Jade Cicada and Tenorless Release Full Featherbed Set (Video + Interview)

With Covid-19 making its way across the planet, the global societal response and shutdown has been unprecedented and massive by any comparison. In the United States, the last two months have seen a mottled patchwork of stay-at-home regulations and social distancing enforcement across the nation, and the landscape of concert production is in a particular state of freefall. Amidst tour, event, and festival cancellations and postponements from all sides of the music industry stretching into the indefinite future, musicians, DJ’s, VJ’s, and other content creators have been forced into an altered paradigm. With so much of the population mandated to stay at home, and with no avenues for full-scale live concerts to go on in the foreseeable future, the only consistently viable way to access fans, friends, and social music experiences has been through the internet. Thankfully, gamers, bloggers, knowledge enthusiasts, and general content streamers have been utilizing platforms like Twitch, Discord, VRChat and YouTube to reach their audience for the better part of the last 15 years, working out the kinks on internet tech that we now rely on to stay in musical motion. The switch from the stage to the stream was only momentarily jarring for the electronic music community at large, with some movers and shakers having already been developing/operating their own stream series’ and services for a number of years (we’re looking at you, LostInSound). 

However, as the inevitable saturation of the medium takes hold for appreciators and creators of electronic music alike, the question of fiscal security and the material value of unreleased music becomes the center of the conversation. Donations have been somewhat of a financial bedrock for artists who engage through streaming, but it’s long term efficacy as a purely donation-based system is unquestionably doubtful. Some have been experimenting with pay-per-view systems, and others have been rolling out larger inclusive digital packages of recorded concerts and memorabilia. Regardless of the methodology, the underlying want to strike a survivable balance between instant, unfettered global reach and financial sustainment is no less than pervasive.

As the wider community has rallied around this new format of music appreciation, immersion, and consumption, The Rust Music began the Featherbed Sessions in order to provide a direct platform for content creators to engage with fans old and new. Nearly two weeks ago, we teamed up with Jade Cicada and Tenorless to craft a meticulous, explorative musical and visual experience. Enlisting the additional firepower of Detox Unit and Theron Prey, Resonant Language and DRO1D, Smigonaut and The Void, Base2 and Steven Haman, and Schmoop and Cullen Hassel, each pairing crafted a curated DJ set in line with a specific theme. From Jade’s cinematic expedition, to Smigonaut’s jazzified jaunt, to Base2’s classic downbeat throwback set, the entire six hour experience made for an emulsified journey into the inspirations and deep selections of a team of top calibre music and visual producers.

Their combined creative energies were aimed at raising funds for Direct Relief, a non-profit organization putting fresh Personal Protective Equipment into action across hospitals and emergency rooms in the United States. In the aftermath of the evening, Featherbed Sessions VI raised nearly $8,000 in donations, reaching the screens of over 21,000 people across the globe. While those numbers are cause to celebrate in their own right, the pot gets even sweeter; Jade Cicada and Tenorless have decided to release their full hour set in perpetuity, and have gone on the record discussing a bit of the process behind developing their curated Featherbed installation. 

You can find the set broken down track by track in this Spotify Playlist

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Jade Cicada

The Rust: What was the process for deciding the musical direction of the evening? Did you know who you'd want off the bat?

 Jade Cicada: I consider everyone on this lineup to be some of my best friends. I talk to pretty much all of them every day, so they were obviously the first people who came to mind. I also have a really small private discord group with producer homies, and I asked all of them to see who was down. I really trust their abilities and their tastes, and we all discussed directions for each other’s sets together.

 The Rust: Why choose to go with DJ sets? 

 Jade Cicada: With so many people in isolation, I basically wanted to curate a really diverse evening with tons of new artists for listeners to latch onto. I hoped that this would expand the crowd’s horizons beyond just bass music. That’s why we included full tracklists and Spotify playlists, in the hopes that people would go out and support these artists with a stream, a follow, a purchase, etc. Which sort of segues into the state of the music industry right now. The music industry has been constantly shafting artists over time. Gigs became the musician’s main source of income, and the best way to present new material to people. Streams tend to further de-value original content because it’s free for everyone who doesn’t feel like donating. I feel that if everyone is constantly doing streams, relying on donations, and playing loads of unreleased original material, it runs the risk of further devaluing the art that they put so much time and effort into.

 The Rust: Can you speak about some of the inspirations behind your ambient performance?

 Jade Cicada: My first true musical love was classical music, and that’s always really stuck with me. So as soon as I started to discover these cinematic ambient type producers, I was in awe. Combining awesome sound design, fantastic sound staging and imagery, felt piano, strings, and beautiful chord progressions and melodies really hits me emotionally more than any other genre of music I’ve ever heard. I try to incorporate a lot of these elements into my own music, and you might notice I tend to begin and end a lot of my original sets in this manner. I never get the chance to do a purely harmony and melody driven set, mainly because I simply don’t have an hour to fill with original cinematic ambient tunes yet. All the music that I played has touched me deeply and inspired me in one way or another, and I hoped it would do the same for the listeners in this time of uncertainty.

 The Rust: Can you talk about the charity you selected to receive the donated funds from the event?

 Jade Cicada: Pretty much all you hear about during this whole situation is how incredibly unprepared our government was for this kind of event. We wanted to find a way to support the medical community who desperately needs the PPE to continue to save lives. We also took a vote in The Swarm to see what charity fans would be most willing to support, and the fans decided PPE for medical professionals. That was my first choice as well.

 The Rust: What is the benefit of curating experiences for live streams versus curating experiences for concerts?

 Jade Cicada: Well, typically when I’m curating a concert there’s a lot more people involved, and a lot of the work gets passed onto other people. I basically discuss with my manager who I’d like to have out for the event, and he’ll make all the moves contacting those artists’ agents. With this live stream, it was pretty much me and Joe (Tenorless) overseeing everyone, and trying to manage artists is kind of a nightmare (big ups to all the managers out there dealing with us lol). Making sure 12 different people are all on schedule and have everything finished on time is super stressful. I much prefer curating live concerts because all I need to do is look out for myself and focus on my own set, and let my manager handle the rest. There are some nice things about live streams though. I really enjoyed being able to sit down and watch everyone’s sets. I’m never able to do that at curated concerts for one reason or another. It was also really touching to see people’s reactions in chat. It’s one thing to see people jumping around in the crowd having a good time from a distance, it’s another to see people’s thoughts in real time. It was really quite beautiful to experience everyone’s stream of consciousness as the night progressed, and see how happy and thankful everyone was. It was also hilarious to see people complaining during music that made them uncomfortable, and the confusion when my set had hardly any beats.

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Tenorless

 The Rust: How often do you get to handle the musical material before the performance itself?

Tenorless: Not often. There’s been a few performances where i get to sit down with the musician beforehand and plan things out, but the majority of the time i'm just as clueless as the audience as to what song comes next.

The Rust: What kinds of choices do you make when creating a visual experience in the studio versus on the stage?

Tenorless: On stage I have to strategize and make split second decisions on what content to drop when during a performance. With this set I had about a week, so I was able to make those same decisions over a much longer timeframe and put more intention into the final product. I think there’s a sort of magic to live performance in general that can’t be replaced, but by making this at home I had time to edit footage like a movie and match the cinematic soundtrack Skyler put together.

The Rust: How do you source your non-original material? 

Tenorless: I’ve recently started incorporating art from the public domain in my work, so much high quality, freely remixable content can be found by exploring online art archives. For example, in this set I used plant illustrations from an old japanese science journal, reference tables from a 1700’s encyclopedia called cyclopædia, and stock footage of natural landscapes to blend with digital textures. Other than this, the set was 100% original content. 

The Rust: Can you talk about the charity you selected to receive the donated funds from the event?

Tenorless: PPE for medical staff is a need that is constantly increasing as this crisis continues, and our country's hospitals are getting hit especially hard. So many medical staff across the nation are on the frontline every day fighting the pandemic, and without proper protective equipment they are forced to put themselves at even greater risk. Direct Relief’s response to COVID-19 has been incredibly impressive, by tackling medical supply chain issues through GIS maps and demographic research they ensure the protective gear they provide gets sent to areas that are expected to need it most. The more well-thought out a non-profit’s strategy is, the more efficiently they use their donations to reach their goals, so this played a big factor in choosing Direct Relief.

The Rust: What is the benefit of curating experiences for live streams versus curating experiences for concerts?

Tenorless: When making visuals for concerts the format is fairly set in stone, the musician plays an hour of music on stage, i provide an hour of visuals behind them. If we are playing a venue we follow the same tried and true system of experiencing live performance that has been around since the early days of theater. Though this system works rather well, it naturally begins to metamorphose once the factor of physical space is removed. There isn’t currently a standard format for live streaming music, which can lead to many unique outcomes: last month I went to an incredible concert in minecraft, this weekend i'm watching friends play a dome show in VRChat. I think what excites me most about the internet at the moment are the artists who are taking this opportunity of social distancing to push the boundaries of how audiovisual art is traditionally consumed.

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 As the progression of the world’s state of lockdown remains in flux, there’s no clear consensus on when we will be able to gather in our traditional massives, burns, clubs, and parties. The question of survival for musicians, visual producers, and their innumerable supporting crews is fresh on our minds and in our conversations, but the resilience of the community at large has proved to be undeniably potent. As the acclimation to a future even more deeply rooted in digital mediums and instant access takes hold, the live music experience is undergoing a 21st-century revolution, and acts like Jade Cicada and Tenorless are taking the opportunity to redefine their approach to delivering their creative visions to the hearts, minds, eyes, and ears of their respective fans and friends. While we’re all still gathering our bearings in this period of uncertainty, our ability to navigate this new paradigm will hopefully strengthen day by day, bringing on new and exciting experiences in the wake of new and turbulent challenges. 

FOLLOW Jade Cicada: Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Tenorless: Facebook / Instagram

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

Detox Unit Talks Breakbeats & Breakfast Ahead of JadeStation

On October 26th, Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman, and 5AM are set to present the deepest dive into bass music yet in 2019 in New York City. As we gear up for this Saturday’s spectacle, we took a moment to catch up with an old acquaintance on his recent exploits and experiments.

Joseph Roberts, aka Detox Unit, has been surging through the ranks of contemporary producers, and 2019 has been his biggest year to date. This summer saw him in headlining slots across the festival circuit in the U.S, including Solasta Festival, Yonderville Music and Arts Festival, and Quasar Festival. Lately he’s been in cahoots with Cullen Hassel, an Arkansas-based visual producer, and together they’ve taken the Detox Unit experience into vibrant and immersive new territory. They’ll be teaming up together once again this weekend, showcasing a bevy of new content, routines, and brain-splattering combinations.

Detox Unit at Yonderville Music and Art Festival (credit: Dark One Photography)

For a producer with such  a dedicated, on-the-ground following, Roberts has released surprisingly little music. His series of “Recent Works” mixes is the largest view into his studio catalog, with his actual EPs being even sparser. This tightlipped, frugal approach keeps Roberts a step ahead of the game; You have to catch him live to catch the music. It’s partially why he’s so prized on the touring circuit, rinsing a revolving treasure trove of VIP’s, bootlegs, and spicy, unreleased cuts. Because of the intrigue around his project, we felt the need to poke and prod his brain a bit more. We last corresponded with Joe in 2017 after a Brooklyn performance supporting Jade Cicada. As JadeStation approaches, it felt like the proper time to finally catch up with him again, this time about breaks, production, life on the road, and breakfast necessities.

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The Rust: What inspired you to begin producing and playing out break beats lately?

Joseph: It's always been something I've done on the side. Breaks, more specifically of the 123-138 BPM variety, have always resonated with me. When it's good it's equal parts hip-hop and drum n bass both at their wrong tempos. It’s the intricacy and wild sound design of bass music combined with the infectious groove of house. When I lived in Austin, Texas, it was quite common to catch me playing breaks all night at an after party. The recent push I've been making with the breakbeat sound has been something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and with the momentum I've got going it just felt right. There was a certain type of sound that was being pushed from 1999-2005 and I think our dance floors are missing it dearly. My aim with all this is to bring that style back with modern production for the discerning listener. I absolutely love all the heavy sound-design-laden, hip-hop type music we're all pushing right now, but that has always felt like head-nod, arm throwing music, whereas breaks have been a full body dancing experience for me. With all that said, I by no means intend to change styles, and you can expect plenty more heavy hip- hop infused bangers.

The Rust: What are the ingredients for your ideal drum break? Are there any sounds or instruments you’re especially fond of?

Joseph: Excellent question! A good drum break is essential to a groovy tune, and I spend a lot of time trying to source mine or make my own. Lately I've been trying to find old sample CD's from the early 2000s, before online sample packs were a thing. What I like to look for in a drum break first and foremost is vibe. It's hard to describe, but certain breaks just have this dusty airiness to them, and the drums hits will just flow one into another. It needs to have a certain level of crustiness mixed with attitude. Drum breaks that have little snippets of vocals in them are especially delightful, such as the classic "Think Break". Good groove and swing on the back beat snares is another thing I look for, they really help keep the beat flowing between the main snares and kicks. Lately I've been trying to create my own drum breaks to use in my tunes using simulation drum kits in Kontakt. “Obscure” is an example of a tune where I've done this. I still have a long way to go in this area - the vibey bit I was talking about earlier is especially hard to recreate, but I enjoy the challenge.

The Rust: Can you talk to us about the process behind the breakbeat tune "Vibrate" on your last EP? 

Joseph: That tune was actually a rather last minute addition to the EP. I had the release pretty much ready to go by the end of April, and sort of on an impulse decided I should include another track to make it more of a showcase of the different styles I can make. I probably put more individual focus on this tune than any other ones in the EP and wound up rewriting it a few times during May. It originally started out sounding far more like a psychedelic Detroit electro tune and went through a few iterations until it sounded more like a slow Nu Skool Breakbeat tune. A few elements in the track, including the "Melinda" vocal sample - which is just a recording of me pitched down - come from an old breakbeat tune that I wrote in 2016 called "Dimensional Sound" but never saw release. I did my best to make the track both a nod to the past and an indication of the future.

The Rust: By our count, this Playstation Theater gig will be your fourth in New York City. How are you feeling about this one compared to the others?

Joseph: This will be the biggest and best one to date, hands down. All the bells and whistles are being brought out for this one. Everyone on the bill is bringing their A-game, from the VJ's to the producers, the sound guys and production staff, right down to every wonderful person on the dance floor. It's going to be one for the books without a doubt. My other shows in NYC have all been great, but I feel this is the first one where we're really combing over the details down to the smallest bit to make sure it is a quality experience for all.

The Rust. You're from Scarsdale just north of New York City. Any words of advice, cautionary tales, food recommendations or other tips for fans traveling from afar?

Joseph: Scarsdale born and raised, I think I have some old friends from high school that will be making it out to the show. Playing shows in New York has always been an interesting feeling for me, as I didn't touch music production until I moved away, so it always feels like touching on an old chapter of my life - a chapter that had much better bagels. I highly recommend anyone coming in who hasn't been to NYC to go to one of those corner shop bodega delis and get a breakfast sandwich. Your life will be changed. Riding the subway is also something that should not be skipped, it is an experience in and of itself. 

The Rust: What kind of preparation do you do for your sets? Do you strive for a ratio between original productions and DJ selections? 

Joseph: Lately I have not been doing much prep at all in the traditional sense for my gigs. I essentially spend up until the day of flying out working on new tunes to play out at the show. I typically don't start working on my set until I'm on the plane and usually finish it up at the hotel the night before and morning of the show. It may be a bit last minute by some peoples standards, but I like it and it allows me to bring more new music to my sets than I would've otherwise. 

I keep my DJ setup very straight forward so set prep is just a matter of figuring out what tunes to play and when, and I figure out all the transitions while I am up there. I try to keep my sets mostly original, and for the past year I have been averaging about 26 tunes a set, and usually 22-23 of those will be original. The remaining ones will be homies tunes or some random producer I am hyped on, sometimes a cheeky drum n bass tune here and there. For this upcoming NYC show I will be doing an all original set. 

The Rust: You've had a busy summer. What have been some highlights? On the flip side, has your schedule worn at you all? 

Joseph: You can say that again. Between all the summer festivals, Burning Man, moving to a new house, and all these fall/winter gigs, it's been quite a ride. I would say Solasta was the absolute highlight of my summer, with Burning Man coming in at a close second. The homie levels at Solasta were just off the charts, and it was just an absolute pleasure being involved. This summer was also my first time at Burning Man, and I could go on for hours about that, but honestly you should just go and experience it for yourself. I've never been this busy in my life and it's amazing, but on the flip side stress and exhaustion have been reaching an all time high. It's really just a matter of learning how to prioritize healthy habits and time management in an ever-decreasing bubble of free time. I am still learning how to balance my life so it’s been a bit of a struggle keeping up with everything, but it’s all a part of the journey. A lot of creative inspiration comes from the struggle and it's one of the things that keeps me going.

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Purchase tickets to Jadestation here

FOLLOW Detox Unit: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

JadeStation: The Last Great Electronic Gig at Playstation Theater

The cream of the crop in contemporary US glitch-hop - Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Mickman and 5AM - will soon share the stage together on October 26th at the PlayStation Theater in Times Square. Joining them are four supremely talented VJs, some of whom have become intimately associated with this music: Steven Haman, Cullen Hassel, Tenorless and Dr01d. A full-force Funktion One sound system will tie it all together. This will be the last great electronic show at Playstation Theater before it closes its doors at the end of 2019.

There’s a delightful feeling in the air over this event, a sense of alignment. It feels right. A new generation of stand-out producers will ascend to the main stage to curate a new kind of vibe. It’s a fitting end for a venue that always held it down for New York’s electronic community and served as a germination station for many psychedelic electronic passions. 

During the formative years of my own journey with electronic music when my feelings toward the culture were moving from enthusiastic to obsessive, most of the biggest and best shows I went to were at Playstation, which was then called the Best Buy Theater. From the annual Gramatik runs to STS9’s Fall tour appearances to Tipper’s return to New York in January 2015, I and those who came up around me spent many memorable nights in that blue, subterranean space. 

During the formative years of my own journey with electronic music, most of the biggest and best shows I went to were at Playstation, which was then called the Best Buy Theater.

What some consider to be the theater’s “slightly awkward design” I always found as novel. To enter the theater, you ride down a double-flight of escalators. It gave me the sensation of truly entering another place, somewhere set apart that was dimly lit, loud, and exciting. I knew my friends would be running around and that the opportunity to make new connections was ever-present. Times Square might be the place every true New Yorker avoids like the plague, but at least it’s accessible by public transit unlike some other big *cough* Avant Gardner *cough* venues.

Each producer has great history in New York City, as we’ve highlighted before here and here. Almost a year ago, they each performed in the city on the same night, with 5AM, Detox Unit and Jade Cicada supporting Tipper and Kings Theater and Mickman slinging at our afterparty with Sermon. Before that, they were headlining small clubs in Brooklyn. And so October 26th will be a crescendo of sorts: a great leap forward for Jade Cicada and his cohorts and a fitting way to close the books on an endearing venue. 

Tickets / RSVP

Jade Cicada Channels Melody & Harmony on Little Creatures EP

Reaching back to the harmony-centric compositions that first put one of bass music’s most venerable arthropods on the map, Jade Cicada channels vivacious moods and melodies in Little Creatures. The release comes on the back of an extensive spate of summertime shows throughout the U.S. and abroad, and ahead of his widely anticipated headlining NYC performance in just over a month. Throughout the last three years, Jade Cicada has proven his skillset in music production and engineering many times over, cultivating a carefully curated blend of high fidelity music, and commanding frenzied crowds through total sonic domination. Taking a step back from his intense, low-end saturated music, Little Creatures is a vibrant and refreshing expansion on the compositional richness of Jade’s catalog.

Right from the jump, there’s the casual, approachable quality to Little Creatures that made us fall in love with Jade’s debut work, Eolian Oms. The sound design staples and undeniable audio quality are in line with his other releases, but the overall atmosphere of this EP is in stark contrast with his prior collection, Fish Juice. Eschewing ripping bass lines and high-octane synthesis, Little Creatures is a stereophonic blend of careful chord progressions and meticulous arrangement.

“Little Creatures”, the title track, opens the door to this entrancing listening experience, inviting eager ears to relax amongst the gradual swell of chords and audio artifacts. It’s a potent take on the lo-fi, bit-crushed textures that Jade is so fond of, but with a high quality twist. The rhythm stays pocketed throughout the duration of the track, teetering towards a casual head nod, save for the fibrous synthesis leading the composition.

Ramping up the intensity, “Ghost Blood” is a moody journey into stereo space. A plethora of glitches and atmospheric reverb surround pulsing leads, with gradual saturation bursting through the available frequency space. It’s as much a percussive journey as it is a melodious one, with all manners of clicks, pops, and transient smacks enriching the foundation of the song. Every sound and movement drives the arrangement through its emotional paces, culminating in a saucy, glitched-out meltdown.

“Olivia’s Theme”, a collaborative piece with Schmoop, is a spacious take on melancholy scales and delicate tones. The saturated lead synths carefully plucks along for the duration of the song, drifting along as washy textures and percussive glitches fold in and out of phase. The stereo mixing here is precise, with every tone getting more than enough room to breath whilst still pushing significant decibels.

Wrapping up the EP, “Komorebi” is the peak of intensity for the entire release. Translated from Japanese as “Sunbeams”, komorebi is the interplay of light rays shining through forest canopies. The song is a weighty, hypnotic wave of frequencies and harmony. Chunky stabs of FM synthesis carry the melody, riding in parallel with massive kicks and snares. Arpeggios and shredded textures fill the spaces between the main chord progression, just as sunlight fills the vacant space between treetops and foliage, giving the track a remarkably full palette of sounds and tones.

At this point in his career Jade Cicada has amassed a righteous collection of original music. He’s gone directly for quality with every release, choosing to present only the best of his productions into the public realm. It’s paid off quite nicely, given that any track in the Cicada catalog is certain to give audiophiles a run for their money. Little Creatures is an especially fidelity-driven record, showcasing some of the best iterations of Jade’s musicality. Next month on October 26th, Jade Cicada will undoubtedly rinse through some of Little Creature’s brightest moments alongside Detox Unit, Mickman, and 5AM at the famed Playstation Theater. In the short time between now and then, we’re going to be eagerly digesting this new EP in anticipation of this bodacious evening.

FOLLOW Jade Cicada: Soundcloud / Spotify / Bandcamp / Facebook

Purchase Tickets to Jade Cicada at Playstation Theater

Psy-Fi Festival Brings Best of International Bass to Netherlands

Psy-Fi Festival main stage seen from above (Credit: Mushroom Magazine)

On one stage this Summer you can catch some of the best in American bass music from Jade Cicada, CharlestheFirst and Bogtrotter, international OGs like Hedflux, Rumpistol and Ott, and a living legend like Solar Fields; the Chill Out stage at Psy-Fi Festival: Seeds of Science, returning in its seventh year to Leeuwarden, Netherlands this weekend, August 28 to September 1.

As one of the larger transformational psytrance festivals in Europe, Psy-Fi has drawn people from 114 different countries. They come for good reason. According to the festival’s website, Psy-Fi invites “most of the best known live acts and dj's” to perform. That’s absolutely true of the Chill Out stage. They’re hosting the worldwide vanguard in psychedelic bass from Bluetech and Hedflux to Kalya Scintilla, Kaya Project, Bumble and ATYYA. Most of the performances from artists based in the United States, including MALAKAI and Schmoop, are European debuts.

Fully developed, highly produced chill out stages are less common stateside than they are internationally. They’re really a product of the trance scene, but there’s few psytrance festivals in the states. How does it work from a booking perspective or from an experiential perspective? The UK producer Steve Young aka Hedflux, one of the more well-traveled Chill Out stage performers at Psy-Fi, breaks it down this way:

In the trance world, chill essentially means “anything but trance.” Sometimes it's referred to as the "alternative" stage since it's not necessarily always chilled out. As a DJ you generally have free license to play whatever you want, whether it’s more sit-down chill music, or more deep dance vibes. There's no pressure to get the party rocking, but you can still get it rocking if you want to. Obviously the idea is to keep it psychedelic…but take artistic advantage of the great musical freedom you have to explore different rhythms, tempos and energy levels, and bring in musical influences from elsewhere. At the trance stage, there is a universal sense of expectation among the crowd that the next drop will be a trance beat, and if you mess with that, they'll get annoyed (understandably so). At the chill stage however there is no expectation, people are more fluid and you can take them from an ambient cuddle puddle to a frenzied ecstatic dance and back again without anyone shouting "where's the drop?".

Hedflux is a great representative of the groundbreaking global glitch at Psy-Fi. His Eclectic Psychedelica mixes arguably curate and mix through the best midtempo psychedelic music in the world. His appreciation for Itay comes through as well. “He is an amazing agent, producer and DJ and a curator of the finest psychedelic chill-out line-ups,” Steve says. “For me now, the chill stage IS the main stage.”

Itay of Feel Life Music, with his selective taste and a global roledex of bass musicians, is the mind behind the Chill Out stage. He’ll also perform there through his Kukan Dub Lagan project. While the lineup may astound someone seeing it for the first time, those who know Itay say it’s par for the course for this sommelier of psychedelic music. “I was certainly surprised, but at the same time, I’m not surprised Itay would pull something like this off,” writes Søren Thygesen, the Danish producer Bwoy De Bhajan. “I remember seeing the lineup for the first time. One act after the other made me raise my fists in joy.” This will be Søren’s fourth year at Psy-Fi. “They dare to take some chances with the lineup and not recycle the same group of acts year after year. It’s very refreshing, and i'm starting to see more festivals in Europe taking risks. You don't forget those moments where an unfamiliar act takes you by storm.”

The Chill Out stage at Psy-Fi Festival (Credit: Dutch Review)

“The amount of North American acts making their way over here is great, this rarely happens, if ever,” says Søren. Psychedelic electronic music started and first rose to prominence outside of the states. The states has its own robust electronic community, Chicago house and Detroit techno, plus the countercultural mecca Burning Man. But in the popular imagination, UK clubs, Goa beaches, Australian doofs or blowouts like Boom Festival in Portugal or Shambhala Music Festival in Canada have always eclipsed the stateside scene. Psy-Fi’s bookings recognize though that theres a growing group a forward-thinking producers from the States that’s worth integrating onto the international circuit. “I hope we keep that trend up for years to come, and build a foundation for them to come back and make their way around the European scene.” He’s excited about Schmoop in particular, producer Will Russek from the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. “I met the young dude in Florida back in April, where he told me he's playing his first set abroad at Psy-Fi. The sheer excitement from his side was just amazing.”

We asked Will how he’s planning to approach his first international set. “The plan is top secret,” he wrote, but he’s playing a little bit of everything (check out his destructive single “Charge”). One thing you won’t see at Psy-Fi is a set from Wonky Llama, his collaboration with Jade Cicada. “Saving that for the future,” he wrote.

(Credit: Mushroom Magazine)

We’ll be on the lookout for feedback from this thoughtful event. It’s enabling cross pollination between producers from every corner of the world, and that’s encouraging. Speaking of pollination, what of the name “seeds of science”? From the festival’s website: “The quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson ‘men love to wonder and that's the seed of science’ shows that our imagination and our curiosity are at the base of all that men has ever created. We encourage you to find out how science can help you and others to create a better and more sustainable world.” For the full Chill Out stage lineup and more details on the festival, visit their website.

FOLLOW Psy-Fi Festival: Official / Facebook / Instagram

Jade Cicada - Fish Juice

More than a year after his last major release, our favorite cicadomorpha has unleashed his most crisp studio production to date; Jade Cicada’s Fish Juice is a one-inch-punch of high-powered, jazztastic neuro music. In the time since Eolian Oms first graced the ears of eager fans, Cicada aka Skyler Golden has been hot on the block touring aggressively and quietly leveling up his sound design and engineering capabilities. The progress in his work is clearer than sunlight.

Fish Juice isolates itself as the most particularly brolic collection of tunes in the Jade Cicada discography, as it sees the artist refining a number of textures and sonic motifs that he has become fond of. The highly processed veneer of his tonal design has become his most striking characteristic, especially considering the thorough extent to which harmonics play a role in the arrangement of this entire EP. The processing chains on the bass lines have the Midas’ Touch we’ve grown so familiar to, but with a refined and precise approach to filter sweeps, cuts, and rhythmic response.

The release gets off to a rolling start with assorted jazz chords in “Fish Juice" and a shuffled drumline quickly picks up pace. The massively ducked kicks and snares are a staple of Jade Cicada's mixdown process, and they absolutely smack the head back and forth into a head-nod that you didn't know you signed on for. Once the low end drops into the mix, the laser-precision synthesis bursts through the speaker cones like a nylon rope whipping against steel plates. The gated reverb all over the track brings out some serious stereo imaging on what, on the surface, seems like a fairly straightforward tune.

“Dusty Lungs” features Chris Karns, a world-renowned turntablist who has his hands literally all over the eclectic world of electronic music. Rocking with a constant hip-hop rhythm, Karn’s vinyl scratching is morphed by Skyler into a wild bevy of harmonics and pure aural manipulation. The choice bursts of synthesis throughout the composition flesh out the spongier textures, wrapping around the last turnarounds in each measure and bringing you right with them. Besides the Wonky Llama project, a side project of Skyler’s with Houston-based producer Schmoop, Jade Cicada rarely collaborates with other artists.  

“More Cowbell” is exactly as rowdy as it sounds. Featuring the fattest bass line on this side of the milky way, this whole track is an excellent way to play basketball with one's own head. What begins as a vivacious little bob of a beat rapidly unfolds into the same nylon rope whipcord that smacks notes and harmonies all over the composition. Tread carefully, though. If you hit the second stretch of the tune, you'll get blasted by resampled low-end nastiness and risk a permanent case of stank face.

Closing out the EP, “Wire Skulls” is a melodious adventure through the arrangement and compositional capabilities of Jade Cicada. Putting aside for a moment off-kilter synthesis and aggressive breakdowns, this track recalls the earlier atmospheres of Jade Cicada’s catalog. Tonal blends that go down smoother than fresh water, complimentary bubbles popping throughout the mix, and precise bass work that folds together in a constant crescendo somewhere between a lullaby and hypnosis.

Without so much as a hiccup, Jade Cicada continues his upward production trend, with Fish Juice pushing his unique flavor of nuero music towards a logical evolution. As always, he sets himself a cut above the rest with advanced arrangements and sizzling audio engineering tricks. Jade Cicada is featured on a number of lineups to close out the summer, including Elements NYC on August 11, Solasta Festival on August 17-18, and Astral Lights in September. If chunky, juicy, sine-crushing beats are your thing, then waste no effort in getting yourself front and center at his next performance.

FOLLOW Jade Cicada:   Web   /   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp  

Jade Cicada Speaks Ahead of 'Lights Out' Show in Brooklyn

On Friday, August 4th, Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, Keota, and Shadow Tricks take over the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY, for Lights Out NYC 003 - Jade Cicada, brought to you by Good Looks Collective.  Thus far, each LightsOut has  strived to amplify levels of excitement and engagement amongst concert goers, and has consistently brought a much needed, refreshing vibe to the electronic music collective in and around NYC. 

We had the opportunity to query Skyler Golden, the man behind the arthropod, a bit about his thoughts on pushing his musical endeavors forward. We also sat down with Blake Oakes - Skyler’s manager and the creative mind behind the LightsOut series.

JADE CICADA - Q & A

Hey Skyler, thanks for the opportunity to pick your brain a little bit. We’ve got a few questions to ask to get a better perspective on the Jade Cicada project:

The Rust: What other mediums of art interest you? Do you practice any art form other than music?

I’d say movies/tv shows and video games (the soundtracks and sound effects) interest me the most. I’m intrigued by all forms of art but those are definitely the ones I gravitate to for inspiration. I was never really one to be inspired by a piece of still art or anything, but I think it would be something worth trying out some time. I have a ton of respect and admiration for illustrators and graphic designers because I’m pretty useless in that category haha. Guys like Beeple and FuniLab and Kilian Eng are a few examples of still art artists that I really admire. I mess around with illustrator and photoshop from time to time (that’s how I made my logo and font) but that’s more of a hobby.

The Rust: What are some non-musical influences that have shaped your musical direction + musical career?

I mean, I think every life experience you have ends up being an influence in one way or another. The loved ones I’ve lost are a huge influence for example. The hardships I’ve endured and the happiest moments of my life are influences. Byte Evaders is an anagram for “Best Day Ever,” and I made that the day after I opened for one of my favorite all time producers, Tipper. On the other side, I made the song Lost Again in memory of my Father who passed away which is an anagram for “Nostalgia.”

The Rust: What kind of capabilities would you like to program into your live sets in the future? Do you have a particular vision for how you would like to present/perform your music?

I’m relatively inexperienced when it comes to live performance. I’ve only been doing this about two years and I’ve only done about 50 shows. Right now I’m just trying to get really good at constructing great sets. I think I’m getting better at it and like to think each show I do is better than the last. In terms of the future, I’m planning on incorporating stem mixing to some degree in my sets, and possibly even controlling my own visuals. These things take a lot of time, especially on top of trying to produce new music, so don’t expect to see any of that soon, but it’s definitely a goal of mine.

The Rust: Are there particular styles/soundscapes you would like to pursue musically other than your current direction?

It’s not a popular one, but I love ambient music. Tipper’s sunrise set at his festival in Suwannee was my favorite set of the weekend and I’d love to explore that style of music more. I’d love to see my peers explore that style more as well. I think we all need a break from slamming kicks and snares from time to time and just focus on the atmosphere and textures possible in more mellow music. The only problem is that the average listener falls asleep to this stuff and nobody dances to it haha. It’s definitely an underappreciated artform that has so much room for experimentation and development. I’d also love to mess with some more “IDM” style stuff, but damn that drum programming can be such a pain haha.

The Rust: Do you have a concept in mind for a full Jade Cicada Production? Anything you might be particular towards in curating the best rendition of a Jade Cicada concert?

Not really a concept, just some ideas. The thing I care most about now is playing shows with good speakers (Funktion One, Hennessey Sound Design, Danley Sound Labs, etc), and playing venues that are acoustically treated properly. Sound is everything to me, and I want my listeners to hear my music the same way I hear it in my studio. I think the obvious things like some dedicated notable live projection visual artists would be great. I love Amon Tobin’s ISAM 2.0 stage setup. Something like that might be really cool but if/when that happens is questionable. I think what we did in Atlanta was a good starting point in terms of visual mapping, projection, and stage construction, but a solidified concept is a little ways down the road.

BLAKE OAKES - Q & A

Blake, thanks for taking the time to chat with us and give us some insight on the Lights Out concept. We've got a few questions for you:

The Rust: So, can you tell us a little bit about the idea behind Lights Out, and what inspired it?

The inspiration to the concept of LightsOut i guess was inspired by the whole UK dubstep “basement vibe” in the mid to late 2000s. Packed rooms, A lot of dancing bodies, and big Sound Systems. At that time digital culture was not so present. So taking phones away was not really “something” that grabs your attention. In the end that’s what that concept derives from - we want your full attention and attendance. I think adding this aspect really allows you to disconnect and actually BE PRESENT at the event. Shout out to Yondr.

The Rust: Do you have intentions to bring this concept to other locations (cities, states), provided there is enough interest?

100% interested. Right now I am really focused on Atlanta & New York and getting the concept nailed down. but in the near future - Most definitely, yes.

The Rust: Is this the full iteration of your concept currently, or do you have further ideas you’d like to implement to the experience as the opportunity presents itself?

I think there are plenty ways to build on the LightsOut concept. Creating a real vibe in the room is something i want to work on. I do not think it has to be completely blacked out either so there are plenty of ideas to really get that across. I’ve got plenty more to work on.

The Rust: Do you feel there are particular styles and directions of music that the Lights Out concept works best with? What other artists/styles of music would you like to be able to showcase through this medium in the future?

Absolutely, I think doing the Jade Cicada LightsOut really kinda shows that the concept can be represented by multiple styles.  In the end, that’s what the concept is derived from. A focus on sound. I think the music just has to be really dope, and sound even better on a really dope Sound System.

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If you’re worried about the fidelity of the sound, ease yourself to the tune of a full Hennessy sound system; a veritable beast, capable of projecting all frequency ranges with top of the line clarity and ferocity. If you’re worried about the “no cellphone policy”, also relax; the entire experience is designed to help immerse and integrate the listener fully, removing all distractions so as to maximize your aural sensitivity. Make sure to hit up the venue as early as can be, as Keota, Shadow Tricks, and Detox unit are slated to bring their own killer tastes to the table and help curate an excellent party, top to bottom. To everyone making the trek this weekend: I’ll see you in there.

Purchase tickets to LightsOut here.

FOLLOW JADE CICADA:   Web   /   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp