Mindex Opts for a Rhythmic Twist in Trapped

Beginning his euphonic journey in 2011 with the Neverland album on Time Resonance Music, Mindex has thrilled his fans with soundscapes, dance-floor bangers, and tantalizing psychedelic melodies. His expertise in creating works of mind-bending complexity and creativity have come to a head in recent years, catching eyes and ears by surprise whenever the occasion strikes. In lieu of ground shaking bass, the methodical producer has chosen to bring four tracks out of hiding that emit subtle shapes and colorful patterns. His latest EP, Trapped, challenges listeners to explore the many corners and crannies of his stylings while exciting their senses with hip shaking snares and double-timed high hats. 

The Trapped EP explores the psychotropic world of sounds and textures brought to life by colorful tones and vocal riffs. The use of cascading kicks and synthesized drum patterns keeps the listener's ears perked, while long decays in the background bend and tremble. “Ocean Featuring Qoi'' is a jazzy, lo-fi track that has exciting licks of vocals, cascading keys and delicate metallic percussion. The second track, “Happy Trappy'', begins with an echoing melody that gladly meets a happy percussion line. Mindex’s use of double time signatures creates a drippy feeling in all the right places, merging his choice touches with the otherwise disparate genre.

With a consistent and evolving output honed in over years of potent concentration, Mindex has amassed an impressive catalog, and is clearly no closer to tapping out the creative well. Keep yours sharp on further movements from this multi-faceted artist as your ears soak in his latest EP, and you’re sure to see his next body of work just over the horizon.

FOLLOW Mindex: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Music For Serial Ports Forms Intrigue out of the Mundane

Barcodes are computer generated codes that are a visual representation of a product or corresponding location. These readable sets of  parallel lines are a basis for virtual communication and used as unique idiomatic identifiers. The latest release from Satellite Era focuses on the complex labyrinth of music translated by programs and musicians from barcodes; Music For Serial Ports [Part One] is the charismatic product of southern-California based producer Scott Metoyer, dovetailing his musicianship with a truly novel marriage of ingenuity and artistic gumption.

SATELLITE ERA · Scott Metoyer - Music For Serial Ports (Part One) [SERA011.1]

Scott uses his custom-built midi controllers, modular synths and household barcodes to create incredibly tech-heavy crescendos and melodic ideas that are built entirely from deep ciphers of code. When writing his software, certain parameters were used to create a distinctive atmosphere for each track while balancing for the project’s thematic needs; This record starts as raw data taken from household items, turned into music, written entirely in Node.js. Straightforward on paper, yet anything but in practice. 

This algorithmic production artist, musician, and software developer has certainly caught the attention of his peers, and the novelty of the Music For Serial Ports project is no doubt just one angle to Metoyer’s creative endeavors. If you’re feeling inspired by the whim and talent behind this unique take on generative music, Metoyer has included software codes and other useful tools on his Github page, giving any and all the opportunity to borrow from his personal palette of inspiration. With titles like “Brown Bag tortilla chips” and “effervescent antacid tablets”, how can one not be curious what their personal pantry treats sound like?

You can download the aforementioned production assets provided by Scott Metoyer through this link

Navigatorz and Maya Elise mingle talents in Characters

Denver based producers Vinja and Sortof Vague are notorious for their textured phrase-based scratching styles, expressive melodies, and their unique drum patterns. This swagger-laden energy comes from years of experience on the stage and deep in their respective creative lairs. Together, they play as Navigatorz, a rowdy and energetic DJ duo with an ear for timeless dance vibes and satisfyingly melodic tracks. The group last week released a new EP, Character, a four track EP that features a Mystic State and DJ MADD remix of their title track. The jazzy and soulful vocal track, “Character”, has an explorative dubstep backbone and a covid inspired background. For those of us catching a glimpse of its creation throughout the summer, this is a much anticipated release. Not only was the track played at multiple shows and festivals this year but was featured at the end of Navigatorz Observatory Mixtape in 2020. 

Navigatorz · Character ft. Maya Elise

Featuring vocalist Maya Elise, an exciting choice for her unique style, control, and stunning tone, the track has a perfect combination of cadence and texture with modern accents of electronica. Reminiscent of jazz singers like Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, her notes travel and change with passion and at times angst. Maya creates a painted image of sound for her audience to decipher. 

Played at only the most propitious times this summer, eager fans have unknowingly bared witness to bits and pieces of sound creation. Characters opens with lasers cascading through open air with a simple cymbal. Within moments the track quickly accelerates, filling the space with an uplifting-soulful pace and bouncing drum patterns. Accompanied by Maya's angelic echoing lyrics, the sensuous melody and intoxicating vocals brings us into a place both sexy and mysterious. 

Inquisitive and excited, we spoke briefly with Sam and Maya about their time working on this track and their inspirations. 

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Alyssa Barnhill: I swear I have heard this track at one of your shows this year. When did this project start and how did you find yourself here?

Sortof Vague: “We wrote Character a couple of years ago for a live set that we were working on at the time. It only took us a few hours to flesh out the idea, which was inspired but a pair of classic tunes that are around the same tempo. After playing out the instrumental live and receiving good feedback, Vince (Vinja) suggested that we find a vocalist to take the song to the next level. We approached Maya with the offer and she quickly delivered a wonderful vocal performance featuring lyrics that match the overall vibe of the tune perfectly. We knew right then that we wanted to give the track a proper release.

Alyssa : Maya wrote the lyrics? The passion is palpable. What was the inspiration?

Maya: "When Navigatorz contacted me about sending over my vocals to them, I had been isolating myself heavily due to the pandemic. The lyrics I wrote to Character are about making time to dig deeper and to face what we maybe ignore or deny. I think that acknowledging the darker parts of ourselves is crucial to our overall growth. Sam and Vince have not only been so encouraging to me during this process but they have also been clear with their direction and communication and I respect that so much."

Featured at Kings Theatre this last weekend in Brooklyn NY, at the Mishawaka Amphitheater  over the summer, Junetember Jam in Flagstaff AZ, and at Infrasound music festival in Minnesota, this dynamic duo has no signs of letting up. Whether you are interested in DnB tempos that are fun and racey,  140 vibes, or jazzy textures, this EP has something for you. 

FOLLOW Navigatorz: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Maya Elise: Facebook

Seppa Takes a Turn For The Nuevo with Meliora EP

Following on the heels of his Boosted/Forked dual release, and dropping just ahead of his long-awaited and much anticipated return stateside, Seppa’s latest record is arguably some of his most developed and distinctive productions to date; the Meliora EP reshapes the image of Seppa normally beholden to the purely vicious and weighty end of the bass music spectrum. While the punch and ferocity of that define his output are certainly apparent, there’s a marked focus on arrangements within arrangements, on the select relationships between tones, and on progressive songwriting fundamentals. Meliora adds a bounty of audible technicolor to a previously and potently austere compositional palette, showing just how much firepower is still under wraps for the Seppa project.

Drum and Bass has seen a resurgence of interest in the North American underground across the space of just the last few years, and in line with a swath of contemporaries staking their claim in genre’s amorphous boundaries, Meliora’s opening track “Imber” shuffles between nosediving breakdowns and flighty conversations between melodious synthesis. It’s the tipping of a hand that’s holding a bounty of material inspired by both past and future exploits, leading straight into the avant “Jaque”, who’s stuttered orchestral overture pairs up with the largest, and consequently meanest bass line across the record. “Apricus” follows the opening pair, toning down the intensity by a clear several degrees. Quintessentially downtempo, but fused with the distorted, curious textures that are so emblematic of the artist, it follows a repetitious, sampled vocal arc that maintains its course a top a churning sea of production artifacts and intentional spurts of synthesis. To close out the record, “Vermix” lays out space-aged and nuanced iteration of contemporary halftime, flitting between focused lead lines and mad dashes through extraordinarily gltiched-out territory. As an entire package, Meliora is by far the most matured Seppa release to date, showcasing the frayed edges of bass music and beyond.

With Seppa’s November tour just around the corner, this EP wets the tongue to his new compositions and developments in and out of the lab. To add to the growing anticipation, he’s cracking the seal a second time this Sunday at 2pm EST; with a visual accompaniment designed by Laia and Tenorless, the full EP will be streaming live through his YouTube page for your discerning end-of-week entertainment.

FOLLOW Seppa: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Sylph Upends Expectations with Snakeskin EP

This is not your older brother's psy-trance; When it comes to reimagining the relationship between psybient and disparate genres, Sylph is spearheading that research one release at a time. Partnering up with Shanti Planti, her latest EP, Snakeskin, exudes the classic style and fortified production expected from the label’s releases, simultaneously infused with the hallmarks of her compositional gait. Known for setting the standard for spiritually-accented bass music, Shanti Planti and their devout audience is an impeccable fit for the Snakeskin EP. In prime genre bending fashion, it is a maze of psychotropic sounds and textures brought to life by animated arrangements, exploring the relationship between the somatic and psychological hemispheres of perspective.

Debuting with the Alien Speak EP in 2018 through The Rust, Sylph has taken her aural visions to new heights, drawing on an extensive appetite for production knowledge and engineering fundamentals. The distance from then until Snakeskin feels like barely a few months in the mind, but the clear distinction and pronounced evolution of her skill sets have paid off in full. The opening track “Labyrinth”, is speckled with airy and elemental moments while rolling pads straddle pulsating sub bass. Her verbose and vocal sound design comes across as a nearly intelligible language born out of melody and rhythm. “Medusa” begins with hollow, panning tones that engender a meditative harmony. Calming and tribal, the soft resonating string sounds give it extraordinary depth and clarity. 

Like the ambient backdrop of a proper cave, “Prophet” exudes shuddered, salient energy and explores darker thematic tones than the rest of the EP. Taking inspiration from the expanse of system music, her genre bending slithers somewhere between trance and 140. With panning melodies and periodic vocals accented by drips and echoes, Sylph recreates a feeling of rippling water down hard, cold rock. The final song, “Quicksand”, leans on her fierce and cinematic take on heavy bass music. Utilizing percussive ramps and a powerful control of tension and release, the track reaches its zenith amidst a torrent of low-end impacts and brazen palettes of glitched-out textures, bringing Snakeskin to a resounding close.

Sylph is a clear student of clarity, a dancer in the darkness, and a motivator for those who see the lines between style as bridges to cross. Her bold flavor and crisp character has us writhing for more music, but it’s the patient wait that’s yielded the most fruitful results time and time again. Until then, keep your eyes and ears squarely centered on the rising trajectory of this stellar artist.

FOLLOW Sylph: Soundcloud / BandCamp / Spotify / Facebook

Hudson Lee Advances Sonic Narrative With Reflex Angle LP

With every subsequent release, Hudson Lee adds another layer to the matryoshka sphere that surrounds his catalog. When tapped into a particularly daring creative for long enough, it engenders a first-class seat to the evolution of their creative arc. Hudson Lee has managed to transform what was once a collection of high-powered, somewhat isolated tracks, folding them into a narrative undergoing metamorphosis; the release of Reflex Angle showcases a clear transformation in his songwriting process, fusing the very best of his sound design exploits with effusive and outstanding compositions.

Hudson Lee has already spent the last 5 years and running carving out his share of sonic territory; between his individual works, his numerous collaborations, and the operation of his flagship label Upscale, he’s kept himself consistently busy in the best way possible. What’s pointedly remarkable is that through all that time, his compositional output blossomed in ways that beget extraordinary discipline. It’s that tunnel-vision work ethic that laid the groundwork for Reflex Angle, allowing a surge of musical ideas to achieve terminal velocity in flight. That prescient burst of musical determination comes across in both obvious and surprising forms, with tracks such as “The Long Return”, “Skin”, “Staring Up” [Co-produced by Alexander Planos], and “Antialignment” displaying a new frontier of Hudson Lee’s creativity through compositional displays of intensity and mirth intertwined. It’s an especially choice touch of emotivity, bringing the albums narrative to life with a spectacular degree of lucidity. Across the spectrum, the frenetic and powerful churn behind “Axon”, “Chasm”, and “Reanimate” bridge the gap towards his traditional output, pulsing with newfound tactile control. It’s the blending of these seemingly disparate elements that creates the ouroboros of Reflex Angle, marking another waypoint in the ongoing story of Hudson Lee.

If you find yourself as moved as we are from your first listen, then you’re in extraordinary luck; Starting at 3:30pm today and tomorrow (July 30th and 31st), Upscale is hosting a two-day online streaming event featuring a stacked entourage of labelmates, associates, friends, and masters of their craft for an immersive showcase of avant-garde electronic music. Tune in through their Twitch Channel to check out the festivities.

FOLLOW Hudson Lee: Soundcloud / BandCamp / Spotify

Basic Biology Cracks Open Stomata LP

Channeling a panoply of styles and attitudes directly from the Sonoran Desert, Basic Biology is an adventurous duo of multi-instrumentalist producers showcasing a musical spread across contemporary electronic production and beyond. Having garnered a well-deserved reputation for rapacious custom live sets and a catalog of variable vibes to sort through, they’re gradually creating a groundswell of focus around their combined project, and have earned a place amongst the limited pool of electronic producers with a notable live bent. Sinking their talons into further exploits and experiments, Basic Biology’s Stomata LP is a buffet-style serving of rhythms and bpm’s up and down the tempo spectrum.

Unwrapping Stomata, it’s immediately clear that variability is the key phrase across the album; be it upbeat jaunts, somber saunters, high velocity rollers, or vocal-laden screwed and skewed anthems, Basic Biology juggles their blend of genre flavors through the choice array of textures and precision arrangements across the album. Tracks like “Micro Moon”, “Don’t Feed”, and “Apathy” feature scintillating percussive layers that wrap around the rhythm like a bedrock of white noise, filling out the ample space between the downbeats of these downbeat tracks. Maneuvering over to “Burn” and “Completely Different”, and we’re introduced to the kind of vocal lines and melodious flavor that underpins the very best of contemporary soul and r&b, infusing the album with a particularly virile touch. It’s all a part of the living story that Stomata tells through salient composition and production chops with a far wider berth than first assumed.

For Basic Biology, Stomata is the next natural phase of their project; the fusion of instrumental, vocally-charged modern production styles with the effusive range of electronic music is a highly sought-after balance, and it’s clear that this Duo has a monopoly on their unique variant of the combination. For fans across the style spectrum, Stomata is lying in wait to be you next go-to set of tracks for a diffusion of moods.

FOLLOW Basic Biology: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Webpage

Satellite Era Takes Stock After Year 1 with Remix Compilation

One year ago, we all found ourselves trapped inside listening to the news tell us for the first time about masks, washing our hands, and social distancing. Some took this time to learn a new hobby, pick up a few new books, or attempt to decipher the duplicitous world of cryptocurrencies. The Chicago-based media outlet Satellite Era used their time to coalesce their manpower and resources into a niche-filling operation, providing otherworldly A/V mixes and storied collections of their favorite artists from around the globe. Earlier this year their co-founder Amir Mashayekhi gave us the opportunity to chat about their goals, media, and pursuits of mind bending art. Fast forward to their subsequent compilation, One Year Revisited, and it’s clear to see Satellite Era’s vision involves an extraordinary degree of musical latitude.

Firing up the album with melodious, Montreal-based producers Gonima and Brtrnd offer up dusty, glitched-out melodies and uplifting harmonics through their rendition of “Luminescence”. Originally released for Distant Arrays Vol 3, the song is a lush and savory mixture that was inspired by the washed-out soundscapes of early electronica. With fresh production and added flair, “Luminescence” shines with the high degree modern polish that begets the Satellite Era style and output. In March of 2021, Fosil  released his signature track “Retiform'' on Satellite Era’s Distant Arrays Vol 2, marking the Turkish icon’s move to more progressive breakbeats and experimental dance-floor flourishes. The Granul remix of “Retiform” expands on the texture dialogue in the original track, channeling the distinct feeling of a slapstick conversation between each burst of synthesis and percussion.

The UK-based producer Test Bench released “2346” in 2020 through his Welcome to a new World EP. His minimalist take on the terrain between trance and techno create a world of fine tuned four-by-four beats and swelling note relationships. The remix is completed by a 20 year vet of the U.S. breakcore movement, the Phoenix-based producer Terminal 11. This remix comes square off the heels of his hard hitting and improv based mix release and debut with Satellite Era just last year, with his production chops amping up the track’s already novel composition. To finish off the album with a crash and a bang, Kindohm’s remix of Tsone’s “Airmass” is dark, heavy, and matted with experimental rips and tares over a pulsing environment of melodious sound design. Kindohm's take on the original track turns into a commanding, explosive, and avant-garde experience befitting the compilation’s sonic profile. 

Satellite Era’s goal is salient and direct: Revolutionize the quality and coverage being offered by “bass music” media. One year after their launch, they have successfully exceeded their goals and set their sights at the top of their slice of our musical hemisphere. To honor their success, and in tandem with Mental Health Awareness Month, every penny generated by this release will be given to NoStigmas, a Chicago-based nonprofit focused on inclusivity and accessibility. It’s the full-service package that Satellite Era is gradually becoming known for; reinvesting in their surrounding communities, one release at a time. 

FOLLOW Satellite Era: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Webpage / Facebook

Outtallectuals Celebrates 10 Year Milestone with Liminal Lore Compilation

Across the span of the last 10 years, Outtallectuals has consistently given a platform to the deluge of ecclectic electronic producers and composers from the around the world. Through both their discography and representation, as well as their own publication, their label has become a one-stop shop for avant-garde music, with a specialty for hybridized genres and sonic profiles. In celebration of this decade in service to the progeny of far-out sound, they've tapped into their roster of talent and preferred associates to craft the Liminal Lore Compilation LP.

In true Outtallectuals fasion, Liminal Lore is primarily defined by it's effusive world music influence. Taking advantage of timbres ranging from tribal percussion and dulcimers, to violins, slide guitars, and ample foley, each track lends itself to the wider immersion that the compilation seeks to achieve. Merging a slew of tempos touching on the boundaries of system music and broken-beat varieties, Liminal Lore’s 14 songs play from end to end with the rolling intensity of an incoming tide, echewing the easy trap of becoming rhythmically stagnant. Tracks like Halfred and Lo. Renzo’s “Inaani” feature funk-laden phrases boasting tricked-out instrumental cuts and a generous palette of effective glitches and audio artifacts. Dipping into more emulsified flavors, the Byzantine Time Machine, Maynix, and Yuhri collaboration “Fever Dream” typifies the sultrier side of the compilation, opting for a cruising speed tempo and a collaged composition in tight synchronicity with a bevy of synthesized low-end slices. Each singular point across the timestamp of Liminal Lore is at once both entirely indicative of the Outtallectuals brand and entirely unique in execution, landing itself the title of the most critical release to date in the Outtallectuals catalog.

Ten years of non-stop service to niche electronic music communities is no easy task, but all along the way, the Outtallectuals team has made the endeavour feel like a natural extension of their waking lives. Year after year, they've delivered coveted frequencies to a discerning global audience, and Liminal Lore is but the next step in the ongoing progression of the Outtallectuals mission. If what you hear catches your ears, be sure to dive into the entirety of the Outtallectuals catalog and get submersed in a decade of expert musical experimentation.

FOLLOW Outtallectuals: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Facebook / Webpage

Alejo Teams Up with Colony Productions to unveil "Tough Cuts Vol. 2"

The ever ambiguous Alejo has partnered up with the venerable Colony Productions to release the sequel to last year's widely acclaimed Tough Cuts Vol. 1. Expounding on his head-nod narrative, Tough Cuts Vol. 2 hints at a madman on a mission for mischief, riding around in a cheap “hooptie” while the pungent odor of petrol bleeds out of the exhaust.

Tough Cuts Vol. 2 takes the listener on a joy ride through coarse growls and back alley rhythms. Moving through each cut, Alejo touches on sharp low end stabs, eery harmonies, and atypical phrasing, fleshing out a deep dive through the brazen styles of broken-beat music. The entire EP swings with an urban gait, saturated strictly by no-nonsense frequencies. Through the sparse melodies, you can almost smell the old cigarette butts and dried Gatorade in the back seat of the Squad’s beater car, with the pervasive feeling of tomfoolery in the air. There’s no substitute for the sheer bite of hip-hop’s bass drenched derivatives, and Alejo continues to consistently hone in on each stylistic mutation from release to release.

If you’re in the market for the sharpest fidelity bass music in a golden-era variety, be sure to grab Tough Cuts Vol. 2 and other top tier selections from Colony Productions’ time tested catalog.

FOLLOW Alejo: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook / Tough Cuts Vol. 2 Merch Presale

FOLLOW Colony Productions: SoundCloud / Facebook

Chalky and Jevon Ives Mingle Their Artistry in “Why Do We Run”

Be it Jazz, Hip-hop, or the new wave of Soul, the UK has consistently delivered innovation and novelty in their homegrown musical offerings across the last decade. Chalky has stirred a particularly bright reaction from fans at home and abroad, mingling his virtuoso instrumental prowess with crystal clear production and lusid songwriting. Across the aural isle, Jevon Ives has been gradually amassing a catalog of contemporary rap and r&b-inspired tracks, with effective lyricism and vocal control to boot. These two tenacious musicians brought their stylistic directions under one roof to produce “Where Do We Run”, showcasing the sonic range and cooperative interplay that both are equally capable of.

Showcasing the modern dynamics of singer-songwriter compositions, “Where Do We Run” is a laid back, sensual ride through jazz modalities and sharp wordplay. Leaving behind the oft-beaten tropes of self aggrandizing hip-hop music, Jevon lays down a choice dialogue, choicer rhymes, and an especially velvet-laden chorus. It's all propped up by the track's smokey veneer, lending a moody atmosphere to the lyrical journey through the chase for material realness in our lives.

In tandem with the release, Jevon and Chalky premiered a spot-on music video to help permeate the vibe. Going further into the rabbit hole of the release, they've also opened up the track's stems for a remix competition. You'll find a link to more information about the competition below.

REMIX COMPETITION

FOLLOW Chalky: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Jevon Ives: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Canopy Sets New Personal Standard With “Refraction” LP

Over the course of the last six years, Canopy has been both a stalwart profile in the Upscale Recordings roster and a unique production powerhouse that stands out against the backdrop electronic music. With rhythms ranging from garage, to neuro-hop, to dubstep, to everything in between, his compositional spread covers an envious amount of territory. Backing up his multitude of songwriting staples and directions explored, the sound design and engineering quality behind his music complete the full package, bereft of any forgotten elements in the production process. Two years after the release of his Dark Places EP, he's returned to the forefront with the exceptional Refraction LP, displaying his most matured and polished release to date.

Cracking open a Canopy release is akin to a flight of craft alcohol; you have a general idea of what's inside the glass, but you're in the dark on the flavors, the textures, and bodies of the contents until you actually take a sip. Popping the seal on Refraction produces an album defined primarily by choice note relationships and salient atmospheres, with particular focus on pourous and pocketed songwriting. “Caustic”, “Opalescence”, and “Strobe” feature the stereophonic basslines that define the Canopy style, rocking juiced-up synthesis across heavy downbeats and chest-pounding riffs. In the wake of those tracks, the rest of the album takes on a range of other styles no less indicative of Canopy's signature touch, but developing along softer compositional lines with ephemeral overtones. “Flare”, “Redshift”, and “Incandescent” all feature syncopated rhythms at heightened bpms, channeling dancefloor sentiments in tandem with lush melodies and mottled foley effects. They breathe a different life into Refraction’s bloodline, ensuring that the album reflects the total capacity of the Canopy vision in sound.

Given their tenure and release catalog, it should come as little surprise that yet another Upscale Recordings offering is packed to the gills with precision craftsmanship. Given that the producer in question is Canopy, it's even less suprising that the album is so compositionally diverse, imbueing crystal-clear engineering with a powerfully emotional undercurrent. With his historical release pace to date in mind, it's unclear when the next Canopy project will see the light of day, so if you find yourself enamored with what Refraction has to offer, be sure to take a dive into the rest of the Canopy catalog, featured in full through Upscale Recordings.

FOLLOW Canopy: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

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Entangled Mind Upends Expectations on Debut LP

With their roots and influences stretching from Charleston, South Carolina, to their present home of Boston, Massachusetts, Marissa Barbato has gradually fleshed out their musical affluence through her Entangled Mind project. Given the rich underground scenes from both of her urban homes, the blend of ideas and novel production choices in their music comes as no coincidence. Taking advantage of numerous waypoints within the tempo spectrum of electronic music, Entangled Mind productions encompass a variety of moods and styles, taking advantage of contemporaneous rhythms and niche sound design. After teasing their exploits through a variety of singles, remixes, and EPs over the last year, they've pulled back the curtain on their debut album, Eternal Motion.

The general direction of Eternal Motion comprises a number of variations on quintessential downtempo music, taking advantage of meandering measures and elongated phrases to flesh out spatial melodies and wide panned effects. In tune with the mental imagery of the album's title, each track features multifaceted sounds that seem to twist around one another like a signature vortex. “Forward Unfolding”, “Falling”, and “Warped Nostalgia” put that active texture relationship on full display, filling out the available space in the frequency spectrum to it's capacity, but without muddying the individual tones of each sound and instrument. Furthering the album's contextual spread, tracks like “Once in a Blue Moon” and “Shadow Shifting” offer a heavier, bass-centric application of the Entangled Mind style. Expansive neuro synthesis and aquatic timbres take center stage, melding into a scintillating soundscapes and powerful compositions that are sure to push sound systems to their limits, if given the chance.

The specificity in design that's apparent across Eternal Motion is hard to overstate; every passing phrase evolves through deliberate production choices that display not just a strong grasp of contemporary production and engineering, but a vested musical experience overall. What the next series of Entangled Mind productions will sound like is anyone's guess, but it's obvious that the quality of their output isn't up for debate, and there's little doubt that their subsequent releases will expand on the skillsets that give Eternal Motion such a striking profile.

FOLLOW Entangled Mind: Bandcamp / SoundCloud / Spotify / Facebook

Parrotice Releases “There Is No Evil” Through 1155 Records

The Atlanta-based producer Parrotice is brandishing his newest production chops with his latest album, There Is No Evil , released through 1155 Records. A member of the venerable Sub.mission label, his album showcases a range of concepts in the realm of full spectrum system music. There Is No Evil is an elegant, melodic mixture of conscious hip-hop rhythms and psychedelic textures, fusing dreamy and often mysterious sounds into a liberating, industrial, and extraterrestrial blend.

Parrotice’s history as a producer is a lengthy one, and his collaborative efforts are at the forefront of his career. He stands one of Atlanta’s finest electronic producers on the circuit, and now finds himself working alongside artists like RUKU, MURKURY, and Prophet, creating a wealth of material that showcases not only Parrotice’s own musical affluence, but the skills of his peers, as well. 

There Is No Evil is a musical walk through the horrors of the present, mixed with the joys and hopes of the distant future, all rolled into one seven track album. "Tine" opens the album with the cooing of birds, buzzing of cicadas, and haunting, reverberant vocals from RUKU, fusing expansive lyricism and nuanced songwriting into a vibrant call-and-response dynamic. Tracks like "Revolution" and "Majik" pack a heavier punch, pushing out punishing amounts of sheer bass weight. From top to bottom, the album flexes deep, resonant bass lines, rapid-fire wobbles, and tricked-out compositional cuts. It's a potent first chapter for Parrotice's exploits in 2021, and leaves us eagerly awaiting what he may have planned for the remainder of the year.

FOLLOW Parrotice: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Sinewave Collective Furthers Their Narrative Arc with Nyah's "Sano"

Sinewave Collective has been gradually filling out their catalog with a host of top-notch, high fidelity tracks and collections, while simultaneously bridging the gap between sound and narrative. Each of their successive releases is accompanied by a literary puzzle piece that fills out the emotional context of the songs in question. It’s a formula that has seen some use and success in the hands of other artists, but Sinewave’s adherence to powerful prose and metaphor make for a striking combination with the music in tow. Their most recent international addition is the pressure-laden single “Sano”, brought to life by the German producer Nyah.

Sinewave Collective · Nyah - Sano

Like all tracks featured through Sinewave Collective, “Sano” is refreshingly sharp in both its choice of texture and in the mix itself. There’s a distinct clarity here that showcases the strong engineering proficiency that Sinewave is known for, and Nyah’s clever use of swelling side-chains and stirred rhythms force the brightest point of each sound into the center of the stereo space. It’s a meticulous maelstrom of percussive elements and fierce, band-passed bass lines fighting for acoustic dominance, with clear lines delineating each elements’ specific movements. It’s part neuro, part autonomic drum’n’bass, and entirely on-brand for Sinewave Collective. With the addition of Nyah’s “Sano” to their carefully maintained release catalog, they’re gaining consistent ground in their quest for the hyper precise curation of sound.

While you’re busy soaking up everything “Sano” has to give you, the best practice is to supplement your experience with the narrative blurb centered around the track’s intent and artistic backdrop;

"I found solace as I gasped for one final breath, gazing upon the obelisk suspended above me. The warm glow from it’s arcane transcriptions danced over the water's surface as I plunged into darkness, cascading in tandem with the sinking city. I felt...weightless. As I welcomed the inevitable, the cryptic symbols faded into a distant mirage and I yielded any last attempt to understand their meaning. My body now enveloped by it’s benevolent energy. ’Sano’. Its meaning now so clear to me, I realise, as I find myself at ease once again"

FOLLOW Nyah: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify

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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.

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Poldoore Offers Musical Respite Through New Single "Shade"

Back in 2014, an upstart, soul-inspired Thomas Schillebeeckx released the debut Poldoore album, The Day Off, achieving far-reaching acclaim in just a matter of days. The Day Off introduced fans of jazz, hip-hop, and lo-fi music to a fresh blend of trusted ingredients and novel accents, placing Poldoore squarely in the center of an emerging wave of smooth electronica. In the years since then, the Poldoore back catalog gained equal acclaim, with new fans discovering a trove of original material that showcased a man steeped in daily musicality for the better part of the last decade. Roughly six years after his bust-out as a household name, his talents have been dialed in further with each successive release, and he’s recently paired with the venerable Stereofox publication to unveil his latest single, “Shade”.

Channeling the timeless tonality of Rhodes keys through a viscous mixture of swelling synths and whimsical phrasing, “Shade” is a sonic respite from the heat of the day; there are no sharp edges or sudden spurts of energy. It’s a carefully wrapped package of aquiline melodies and consistent rhythmic satisfaction. Given Schillebeeckx’s penchant for curating a vibe, it comes as no surprise that “Shade” attenuates the attitude in the air to a serene equilibrium, and that equalization of elements is what gives the track such a notable buoyancy. With his last full length album having been released in 2019, this single makes us giddy at the possibility of a larger comprehensive Poldoore release in the near future, and you’d best believe that it will assuredly live up to the consistent caliber of his output.

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Poztman Cracks The Seal on Debut LP + Remix LP

Constantly breaking out of contemporary forms and functions in composition, the career of the Belgian glitch producer Pierre Collie has been awash with groundbreaking sound design and motifs since his inception. Be it through saturated low-end, intuitive use of audio artifacts, or the personal slapstick nature of his music, Collie’s Poztman project has an immediate draw that’s hard to thumb down, and harder to replicate. Glitch music, in a raw format, is as exactly what the name suggests; anything from quaint to extreme asymmetry within a composition and sound palette. After years of sharpening personal artistic imagery into a fine science, the current zenith of Collie’s project is his debut LP Void Vermin.

The challenge in successfully portraying glitch music is almost always how asymmetry is introduced and wielded within a songwriting context, and Collie possesses an undeniable control and execution over this extraordinarily amorphous genre. Void Vermin, in action, it is a droning cornucopia that can sometimes feel bright, manic, and awash with color, and at other points feel deliberately brooding, embodying monochromatic arrays of grey texture. The tone choice greatly reflects the attitude of each track, such that “Cemetery Wind” and “World Egg Burst” are distinctly centered on timbre and note relationships, and “Burial Blossom” and “Subliminal Suicide” strictly focus on droning, repetitious percussion and synthesis. If at one moment, the album puts harmony and cadence on the center stage, the very next moment will assuredly descend into a torrent of resampled craftsmanship and intentionally combative sound design. It’s the ideal Poztman experience, fleshed out in astounding detail, and presented with extreme fidelity.

Adding further dimensions to the experience, the nineteen original tracks on Void Vermin are accompanied by thirteen remixes from an assortment of fellow glitch producers, including Man From Sol, Purfakt, and arkistrate. In that way, it is not just a dive into the recent Poztman developments; it is a showcase of cutting-edge glitch music from the genre’s contemporary standard bearers, and Collie’s seal of approval underscores the entire collection of tunes. While we sort through Void Vermin’s variety of flavors, we’re certain that the Poztman project’s next iterative adventures are already thoroughly under production, and we’re certain that his fellow audio pioneers are in lockstep right behind him.

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Man From Sol Debuts New Ambient Glitch EP

The San Diego-based aural astronaut Man From Sol has been hard at work defining the next phase of his musical project, reaching toward the depths of his bag of audio hat tricks. The result is a cornucopia of digital syncopation and stuttered artifacts via the Automorph Totality EP.

Man From Sol has consistently delivered a circuit-bend-inspiried array of textures and spectrum-folding motifs, and his focus on interpolation and granular resampling reaches new heights in Automoprh Totality. It's ambient only in compositional nature, but is otherwise a full serving of spectral waveforms and stabs of mottled synthesis. Whereas the glitch in more contemporaneous electronic music serves a primarily rhythmic function, here it serves to paint mechanical hues across the frequency band, jostling and crashing against reverbent sound platters and cascading percussive runs. It's a top-tier forray into atypical songwriting and freeform rhythms, demonstrating this producer’s natural inclination for all things niche and novel in music.

Man From Sol's laser-edged focus on derivative, molten soundscapes and crystalized fidelity cannot be understated, and it’s made all the more accessible by his focus on the glitch.cool platform; operated in collaboration with a number of other like-minded creatives, glitch.cool functions as an educational and promotional platform for musicians and producers to access, understand, and participate in the creation and the exposition of any format of glitch music. While we patiently await the next spate of Man From Sol tunes, we encourage you to take a few minutes to browse the glitch.cool website and get familiar with a host of similar projects.

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Slug Wife Gains Another Stellar Label Release With New Vellum EP

The clock ticks off another hour, and Slug Wife ticks off another superb featured release; Vellum’s Marvin EP typifies the furious sonic profile of half-time bass music, and couldn’t possibly be in better hands amongst Slug Wife’s pristine roster of artists. Over the last several years, Vellum productions have snuck their way into speakers across the North American touring circuit, making him a mainstay name in his slice of our musical hemisphere. His signature pressure-laden bass lines are amongst the forerunner textures that popularized contemporary, hyper-aggressive neuro music throughout the US, and the Marvin EP is just as brolic.

For Vellum, tempo is as malleable as texture, and his releases over his career have ranged from pure sonic experimentation, to high fidelity bass house, to brutal broken-beat music and beyond. The Marvin EP sits in the broken-beat pocket, pushing bass weight at terminal velocities for maximum impact. Tracks like “Style Wars” and “Marvin” feature his classic stuttered arrangement and snaggletoothed textures at the end of each bar, giving the underlying beats a swayed, jivey rhythm. “Zones” takes the Vellum style in lyrical direction, with the English MC Gravity laying down tightly-coordinated bars atop a neuro-hop sound platter, contrasting nicely with “Resurrector”, a gun-slinging deep dive into subterranean low-end. From top to bottom, the EP is a stellar take on razor-edged sound design and high energy electronic music, showcasing Vellum’s undeniable production flavor.

As the list of assumed pairings between the Slugs and their favorite artists grew slimmer and slimmer, it was only a matter of time before they snagged a proper Vellum release. With features across labels like Inspected, Gold Digger, and Maraki Records, Vellum’s tenure goes without question, and the value of his productions follow suite. As always, The Rust will be keeping our ears peeled on his future experiments, knowing full well that they’ll be just as righteous as always.

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