sets for a while, and also making tracks that sat in between. When I realized many of these in-between tracks I made couldn't get signed to either bass music labels or club labels, I realized I had to start the label. 

It was pretty recently, really in the last couple of years, that I noticed that the sort of scene I come from, the house/techno/dancefloor oriented stuff, we really missed a lot of the bass music developments. All I knew of it was that we would sometimes play our parties in the side rooms of those parties. We wouldn’t even go in; I remember G Jones was playing at one of those parties, and I thought it was some “dubstep guy” and wasn’t interested. We just did our thing outside instead, and now I love G Jones! I wish I had just taken the chance and stood in there!

I came from wanting to just make Acid Techno with just a Roland TB-303, like literally just a TB-303 and a tape machine and that was it. Now, I want to find a way to bridge the gap as much as possible. There’s amazing music coming from both angles, and I want my label to be a space where I and others can draw from both perspectives. When I release on techno labels, It’s much more difficult to squeeze a half-time drop in the middle of a track and have it go over well with those ears. Or some of the more ridiculous sound design in bass music, that’s not very popular in the more clubby, rave-oriented side of things, where there’s a focus on the simplistic, hardware-driven sounds. 

The Rust: What’s your perception on the evolution of genre spread and intersection of the people at the ground floor of these scenes? 

Nikki Nair · Startrack

Nikki: It seems like there’s a new generation of kids who didn’t grow up seeing such a distinct rift between scenes; they probably found this stuff on the internet and that was that. They don’t really acknowledge the separation, musically. Part of what kept these scenes separate involves ethos and intent. A lot of the parties I went to coming up were “political”, or maybe poticially charged, in that they were dominated by the queer and BIPOC communities. If you went to a dubstep party in the same area, the queer scene didn’t have that same kind of embrace or representation. 

But that’s changing fast, and now you have people like Wreckno, who are able to take that representation and foist it onto this huge platform, and merge whatever styles of music fit for the moment while reaching out to bigger and more diverse groups of people. 

It seems like everyone wants dance music to be for everyone, and I don’t think bass music is a place just filled with straight white dudes, that is just a perception. That was my perception. Now, I realize how many people from so many different backgrounds are involved in all this new musical exploration, and it makes me realize that there can be bigger safe spaces. Parties can be both big and safe at the same time.

The Rust: If the proliferation of dancefloor rhythms with a stark focus on sound design and engineering is the goal, how do you intend to use n goes to infinity as a platform?

 Nikki Nair: Right now, I'm simply releasing music that hopefully fits this bill. In the future, I'd like to find new things to do, but I'm playing everything by ear. It really feels like things are changing in electronic music right now, and my main intention is to find ways to facilitate that change and try to make it change for the better.

 I like to think I can’t predict it; I can only hope that something new comes out of it. I can only say what I’m doing concretely, and what I hope that brings. This year I’ll be focusing on my own releases through the label, with the goal of being able to lift up other, niche artists in the following year. I want it to be as fresh as can be, and supportive of everyone who falls outside the usual lines of the music that we’re all into.

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The attraction to formally taboo crossovers and combinations both in the mix and in the studio has become increasingly palatable in recent years, and it feels indicative of a sort of positive ouroboros of influence. Artists like Nikki Nair tap directly on the pulse of that movement, energizing it through the marriage of dueling creative perspectives. With the launch of n goes to infinity, he’s taking point at the head of a new congress of beatfreaks and speaker creatures across the parallel hemispheres of electronic music.

FOLLOW Nikki Nair: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Webpage

FOLLOW n goes to infinity: Webpage / Facebook

Getting Acquainted With The Thought Process Behind Thought Process

Nestled less than an hour east of the Rocky Mountains, the city of Denver has been playing a crucial role in the evolution and championing of both distinctly American and profoundly global bass music. In the heart of the city proper, The Black Box operates as the flagship events space for both the Sub.mission team and for the wider community of beat-freaks and creators. Performing at The Black Box has become a sort of rite of passage, giving creators the chance and the power to rinse out their best material and blends for an often jubilant crowd of appreciators and revelers. Soon to be joining the growing list of illustrious headliners is local Denverite Joe Rich, whose Thought Process alias has risen to the forefront of his sonic arena at breakneck pace. The sold out event features a hand-picked supporting cast including Easyjack, Base2, Aptic, and fellow all:Lo label head parkbreezy, alongside visual support from OZWLD, Spectrumone & Waveform.exp.

Thought Process · 2021 Mix

It is no small feat standing apart musically in a city like Denver, where there is a seemingly endless influx of prodigious talent and gumption. Consequently, Rich’s success is in large part due to the careful lines straddled by the Thought Process project; the distance between conventional hip-hop and broken-beat electronic music has always been relatively short, and yet Rich finds ingenious and pragmatic ways to explore and prop up newfound commonalities and juxtaposed compositional standards. The other major ingredient to his success is his sparing approach to his public catalog. His offerings of new studio productions come in the form of a yearly mix series, as well as an EP or two’s worth of material on an annual basis. This approach of holding your studio catalog close to the chest is not uncommon in the scene; it’s a masterful way of forcing the fans to come out to experience the sound the way it’s meant to be heard. For a creator like Rich, however, sound is just one half of the experience.

Accompanying Thought Process at The Black Box is his long-time friend, collaborator, and all-around visual wizard Andre Tamagachi, better known as OZWLD. The pair met when Joe purchased an OZWLD designed Pretty Lights New Years Eve poster in Las Vegas of 2015. Several years later, the two would again cross paths at a Tsuruda event where Joe was handing out tickets for an upcoming show of his. Andre got his hands on a ticket and after watching Joe’s set, the two linked up and cemented their vision over a beer. Fast forward to the present, and the two have created a fully-immersive sonic and visual environment that pushes the Thought Process project closer and closer to a narrative-driven experience.

As this upcoming show is a clear milestone in Rich’s career, The Rust thought felt it proper to sit down and pick the brain of the man himself on this show, his production methods, his expansive influences, and what the future holds for Thought Process.

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The Rust: You've played all over the country as Thought Process; how does it feel to be headlining for your first time in Denver at a place that has played such a large role in your development as an artist? 

Joe Rich: It's wild, man, honestly. I definitely didn't think it would happen so soon, and this is a show the team and I have been planning for over a year.The Black Box actually reached out to us last May about headlinging and I thought, “I don’t really know about this.” I kind of wanted to put it on the back burner. As it was happening the whole thing felt dreamlike. I’ve been working at the venue in some sort of capacity since it opened and learned a lot under the wing of my current agent Corey Pffaf. He’s been a mentor to me since the very beginning when I joined the Black Box street team. Working with him and Nicole Cacciavillano (owner of The Black Box) over the years and watching their vision come to life has been insane and one of my biggest sources of inspiration in my musical journey. To be able to bring it home, to curate the lineup and do it the way I’m doing it, it still doesn’t feel real. I feel like I’m just floating by and working on this “thing”, you know? I’ve been grinding and focusing on this one event for almost a year, and it’s kind of hard to imagine what the night is actually going to be like. It’s epic and I couldn’t be any more grateful for the opportunity; these people have been supporting me from before day one. It feels like a big full-circle moment and a momentous thing to do with this crew. 

The Rust: The lineup for this event feels like it’s going to gel extremely well; how did you decide who to add on the bill? 

Joe: Aptic and I had been internet friends for a while, but when I announced my Atlanta show last year he instantly reached out and was like “Yo, come stay and crash and we can hang out and connect in the city,” and I thought this was going to be perfect. He’s got banging music, he’s a super cool dude and when I asked him about playing my show he was super about it. Parker (parkbreezy) is the number-one-fucking homie. I definitely wanted to have one of the All:Lo cats on the bill, and I’m extremely stoked on the direction he’s taking his stuff and I wanted to showcase that. 

For Base2 and Easyjack, I was basically just shooting my shot. I didn’t think they would have been so instantly down. They’ve both been such huge inspirations for me for a while. Easyjack and I have played a few shows together but not as much with Base2; but I’ve admired his work for so long. I asked Base2 to do more of a journey set so it could bridge Parker’s immaculate vibes by having him come into more of a downtempo start and then shift into his uptempo stuff, and then take it home with Easyjack who always just brings a dance party. It’s something I’ve sat with for awhile where I really was trying to picture the flow of the entire night, while also making sure I’m surrounded by people that I am inspired by. 

The Rust: What kind of impact do your influences have on your musical output? Can you elaborate on how much or how little of an imprint they infuse?

Joe: That is a tough one; it’s kind of changing all the time. The musical output is something I definitely find myself struggling with. I see a lot of people around me constantly cranking out new music, especially in the last two or three years where you see more of the Bandcamp-subscription style coming about. People like Kursa, Lone Drum, Supertask, VCTRE, and Danny Groove all have Bandcamp subscriptions, and they’re all putting new music out that’s top tier so often that it’s almost intimidating. Then you have some of my other major influences like Pretty Lights where they just take their time while they master their craft. I’m trying to hit somewhere in the middle of that. A lot of my fanbase and my homies know that I rely on a lot of unreleased mixes to test ideas and see what people like or don’t like and what sticks out the most. In terms of actual musical output, I’m always working on new stuff, always writing and trying to stay motivated. I’m never really sitting in one pocket, and I don’t know how to put it out all the time. I definitely lean on more of the Detox Unit-style of putting out some mixes where I test out the “Recent Works” and seeing what people jive with, and then finishing those tunes. 

Thought Process · Collapse in Real Time

The Rust: Your last EP, Collapse in Real Time, showcased a beautiful marriage between high-fidelity sound design and Hip-hop while still maintaining your Thought Process foundations. How has your style and how you approach making music changed since the start of your project? 

Joe: I guess I take my influence from a lot of different places, a lot of different pockets of music, but the biggest would probably be hip-hop, as that’s always been home. It’s really sample-based music; that’s kind of what I’ve leaned on the most. I think for my more recent works, it’s less sample-based and more of me writing the melodies and working on the sound design on my own. I’m not separating myself from the sample stuff at all, but I think what people might see from me is much more original elements. I’m trying to learn to get across my ideas. A lot of the stuff I’m working on now is stuff that I’m going to premiere at The Black Box and a mix following shortly after that -wink wink - that’s kind of the next play. There’s going to be a lot of more originally melodic tunes, that aren’t as hardcore on the samples, that I’m writing from scratch. 

My approach is different in the sense that everything prior to half of the 2021 mix was written when I was still living with Parkbreezy and pheel. I shared a studio with Parker that was in the back of this kitchen area in the house we lived in for 4 years. Now I’ve moved and have my own personal studio and it’s much more private where I’ve had the chance to really dial in the space. I’m getting more connected to my art in that way, I’m not making beats with people around or in a shared space as much anymore, and that’s really elevated my ability to connect with what I’m making I think. 

The Rust: Your Thought Process catalog and your work with Groovsauce fits hand in glove; how do you approach each performance? Are there stark differences, or do they play off of one another?

Joe: There’s massive differences. With Groovsauce every single performance has to be so dialed in because there are so many live and improv elements to it. I do most of the set coordination, I plan the flow of it with Parker and Phil, adding more of the jam elements via the keys, sampling, scratching and things like that. Each Groovsauce set takes hours of work and practice where we all meet up and get to writing in the garage and seeing what we can play off of in Ableton. We also love to have special guests which is something that keeps those sets unique. We had Vide from the Lost Dogz music crew sit it for one of our shows on guitar. That was super different and out of left field for him since he’s used to throwing down mostly banger sets. Not many people know that he plays the guitar that well. At Cheesman Park, we got Brother Nature who freestyles and plays trumpet on top of it.

My Thought Process sets on the other hand, I’ve been doing only all original sets for the last year or so. I’ll try to write a piece or do something visually related to the space I’m in. When OZWLD and I are playing together he and I will go and get shots of the city we’re playing in that morning and he’ll use them for the opening shots and I’ll play music where I might use samples from artists from that city. 

The Rust: The contemporary trip-hop focus of your all:Lo label is clear as day; what drew you so solidly into your lane? 

Joe: all:Lo originated mostly as Phil and Parker’s brain child. I got the blessing to be a part of it and help them run it directionally throughout living with them. The beginning of the story involves them doing the Morning Coffee mixes which are so unique and something entirely of their own where they created their own style and they wanted to extend into that space of low-frequency, low-fidelity, which is kind of what all:Lo is at the end of the day. The direction I provide is all rooted based on where they started and where they see the project going, so definitely a big kudos to them. I don’t even think they realize how conscious their vision is and how easily it bleeds into the rest of us who are helping. It started with them but now it’s expanding, TF Marz is involved, Scarien is involved, and we all work with each other, but I don’t think they understand how that original all:lo vision is rooted in sounds and styles they’ve been pushing for years. 

The Rust: What are some of your favorite events you've attended/performed at and what made them so special to you? Is there any aspect of those shows you want to emulate at your show? 

Joe: My number one favorite event I’ve ever performed at was at Resonance Music Festival on The Rust’s stage this past summer. My favorite music event I’ve ever attended as a fan is probably gonna be Pretty Lights at The Gorge and the run into Red Rocks right after back in 2017. I think I enjoyed performing at Resonance so much because The Rust organized the stage and they were the first people to ever release a song of mine. Malakai is one of my best friends in this world who has always believed in me and trusted in me, and has helped support me for so many years. Seeing that whole crew grow to the point where they can organize an entire festival stage for three days straight and to be a part of that with my set where I played with Zone Drums for the first and only time was absolutely monumentally special to me. 

The Rust Music · MALAKAI x Thought Process - Iota

Pretty Lights has always been my biggest inspiration and seeing him do what he did to push those events and his new live band in such a different space is what inspires me and reflects the direction I want to take my project in the future. Growing and collaborating with other musicians who inspire you, working with new people who inspire you and looping it all together is something I want to do more of. Playing events with Zone Drums, playing with Groovsauce, playing events hosted by friends, playing festival stages with people I’m close with, that’s what motivates me. A quote that I heard recently from one of my friends was “all ships rise with the rising tide”, and that’s something I'm trying to emulate, it’s all for the whole. The more people you work with, the more music you can make; the more friends you make, the more events you can play. Everyone is homies and everyone brings everyone up. 

The Rust: Where do you see the Thought Process project going from here? What do you want to see come true for yourself? 

Joe: Honestly, [I want to see] if I can keep doing what we’re doing with this Black Box show on a bigger scale and more often - if I can keep putting together lineups and bringing crews of people together, keep bringing the community that is forming around this music higher and higher. To have bigger and better gatherings with people who are just down for the cause and about it. That’s all I can really hope for. It’s wanting to create a comfortable and safe space for people to talk and listen and open up to each other. If I can keep doing that, that’s really all I could ask for. 

The Rust: Is there anything else about you or the Thought Process project the people should know about? 

Joe: Other than just a massive thank you, that’s pretty much it. I can’t even believe I’m in this position right now. It’s homies like you, having these kind of conversations, believing in it and putting me on and to everyone out there listening, supporting my music and coming out to my shows at cities I’ve never been to and meeting so many new people, I just can’t express my gratitude and my appreciation enough, just thanks. Let’s fucking keep rocking this shit.

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With a future clearly defined by sheer determination and communal success, Joe Rich is well on the way to cementing his own enduring legacy within our shared musical community. For those lucky enough to be attending the festivities at the Black Box this weekend, there’s no doubt it will be a sonically and visually elucidating experience, and for those sticking it out at home instead, keep your ears peeled for an upcoming serving of Thought Process’ latest laboratory experiments, and your eyes peeled on this stalwart artist’s expansive horizons.

FOLLOW Thought Process: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

not yes and Their Aversion to Formality and Formula

not yes · MIXES

Amongst the incoming generation of artists having finally found their bite, not yes exemplifies the modern paradigm of electronic production; there are no hard boundaries, no clearly defined destinations, and unbridled compositional freedom. There’s a refreshing whim to their choice of direction, seemingly letting the music take the wheel before the tracks are fully fleshed out. The result is a fast-growing, dynamic catalog that takes us through virtually every space in low-end territory.

With over 8 years of collaborative production and songwriting exploits between them, there’s a certain level of incubation to this Dutch duo. Their immersion within Amsterdam’s musical landscape adds a savory camaraderie to their determined project, solidifying their status as both a maverick offering and a team player in their immediate scene.

“Bass music specifically isn’t as big as it is in a city like Bristol or Denver for example. It however still is one of the capitals of electronic music production and you can feel that. There’s constantly stuff happening in all genres, and if you throw a mean bass party you’ll sell all your tickets easily. We do want to stir this up further, proudly wearing the Amsterdam label and seeing how much more people we can connect with in the scene here.”

Their advantage is both the marriage of their ideas and their willingness to push their own creative limits through performance programming technology. With Ableton as their central hub, they dive straight into the generative and manipulative power of midi controllers and Ableton’s famed Session View. With a surprising lack of in-depth formal musical education, the pair explore the contemporary sandbox of digital production with open minds and intuitive direction, with a clear and concise payoff ala their discography.

The Rust Music · not yes - nod heads

“We’re die hard Ableton nerds. Always on a mission to make our workflow faster. Basically every click we have to make to get our idea in the DAW is one we try to avoid. The less we’re looking at our screen, the more we can focus on the idea. We’re actually moving away from a lot of plug-ins, mostly sticking to the stock Ableton stuff. We feel this is easier to use and actually gets most of the things we want done. It also makes collaboration easier. But of course there’s some essentials like Pro Q, Pro L, and Omnisphere.”

With the unveiling of their nod heads EP buffing up their already expansive back catalog, the American public is now steadily receiving a IV drip of the not yes formula, exposing them to inarguably choice blends of breakbeat, neuro-hop, halftime, and various takes on thematic system music. It’s a rambunctious and virile journey across the many shades of bass music, and a clear-cut demonstration of the continuing global appeal of high fidelity low-end rhythms.

With a visible wind in their sails, not yes is on a mad dash through whatever fledgling genre takes their interest, paying no heed to compositional guardrails or stoic conventions. It’s already producing a demonstrable payoff, and, so long as the duo remains committed to their aversion to formality and formula, that’s likely to continue into the indefinite future.

FOLLOW not yes: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

A Brief Conversation With NYC's Blockhead

Across the span of the last three decades, Trip-Hop has gone from being the niche, extant musical trials of underground and bedroom producers to dominating a demonstrable slice of the global listening bandwidth. In its myriad forms, flavors, and spinoffs, it is a genre that inhabits the space of stages large and small, popular radio stations and burgeoning YouTube channels, Spotify-sponsored playlists and nebulous, often anonymous mixtapes on SoundCloud, and every crevice in-between. The list of artists that carry the Trip-Hop mantle ever forward grows on a near daily basis, but a few particular characters have been solidified as mainstay, immovable elements of that landscape; Blockhead is, by most measures, one of the most accessed, successful, and consistent names in the genre, placing him squarely in the center of Trip-hop's past, present, and future.

With over a dozen albums and a veritable starting point of 2001, Tony Simon's Blockhead project is both the personal effects of one man's musical journey and a chronicling of Trip-hop's timeless impact. It would be a disservice to say that his discography is indicative of the genre's evolution, as his sonic palette and compositional direction are distinctly unique; it's not enough to just bang out a traditional sample collage and call it a day, as that would simply be a pale imitation of the real goal. It's not enough to fold a few choice melodies together over top of a looped, broken beat.

Space Werewolves Will Be The End Of Us All, the latest Blockhead LP, showcases just how particular his compositional gait can be. Where other collections of beats music often feel like just that - a collection, each arrangement on the album in question begets prudent songwriting and production chops that create the narrative arc that Blockhead albums are so known for. It's an intentional web of highs and lows, of melancholy and jubilee, and an abundance rhythmic swagger. As soon as the record begins to spin, you're trapped in a meandering sunshower of themes, bridging the gaps between hip-hop, jazz, blues, and soul music.

In order to get a better fundamental understanding of the Blockhead creative ethos and the process behind Space Werewolves, the Rust took advantage of a generous opportunity to pose some poignant questions to Tony Simon, getting us a few steps closer to the root of his musicality.

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The Rust: What was your first moment of inspiration for Space Werewolves Will Be The End Of Us? Was it a desire to craft another LP, or a smaller, snowballed moment?

Tony Simon: With new albums I kinda reach a point where I'm like "Whelp, it feels like i should probably make a new album" which is a real undertaking that i have to really prepare my mind for it. In this case, I had been locked down during the quarantine and honestly, very bored, so I figured, fuck it, let's ge to work. and, for me, once the ball starts rolling, I'm hyper productive and mildly obsessive so I tend to get shit done in a timely manner.

The Rust: Your long form releases have typically included a variety of flavors and staples; do you consciously set out to cover that much territory, or do you suddenly find yourself there?

Tony: It's definitely not something I do consciously. I've always been drawn to trying to find off kilter sounds and things other people might not immediately see the value in, sample wise. But the variety is really just a testament to me sampling from a huge spectrum of music and blending those genres together with very little regard for their original settings.

The Rust: What kind of mindset do you pull from when you begin to envision your musical process? Is it something you deliberately tap into, or an unconscious reaction?

Tony: I'm all instinct. i've never sat down to make a beat thinking "I wanna make this type of beat right now". I'm guided by the samples. It just so happens , I'm drawn to melodic and often melancholy sounds. I'm not a big over thinker and generally just reacting when I make music. Kinda of impulsively just pushing through ideas that pop in my head and either executing them or abandoning them very quickly.

The Rust: Let's talk sampling: with so many years under your belt, how do you keep your productions fresh? How do you keep your sample palette fresh?

Tony: I always worry about sounding samey cause my formula is very specific. and it's been that way for a while now. But i'm also, as far as i know, the only guy who makes songs like i do using mostly samples so i feel less guilty about sometimes feeling formulaic. As far as the samples go, I'm just always looking for something that jumps out and I think my ear has evolved with time. Certain things i woulda sampled years ago, i'd pass over cause i feel like I've been there and done that. Sometimes i go through old folders of samples i never used and find great stuff i just overlooked the first time. The ear is always shifting with the years.

The Rust: How do you strike a balance between the polish of production with the rawness of instrumentation? How do you zero in on "the pocket" as you compose each track?

Tony: It goes back to instinct and trusting your ear. I can't even explain it but i know what i want it to sound like and i know what i don't want it to sound like. It's nuanced. I'm also not always in the pocket. Sometimes i struggle making anything work and others the sounds just seamlessly pile on top of each other without even trying. I've found that if i keep pushing forward, something usually happens.

The Rust: What was the creation process for this LP like? How did you fare during your time in locked-down NYC?

Tony: It was just me putting my head down, taking a deep breath and going in. My process for making albums the last few has been the same. I don't start from scratch. I make a ton of beats , pick out about 25-30 of those then see what beats can work with others. I'll match 2 or 3 at a time and meld them all together into a song. The concepts for songs kinda come after the initial framing of the song. And i just fine tune it from there.as for the lock down, I could lie and say it was awful but,truth be told, I was built for that shit. I'mma social guy but I'm also very comfortable being alone and a homebody so it wasn't that different that being home from tour.

The Rust: What's next on your list of projects? Any downtime, or is it right back to the studio?

Tony: I have a secret project with a special rapper that will be dropping in november I have finished collabo album with my dude Eliot Lipp under the name "Lipphead" that will be out next year. As well as a three song EP of stuff that didn't make this album that I'mma drop before the end of the year. But really, touring is starting again so that's gonna be taking up the glut of my time for the upcoming months.

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FOLLOW Blockhead: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Seppa - Interview + Boosted [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

The Rust Music · Seppa - Boosted [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

Amongst the growing list of boundary-breaking and charismatic producers, Sandy Finlayson’s Seppa project has remained a tenured and potent force at the very helm of the international bass music movement. His audacious studio productions and iron-clad impact on stage are the unassailable result of years of dedicated experimentation, and the last year huddled up at home may have been his most fortuitous yet. Returning to the active listening rotation amidst an explosive revival of live music across much of the world, The Rust is proud to host the premiere of “Boosted”, the first single of the upcoming dual release package Boosted/Forked.

“Boosted” takes a departure from the oft-trodden territories of half-time and neuro-hop, and instead wields a mutated garage rhythm interspersed with generously distorted downbeats. It’s the kind of high intensity, low-riding roller that goes straight for the neck, eschewing downtime or respite in favor of sheer force. Reflecting the duality of the full release, “Boosted” is the slow-churning companion to the upcoming track “Forked”, with both reflecting the new bevy of upcoming material that Seppa is slated to release throughout the rest of 2021. It’s all within his carefully established wheelhouse while simultaneously displaying the developments and affects of his own personal year in the locked-down UK.

As a companion piece to the “Boosted” premiere, we felt compelled to have a succinct dialogue with Seppa about his experience across the pandemic, his developments as an artist and a label head, and his own self perception in the face of his hard-earned success.

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The Rust: As of now, the world is spinning closer to its usual beat; Where’s your head at right this moment?

Sandy Finlayson: It’s in a pretty good place honestly! I guess you could say I’ve become very acclimated to limbo in the last 18 months. It’s definitely nice to have things like gigs on the horizon, but we’re still not back to business as usual here in the UK. It might happen soon, but it’s draining to get too invested at this point. If good things happen, then great, if not, then more studio time! It’s certainly been good to have some time to get into some healthy habits and do some uncomfortable but necessary staring into the void. It’s easy to build an identity solely around what you do, which is ultimately kind of unhealthy. Having that taken away has been a lesson in reframing who I am and what makes me me. I suppose everyone needs a reality check sometimes, whether they want it or not!

The Rust: Are you chomping at the bit for a return to the limelight, or are you content laying low as the rest of 2021 progresses?

Sandy: I wouldn't say I've ever really been into the limelight. I've always felt like I want my music to be successful and well known, but I don't really want to be a famous individual. That's pretty at odds with the accepted way things work these days but fuck it, I'm the only one that has to live with all my choices. Having said that, I do absolutely love playing music to people and sharing that really magical experience en masse. Touring and meeting so many great people, bringing everyone together through sound, is one of life's great pleasures and I'm definitely keen to get back to it! I'm not gonna rush it though, there's some stuff in the pipeline but I can't talk about it yet! 

The Rust: Speaking of the limelight, you’re surely at the top of many lists as tour routes and events begin to propagate the map again; are there any cities or events in particular that you’re eager to return to?

Sandy: Oh man it's really hard to pick honestly, as I've played to great crowds all over! In terms of places that always go off - Denver, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta all spring to mind, but that’s by no means an exhaustive list. The Black Box is always a favorite venue to play, that's been the weirdest one to be away from for so long! Plenty of great festivals too, with Infrasound and The Untz being two of my favorites so far. If the sound is good and the vibe is good, it's gonna be a good time. I’m sure there’s so many awesome places I haven’t experienced yet!

The Rust: We’re well into a year after the initial global lockdowns; can you talk about the impact that has had on you and your artistry, and on your label?

Sandy: It's been a weird one for sure! As a collective we mostly just took a bit of a pause in some respects last year, with fewer releases on the label, though people were still working away on music behind the scenes. Personally, I put out Split the day after the lockdown hit here, and then just disintegrated a bit. I think it was partly burnout from the previous couple of years, and partly the fact that the ideal delivery method for my music had been banned for an unknown amount of time. Either way there was a heavy air of "fuck it" going on for a while there. In hindsight though, it was a really needed bit of space and time to reassess what I was doing and the music I've made off the back of it has felt really fresh to me. These next couple of tracks (Boosted and Forked) are really just the first bits of material I've got lined up for release in the near future.

Seppa · Singles+Remixes+Previews

The Rust: Your inception as Seppa involved a production knowledge base that had already been honed in through your years under the Duskky moniker; do you feel like your creative process has matured alongside the Seppa brand in the years since then?

Sandy: Oh yeah, massively. In a lot of respects, where I started with Seppa is where I really started to take things to a whole new level. Creatively, my horizons have expanded; technically, it's night and day. But I think that's not specifically because of changing my name, it's just a thing that happens naturally over time if you're really committed to mastering a craft. You get out what you put in. In some respects it was nice to have a "fresh" start as I feel like the quality of the Seppa stuff has been high from the beginning, which I can't say so much for the Duskky stuff. I started releasing as Duskky within a couple of years of starting to produce, so there was a lot of learning the fundamentals going on and it was never gonna be polished from day one. I've definitely gravitated towards increasingly dancefloor-focused material, at least with my solo stuff, which is really just down to the fact that destroying the dance is a pretty unmatched feeling. The air gets totally charged with happy energy, I love it.

The Rust: What sort of stumbling blocks do you still find yourself experiencing during your creative process? Have they changed as you’ve grown as an artist?

Sandy: There's always barriers to overcome, I don't think that ever changes. To start with they might be more on the technical side - how to get a track to sound competitive, how to make full use of a sound system, that kind of thing. As time goes by it becomes a bit more conceptual - how to keep introducing new ideas, how to break out of patterns you have established in the way you work. Really being creative professionally is a running battle with your own psyche. “How can I get the most out of my brain on a given day, how can I navigate the somewhat dubious feedback it gives me at times?” I guess, for me, the main thing is to try and keep finding excitement in what I do. That might mean switching directions and doing something really different for a while, or absorbing ideas from music outside of my normal spectrum. I see a lot of producers get jaded because they box themselves in to doing the same thing over and over again. Perhaps it's the sound they got most well known for, or they're stuck deploying the same methods over and over again and (unsurprisingly) getting the same results. If you're not enjoying what you make, why do it at all. Better to just switch up and go down some weird rabbit hole, even if nobody else gets it. People can feel the passion you have through the music.

The Rust: We last spoke on the record 3 years ago, in May of 2018, when Slug Wife had really begun to sink it’s maw into the American landscape. What’s your perception of your label’s experience in the time since then?

Sandy: Wow it's crazy how quickly that time went by. It's been a pretty wild ride! I personally wasn't able to get out to the USA until about March 2019, so at the time we spoke I really had no idea what was coming up. It's been really positive for us as a crew, the American crowd is our home crowd in a lot of ways with so many serious fans. It's blown my mind how far people will travel to come see us play, and how ready they are to get stuck on the dancefloor, whatever we throw their way. In a lot of respects it hasn't changed the label's approach all too much, as we're still focusing on a fairly select group of artists and releasing things we really enjoy. There's a temptation to get caught up in the music industry machine and just push out whatever the flavor of the month is, but we never envisioned the label like that and (for better or worse) are always gonna trust our own taste when it comes to what gets released!

The Rust: Has there been a significant change in the way you process incoming label submissions, given the explosive interest your label has experienced?

Sandy: Yeah I suppose we've had more people sending music our way. I definitely get people hitting me up directly with demos. I'm always happy to listen and appreciate it massively when people share their work (I know it can be a really nerve-racking experience). We have very, very specific requirements of what we want to release though, so I would say the overwhelming majority of stuff doesn't really fit for us. We'd rather put out a smaller number of high quality releases which are 100% our jam, than just pack out the release schedule. There's a numbers game that gets played by a lot of labels - social media platforms expect you to post constantly, therefore there must be new things to post about constantly, so the calendar gets filled with whatever and there's a new release every 2 weeks. That probably is a good way to get high follower counts and good interaction etc. but essentially it's more about being a brand/influencer/whatever than it is about music. We'd rather just focus on music and not get caught up in the popularity contest.

The Rust: Can you talk about the perception of your label at home in the UK? What’s the landscape like for our mutual flavor of broken-beat bass music these days?

Sandy: I guess it's a little hard to say as there's been very few events for the last 18 months. There's much less of a scene here for our music than in the USA, but the people that are into it are great. It's just a way more underground thing I guess! But then most electronic music is really, there's less money going around, but perhaps a bit more creative freedom and a seriously hedonistic attitude towards partying which creates some very excitable dancefloors. There's a lot of genuinely great vibes flying around in the rave scene - it's been funny to see videos of pretty run-of-the-mill free parties getting shared by American producers saying "woah these people are really going for it!" - that's mostly what parties are like here. People wanna cut loose, they don't care if they look like someone just dragged them out of a canal, they don’t care about being judged for how they dance or whatever. The music often reflects that by being really high intensity, faster and generally as rowdy as possible. There has been, even before the pandemic, a bit of a death of the multi-genre parties that I grew up on, but fortunately there's people like Ash/Scheme Boy from Varispeed trying to turn that around with his Varispeed Socials event that's putting all our favorite flavors under one roof.

The Rust: Having found yourself in headlining positions across the US for a few solid years now, you’ve had a heavy hand in influencing the current generation of grassroots producers; what’s your perception of your influence? Is it something that you pay any mind towards?

Sandy: Yeah it's always worth being aware of that. I'd like to be someone that inspires and encourages people, rather than gatekeeps. I do a lot of mastering, mixing and teaching, so I've been lucky enough to get connected to a lot of up and coming producers through that, and I've gotta say there's a lot of great people out there making awesome music with a solid attitude. Hopefully I can inspire people to just make the music they want to make, and not feel like they have to sign their lives away to be successful. Mainly it's just nice to talk to people who are as excited about music as I am!

The Rust: What are your plans for the Seppa project as we round out the rest of the year?

Sandy: So Boosted and Forked are coming out on Friday, July 16th (just in time for my birthday on the 17th) and represent the first solo stuff I've released in a while! These two are the result of some really fun experimentation, and probably represent the more...mellow end of what I've got to follow. There will be more music coming out steadily through the rest of the year. It’s all gonna be self released through my own Bandcamp. Social media reach is unreliable at best, so if you wanna make sure you always hear about my new releases head to seppa.bandcamp.com and hit follow for email updates. Touring is on the way too, but you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for info on that! If you’re interested in booking me hit up nicole@subdotmission.com and she’ll sort out the details.

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With all eyes set on the road ahead, it’s only a matter of time before Seppa’s name starts to populate the top line of concerts and festivals across the US and beyond. This year of imposed downtime has given many creatives a previously unimaginable amount of time to fortify their crafts, and the premier Slug has boded his time wisely. As the rest of 2021 makes landfall, a new collection of Seppa tracks will meet the light of day, and we’ll all continue our ongoing dive into the fierce musical machinations of Sandy Finlayson.

FOLLOW Seppa: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Riffing on Influences, Songwriting, and Fresh Duff with Duffrey

Woody Klann, better known by his moniker Duffrey, has become an unassailable pole-bearer for North America’s grassroots electronic music movement. At home, it feels like he’s in every state, every weekend. In recent years, he’s become a known entity across international festivals and massives. For those of us fortunate enough to live in and around Denver, he always seems to be right around the corner.

The Rust Music · Duffrey - Return to Source

With a continent-spanning interest in his music undergoing a meteoric rise seemingly overnight, he’s answered in kind by beating feet across the US touring circuit, splaying out a catalog full of novel, whimsical blends that avoids taking itself too seriously. That’s part and parcel of Duffrey’s appeal; his presentation is devoid of frills and oversaturated narratives, and instead relies on true groove theory and a friendly dash of musical sarcasm to power his discography.

In celebration of our unveiling of his Return to Source EP, The Rust was given the opportunity to poke around Woody’s skull and clear the some of the fog around his passions, his creative process, the background history of the Duffrey project, and some of the lore to the infamous UltaSloth producer trio.

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Alyssa Barnhill: Where do you come from?

Woody Klann: I was born in Long Beach, CA. When I was about 3 months old I moved to Fairfield, CT and lived there till I was about 14. Went to high school in Olympia, WA, and then moved to the [San Francisco] Bay for a sound-arts college called Ex’pression. It's in Emeryville, in between Berkeley and Oakland. A bunch of [contemporary artists] went there, people like Wolfgang Gartner and a ton of others.

Alyssa: Did you go to Ex’pression right out of high school?

Woody: Right out of high school, yeah. I graduated when I was 20, and then I lived in the Bay from then until 2017. I moved to Oakland after college and did a lot of shit with the Wormhole crew. Then I moved to Australia for a year.

Alyssa: How old were you when you did that?

Woody: 2017, it's 2021 soooo 25?”

Alyssa: Do you mind if I ask you how old you are now?

Woody: 29, I just turned 29. 

Alyssa: Did you play music as a kid?

Woody: Yeah, I started playing drums when I was 9. Then I was in like all the bands through high school. Jazz band, concert band, marching band, and pit orchestra.

Alyssa: All on drums?

Woody: All playing the drums. Then I was the drum section leader, and lead drummer for like that whole time.  I was the drum section leader for marching band for the last two years of high school. Wrote all the cadences.

Alyssa: Did your school compete?

Woody: We had one of the better bands in the state of Washington in terms of our school band. We did competitions for Jazz bands but we didn't do any for marching band stuff. It was a pretty low-key kind of thing. My school was a football school and we didn't have any budget for band really. It was all going to football.

Alyssa: Did you enjoy the experience?

Woody: Oh yeah! There were days I would do like 4-5 hours of music a day. Wake up and practice, go to jazz band, then go to band. Go to pit orchestra after school and go to marching band after that. Like five hours of drums a day.

Alyssa: So music all day? Did that experience influence the kind of music you like to make now?

Woody: Oh Fuck yeah. Oh fuck yeah, bud.

Alyssa: Is Expression the only musical schooling you have?

Woody: Um, it wasn't really a music school per-say. It was a digital arts college and it was more technical stuff so it was things like recording, post production, some sound classes. There was a music production class but it … actually Vinja was one of my professors, for like a couple labs. Other than that it wasn’t a music school. I did music the whole time I was there and I started Dj-ing and producing while I was there.

Alyssa: How long were you there?

Woody: It was an accelerated program so we essentially didn't have any breaks. So I got a bachelor's degree in two and a half years. Basically you just don't have summer breaks. The winter breaks are like a week and you just continuously go to 8 week courses. I essentially did four years of school in two and a half.

Alyssa: That's a pretty heavy commitment.

Woody: Yeah it was tight. It was actually much better than doing normal school because you don't forget anything.

Alyssa: So what's the story behind the name?

Woody: It’s from a ski-snowboard collab video by Simon Chamberlain and Tanner Hall, and they have this special feature on it where they are outside Mt. Hood and they come down to the bottom. They meet this dude in the parking lot. He’s in his RV and like almost senile.

Duffrey performing at the Swamp Sessions concert series in New Orleans, courtesy of Synchronasty and Cosmic Synergy.

He goes, “ I'm the Duff pirate, I don’t need that fresh fluffy duff, that’s for the youngsters. The only thing I do with the fresh fluffy duff is I skuff it up on the youngsters hoods. I don’t even buy a lift ticket, I just hike up the other side and scrape down the crud. I'm just shoveling that fresh fluffy duff.” 

The fresh  fluffy duff is fresh, nice powder. My buddy Jeff showed me the video and I was like. “Man I got to go by the Duff Pirate.” 

He said, “You can't just steal this guy's name.” 

He said either Duffrey or Duffrent. And I thought Duffrent was kinda tacky but let's go with Duffrey. That was when I was like 16.”

Alyssa: So, do you ski? Snowboard?

Woody: I snowboard, I skate a little bit still, not so much anymore. Because I'm afraid of hurting myself. I'm not as limber. Get heavier, you fall harder, it hurts more.

Alyssa: Does having a history with extreme sports equate to the way you approach music?

Woody: I would say so yeah. Take CharlestheFirst for instance. He was a professional skier before he made beats. I have always been attracted to solo sports, fringe sports like skateboarding or snowboarding or bowling. Stuff where you are kind of competing against yourself, developing a style over time. So yeah, those sports heavily influenced my aptitude for music because when you’re trying to master a trick, you have to do the same thing fucking over and over again. It hurts and it sucks, then eventually you do it. then you eventually make it stylish. So like listening to the same shitty tune over and over again and knowing that it sucks, but not knowing how to make it better. It's about pushing through and eventually developing your own style based on your mistakes. Which is just like skating or snowboarding, definitely a pretty big crossover.

Alyssa: What else do you do outside of music?

Woody: I bowl a lot, rock climb a lot with Bogtrotter, disc golf. I like to hang out with my friends. I have got some really good friends. Snowboarding, skateboarding, but bowling and disc golf for sure. Top of the list.

Alyssa: Did you see a lot of music growing up? Was it something you knew you wanted from an early age?

Woody: Oh yeah! There is actually a home video of me when I was like 9 years old. My parents asked me, “What are you going to do when you grow up?”

I was like “I want to be on stage, I want to be famous.” So I always kind of knew, but my dad took me to my first show. It was Derek Trucks Band, when I was 11. He would take me to all sorts of shows. He took me to Linkin Park and Snoop Dogg. All types of shit. My dad is such a badass.

Alyssa: Was he a source of inspiration for you?

Woody: Oh yeah. My whole family is super musical. My mom is a singer, all my sisters play piano. One of my sisters plays the double bass. One of my sisters plays the guitar and fiddle. They are all really good singers. My dad is actually the only one who doesn’t play instruments..

Alyssa: But he likes it?

Woody: He loves it, yeah. He took me to see all the music but there was always music around. LIke always. No matter what. Every second of every day.

Alyssa: Does your family, minus your dad, make music professionally?

Woody: No, just me. My grandfather was a really sick jazz musician too. He didn't do it professionally. He was a superior court justice.

Alyssa: What have you been listening to lately? 

Woody: I have been listening to very little bass music, especially over the pandemic. It just kind of felt like it was putting salt in the wound. I also feel like a lot of stuff is getting so overly produced, heavy, and dark. Like RAAAWAA technical sounds.

So I have been listening to things like Mariah Carey, Moonchild, a lot of R&B stuff like that. I have been finding a bunch of old Brazilian jazz like Stan Getz. Also been listening to a lot of Halogenix. I really like drum and bass. I don't really listen to bass music. Listening to some Kyle Watson, Dirty Bird stuff. If I'm trying to party I listen to drum and bass or house. If I'm at home, I listen to old funk records.”

Alyssa: What is your process when creating?

Woody: So, having really strong roots in drums…. I would say most people start with the drums, so they have something other than a metronome to keep them going. I pretty much never do that. I'll either start by just doing sound design, making bass patches, LFO’s, something that changes the cadence. Sometimes a rhythm pops out of a bass patch at you. If I start with drums I end up with some fully produced drum pattern, write something over it, and then I have to go back and change the drums a lot. Sometimes I just end up backing myself into a corner. Now I have drums but nothing else.

I'll either start with chords or chord progressions. I do that a lot. I'll just sit down and flip the switch in my studio, everything comes on. And my synthesizer, the Dave Smith one, flashes on. It's a poly-analog one so you can play chords on it right away. I usually keep it on a preset that sounds pleasant. Sometimes I'll just start playing the piano, a chord progression will pop out at me. After that it's all sizzle and sparkle.

Alyssa: We are all curious about UltraSloth. How did that project come about?

Duffrey and bioLuMigen performing under their UltraSloth moniker.

Woody: Chris [bioLuMigen] and I met, I think in 2015, maybe 2014, I can’t remember, on the way to Stilldream fest. My friend Hannah said to me “I have a friend that needs a ride, if you're going.” I was like yeah sure. Within 15 minutes of meeting him we were talking about how nothing is divine but everything is divine. I was like, “Man, I like this guy”. He ended up crashing on my couch for like months at a time. Not like months at a time but for like a month at a time, like a lot of times in a row. We would just sit around and write tunes. All the time. They didn't sound anything like they sound now. Dubbed out. Real slow, like 100 BPM, glitchy-funky kinda tracks. 

We were at this festival called Springfair, in Washington. We were doing this like weird word association. This was a point in my life where I was saying, “Oh that's my new side project” to pretty much anything that was funny. I think he was the one who said “UltraSloth”

I was like, “That’s our new side project.” We both locked eyes and said, “THAT’S our new side project.” we just cheesed out on that for a long time.

Alyssa: So would you say 2015 was the beginning?

Woody: Yeah, yeah. We played some UltraSloth shows for the New Year season in New Zealand. The first show we played was in New Zealand. The second show we played was in Australia.”

Alyssa: Because you were living there?

Woody: No, just our first tour. We had friends that trusted us for some reason. When we came back, Kris [kLL sMTH] sat in with us for a couple shows. Scratching with us. We were at his house, some after party. I was like, “Kris, is this a real thing? Are you fully committed? Are you full sloth?”

He was like, “Fuck yeah dude.” So essentially, I caught him and convinced him to join the band. It's ancient history from there.

Alyssa: I know you have a sloth tattoo.

Woody: I do have an UltraSloth tattoo. They didn’t fucking get it. They were supposed to but they both bailed on the appointment.

Alyssa: What's your favorite part about that project?

Woody: Well, we create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. None of us alone could make UltraSloth. We all have the technical prowess, we all have the ability. No one is better than anyone else between the three of us. We are better at different shit but those tunes have a certain quality that no one could achieve by themselves.

Alyssa: You like to play unique shows at unique venues. Is that something fans can look forward to?

Woody: We have got some sick shit coming for you.  If all goes well, we’ll be testing it out at a festival that I won't mention yet, this summer. But next summer get ready for some fun shit.

Alyssa: Unique?

Woody: Yeah, nobody has done this before.

Alyssa: Fun Fact for the fans.

Woody: All three of my legal names have to do with trees. You don't get to know them. Hear that, Of the Trees? I am of the trees.

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With his upcoming appearances through Bass Invasion’s takeover at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and The Rust x Aspire Higher’s Submersion event set to drive crowds into a nostalgic and frenetic dancefloor frenzy, and with the NYC Sub.Mission show with kLL sMTH this next weekend, it certainly feels like the action is resurging at a rapid pace. Regardless of where and when you catch him next, there’s zero doubt about Duffrey’s inclination to deliver on his name-brand sultry sets, and every indication he’s prepped with enough fresh, fluffy duff to coat the remainder of this year’s appearances.

FOLLOW Duffrey: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Webpage / Facebook

FOLLOW UltraSloth: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Iszlai: Interview + Featherbed A/V Re-Stream

The Hungarian-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Iszlai has been carving out a space for himself amongst the nebulous field of sample-collage music. His unassailable grasp for arrangement and musical narratives is what tethers his music to sound of pure intrigue, and each iteration of his work has a tendency to overflow with a bounty of note relationships and variable rhythms. It’s a deadly combination, and one that consistently delivers in it’s unique, stutter-stepped fashion.

While geography separates Iszlai from the U.S. circuit by a little over 5000 miles, the advent of 2020’s performance streaming frenzy brought about the perfect opportunity to connect with fans new and old beyond just his studio releases. The Rust’s Featherbed Vol. XIII stream featured a full-spectrum Iszlai performance paired with Euphoric Aspects manning the visual production. It’s one thing to listen to Islzai’s catalog on record, exploring each track with as much or as little attention as one sees fit; it is another thing entirely to submerse the senses in a meticulously crafted Iszlai mix, bringing his discography to life through novel blends and precision cuts. It transforms the amalgam of songs into something far more cinematic, echoing the atmosphere of the psychedelic scores from generations past. This performance is being included in today’s edition of the Rusted Rhythms A/V Series at 8pm EDT, and will be cataloged in posterity alongside the rest of the Rusted Rhythms mixes.

In tandem with today’s re-screening of Iszlai’s Featherbed performance, we took the time to peel back some of the opaque layers to his profile, and got into some of the details surrounding his craftsmanship.

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The Rust: Your music is definitely on the complex end of the spectrum; how did you come into the craft of production? 

Iszlai: I used to do quite a lot of audio editing for short films back in college, and I played guitar in some bands around that time. I hated electronic music back then, but somehow I got intrigued by records having unconventional, weird guitar sounds. So I tried to record myself playing through all these crazy effect chains. It was a fun hobby, I started adding drums and other instruments, I edited my takes, then I just slid down a rabbithole and never turned back.

The Rust: Do you have a history of music education? How did you find yourself drawn to sound in the first place?

Iszlai: During my teenage years I was fascinated by playing live music. I went home and studied by myself, learned from others, it was an organic process. Everyone seemed to be better than me, that kind of pushed me to learn more, even though I was interested in applying to film school. Fortunately I could work with sound there, this opened up a whole new world for me, which eventually led me back to music. 

The Rust: Given your novelty, what were some of the influences that molded your sound? Has collage-style arrangement always been a staple for you?

Iszlai: I think older, non-electronic pieces influenced me more, like Miles Davis. Miles Davis taught me to listen. That being said, the first time I heard and actually listened to electronic collage-like pieces of music, I was blown away. It fascinated me, I realized that there was this amazing ambiguity about it: being intentionally wrong and making perfect sense in a way. Rough editing messes up our perception of continuity, it challenges the “reliability” of the music itself. It is a very intriguing concept to me even today, I see it as a method for alienating the listener. 

The Rust: Given the organic texture palette that you focus on, where do you perceive yourself to fit in the wider spectrum of music? Do you even bother to label it?

Iszlai: Wow, I can’t really tell, but I used to think about this. Eventually I just gave up and whatever people call my music, I’m perfectly fine with it. It is difficult for me to label it, because of my versatility. I do electronic music, but my “day job” sometimes requires the exact opposite of that aesthetic. I did small classical pieces, drove myself nuts practicing for opera, I did fully acoustic soundtracks, theatre, noise music, all those influences trickle down into my albums once I get off work.

The Rust: Your Featherbed set was really striking, and you pulled off some serious blends within your catalog. How did you go about putting that together?

Iszlai: Thank you, much appreciated! I used to play these semi-live sets arranged in Ableton, like when you just pull loops from stems, assign them to clips, start messing around. That was basically it. I only thought about how it should begin and which new tracks to include, then I just let go. I practiced a bit and came up with the idea to use that “wake up, work, sleep” interlude, went back and recorded the whole thing.  

The Rust: What's the songwriting process like for you? Is there a methodology?

Iszlai: I deliberately try and change my approach, that is always very refreshing to me. I have a natural process of tapping into what I find exciting in that present moment. This can be a piece of hardware, chords, a snare drum, basically anything. I just get into it and zone out. The harder part of the process starts when I get closer to finishing the music.

The Rust: We're a year and some change into the Covid-19 pandemic; would you care to talk about what this experience has been like for you?

Iszlai: I was afraid for a while, there were definitely some rough patches. This eerie silence seeping into our daily lives, life slowly waning away... Staying busy helped, but I started noticing sleep disorder and this tranquil quality of the uneasiness I was experiencing. I remember leaving my apartment, walking down an empty street, feeling very isolated, listening to New Hymn to Freedom by Szun Waves. It was like a slow fever creeping up on me.

The Rust: What are your current plans for the Iszlai project? What are you shooting for across the horizon?

Iszlai: No plans yet, I’m currently working on scores and doing sound design for various projects. This is an exciting time for me as I learn a lot about myself while collaborating with other artists. 

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Be sure to take a healthy dive through Iszlai’s available catalog to get a full perspective on his cutting edge style of sample-collage production. For those who are interested in checking out further Rust-curated mixes, take a gander at our Rusted Rhythms page for a direct line on hours of aural goodies.

FOLLOW Islzai: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Euphoric Aspects: Facebook / Webpage

Quaint Conversations With Craftal

Ian McKenna, better known by his producer moniker of Craftal, has been creating breathtaking and thought provoking music across the last seven years and running. Craftal employs a diverse range of influences to sculpt his own impactful and refreshing sound, and has carved out his own space amidst the backdrop of psychedelic art. His releases on labels like Danktronics, Headroom, Wormhole, and Lost in Sound have opened doors for Ian like a revolving kaleidoscope. His drive propelled him onto the Sub.mission team at the Black Box in Denver, where he is currently a sound design instructor, and his knack for novel compositions keeps his discography in constant rotation.

Credit: Dark Matter Photography

Ian’s album Lullabytes, released by The Rust Music in 2020, features a heavy focus on glitch-hop and downtempo stylings, and is indicative of the maturation his catalog has undergone over the last few years. Yet, even stretching back to his earliest releases, tracks like “Nanobot Cave” and “Valley of Darkness” feature his traditional hallmarks of asynchronous arrangements and jubilant textures. Through patience and concentrated efforts, the current collection of Craftal tunes makes up for it's relative sparseness with meticulous attention to detail and overall quality, resulting in a powerful array of finely tuned tracks.

In order to get better acquainted with one of our favorite aural brainiacs, The Rust took advantage of an opportunity to talk candidly and at length about some of his artistic influences, production choices, and his potential relation to a certain 20th century psychonaut.

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Alyssa Barnhill: Where did you get your name? Where does that come from?

Craftal: It's a portmanteau of the words fractal and craft, plus it's just a clever, quick, little switch of the C and the F. 

Barnhill: Is that related to how you approach your music?

Craftal: Mostly it just came from when I was 20, that's when I really started doing musical stuff. I was just super into fractals, psychedelic culture, art, music and stuff like that, and my dad is actually a mathematician, who does fractal art.

Barnhill: Oh really? Anything we may have heard of?

Craftal: Yeah, actually he was one of the illustrators on Benoit Mandelbrot’s “The Fractal Geometry of Nature”, so fractal art has always been a part of my life, cuz I grew up with him and all that. And then the psychedelic art community, with all this digital shit that's been growing over the past 20 years, just coincided with everything that my dad helped Mandelbrot do, all the dance music and psychedelic culture stuff that I started getting into.  

Barnhill: Where did you grow up?

Craftal: In Boulder.

Barnhill: Were you actively “in to” music growing up? 

Craftal: I didn't really….like GET music. Like… I didn't really like... I hated all the popular music that I heard until like 6th or 7th grade, and then my sisters bought me a few CDs that I really loved. The only music I actively listened to before that was music from Nintendo games, which I only recently realized was and is a huge influence for me, and millions of other musicians who grew up with Gameboys and N64s and Playstations.

Barnhill: What were the albums?

Craftal: Demon Days by Gorillaz, The Process of Belief by Bad Religion, and technically the self titled Franz Ferdinand album, but I didn't really take to it like the other two. 

Barnhill: What are you listening to lately?

Craftal: These days, mostly friends, which is pretty cool. Keota, Jade Cicada, Tipper, Woulg, Billain, Mr. Bill, 5AM. If it's well made, it's well made. Lately I have been going back to middle school and high school stuff and listening to Bad Religion. My sister got me this book for Christmas: Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion.

Barnhill: I have heard really good things about that book.

Craftal: Yeah, they are the only punk band that I like. That I have ever liked. Because they’re like philosophical punk. Even in this book they detail how they never wanted to be topical, they never wanted to be like against any specific administration, it's always just been about people thinking for themselves.

Barnhill: What’s your favorite synth or plug-in right now?

Craftal: These days I really like Vital, which just came out a couple months ago. Pretty fucking great. Mostly before that it was just stock ableton stuff, like off operator. Super versatile.

Barnhill: What do you like about it?

Craftal: There's a lot of stuff I love about Vital. I love that any LFO can be turned into an FM oscillator. I love that there's a stereo option for individual modulators. I love how easy it is to understand what's going on visually. I love how powerful the remap matrix is, although I haven't gotten deep into that yet. And I love how it shows how ridiculously overpriced some soft synths are by allowing you to use the whole synth for free. And it just sounds damn good. 

Barnhill: Do you enjoy traditional song writing?

Craftal: I usually start with a melody but sometimes an interesting rhythm can turn into a melody. I like music where a catchy melody isn't the focus, but I think having good melodies is what makes most music memorable or timeless.

Barnhill: Would you describe that as freeform?

Craftal: Uh... I don’t know! At some point, yes, because everything is freeform until you commit to it. 

Barnhill: What's your writing process? Walk me through it.

Craftal: Usually it starts with a melody. I grew up playing piano and singing. If it doesn't have a good melody, I'm just like, psht. You could have the best texture, sound, whatever in the world, but it's probably not going to be remembered for very long if it doesn't have some melody to go with it. And i'm still working on that because mostly my songs just kind of revolve around a catchy melody and lots of sound design, but i'm still working on the emotions, the journey of it. For me, yeah, it mostly starts with a melody but it can start wherever. Whatever turns the gears.

Barnhill: How much time do you give to a track or song? An album\EP?

Craftal: Too much time for both. Some of my best songs, I made in like two to three days... But that doesn't happen too often.

Barnhill: Is that a moment you walk into? 

Craftal: That's the flow state that all artists try to get into. I don't know how to engineer it, yet. Or just get into it sometimes. Most of the shit I make takes like at least a month or something. I have quite tangible ADHD, so I have two modes: Hyperfocus on one single thing for 10-72 hours straight and go big mode, or shallowly get caught up in twenty different things that have nothing to do with making music for days, weeks, and months. I usually fall into the latter mode, which is a lifelong struggle for me. It’s tough for me to create art when there’s so much amazing art that’s just as good, if not better than your own, that is such a joy to observe, consume, and digest. I feel like an asshole if I don’t, because I’d like it if people did the same with my art. Or at least, that’s how I justify playing video games for dozens of hours.

Credit: Dark Matter Photography

Barnhill: Not every song has a purpose or underlying statement, but songs like “Testing”…, it feels like there may be a “musician-audience” conversation going on? Was there a direct message?

Craftal: I'm trying to think about that more lately actually. That was my first experiment with Vital, that synth I mentioned. So, it was a test with Vital, but it's also a test with playing with words and meaning. And trying to have something more interesting and concrete than just like, “Hey, look at these cool sounds''. And even though it's still “Hey, look at these cool sounds.”, “This is all a test” can be as deep as you want it to be. 

Barnhill: Very true. So is there a reason when you are making music?

Craftal: The other day I was just humming a melody in the shower and then later that day, I turned it into a beat. Some say that music is always around us, just hanging in the ether. Whether in “the air” or in the emergent networks of your brain, it’s just waiting for you to tune in and open the faucet. Technically true or not, it certainly feels as though that's often the case. As for why, I’d say because music is a model for how to live properly, and I'm trying to align my life through music. 

Barnhill: I heard something through the grapevine, that you have been a part of the new Meow Wolf exhibits here in Denver?

C: Yes, I am a collaborating artist. But I am also tentatively starting a new project focused on lyrics and more traditional songwriting.

Barnhill: Fun fact about you for the fans ?

Craftal: I can crack almost every joint in my body and Terence McKenna is not dad! He's my uncle.

Barnhill: No way? Really?

Craftal: No.

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Cracking into the Craftal state of mind, it's no wonder that his music permeates with a natural creative pulse. The fusion of ideas, modes, and motifs across his catalog are the standout elements that give such a powerful draw to his art, and reflect the inner machinations of the personality behind the music of the Craftal project. Where he goes from here is anyone's guess, but we're all eyes and ears on the course of his career.

FOLLOW Craftal: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Getting Acquainted with the Satellite Era Media Label

Chicago; the Midwest's music and art hub, and the home of House, Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop, and Rock n’ Roll. A Hearthstone to so many, Chicago is the perfect melting pot for the media outlet Satellite Era. The majority of the Satellite Era’s team had been deep in the crowds of the early bass\electronic music surge that surfaced in the US starting in the early 2010’s. Their team and owners Nic Juister, Amir Mashayekhi, and Milan Milovanovic, honed in their mettle shoulder to shoulder with sweaty, elated 20-somethings in warehouses and house parties in the suburbs of Chicago.

Branching off from traditional club music, footwork/house parties, and early rave culture, the friends kept questioning and challenging the experience, what music was making waves in their surroundings, and their own involvement with it all. “We found ourselves coming back to club and older core genres such as ambient/electronica,” co-founder Amir Mashayekhi shared. “Long story short: we basically wanted to find sounds and styles that would help bridge the gap between the bass music community and the club scene.”

Satellite Era’s goal is to revolutionize the quality and coverage being offered by “bass music” media. Their pursuits of mind bending art and emphasis on digital visual content is pushing their platform further and helping expose eclectic artists to the stage and spotlight. In line with their ethos, the Satellite Era website features a music and art blog, playlists, free visual loops for download, releases, and albums that come complete with visual content, highlighting the numerous artistic outlets that Satellite Era propagates.

Their experienced team hunts through the wavelengths and interwebs for new and stimulating content. They seek to encourage and invite communication between enthusiastic fans and creators, combine music and digital art together, promoting both simultaneously, and most of all wanting to contribute to the modern age of electronic music. “We have kind of always felt like there wasn't really any major label making things happen here. Aside from the historical relevance, there aren't any tastemakers or major promoters bringing in some of the names you would see in LA or NY.” Amir said. “Chicago means so much to us and we want to embody all it has given us — an organic celebration of music in an urban setting. No flashiness or bullshit, just tightly packed rooms and warehouses.”

The Distant Arrays series EP’s are immersive art experiences that feature various artists and styles in audio/visual combinations. Aimed to create a cinematic journey into the counterculture of modern electronic styles, Volume 3 marks the beginning stages of the next emergent steps in the Satellite Era roadmap. When asked about the theme for this release, Amir expressed that this particular volume “does not have an entirely set theme, but was created to serve as an outlet for the team to share music separate from cohesive projects […] We strive to release tightly-woven, thematic EPs & albums, while letting our Distant Array series be more of an open format. I will say: we try to compile each of the Distant Array EPs to have a similar sound, which is why these artists were grouped together in the best possible fashion!”

“We selected what we thought sounded ethereal - influenced by dusty electronica from the late 90s / early 00s golden age. That is also why the color scheme for this one is a warm green,” Amir would go on to say. Each EP on this series is paired with generative, audio-reactive visuals. Co-founder Nic Juister, who concurrently works for Strangeloop Studios, produced the visual content for Volume 3.

When entering the four track collection, you are greeted by Montreal-based producer Gonima’s gorgeous introductory track “Luminescence”. Echoing chimes and distant piano-synth keys strike as the melody grows across the vibrant tempo. Decorated with glitching drums and snares that seem to bounce around like lightning in a bottle, “Luminescence” is inspired by early electronica with a lush melodies and modern drum patterns. Second is the Phoenix-based producer Brendan Rincon’s tune, “Variations”. Complete with break-beats, airy harmonies, and progressive melodies, this track reminds the listener to be attentitive to subtle moments of clarity. The chords of the harmony waver and strain, almost as if they are blowing in the wind. Slightly dissonant at times and interrupted by breaks and glitchy artifacts, those pristine moments come and go in a blink of a musical eye.

Then from the other side of the pond, Lazarus Moment comes out swinging with his heavy hitter garage track, “If I could”. Dark and futuristic, Lazarus works the room with well-structured breakdowns and echoing vocals. If the listener only closes their eyes, visions of smokey lazers and bouncing bodies effortlessly swaying fills the darkness behind the lids. The Swedish musician was set on showcasing his well established craft in this dance centric and fearless sound, and pulled it off flawlessly. Lastly but far from least, is the UK-based producer Test Bench with his jungle inspired track, “A Good Place”. The chord progression from beginning to end is impressive and gratifying to listen to. He dances from one harmonious drone to another, creating color and magnificent balance in the verses of sound.

Satellite Era hopes to usher in the new year with some inspiring and genuinely distinct artists, continue to be an outlet for musicians and creators, and uplift those around them. The last words here are best left to Amir — “Though 2020 marked the birth of Satellite Era, the rest of the year presented challenges from all angles. Our mission for 2021 is to regather ourselves, focus on the growth of our community and as individuals, deliver the best art we possibly can, and create an inclusive environment for people to discover something new. With Spring and its rebirth of the world around us, along with our 1-year anniversary coming up next month, this EP truly is the start of something entirely different.”

FOLLOW Satellite Era: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Webpage

Phantasmic Visions Meets Elegant Harmony: An Interview With Adam Ovoid

Deriving his name from the rare Ovoideocystidiata mushroom, Adam Ovoid has captivated the underground bass music scene with his unapologetically squishy and surreal sound design. The Ovoid name was not adopted by Adam until around 2016 when he decided to jump head first into the underground bass music scene. After releasing his first album, Life, Ovoid has been a unique presence releasing singles, EPs, and albums on multiple labels and collectives. 

Originating from Tacoma, Washington, Ovoid has always found himself inspired by a beautiful, dewey landscape filled with tall trees, delicate mosses and steep mountains. While exploring the dense forests of the Northwest, he had been simultaneously exploring his own musical evolution. Traveling through melody and harmony,  Adam hopes to expand his euphonic brain-child to other more quixotic horizons.  

A self taught mad man behind the wheel of a synth, Adam has shown commanding prowess in sound production. Ovoid’s knowledge base bleeds through into his other-worldly, and at times phantasmal, sound design. His music is an adventure through genre, merging the worlds of harmony and melody with huge 808 anthem releases such as “Bangus Dang''on the Denver based Headroom Collective, and a downtempo psychedelic inspired album titled “Enigma” through The Rust. Beyond just his own individual catalog, Adam has collaborations with sound design aficionados like Hullabaloo and Shanti, transforming musical experimentation into community appreciation, driving that experimentation towards new heights. 

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In his music, Ovoid transcends traditional musical limits by using texture and tone with his squishy and glitch-inspired sound. In such tracks as “Blocks In A Chain”, he focuses on reverberant mid-range bass lines, accentuating the twinkling highs of the melodies. In other tracks, he harnesses organic guitar tones to decorate the delicate phrases that inspire movement. “Mingo Mango (VIP)” is a song reminiscent of classic Americana and psychedelia in its purest form; long, echoing electric guitar screams, accompanied by squishy and repercussive arpeggios. It’s the liberating vibrations that move through the body in tandem with the cymbal crashes and synthetic textures, exemplifying the Ovoid ethos.

To get better acquainted with a long-time favorite of the Rust Team and the wider community, Adam graciously made himself available for a long-form interview, diving into the lifelong pursuit of his craft and his affiliate passions.

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Alyssa Barnhill: Who is Ovoid? Where are you from?

Ovoid: I go by Adam Ovoid and I'm from Tacoma, Washington, and kind of the Tacoma/Seattle area, in my adult life. I have lived here my whole life pretty much but I'm planning on moving to Denver soon.

Barnhill: How did you like growing up in Washington state?

Ovoid: It was great honestly. It's still definitely one of my favorite places in the country, just because of the nature here, the mountains, and the forest. I definitely grew up loving the forests and mountains here and never really realized how special they were until I got older and traveled other places and realized that there’s not many others out there, like this. So I definitely have a really special place in my heart {for tacoma} but also I really want to get out and go live in other places for a bit. Kinda just explore other parts of the country and the world.

Barnhill: Have you ever played under any other names? Or has it always been Ovoid?

Ovoid: As far as this genre of music it's always been Ovoid but I was in bands in my high school and also had some hip hop and electronic projects too.

Barnhill: What instrument did you play?

Ovoid: I play guitar. Grew up playing guitar from when I was like 12 so that's definitely a pretty integral part to my production. I use a lot of guitar in my songs.

Barnhill: Do you sample a lot of your own guitar work?

Ovoid: Yeah! Yeah, pretty much all the guitar on my songs is me playing. Expect like, maybe one or two tracks where one of my friends played a riff or two. 

Barnhill: What kind of guitar do you have?

Ovoid: Right now I have a Fender Stratocaster. I got it recently so it isn't on any of my released music but I am really excited about it because it's the nicest guitar I have personally ever had. I really love how it sounds.  So it's definitely already made it into some tracks but not anything that I've put out. And I have an acoustic guitar and that's on Enigma. That's all that guitar. 

Barnhill: What’s your first memory of an impactful musical experience?

Ovoid: Hard to say like the first but probably hearing my dad play drums. It was like the loudest music I had heard at the time cuz I'm sure he was doing it from the time I was born but I remember being a little kid and hearing my dad play Led Zeppelin on the drum, crank out stuff like that. He would play a lot of funk too like Parliament Funkadelic and Rick James. I remember being stoked on that music and I still love all that music. Then kinda growing up and getting into live music was probably listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Which has pretty much always been my favorite album. 

Barnhill: What was your first festival/show?

Ovoid: The first show I ever saw was actually The Rolling Stones.  Kinda funny because they were already so old at that point but I think I was like 12. My parents kinda just brought me there but I was still excited to see the Stones. The first concerts I really remember going to, that I really wanted to go to, was metal bands like Megadeth and Slayer. I liked that stuff a lot. Then getting into psychedelic music I think the first electronic/psychedelic festival I went to was Gem and Jam, in like 2014 maybe.  After that I got super into the bass music scene and kinda wooked out for a few years.

Barnhill: Yeah totally. I think we all have our wook years, at least at some point. You have to go through that. Where is your favorite place to play so far?

Ovoid: Definitely, most consistently I love playing at the Black Box. It’s always great. But it really just depends. Sometimes I'll go to a random show and I really don't know what to expect at all. If it's like somewhere I've never been before or even like a state I've never been before, completely foreign to me, but then it will be like such a great crowd. But it really just depends on if everyone is just feeling it, even small crowds in a random venue, with maybe not even the best sound can be pretty awesome.

Barnhill: Do you still get like pre show jitters?

Ovoid: Sometimes, but it kinda just depends on the show. A lot of time, if I’m just feeling good about what I am going to play and feel that I've been in the studio enough, then usually I feel pretty good about it. But then sometimes if I'm not too confident in something that I’ve been producing lately then I get a little more nervous for sure. 

Barnhill: How long have you been performing sets?

Ovoid: I probably started playing shows like 6 years ago? Or maybe 7 years ago.

Barnhill: So about 2013 or so?

Ovoid: Yeah. I'm pretty sure that was my first show. Then like, more shows though in the last like four years. After that I played Tipper & Friends. After that show it has been a lot more.

Barnhill: What year was your set at that Tipper & Friends event again?

Ovoid: I'm pretty sure that was 2015. Or no, I think, 2016? I always forget, I even though there is a poster on my wall!

Barnhill: How was that? I love tipper and friends events.

Ovoid: That was amazing. The Tipper and friends crews, they just do it so proper. It's just always such a good production all around.

Barnhill: What's your background playing shows? Did you start in smaller little venues locally? Did it all kind of just all jump off at once for you?

Ovoid: I definitely started in a lot of super small venues in Washington and Seattle. Underground shows, sometimes they were not even like really venues. Like tiny apartments and stuff. After the Tipper & Friends show I started to get bigger bookings, but still a lot of smaller stages and small clubs. Which I kind of prefer. I like having a more intimate audience usually because it feels more personal. 

Barnhill: Everyone wants to play bigger venues, but you prefer that more intimate stage. I mean the Black Box is definitely that way, it is very intimate. 

Ovoid: Yeah the black box is perfect. Enough people can fit in there but it's still very intimate. 

Barnhill: This may be a little left field but I have to ask, am I pronouncing this properly? Bang-us DANG?

O: Yeah! Haha

Barnhill: Where did that come from?

Ovoid: It's just gibberish really. I can't remember what sparked it but something one of my friends said. 

Barnhill: What do you have planned for the future?

Ovoid: I definitely am trying to get a full length album together and just really put a lot of effort into making sure it's super detailed and really how I want it to be. That's just a main goal, I want to be playing more shows and stuff like that. Mainly I am just finishing up a solid album, I have a good chunk of stuff with such potential. Like with my last, longer EP I did on The Rust, some of those songs, I worked on them for like three years before I released them. My process is just pretty slow on the downtempo stuff, I like to take a lot of time with it usually. 

Barnhill: There is no harm in that. I saw that you are doing mastering services and wanted to ask about that. What does that look like for you, what do you offer people? What track are you most proud of mastering?

Ovoid: Mastering has been great for me, it's honestly what's been keeping me afloat. And I have been mastering everyday, at least a little bit. Hopefully I will grow it to become a full service business. Generally, I really like it because I get to kind of hear what a lot of “up and coming” producers, or maybe more hobby producers are being influenced by and what they are trying to make. It’s cool to hear a lot of my friends' influences on people who send me music, like sometimes I’ll hear stuff that sounds a lot like my friends' music. It's cool to see the influence trickle down through the generations of producers. And then also being surprised by people sending me stuff that's pretty new sounding, a new sound, or really pushing the envelope. In addition, being able to master a lot of my friends' music is really great. I think the thing I'm most proud of is Craftal’s latest album on The Rust. That is my favorite thing I've done. I really love that album a lot and he's a good friend of mine.  

Barnhill:  What do you do outside of music? What do you do when you're not mastering or making your own music?

Ovoid: I am pretty social. I hang out with a lot of my friends that Ive known for most of my life in Tacoma. I hike a lot, I read. Oh, I'm trying to get into like full on summiting mountains but I need to take some glacier travel courses to be certified to get the permits but growing up here in Tacoma, with the mountains kinda looming over the city, has really inspired me to want to climb them. Hiking is definitely my favorite pastime. Mostly music though, honestly, I'm kinda a workaholic.

Barnhill: Who are you listening to now? Anyone you are looking forward to in music?

Ovoid: Right now, my biggest influence is probably Nine Inch Nails. I didn’t really listen to them growing up. I had heard their songs a little bit, but then in the last year and a half or so, I have been totally sucked into their music. I think it’s their production style that got me but I’ve been pretty obsessed with Nine Inch Nails lately. Also, I like things like Snarky Puppy, jazz fusion. I love all that. That's what I switch back and forth with, weird jazz fusion stuff to Nine Inch Nails. I like a lot of the stuff that I was playing on the Ovoid Radio Sessions, during quarantine. Just a lot of kinda chill stuff, a lot of trip hop, other sorts of relaxing music.

Barnhill: Did you go to school for music?

Ovoid: So for production, I'm mostly self taught but we have an awesome community of producers in psy-bass music that all share knowledge with each other constantly so that helps a ton. But I did go to an arts high school where I took songwriting and audio recording classes for 3 years and I definitely learned a ton there. I also took guitar lessons for many years before that so learning music has been a lifelong journey for me at this point. 

Barnhill: How would you describe your music?

Ovoid: How I would describe my music is one of my absolute least favorite questions to get because I hate trying to quantify it into genres. I use “psy-bass” as an overarching term but really it's all over the place and I try to not limit myself to certain tempos or genres. 

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Heavy, pulsating, and serendipitous, Adam Ovoid is bridging the gaps that define the genres of psychedelic, bass-heavy music. If music is the forest, its inhabitants are musicians and creatives, and Ovoid is the mycelium network reaching out to each corner. Nutritious for the soul, pleasing to the ears, and engaging for the body, everyone should take a nibble off the mushy delight that is Adam Ovoid.

FOLLOW Ovoid: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

A Chat With Keith Wadsworth on His Paramount Record Adirondacks

By any metric, Keith Wadsworth is a jack-of-all-trades guitarist; his personally defined style chameleons between funk-rock fusion and neoclassicism, and his current body of collaborative Wax Future works showcase his songwriting and performance talents across several iterations of broken-beat electronic music. In many ways, his foray into electronic music has shaped his contemporary sound, but that’s just the most recent injection of influence. The long arc of his lifetime thus far has been a step-by-step march towards a cumulative display of musicianship. That display of musical immersion and education takes the form of his Adirondacks EP, released through his new solo moniker Wadsworth Music; With a completely distinct sonic profile from the Wax Future project, Wadsworth has refined his own definitive image, introducing the majority of his friends and fandom to his musical confluence for the first time.

Adirondacks is a guitar-driven record composed by a compositionally-driven guitarist, showcasing a stunning array of musical hues and instrumental finesse. “Climbing” opens the record with soft, major crescendos taking flight, contrasting wonderfully with the meandering minor note relationships in the closing track “Back at the Trailhead”. Sandwiched between the two subdued ballads are a trio of anthems that move the needle closer towards the Wadsworth musings we’ve grown so fond of; “Summit Nap” explores the power and the impact of harmony in notation, where “Dream Sequence A: Upload” and “Dream Sequence B: Error” place rhythmic syncopation and pure shred-head energy into the spotlight. It’s not just the complete package for appreciators of six-string prowess, but a stylistically unique and emotive collection for any discerning soundhead.

Having been so immediately drawn to the raw passion behind the record, we at The Rust felt compelled to reach out to Keith for a conversation about his new music, and the journey that led him here in the first place.

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The Rust: Let's start with the necessary and obvious topic: can you talk about your origins as a guitarist and a songwriter?

Wadsworth: I got my start as a rhythm guitar player for my dad at 8 years old, great gig, residency was in my living room. Made the jump to lead guitarist for the band around 9 years old after a gig in the guitar room of Sam Ash. Never looked back. My first compositions started around 2004 in a program called “Cakewalk”. I would take the drum sample tracks and write tunes around them. Bought a Dr. Rhythm drum machine and became enamored with drum programming. By 2006 I had written (a very poorly recorded) album of guitar music that I sold at my high school talent show for 5 dollars a pop, sold about a dozen. Out of high school played in a metal band, toured around the east coast a bunch. After that I bounced around in many projects, pop punk, singer songwriter, eventually meeting Connor and starting Wax around 2014.

The Rust: What are some of the stylistic influences you pulled from as you progressed as a musician?

Wadsworth: [I] started out following and emulating as my of my guitar idols as I could. Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai - I was a big Van Halen fan as well, and would always spend time attempting to master EVH’s solos and impeccable rhythm work. RIP to the absolute legend. As we dove deeper into Wax and started to play shows alongside cats I really looked up to I think I made a conscious decision to think about songwriting and the impact of the guitar in our songs. I think that helped my playing, kinda slowed down and serviced the song more. Obviously live I would still go off and have some fun though.

The Rust: The Wax Future project has been your collaborative brainchild for quite a while now, pocketing you into a powerful electro-soul-rock fusion; what was the preamble to exploring different motifs on this debut Wadsworth release?

Wadsworth: This solo release is kind of a full circle piece. I familiarized myself with recording and production in the beginning of my musical journey. With Wax it was like leveling up, you can’t be near Connor Hansell and not learn via osmosis or some shit. It’s real. So this record was a lot of revisiting where I was musically all those years ago with a broader grasp on production and creative tools.

The Rust: Can you dive into the songwriting process for this EP? Was it a conscious project, or a serendipitous assortment of tracks?

Wadsworth: I wrote the song summit nap first. It’s definitely an ode to my guitar hero roots, very droney ballad’y (those aren’t words I guess) But I didn’t really think I had a chance to create a small collection of music until I wrote Dream Sequence A. When that song came together I knew I had the nucleus of something. It was like a eureka moment. Very exciting. From there I kind of had an idea of where I wanted to the concept of the tunes to go. I enjoy creating a loose journey through collections of songs, it helps keep me focused.

The Rust: You've been keeping busy with an assortment of live looping gear and live production; Can you talk about your experience translating solo performances through technology?

Wadsworth: Speaking of eureka moments. Live looping is a giant prolonged eureka moment. Improvisation is that core of who I am as a musician, I have a hard time conjuring up as much joy as I do musically than from pulling concepts from the depths of my brain off the cuff. With live looping its just that non-stop. I want to establish a schedule of streams and just share. I miss the stage with my entire being, being able to look out into the crowd and share energy. The looping streams manufacture some of that energy. 

The Rust: As one of the foremost instrumentalists in our slice of music culture, you're given a fairly constant opportunity to collaborate on other live performances. Would you care to open up a bit about this dynamic? What are the major hurdles to surmount when sitting in, especially in the context of improvisation?

Wadsworth: As I said, improvisation is at the core of who I am as a musician. I’ve been really lucky to sit in with and collaborate with a fuck ton of artists I look up to. With some minimal prep, you can create this unique shared experience between you and an artist that’s able to be watched live, it's really special. Countless times I can remember just laughing on stage because something went perfectly and everyone on stage knows that we pulled it from the ether at that moment right there, it’s one of the downright best things about music.

Regarding hurdles or prep, there really isn’t hurdles, there are house rules for each artist. Some are particular, some are free form. Entering each artist's‘ house’ and learning their rules before a performance is part of the fun. When I sit in with Freddy Todd, he is such a guru with the onboard fx of the DJ mixer that he lets me kinda high fly through the tunes and mixes me in the moment, ie. Cutting my fader in the drop sections and adding delays in break sections. That collaboration is unique to our sit-ins and I’m not convinced Freddy isn’t an actual wizard sometimes after we play haha.

The Rust: With this first batch of Wadsworth tunes minted for release, where is your head with regards to future projects, both with Wax Future and as Wadsworth?

Wadsworth: I’m gonna let these tunes go, dive headfirst into the holiday season and then I would like for the Wadsworth stuff to maybe release a song a month through 2021. Wax is sitting on a GRIP of tunes, some really exciting stuff in the works over at that camp. I’m also just gonna drop it here, I made mention of one of my earliest projects being a metal band. Through quarantine, I’ve actually collaborated with my best friend Donovan remotely and we’ve started a metal project, hype to get the details of that off the ground. I didn’t expect to start two new projects during quarantine but this has all kind of progressed naturally.

The Rust: Can we expect to see some Wadsworth performances when stages become our lifeblood again?

Wadsworth: Most certainly, I want to pick these songs apart live and add some improvisational elements. I want to hit the stage with the live looping stuff too. Zone Drums and I were able to step out in a limited capacity but I want to grow that medium and share more.

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With this first solo release out of the gate, the path is wide open for Wadsworth to continue exploring the wide berth of his musical territory. In the time between now and the eventual return to traditional concerts, there's no question that he’ll be hard at work in the lab putting together a host of fresh material for the inevitable in-state debut of Wadsworth Music.

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