Poztman - Ancestral Data (Rite of Cunning) [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

Poztman’s stylized brand of dark, tech-heavy electronic production has earned him a mainstay position in the world of avant-garde and experimental music. In an ever-lasting quest to push his own conceptual boundaries, he’s partnered up with the hybrid label Outtallectuals to present his latest laboratory payload; Rites of Calling. In anticipation of the full EP release, The Rust has been given the opportunity to premiere the track “Ancestral Data (Rite of Cunning)”, loosening the seal on this new suite of compositions.

“Ancestral Data” brings scintillation to the forefront, with mottled, glitched-out textures splaying across the backdrop of the songs runtime. Brackish bass meets scalloped granular synthesis in a mist of sonic intrigue, pulsing like a reverberant steel heartbeat. With percussion provided by Byzantine Sound Machine, It’s a marriage of tribal and industrial influences sauntering around noire sound design and faded, momentary melodies. With a crystal clear focus on atmosphere and immersion, “Ancestral Data” channels the full spectrum of Poztman’s meticulous production skill set.

In tandem with the compositional precision of the EP, Poztman has envisioned and crafted a narrative surrounding a distant future in which these rites of passage bring one closer to their innate identity. Each step of the journey shares the lucidity and jagged psychedelia of the accompanying song, creating a truly multi-faceted experience around Rites of Calling.

The Rust Music · Poztman - Ancestral Data (Rite of Cunning) [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

Rite of Cunning:

Alix is somewhat confused by the cryptic advice his ancestors gave him. He doesn’t need to worry, as no one can triumph all challenges equally. The Rites serve as guidance for one’s adult life, to find their Calling. A rite is passed when the Ring blesses the challenger with the according mark. Dao’s attempt at summoning was near to fruitless, though Rey managed seemingly without effort. All received the mark of community nonetheless, as the way of the Rings & the Harvesters is mysterious. Alix feels confident in the next challenge: the Rite of Cunning. He & his friends will have to enter the Birthing Grounds, the place where their first ancestors long dead came to live, out of machines made by the Harvesters. Here they will have to access the ancient codex, a gift from the Harvesters. The village Elder asked them to find out where other hunting grounds may lay, as the village’s supply starts to dwindle. The Codex must contain that knowledge, the Elder is confident. Alix knows the task seems trivial, but Steelings guard the place for unwelcome trespassers. The young ones will have to prove their cunning.

FOLLOW Poztman: Bandcamp / Spotify / SoundCloud / Facebook

FOLLOW Outtallectuals: Bandcamp / SoundCloud / Facebook

Losion - Swarm [Premiere]

The UK collective Outtallectuals is at it again with their genre-challenging behavior. We covered the label's philanthropic activities when it released its Warpball compilation in 2017, but their goodwill extends past donating to charity in Nepal and is, in this instance, laser-focused on uplifting an unknown self-releasing artist from France. Reflecting their taste for the avant-garde and a penchant for global sound, Outtalectuals’ latest EP ventures towards the harsher and darker universe of metal music. Forged by the design of a neuromancer and bearing a prog aesthetic, Imminent by Losion exists at the intersection of chugging guitars and IDM sound design. Occasionally using the label “neurohop” to describe his sonic experiments, Ludovic Delespierre (Losion) is more notable for his guitar playing and use of crash cymbals than this genre tag might imply, though his own term “djently” pretty much sums up the vibe.

Here is an invitation to dive deep into the most sedate of the five songs from Imminent. “Swarm” has enough quiet space in the mix to reveal fingers shaping the guitar strings' notes on the frets, while also possessing enough layers of ambient texture and double bass to make the label's chosen tag of “neuroprog” feel spot on. Glittering glitch noises and soft steel strings rest atop lightly tapped cymbals. Inverted drum samples turn the head, while the metal melody draws forth an epic emotive sensation that builds into a delicious drum breakdown in the final third. An unambiguous crossover track, “Swarm” is dominated yet not overpowered by the taste of metal, and its overtly complex progressive structure pushes it towards the IDM universe that inspired its sound design.

This EP is a big move for Ludovic’s project, which has languished on the internet since Imminent was first self-released on Bandcamp in 2016. Who can say what Ludovic has been up to since then, but the album was taken down some time ago and has since been passed around on metal forums and chatrooms, while nary a part of his artistic presence has been exceedingly active in that time. Such a unique voice has the potential to unite disparate subgenres, so one can only hope that this new label activity is indicative of a continued commitment to the Losion project. With a release on Outtallectuals, he is certain to reach fortunate new ears and inspire more activity around the project.

FOLLOW Losion: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Official / Tumblr

FOLLOW Outtallectuals: Official   /   Facebook   /   Soundcloud 

Withoutside - Istanbul

Outtallectuals has maintained a long-standing reputation for purveying exploratory music. Withoutside, the musical alias of Brooklynite Carey Clayton, is a fairly new project with an aptitude for ambient, phosphorescent music that now finds a home with Outtallectuals. His most recent endeavor, Istanbul, is an absolute gem of an EP, built from the ground up via a hardcore, back-to-the-roots methodology. Istanbul is composed mostly through the sampling of foley sounds from its namesake city, creating a culturally-fused vibrance that is its fundamental attraction.

“Beating feet for sampling meat” is an time-tested method to collect the wondrous textures and atmospheres of the surrounding world. Utilizing the urban sprawl of Istanbul to create a vast assortment of foley and musical material, Clayton left no stone unturned in his quest to capture the aura of this old-world metropolis. Street musicians, vendor bellows and business chimes, crashing waves smacking against port-bound ships, and a cornucopia of percussive trinkets and happy aural accidents populate each track. Accentuating the bevy of sampled gold, Withoutside also flexes multi-instrumental talent, laying down phrases from guitars, basses, synthesizers, additional percussion, and a particularly airy Cura saz. Vivacious undercurrents carry the attitude of the EP along sweeping mind-states and massive aural vistas, capturing not just the sound of Istanbul, but the bravado of this historic city as well.

Withoutside demonstrates remarkable creative vision coupled with brilliant execution, easily earning himself a place in the formidable Outtallectuals catalog. With skin in the game for eight years now, the UK-based Outtallectuals team has proven time and again that they have more than one finger on the pulse of experimental music, with over 90 international artists spanning the sonic spectrum. Istanbul couldn’t be more on par with the label’s sonic dimensions (or lack thereof). Keep Withoutside on your radar. A release such as this surely demarcates a lush, musically-pioneering future.

FOLLOW Withoutside: Soundcloud / Spotify

Averise - Questions [Premiere]

Outtallectuals is a digital music label that was started in the UK by label member Баxтак in 2011. It has since become a collective of more than forty musicians, artists, curators and philanthropists stationed worldwide. Due to the vast capabilities of the internet, this net label is able to operate across multiple continents; specifically Asia, Europe and the Americas. While they do have individual catalog releases from their array of artists, they also curate unique live performances and festival stages, manage events, and release charity compilations. Outtallectuals has a breadth far beyond the scope of releasing music.

At the beginning of the new year, Outtallectuals will be releasing their next musical effort, Warpball. Today we have the privilege of premiering Aversive's "Questions", one of our favorite tracks on the compilation. The release features 20 songs and is also a soundtrack for a video game of the same name, created by game developers, Unruly Attraction. Being that this is an Outtallectuals release, you can expect to hear cutting edge, experimental bass music with technical prowess and a worldly view.

Each of the songs on this compilation is a composition unto its own. As a whole, it is a marvelous soundtrack. While this specific release is not for charity, most of their compilations are. In 2015 they released the Dhawa Sunrise Compilation. Originally it was created to raise funds for the building of a science lab, but after the earthquake hit in April of 2015, it went towards helping to rebuild the village. Outtallectuals feels strongly about using music as a tool for enacting positive change onto the world, and this is only one of many efforts they’ve made. In their words, they are “a label specializing in a conceptual hybrid of music, culture and sustainability”. Most recently, they worked together with many others to construct a Skatepark in Nepal, in an effort to build a foundation for skate culture in the country. You can watch a short documentary about the project here. 

Outtallectuals is a music label and “live act”. In the past this has meant a selection of label artists, with the addition of local artists dependent on place. In Bhutan in 2015, Bwoy de Bhajan and Amin Payne performed together with the Monks of Majuli, a ten person collective of monks from Northern India, and a two person Sufi Rajasthani group called the Kutle Khan Project. The intention behind curating these live acts is to expand the scope of bass music, to evolve the live experience, to explore the different modes of global music and to encourage experimentation on all fronts. Outtallectuals is just scratching the surface for the potential of these collaborative showcases.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, bass music producer Aversive, or Avery Bremner, has been sharing her mellifluous creations with the world since early 2014. Today, we are premiering her track "Questions" off of the Warpball compilation. An opening circus-like melody leads into thick, bassy synths paired with a tempo that keeps your feet moving and your brain dancing. While the song is certainly bass driven, the recurring melodies maintain a nice light-heartedness to the track. There are many layers that unfold throughout. Questions is a terrific display of complex, sound-design driven music. We couldn't be more excited to share this with you.

FOLLOW Outtallectuals:   Website   /   Facebook   /   Soundcloud 

FOLLOW Aversive:   Facebook   /   Soundcloud 

Dhawa Sunrise Compilation 2015