DeeZNauts Comes Correct with Dual-sided "Hindsight" Release

There’s something that stews in the air of New England — some sort of odd chemical mutation in the oxygen molecules — and while there’s no telling whether or not it will create some kind of Bostonian Magneto, there’s ample evidence to suggest that it has an incredible effect on the output of New England’s electronic producers. DeeZ and Smigonaut have created their own respective careers from scratch, putting in the time and indelible effort required by touring creatives for years on end. When not working on their individual projects, they’re almost certainly communicating and collaborating on one another’s, and given that they’re both drinking from the same water supply, their combined efforts are a standout display of fidelity and attitude in contemporary bass music. Their most recent laboratory machinations come in the form of the double-sided release, Hindsight.

DeeZNauts · Hindsight EP (Out Now on Bandcamp)

There’s few things that cut through speaker cones like razor-edged, precision synthesis, and it’s the natural main ingredient in both songs on the record. The namesake track is a half-time tank-buster, replete with phased bass lines, transient impact, and vicious drum breaks competing for the center of the stereo space. Slowing it’s roll for just the briefest few phrases, the sparse melody grounds the track musically, but avoids constraining the beat’s emboldened personality. Complimenting the break-neck pace to “Hindsight”, “Grungus” is a subdued neuro gun-slinger, brandishing taloned mid-range cuts and shredded modulation. It’s the kind of track that underpins all of the most satisfying elements of grungy, broken-beat bass music, and the clear standout tune of the pair.

The DeeZNauts formula for success involves slicing off small morsels of massive production power, leaving us just satisfied enough, but always yearning for the next earful. It’s made all the more tantalizing by the striking fluidity of the combo, given their distinct individual catalogs and stylistic preferences. Whether by the sheer force of brainpower or by oxygenated chemical manipulation, we may never know, but we can be sure of one thing; the next handful of DeeZNauts will assuredly outweigh the last.

FOLLOW DeeZNauts: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Mickman on a Mission: A Conversation with Cameron Ingraham

In late October, the elusive electronic musician Mickman played one of his biggest gigs to date opening for Jade Cicada at the PlayStation Theater in Times Square in New York City for a sold-out crowd of 2,200 people. Since he began performing in mid-2016, Mickman has gone from bedroom producer and one of bass music’s best kept secrets to a real rising star because of a crazed, obsessive, and fiercely independent approach to music found in few, if any, other people. 

For a long time, Mickman was an enigma. Four or five years ago fans marveled at his heavy-hitting SoundCloud discography, but he had never performed live. His prolific productions were sort of a secret among the bass music literati. Even as he’s become more popular, he still barely promotes his music. But beneath this blurry public image is a deeply intelligent, fiercely independent and fiendishly energetic man - Cameron McMahon Ingraham. At the PlayStation Theater, I sat down with Cam - a friend since his first New York show in 2017 - to peel back the layers of his career and craft. 

Mickman performing at Summer Camp Music Festival in Illinois in 2017 (Credit: Emerald Tide Photography)

We’re sitting in a green room after soundcheck and before doors open for the night. There are beers in a mini-fridge. “I want to see if I can have one of these,” Cam says. He goes to ask the man in charge if he, one of the main draws that evening, can have some beers. He comes back and settles onto the couch with a Modelo, characteristically dressed down in a black Mickman hoodie, jeans, and skateboard sneakers. Curly brown hair hangs down well past his shoulders. 

Along with other recent milestones including a slot at Infrasound Music Festival and a headlining performance at the Black Box in Denver, this PlayStation performance is the product of years of single-minded hard work. Since one “defining moment” around New Years Eve in 2012 when Cam knew he needed to make music, he’s climbed towards success without a booking agent, manager or any formal musical background.

“Looking back to that time,” he reflects, “basically not having a job, fresh out of high school, I’ve never been more inspired and I’m still riding that wave of inspiration. I’ve normalized it now. But when the fire gets sparked again, like right now anticipating this performance…I’ve literally had butterflies all day and my energy levels have just been off the charts.”

Anyone who’s spent 30 minutes around Cam is familiar with his frenetic energy. It’s one of his most memorable character traits and also a defining factor behind his success. The depth of his obsession with production is matched by the depth of his energy reserves. He points a thumb across the green room at Eric Mallon who’s on another couch quietly sipping a Topo Chico mineral water and looking at his phone. Eric is a close friend, consigliere, and frequent sound engineer for Cam. “This morning, I woke him up with a water bottle and a trash can just slamming them together. ‘Let’s go! Let’s go!’”

For some, Jade Cicada and Mickman go together like peanut butter and jelly, though many attendees that night were either unfamiliar with Mickman, or they knew him but were just now catching their first performance. No one left disappointed. The energy in the air at PlayStation was already feverish by the time Cam took the stage, but he sent it into orbit, provoking gasps and hollers from the crowd with quick-footed breakbeats, unexpected drum and bass, and gigantic glitch hop bangers. 

Cameron grew up in Rockport, Maine, a town of 3,300 people. He describes it as an “an everyone-knew-everyone situation,” and perhaps it was the type of rural, far north place that breeds independent thinking. Andy Widdecomb aka DeeZ grew up one town over. “We were listening to Prodigy together, and he and a couple other friends of mine got sucked into this stuff,” Andy says. “We would hang after school and talk music. He ended up moving away to Illinois before I graduated. After a year or so, I found out that he’d also been making music - secretly, kind of low key. His sister told me, ‘he never leaves his room, he’s trying to be a dubstep producer.’”

That was almost eight years ago. “As the new year hit going into 2012, I was pedal to the metal balls to the wall,” Cam says. “Every day, all the free time I had was going directly into making music. After the third or fourth year, I started becoming more comfortable with my sound and my knowledge about music.”

I first came into contact with Mickman’s music through a vocal sample from Terence McKenna about an “ocean of pure, vibrant consciousness” in a mix by Brian “Levitation” Jones. Unaware of the song or sample source, I asked Brian about it. “That's actually part of one of my favorite tracks of all time, “Dissolution” by Mickman,” he wrote me. “This guy is a production tank and every song on his SoundCloud is just fire. He actually doesn't even perform, just an awesome dude who sits in his room cranking out tunes.” That was the Summer of 2015. Just under one year later, Cameron would perform for the first time at a show he and Eric threw in Peoria, IL. It would be the first of many shows that Cam put together himself. 

“I think there’s a curve for people once they really start saying, ‘okay I think I’m onto something.’ You’re becoming a little more comfortable rather than being shy and bashful showing someone your music. That’s when I gave up the notion of, ‘well, I don’t have a musical background.’ That means nothing.”

Cam’s approach to sound design is stripped-down. “Less is more,” he says. Andy, who is still the only producer to officially collaborate with Mickman, touches on this. “Many times we’ll go over a tune and I’ll ask him how he made something sound so cool. It will be the simplest thing like a square wave with some reverb just tweaked in an interesting way. Nothing crazy or complex that takes a lot of time. I think he’s one of those people who is pushing things forward with composition, although he also has great sound design. Composition is one of his strong points.”

His sound design is absolutely ferocious, but as Andy alludes to, it’s Cam’s songwriting that sets him apart. His melodies are straightforward yet infectious. His note relationships are simple but undeniably powerful. His songwriting prowess perhaps shines brightest on Mending the Riven. A primarily downtempo album with just a few dance floor bangers, it finds Cameron experimenting heavily with time signatures and musical ideas. 

Mickman after his performance at Summer Camp Music Festival in 2017 (Credit: Emerald Tide Photography)

“Riven” means torn or split apart violently. I asked Cam what’s been split and how are we mending it. “I feel like it can be interpreted in many ways. If I were to define that myself, I don’t want to take away from anyone else’s interpretation. But in terms of all the definitions of the words mashed together, I definitely think it was one of the more intellectually stimulating things that I did.”

Mickman music has always been full of messages, from the ocean of consciousness in “Dissolution” to songs sampling Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. “In my older music, I was so definitive about the message that I was trying to get across. I still am, but I’ve definitely toned down the deliberate, direct messaging.” One can hear the drop off in vocal samples over time across the Mickman catalog. 

“If you’re trying to convey a message in music, I feel like you can almost get farther with just the intention and idea you have when you’re making it than with the samples and words you’re putting into it. There’s a big power in the subconscious nature of music. I’m trying to leave it more up for interpretation now rather than being like, ‘you’re being lied to and your mind’s being controlled!!’ That’s a little too on the nose,” Cam says with a chuckle, “but I was super big on it back in the day.”

He was willing to share thoughts about “Branch Point” from the album Ether Excerpt when I pressed him. “I think there’s definitely going to be a branch point, a tipping point, a threshold that we cross when there will be a pretty definitive outcome in one way or another. It’s going to either be a nice, fluffy utopian ride in the park or quite literally the exact opposite. The average person that you pull off the side of the street, I don’t know if they’re ready for it. I think they’re more ready for the latter than they are willing to put in the work to make a better outcome.” Macro perspectives like these on the purpose and path of humanity appear constantly in Mickman’s music. 

Hearing Cameron speak about his career from start to finish, it crystallized in my mind at PlayStation just how crazed and obsessive his approach is. Through sleepless nights, countless hours in front of the computer, long car rides, dozens of load-ins and tear-downs, he made his own lane and did so without compromising his ideals. Once I thought back, I remembered past glimpses of his obsession and his undeniable desire for independence.

He performed at a Rust show in the basement at Brooklyn Bazaar in 2017 when he and DeeZ were touring. Eric was on sound and the three of them were carting Cam’s purple Funktion One rig from city to city. Once the show ended at 3:00 am, there was Cameron spry and ready to carry these gigantic subwoofers back up the slim stair set. Earlier this year he played the early arrival party at Solasta Festival in North Carolina, then flew back to Illinois and threw a show in Peoria the next day, essentially without sleeping. “That was a pretty exhausting mental run.”

Mickman performing at Solasta Festival in North Carolina 2019 (Credit: JV Photography)

What motivates this madness? “The whole chute and ladder game, in terms of, ‘you gotta start off small and play in bars, then open for these people, you’ll get a little bit better and a little bit better and then maybe you’ll get on a show that has some pro audio,’ I just put all of that off the table. I was much more interested in curating my own experience rather than being involved in someone else’s…Trying to materialize and manifest my own vision.”

“You’re mighty ambitious, I said to Cam. “I never truly realized how ambitious, because in person you’re a pretty laid back dude.” 

“Move in silence, baby,” he responded. 

“Like lasagna,” I added. 

“Exactly,” he laughed. We toasted. 

Now, Cam’s career is accelerating. He’s playing out more and more frequently, he’s moving upwards on lineups, and he’s become comfortable enough to get a booking agent - Hasan over at Envisioned Arts. It will be fun to watch how Cam’s creativity evolves as the context around that creativity changes. What’s not likely to change? His obsessive, single-minded focus. On top of priceless musical talent painstakingly developed without musical training, it’s his energy and intensity that make Mickman special. “There have been a bunch of different things that I’ve been passionate about in my life that have ebbed and flowed. Then the whole making music thing came into play, and I’ve just never been more sure about something ever.”

FOLLOW Mickman: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

DeeZnauts - Disruptor

DeeZ and Smigonaut are two Boston-dwelling bass mages practiced largely in the crafts of halftime and glitch hop. In the past, the convergence of their sound waves on tracks like “Moonlit Excursions” and “Lost at Sea” has been revelatory. It’s also hinted at the potential for crossover between the two producers while boosting each individual’s signal into the other’s territory. Now, the inevitable has happened. The two have alchemized their labor into a single project and Street Ritual now blesses the world with Disruptor, the first release from the hilariously-named DeeZNauts. This EP - the 150th release from Street Ritual - is fittingly a testament to the evolving sounds of the next generation of electronic enthusiasts.

The title track plays largely to the Smigonaut sound, emphasizing a glitch hop rhythm and swagger, and plunking out a midi melody cobbled from snare rims. The fuzzy distortion on the midbass shines bright as a firm halftime presence. They create a funky time signature and squeeze these sounds into unpredictable shapes, pitches, and patterns. By contrast, the crowded cacophony in “Scale the Perimeter”, while frenetic, is a short-lived two minutes and 20 seconds of tightly-wound go-hard with no wonky side-trips. The track has a distinct DeeZ halftime feel, introducing heavier flow through furious drum breaks. Smigonaut’s influence is felt in the occasional Mario-sounding chiptune throwback.

The truly majestic fusion that illustrates the potential of DeeZNauts appears on lead-off single “Escape Pod”. The contemplative synth wanders through a dark and spacey halftime dub with a quickly shuffling snare pattern, while textural elements are brought to the fore. After ambience is built with wood percussion and echo chambers, the final third drops into a growling space engine that shifts gears and blasts the listener into a different headspace. This track, the most balanced of the bunch, tells its story well. “Observatory”, a collaboration with Hullabalo0, is the wildcard of Disruptor. It presents a smattering of lounging solos in keys and guitar, while a smoky crowd speaks leisurely over a reverb-dipped sax. The rhythm is almost an afterthought, a structure to prop up the smooth jazz experiment with sweet melodies to swim through while soft fuzz'n'pop moments resonate with a vinyl nostalgia.

With Disruptor, DeeZNauts establishes itself as a new force of bass magic, a stunning challenge to co-create your art with neighboring aesthetics, and a testament to the influence the pair of producers have on one another. This EP is a brilliantly curated listen that emphasizes every element of the combination in turn, speaking its story in a scant four tracks but wasting no time. Armed with a diverse spell book of new music and a name sure to elicit laughs when read off a lineup, DeeZ and Smigonaut declare here their continued commitment to the craft and culture.

FOLLOW DeeZNauts: Soundcloud / Facebook

FOLLOW DeeZ:   Bandcamp  /  Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Instagram

FOLLOW Smigonaut:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Twitter   /   Instagram

DeeZ - Data Splatta [Premiere]

Leading left-field bass music producer DeeZ is set to self-release a new four-track EP called Data Splatta this Thursday, September 20. DeeZ aka Andy Widdecomb has earned a reputation over the years by continually refining a raw, speaker-splitting sound that stomps around between dubstep, psy, and hip-hop. Data Splatta finds DeeZ again honing in on these signature vibrations, though with more ferocity and abandon than ever before. Today, the producer offers the title track “Data Splatta” as a first taste of the full release.

Strange Matter, the most recent EP from DeeZ, was an experiment for the producer that drifted into downtempo and atypical uptempo arrangements. He doesn’t lose that unique, alien attitude on Data Splatta, but it’s not as startling this time around. DeeZ has aligned himself more with the experimental fringes of bass music in the past year. As such, beats so severely broken and run through with ambitious synthesis are no longer out of character for the producer.

“Data Splatta” displays the dominant sound across this EP - a package of bass so wide and expansive in the stereo spread that it commands attention. The moist but grainy texture of the synthesizers, stacked on top of sub bass, produce an aural representation of complex and valuable data that’s been corrupted. The drums are crisp as always. The percussive arrangements are simple but not shallow, allowing the melodic lines to take full control of the listener’s headspace. Once digested, these melodic lines, massive chunks of synthesis, will leave listeners with a full belly.

During our interview with DeeZ from Elements Lakewood Music & Arts Festival this summer, we touched on the producer’s tireless work ethic. It’s that extra studio time, those extra micro-edits, that attention to detail which brings forth these cutting-edge sound designs. If there’s one thing the EP could use more of, though, it’s swing. Perhaps one can learn through practice and hard work to swing the drums just right, though perhaps not. Data Splatta has a touch of swing, particularly on “Who The”, but a touch more would give DeeZ’s sound that irresistible primal movement that can get lost amidst more technical achievements.

Still, Data Splatta is one release not to skip over in the constant stream of new, innovative bass music. Few producers achieve the sheer girth of sound DeeZ can. Just ensure that you’re data is backed up before buying Data Splatta, as this filthy EP is liable to corrupt it.

FOLLOW DeeZ:   Bandcamp  /  Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Instagram

Elements Lakewood Music & Arts Festival - DeeZ [Interview]

Despite dreary early afternoon rain Andy Widdecomb aka DeeZ did at Elements Lakewood Music & Arts Festival what he always does - throw down. For the second straight year Andy helped lead a thorough cast of bass musicians into Lakewood, Pennsylvania or BangOn! NYC's raucous camping festival. Elements Lakewood was the first in a string of festival performances for DeeZ. It caught him fresh off his second annual tour with Mickman, which saw the the pair of producers lug a Funktion One sound rig from city to city, into and out of basements and venues, to play their unique roughneck bass music. 

Andy grew up in Maine and now resides in Boston. He’s known for hard beats in the dubstep and drum and bass wheelhouse and vicious side-swiping sound design. Beyond the crisp color and sheer edge of his music, what distinguishes DeeZ is his work ethic. He’s what you would call a producer’s producer, admired by his peers for doing all the little things right. His mix-downs are meticulous, his mastering skills continue to improve, and he pays acute attention to detail. “He’s got it going on, and people are going to get hip to it soon,” says Jake Maxfield, a fellow bass producer and Bostonian. “He needs a tipping point. But its going to happen. He’s writing great music and he's working harder on it than anyone I really know. And thats what it really takes.” 

DeeZ is indeed one of the hardest working dudes in bass business, and he brought brought the fruits of labors to Elements Lakewood for all to enjoy. Highlights from his set included cuts from his latest EP Strange Matter, fat remixes of Beardthug, Phers and Smigonaut, and an unreleased remix of Tsimba’s “Sendai”. He also brought a killer attitude and left with a great appreciation for the event. “I love the different vibes that are cultivated here,” he said in the cool shade of his campsite canopy as we rested before a much anticipated set from Stickybuds. “This morning going down to the Water Stage it’s drinks on the beach, people are boating around, house music, it’s early and everybody’s vibing. Then you go down a little further to the Air Stage in the woods and people have their hammocks set up. Such good vibes.”

Andy’s been at the production grindstone for years. Besides his talent with the decks and DAWs, he’s got a nascent desire to be involved in event production. “There’s talks in the future of collaborating [with Mickman, whom DeeZ grew up with] on some land, and getting a stage installed there with some Funktions and doing an intimate festival.” The Air Stage was his preferred setting at Elements Lakewood. “Just that little area alone is almost the size of an event that I would like to start off with. Something in the woods; dancefloor, treehouses, installations. That’s where I grew up, in Maine in the woods, so that’s my vibe.”

The producer's appreciation for Elements Lakewood wasn't limited to the stage designs and the diverse vibes. “All the house music at the Fire Stage is so cool. House was the first thing that I really got into. Before I know about bass music, dubstep, or anything like that it was just house music;  tech house, minimal house, pretty much anything.” Elements did well to merge different audiences from the house and bass music worlds; two communities that interact less and less these days. “That was uncommon in Maine. I think the scene’s a little smaller there so it’s not big enough for those sounds to separate."

Much to our surprise, Andy floated the idea of a house music side project in the future, or at least a couple house tunes under the DeeZ project. Indeed, four on the floor music with DeeZ sound design would be formidable. But how does he achieve the vicious broken beat grooves that he’s currently rocking with? For one, he’s been utilizing a technique lately that many premier sound designers are keen on, which is to separate sound design sessions from composition. “It’s a game changer,” Andy says. “It allows you to transcend the boundaries of your own imagination. You basically make these long audio samples of bass patterns and filter movements. Then you have this random stuff and you build out the structure of your tune and start placing the chunks of that big audio file. Almost like pieces to a puzzle. Scrolling through these audio files and arranging these little bits, you find things that you would have never thought of.”

We were close to wrapping up our long conversation under Andy’s EZ-Up in the shade of evening outside the West Village at Elements Lakewood when he almost jumped off the inflatable couch to communicate some news he almost forgot. Andy’s been collaborating with Smigonaut on a set of new tunes which the producers anticipate releasing under a new project name. Smigonaut is a bass wizard in his own right whose strength lies particularly in his melodious and learned approach to composition. A fusion of Smigonaut song writing and DeeZ sound design, or vice versa of course, as these gentleman are multi-talented, is a tremendously exciting prospect. What could their combined energies sound like? Time will certainly tell. 

Perhaps the simplest but most profound pleasure of Elements Lakewood for Andy was the simple fact of being there. The man works tirelessly and spends countless hours in the studio. Getting out to the music festival is as refreshing for him as for any attendee, he implied. “I always liked music festivals even before I was a producer. But now that I’m getting older and becoming more resistant to going out and partying, it’s good to be booked for something like this and sort of force myself to enjoy the weekend, relax, and see friends. We all need that.” Indeed we do. “We all want to work really hard and achieve our goals, but if you just grind yourself into the ground….” His voice tails off for a moment as a quad rumbles past on the dirt road behind him followed by the voices of happy people. “The breaks are important.” 

FOLLOW DeeZ:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Facebook   /   Instagram

FOLLOW Elements Music & Arts Festival:   Elements Lakewood   /   Elements NYC   /   Facebook   /   Instagram

Mickman & DeeZ - Invaders [Single]

Mickman and DeeZ each channel their prolific sound engineering ability into "Invaders", an absolute wipeout of a song self-released as the pair prepare to take the United States on their second tour together in as many years. Both producers have outdone themselves here, linking up to push out some of their gnarliest energy and cleanest sound design yet. 

These two go back a bit. In 2013 when they released their first collaboration "Kindred Junket", Andy Widdecomb aka DeeZ was performing under another name and Cameron Ingraham aka Mickman had yet to release his first album Square One. Their second effort came a couple years later as "Schism", an ode to the double-speak of former President Richard Nixon. DeeZ is the most frequent collaborator with Mickman. Well, he's actually the only collaborator with Mickman, at least on a tune that's been made public (besides some cuts by FCW on "Dissolution"). 

The pair appear to be kindred spirits, musically at least. Their styles gel so fluently on this cut. "Invaders" has the Mickman sway, a syncopated groove of hip-hop drums and stinging, interrogatory synthesis that can turn a mind inside out. Except here the synth work leverages DeeZ's sound design, known to be obscene and potentially illegal in Singapore. The mastering, too, was a collaborative effort. 

For an opportunity to hear this live on Funktion One sound, grab tickets to their New York City tour stop presented by The Rust Music with support from Jizzy Fra and Wiseyoungfool. The action gets underway at 9:00pm at Brooklyn Bazaar on Thursday, April 19. If you're too far away or just deadass don't like the smell of New York CIty, they're also up in Chattanooga, Boston, Philadelphia and Maine. The thought of these performances can make one's blood boil. The craftsmanship live and on the record from these two has been grown in bounds since they first hit the road together last year. They're riding the ferocious cutting edge of bass music, and there's no put on - it's all delivery. 

FOLLOW Mickman:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Facebook 

FOLLOW DeeZ:   Bandcamp  /  Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Instagram

DeeZ - Strange Matter

Forces exist that we cannot see. “Strange" matter, for example, is a strain of matter made of quarks, and thought to occur at extremely high temperatures in the core of neutron stars. Within this “liquid” substance the familiar structure of matter is disrupted. 

The composition space of Andy Widdecomb aka DeeZ is rumored to produce extremely high temperatures, and today strange matter is flowing from that space in the form of an extended-play bass music release. The four-track Strange Matter EP represents the more experimental side of DeeZ music, complete with 'delic vibes and a taste of live instrumentation. This of course doesn’t preclude the presence of DeeZ’s characteristic curdling sound design. Rather, Strange Matter finds the Boston-based producer covering new ground by couching that aggressive sound design in subdued downtempo atmospheres.

The off-kilter “Hootenanny” has a unique drum arrangement that sidelines the traditional kick-snare go-to. Resonant, thumping tom drums parlay with a set of snaps, bells and other high-end percussive pattering to create a rich tribal stomp. Strange matter enters the fray in the form of a bass synthesizer with great girth and dimension, engulfing the listener as it drops into and out of the mix. The complex cut “Tangent” lets 808 drum chops and vague vocal samples echo through open space beneath a whirling low-frequency oscillator (LFO). The listener is warned that such a combination could be “hazardous to the average”, but persevere and you will be rewarded with a barrage of samurai sword sound design. While it strikes hard, this impressive synth display does not consume, but sinks into, the mellow and closefisted vibe of the song.

“Mullen’s Bog” featuring Smigonaut offers the most meditative moment on Strange Matter, “meditative” being an adjective we could scarcely conceive using to describe DeeZ music until now. The melody is metronomic, and the notes reverberate against the outer edges of the stereo spread, surrounding the listener in a breathable atmosphere. Glitches that splatter like running water or chirp like birds give the soundscape a life-like character. Subtle sub-bass wafts across this atmosphere, playing the background for a squelchy synthesizer that is abrupt but not overwhelming. Plucked guitar strings appear from the ether. These are Smigonaut’s surprising contribution to the track, multi-instrumentalist that he is. The guitar's melody is delicate, but at its melodic climax DeeZ thrusts it forward with prominence into his otherwise aqueous mix. It’s a powerful moment, and reminiscent of Lux & Indivisible Inc., a group that offers early examples of the enchanting sonic spaces created when glitch and guitar overlap. 

The wide but widely unknown world of physics sparked Andy's imagination as he produced this new set of tunes. “The idea of these obscure areas of physics that we don't really understand is inspiring for me,” he says. “There's this unknown layer to existence that we have yet to uncover.” Similarly there are layers of the electronic music spectrum yet to be uncovered. Fortunately, DeeZ and other daring scientific minds can continue to lead us, and themselves, into the unknown. Stay chooned. 

FOLLOW DeeZ:   Bandcamp  /  Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Instagram

Deez ft. Frequency Fodder - Juice [Premiere]

It's fitting that we cap our coverage of the compilation Neurons Vol. 1 from Elemental Minded Promotions (EMP) by premiering "Juice"  by DeeZ featuring Frequency Fodder. DeeZ, formerly known as Satori and going by Andy Widdecomb by day, mastered all 11 tracks on the compilation. Frequency Fodder, a friend of Andy's with mega modular synth capabilities, is a relative newcomer whose contributions to this track leave us looking for more of his work. 

"Juice" is led by a wonky piece of synthesis that sounds once like a psychedelic talkbox, and again like the shuffling of a metallic deck of cards. Distinct and mastered to crystal clarity, it offers a unique tingle for the ear. According to Andy, the pair recorded an hour of audio with Frequency Fodder's Eurorack modular synth rig, which Andy then chopped and arranged into the squelchy, maneuvering delight you hear in the track. 

Having worked with Elemental Minded Promotions for over three years, DeeZ is a pillar of the EMP family. Years ago, Andy struggled to juggle work, production and performing, a dilemma faced by countless musicians and not an easy one to remedy. It was at this time that Tyler Hettel, EMP founder, began managing DeeZ. "It was great timing and really helped me continue moving forward," Andy says. 

For over five years Andy has been practicing the art of mastering music. "I started doing it for two reasons," he says. "One, because I needed to put rough masters on tunes that weren't finished in order to play them live, and two, I wanted to have a better understanding of how it works." Putting a glossy veneer on complex bass frequencies is no small challenge, but it's one Andy has risen to.

The practice also informed his production process. "When I first started, I would notice problems in the mixdowns of my tunes when compressing/limiting them. Now that I know these things cause issues when the tune is mastered, I try to keep these common problems in mind when producing."

For his part, Frequency Fodder is a self-described "Eurocrack fiend", alluding to his synthesizer setup and an apparent addiction to it. You can see and hear more of this rig through some absolutely jamming clips on Frequency Fodder's Instagram, linked below.

We can apparently expect more collaboration from these two in the future. This is great news, as after a few listens to their contribution on Neurons Vol. 1, it's clear who's got the juice at the moment. 

FOLLOW DeeZ:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook    /   Instagram   /   Twitter

FOLLOW Frequency Fodder:   Youtube   /   Instagram