The Gradient Perspective Takes Over Nightmare Festival

"One of my focuses with this is to bring in some really up and coming, talented artists, who are pioneering their own sound in one way or another. They deserve the opportunity to show people their music; people will appreciate the diversity beyond hearing the same tracks dropped in every set at a festival mainstage," mused Jared Oppenheim, Co-Founder and musical director of the Gradient Perspective, as we spoke about his choice of talent to rock the Gradient Perspective Lounge all weekend. "Another main intention is for people who already love electronic music to dive deeper into a new niche that they might not have been privy to before." He certainly hit his mark 100x over, having been given the opportunity to host a stage at the annual Nightmare Festival in Maryland, bringing together an extensive conflagration of musicians and producers that subsist deep in the entrenched niches of electronic music. 

HeavySide Function, slinging an impressive Ableton setup complete with modular synthesizers and sit-in sessions with a gaggle of instrumentalists, presented a flourish of electro-soul and golden-era hiphop beats that brought a delicious head-nod vibe into the weekend; Tygris, unleashing a torrent of home-brewed neuro-hop and breakbeat-inspired dance floor compositions, scratching vinyl to every transient bursting out of the speakers; Choppy Oppy (Mr. Oppenheim's musical project), presenting a powerful blend of triphop, glitch, and dub, all accompanied by his right hand man and expert guitarist, Al Smith; Sketchy Pete, a long-time collaborator with the Gradient Perspective and an incredibly potent DJ, combining a healthy serving of original tracks and choice selectors from across the bass music spectrum; Face Plant, a resident Rust artist who brought out the Halloween spirit with an intoxicating dose of his signature biotic sound design and visceral glitch soundscapes; Yheti, with his instantly identifiable half-skewed tambres, brought not just his typical and widely appealing performances multiple times over the course of 48 hours, but also curated an immersive, 3 hour sunrise set to ring in Saturday morning. Mindwalker, Jizzy Fra, Smokestax, Vide, IndoBeats, Skankuh, The Orcestrator, and Stratosphere would provide their own unique stylings and musical adventures throughout the the weekend as well, adding to the impressive army of sonic revolutionaries spearheading the success of the Gradient Perspective's efforts, and subsisting as the maximum highlight of the weekend festivities at Nightmare.

In the sleepy town of Darlington, MD, Camp Ramblewood finds its home nestled amidst a small forest clearing, complete with a picturesque lake and quaint cottages lining the trails around the campgrounds. It hosts a number of events each year, including Luna Light and Dreamscape. For the past 5 years, Badass Events has been hosting the Nightmare Festival at Camp Ramblewood on Halloween weekend, to much critical success. Featuring a modest, outdoor main-stage and several barns retrofitted with full LED and laser visual displays, Nightmare successfully juggles several active stages at all times throughout the duration of the event each year. Typically, the lineup is heavily associated with dubstep, D-n-B, and other aggressive formats of bass music; Without breaking away from their traditional pool of artists/genres, Nightmare 2017 featured a new addition to their festival experience, vis a vis The Gradient Perspective. I joined them for the weekend down in Maryland and got up close and personal with the top-notch team of art enthusiasts.

The Gradient Perspective is an art and music collective based out of Washington, D.C. With Ally Grimm and Jared Oppenheim at the helm, the GP team has hosted events non-stop over this past year throughout the DMV, and the community response has been nothing short of massive. "Jared and I met last year, and we got the idea to create the Gradient perspective while under an incendia dome at Luna Light. We loved the communal culture behind the dome installations," co-founder and art director, Ally Grimm, said to me. Incendia Domes are multi-sensory, immersive geo-domes found around the festival circuit in the US. "Our main goal is to inspire a sense of unity and community through creative collaboration. We're very much about an equal playing field; there is no hierarchy within our events."

The Gradient Perspective's home at Nightmare was a two story lodge found right behind the main-stage field, and was entirely retrofitted to become a psychonautic paradise. Walking up to the building, it was evident that the weekend denizens of Nightmare were drawn to it likes moths to a flame. People mingled on a balcony hanging above a pool covered for the Fall. Fluorescent, neon lighting was radiating from the windows and from under a tarp-covered section of the balcony. The familiar pulse of sub-frequencies emanated from the very walls of the structure. The outer aesthetic was already wildly tantalizing, but quickly became an afterthought once one stepped foot inside of what turned out to be a psychedelic haven for creative minds and lost wanderers.

Entering the building, the rest of festival melted away into the back of the mind. I was instantly greeted with a bevy of visual installations, from scintillating ocular displays to a retrograde phone booth renovated with high-reflective veneer, crafted by artists I'd later come to know as T.J Spurge and Liz Lubitsky, respectively. The room was bursting with visual artists and their labours of love, with every table and every inch of wall space displaying dozens of creations, ranging from high-relief vistas to gorgeous digital portraits. Brian Cohen, the art gallery director for Nightmare, is the first person you see on the way in and the last on the way out, greeting newcomers with a comfortable smile while maintaining an intense focus on his live painting exploits scattered around the room. A rotating team of artists joined him throughout the weekend, all brought in to help The Gradient Perspective's collaborative vision coalesce into a reality. 

Stepping through a series of curtains at the far end of the art emporium, above my head hung a sign - "The Imperium". This word is Latin for "absolute power"; I failed to see the true significance of the title until later in the evening, as I had come a bit early in the day, so I was greeted with a quick sneak-peak of the stage design and setup within the room. Amidst the quiet calibration of the visual equipment for the late night party, Ally was leading a yoga session attended by about a dozen or so passive attendees. This space would continue to be utilized in the daylight hours of the weekend as the hub of the Gradient Perspective's workshop offerings. I stepped onto the aforementioned balcony to check out the micro-party I could hear through the door, and was instantly taken aback by the delightful audio-visual alcove I walked into; a multi-sensory grotto filled with effervescent space-scape signature designs, ceramic sculptures, and soul-piercing resin eyes.

Based out of Ghent, New York, visual maestro T.J. Spurge was brought onboard to pilot his famed "Resinations Lounge". "I met Ally at Disc Jam this year, she was in the art gallery there. She recruited me to come down here with her and the Gradient Perspective. I was super excited because I had never done something like this before.” I was doing my best to get some choice words from him about his experience with working with The Gradient Perspective, but kept getting distracted by his outlandish, neon live visual setup adjacent to us. “They are really dedicated to what they do; I probably annoyed the hell out of them with a million questions and they just rose to the task," 

The installation came complete with couches, it's own soundtrack, and a projection screen covering the entirety of the far wall. A series of high-fidelity cameras were hooked up to a meticulous setup that allowed T.J. to go beyond displaying already finished works of art, and using his signature resin, powder pigments, and alcohol based ink, create entheogenic collages, swirling and merging to a point of chromatic harmony. Each person who stepped into this omni-artistic domain was either instantly encapsulated by the live visual setup, or found themselves lost in one or another of Spurge's exoplanetary designs. When someone would light a smoke underneath the tarps, Ally would swoop around the corner and kindly ask them to take it to the open-air section of the balcony, a small detail but one which made the space more pleasant and functional throughout the weekend. 

After being submerged in the Resination Lounge, I found the Gradient Perspective team taking in the last rays of sunlight across the balcony before the nighttime festivities began. "My intention with the Gradient Perspective space is to bring an extra dimension to festivals that have a larger audience, but maybe people are looking for something more than just their usual festival experience, so we want to bring an immersive, interactive space that showcases eclectic music and art," said Jared. Being there for under an hour, I could already see his vision clear as the beams splaying through the tree limbs in front of us.

The sun had set, every laser, light, and LED had been switched on all over Camp Ramblewood, and I suddenly realized that the pounding frequencies I was hearing over my voice was coming not from the main-stage, but from behind the wall at my back; The Gradient Perspective takeover had transformed from a tranquil lounge into a nightcrawler paradise. The ceiling was adorned with translucent clouds that boasted an internal mixture of fluorescent hues. The two back corners of the room were covered in couches and blow-up beds adorned in an array of wondrous textiles. A sea of nocturnal revelers in costume bounced and slid around the room to a constantly evolving beat and groove. The stage, or maybe it might be better to call it the "Nexus Imperium", was a breathtaking amalgamation of precision-cut white surfaces and sift draperies, coated top to bottom in expert-level projection mapping. I thought back to the sign hanging above the entryway, and realized that this was the power it was referring to.

My jaw dropped as I craned my neck and observed Jack Hurley and Ricardo Martinez controlling the entire production from a complex series of midi controllers. I had to understand more of what I was seeing, and eventually I tracked down Jacob New, the technical director for the Gradient Perspective stage. "I guided the animator and the projectionist (Hurley and Martinez) in a way that enabled them to take their animations, render them slice by slice, and map every single video in order to puppeteer their stage with midi controllers designed with a very ergonomic interface that allows you to create an instrument out of your stage." An instrument it truly became, with Hurley and Martinez bouncing off of one another's sequencing and visual modulation in perfect, beat-matched tandem with the music. "You can have a performance that's synchronous and jamming with the music. It creates something thats interactive, real time, and unlimitedly creative." His endeavor was an absolute success, with the Gradient Perspective stage easily usurping the visual spotlight from even the festival's own mainstage. It was the centerpiece that tied the entire GP operation together, and allowed the Gradient Perspective to assume the role of the absolute coup de gras of the weekend.

The Gradient Perspective, true to its' name, seamlessly balanced a suite of artistic hues, musical colourations, and vibrant positivity, birthing an entire closed ecosystem and immersive experience that stood apart not only from the rest of the Nightmare festival, but even more so from almost every other attempt to create such an immersive environment I've thus far witnessed. The artistic merit, the musical talent, the organization and execution, and the absolute genuine want to foster an inclusive, creative space for likeminded individuals seeking an outlet for emotion, creative content, and communal gathering was second-to-none. Having seen what the Gradient Perspective brings to the table, and how far they are willing to go in order to both accomplish their vision, and accommodate all who endeavored to help bring that vision to life, gave me a sense of the true strength and capability of our ever-growing community of society's wildest creatives and revelers. Keep all eyes peeled and ears open to any and every bit of news coming from our friends at the Gradient Perspective: this is but a taste of what is yet to come.

The Rust Music would like to thank Jared Oppenheim, Ally Grimm, and Badass Events for making this piece possible. 

FOLLOW The Gradient Perspective:   Facebook   /   Soundcloud 

Lo-Fi Sundays 006 - Leavv

Hip-hop may have its roots and strongest pull here in the United States, but its influence and cultivation can be heard from nearly every corner of the planet. Hailing from Germany, with little more information than that to go on, Leavv is a producer whose music must speak for itself; a salacious blend of ambient tones and minor modalities, served up piping hot to warm your bones as we enter the frigid end of Autumn.

Their most recent release, currents, is melancholy at its finest. The ethos of each track progressing through the album is unmistakable and universal. The fall air is crisp, with a notable bite on the end. The glass windows of storefronts shimmer by the light peaking out from a rushing torrent of pink, blue, and yellow clouds, colored by the chromatic brilliance of an early afternoon sunset. The hue of the choice samples and instrumental chords within each track float out and around the headspace, bringing about a sensual relaxation second to none. 

FOLLOW LEAVV:  Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Facebook

Classic Albums 001: Nujabes - Modal Soul

On November 11, 2005, Hydeout Productions released Modal Soul, the second LP from the revered Japanese producer and instrumentalist Nujabes. Since its release Modal Soul has been enshrined in the canon of classic hip-hop, cherished by a dedicated following that is modest in number but unparalleled in passion. Nujabes is usually referenced as a hip-hop producer, but Modal Soul blends such disparate influences as to become a new, one-of-a-kind world music transcending all musical, physical or temporal boundaries. While each Nujabes project is a masterpiece in itself, Modal Soul is undoubtedly the producer's most dynamic and most popular effort. 

It’s not uplifting lyrical content or the producer’s technical virtuosity that distinguishes Modal Soul, though the album has both in spades. What distinguishes Modal Soul is its mood, its essence. Splicing together a beat and a piano sample is no longer revolutionary, though Nujabes, real name Seba Jun (February 7, 1974 – February 26, 2010), does so with a master’s grace. Flipping the samples and aligning the sound to make the listener feel with such great depth – that is the revelation of Modal Soul. If you don’t feel the music, that’s okay. But for those who do, it is healing sound. It is fuel for imagination, a foundation for dreams, no less important than any music ever made.

Modal Soul can be seen as a quintessential product of the 21st century. Follow me. Access to music has never been as horizontal as it is in the new millennium. In the past, musicians were limited by time and space to those resources at their direct disposal. For example, French pianist Claude DeBussy sparked a compositional revolution by experimenting with a semi-tone scale at the turn of the 19th century. DeBussy would have never used this Eastern scale - opposed to the whole-tone scale and foreign to all Western conception of what music should be - had he not heard a gamelan orchestra from the island nation of Java perform at the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition.

These geographic and temporal boundaries no longer exist for composers, and they don’t exist on Modal Soul. Nujabes was able to access musical threads from across the globe and across time - Latin sambas, Japanese jazz, African drums, American hip-hop, disco, blues, Miles Davis – and weave them into something not heard before or since. 

Take for example “Music Is Mine”. A sample of jangling, hollowed-out wood evokes the East, as does the lead piano melody played in a semi-tone scale. A trombone plays a bluesy New Orleans lead, and the piano carries an enchanting dialogue through to the song’s conclusion. Is this hip-hop? Jazz? Soul? A scholar might tell you these three terms really describe one sound, but Modal Soul actually dissolves the boundaries between these genres, making that scholarly theory a musical reality. 

The response to Modal Soul is also a 21st-century phenomenon. Nujabes' music never caught fire commercially in the United States, so how many fans would know Modal Soul without YouTube? Appreciation for the album is found less in measurements like album sales and more in the words of listeners shared online in subreddits, blog posts and youtube comment sections.

Almost exactly 1 year ago from today, my life took a huge shit and it seemed like everything I cared about was stripped from me. I listened to this song compilation [Modal Soul] almost every day for 3 months. It kept me going, it kept me from sinking too far into sadness, it saved me. -  Fortminorfan12

This is DEEP music and should not be underestimated with all of the evil being put out nowadays. - Suki Aff

“This album is life.... I listen to it almost daily.... Nujabes was one of those artists that had it right.... R.I.P man. I hope his soul knows how much his music has affected us all <3”  - Melissa TheLonelyEvaPilot00

Six songs on Modal Soul prominently feature vocals, four are purely instrumental. The rest are primarily instrumental though they include vocal samples, except “Music is Mine” on which we believe Nujabes himself performed the half-intelligible lyrics. 

Seba Jun in his studio

The messages offered by the featured performers are truly timeless, but also timely. “Feather” featuring Cise Starr and Akin and “Luv (sic.), Pt. 3” featuring Shing02 can resonate across time and space and apply to almost any situation. In the dystopian spoken screed “The Sign”, Pase Rock offers a desperate diatribe on the downward direction of our world at this moment (2005), but echoes of his prophetic message can be heard throughout the ages. This song is haunting, and rather unexpected as one cruises through Modal Soul - an unavoidable reality check in the middle of the album and one of the only instances in Nujabes’ career of an explicitly ‘conscious’ song. 

Some of us are lost and will not find our way no matter what the signs say

Some of us do not see the signs because we are too busy shopping

Some of us do not see the signs because we can't help but stop and look at the accidents and stare

We are in a daze, we are amazed by the world's displays

Some of us do not see the signs because we are giving spare change to the homeless

We are getting gas, we are volunteering for duty, and we are watching television

We are driving around in circles on spinners and we are working eight to six

We are on our way to the club, we are high, we are drunk, and we are sober

And we do not see the signs

I fear there is no U-turn and that this road dead-ends

Because we cannot read the signs

Do you not see the signs? We must read the signs

And we must turn around. We must turn around

We gotta turn this shit around, and we gotta read the signs

The title track is the album's most stunning instrumental. No one makes music like this, so full of life, besides in fact the featured performer Uyama Hiroto whom every lover of Modal Soul should check out immediately. Dissect if you can the percussion; samples of rimshots, toms, kick, ride, and hi-hat blend so fluently into a whole that the listener is blissfully unaware of the detail required to create these drums. This quickened world beat - distinct from the producer’s hip-hop-rooted composition - is Nujabes at his best and most inventive, breaking from almost all convention. Hiroto’s piano and clarinet are pure magic.

The final four songs on the album form a musical landscape. There’s “Flowers” in the foreground beneath a “Sea of Cloud”. Then, “Light on the Land” appears on the “Horizon”. Each song evokes imagery. The rich and chromatic piano sample in “Flowers” depicts with sound a broad, rustling field of pink, white and red carnations. “Light on the Land” - has samples of a cricket on every second upbeat, and echoing sample recalling a seagull’s yawn in the half darkness of daybreak. The rising, ethereal timbres of “Horizon” settle like beams of light thrown across the sky breaking through the dawn. 

Webster’s Dictionary defines “Revelation” as the divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence or the world. Modal Soul is a revelation. Its lyrics strike at our core human dilemmas. Its music transports us to colorful worlds apart. The message is that the music itself is the medicine, the answer. The music is mine, and it’s yours, and as hundreds have said before me all across the world, it will never fade away. 

Smigonaut & Tsimba Collab on Elemental Minded Compilation "Neurons Vol. 1"

Elemental Minded Promotions (EMP) has earned a reputation for touring top-shelf bass music through Connecticut and the greater Northeast. They now embark on a new venture with the release of Neurons Vol. 1, a dynamic 11-track compilation of exclusive tracks from EMP’s favorite up-and-coming producers.

Taking an alternative approach, tracks will drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout November instead of all at once. The first cut, "Nautilus" by Pluto Era, premiered earlier this week. The compilation contains tracks from each artist represented by the management arm of EMP - DeeZ, Keota, Scatz, Smigonaut, & Tsimba - and The Rust will highlight each one.

Today we offer "Headspace" by Smigonaut & Tsimba, the first collaboration between these producers. It's not what we expected. We can't recall any drum & bass releases from Smigonaut, and haven't heard this tempo from Tsimba in years. 

“We were both chillin’ one night listening to some drum & bass and talking about how we want to make more of it,” says Mark Evans Musto a.k.a. Tsimba. “He [Smigonaut] approached me with the melody and it was on.”

Simple but clean synth pads backlight the track. A subtle bassline beneath balances well with the prominent piano melody above, creating a mellow but driving groove. Tsimba’s drums are physically engaging throughout, with the hi-hats running like a 100-meter dash. When the song appears to be verging on reprise, it drops into a half-time shakedown with all the fuzzy sound design and off-kilter percussion that we have grown to expect from these two.

Mark has been working with EMP longer than any other artist. "He really was basically there for the birth of EMP," says founder Tyler Hettel.  "We kind of wanted to see how far we both could make it within the music business and what two kids from CT could do."

The path which led Josh Kipersztok a.k.a. Smigonaut to EMP was more roundabout. A superior sound sculptor, Josh attended Berklee College of Music (where he met  collaborator Skyler Golden a.k.a. Jade Cicada) and currently works for iZotope, a company that designs award-winning audio software and production plug-ins. “I met Josh through Andy [DeeZ] when Andy remixed 'Lost At Sea'," says Tyler. "I loved Andy's remix and when I dove deeper into Smigonaut's catalog I was thoroughly impressed." Forgive us, Tyler, but impressive is an understatement, and "Headspace", is a unique and unexpected addition to that catalog.

We would be caught off guard if either performer dropped “Headspace” in a set. Our next opportunity to hear this comes when the Swarm Tour swoops through Smigonaut’s hometown of Boston on 11/30. Josh will be lending support alongside fellow EMP artist Keota.

Stay chooned to The Rust throughout November as we highlight more choice cuts from Neurons Vol. 1 (full track list below).

1. Pluto Era - Nautilus
2. tsimba & Smigonaut - Headspace
3. Maxfield - Little Death In The Morning Sun
4. Scatz - Illgamesh
5. iX - Desert Form
6. Jizzy Fra - Sensi Star Dub
7. Face Plant - French Press
8. Phydra - Particle Board
9. Keota - Wook Flu
10. DeeZ - Juice ft. Frequency Fodder
11. Zoo Logic - Void

Follow Smigonaut:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /    Bandcamp 

Follow Tsimba:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /    Bandcamp   /   Instagram

Who is the Precise Electronic Producer Detox Unit?

On a steamy August night in a dark space bursting with Brooklynites and other humans, a DJ steps to the decks. It’s the third installation of the Lights Out series at the Knitting Factory, and Detox Unit is about to blow minds. Ascending into the corner of the room, Joe Roberts knows what’s cranking inside the spanking Hennessy Sound System before him. He knows forwards and backwards the material he’s prepared - detailed, meticulous, dirty, and deep. He knows when the music meets the medium, sound speeding through wire and circuitry, he’ll ignite the sell-out crowd like a tinderbox. 

"Adam Psybe who runs Psybe Industries designed my logo. My only input was that it had to be abstract, minimal, and kinda sci-fi. The bit at the bottom translates to 'noise' or 'sound'." - Joe Roberts a.k.a. Detox Unit

Detox Unit is returning to New York City this Friday, November 10th to headline the anticipated Sauce Sessions at Sunnyvale in Brooklyn, a new series of shows conceived by the The Saucy Monster. Joe Roberts a.k.a. Detox Unit actually grew up just north of the city in Scarsdale, NY before moving to Austin, TX in 2013. “I really miss the snow, proper bagels, great Chinese takeout everywhere, as well as the urban sprawl of NYC, but the scene here is rad,” says Joe, who was generous enough to speak with The Rust amidst a hectic schedule of shows from Portland, Oregon to Miami to West Virginia.

“I think Detox Unit is easily the breakout artist of 2017,” says Kyle Miller a.k.a. The Saucy Monster. “Dude’s been on a steady path of destruction, releasing all original mixtapes while simultaneously touring across the country.” Kyle is a photographer and producer (Indobeats). As the gracious host and founder of Sauce Sessions, he’ll be seeing Detox throw down for the first time on Friday.

Many in the community got their first taste of Detox at Tipper & Friends (T&F) events, which have been a modest launching pad for Joe and a handful of other artists. In 2016, the community left the gathering at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Florida mad for Jade Cicada. This year, Detox Unit were the words on everyone’s lips.

"I have so much love for both the Daves [Dave Tipper & manager Dave "Lobotomy"] and what they do." - Joe Roberts a.k.a. Detox Unit (Artist: Android Jones)

“In the summer of 2016, I got a message to my artist page on Facebook from Tipper's manager along the lines of ‘You doing anything in October?’.” Joe's first T&F performance transpired during the October, 2016 Denver get-down. “Needless to say, I proceeded to freak out and run around the room, then did my best to respond in a calm and collected manner. Tipper's music has been a huge influence on me." Some said they enjoyed Detox more than the headliner himself at Suwannee this Spring. This may be a minority opinion, but among the Spanish moss dripping thick with humidity Detox made his name known.

This come-up has been propelled not by a few spectacular sets nor a groundbreaking release, but years of dedication to a craft. “I met Joe in 2013 through a mutual friend while living in Austin” says Sofia Raisanen, a current writer for the knowledge-sharing platform ProducerDJ.com founded by ill.Gates. Sofia brought Detox Unit into the fold at Street Ritual in Summer  2015 while working as the A&R rep and PR Director for the West Coast conscious music label. “Joe was really focused on his DAW (digital audio workstation).  His full motivation is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed; it’s straight up hard work.”

"I began producing music in 2012, initially with a program called Reason but then I switched to Ableton Live. The early stuff was pretty abstract, ... kinda beat-less stuttered out sequences of odd synth sounds. In 2014 I dropped all other pursuits and put my focus on music. Haven't looked back since.

Joe is an audio engineer with a sophisticated home studio that includes modular and analog synthesizers, keyboards, old-school effects units, a controlled mess of circuitry, and a separate room for mixing. While some individuals including the author are driven to madness by the slightest technical difficulty, since childhood Joe has derived satisfaction from fixing and tinkering with electronics.

According to Oxford researcher Simon Reynolds in his history of electronic music titled Historia Electronica Preface and published in “The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader” in 2005:

'Electronic music is driven by a quest to find the most radical or futuristic-sounding potential in brand-new technology. And that involves essentially (re)inventing the machines: producers are always claiming the first thing they do after acquiring new gear is to throw away the instruction manual and start messing around. Often creativity entails abusing the machines, employing them incorrectly.'

As a gear head and someone who has loved electronic music “since day one”, Detox Unit embodies this ethos. “Most of the audio gear I own I've taken apart and messed about with the insides at some point in time,” Joe says. This obsession can be a double-edged sword, however. “I find sometimes this fascination can lead to a never-ending cycle of tinkering with this or that and never actually writing any music. I am constantly rearranging how everything is plugged in, never satisfied with just one particular signal flow.”

Joe incorporates his technological fascination into the aesthetic of Detox Unit, believing the imagery juxtaposes well with his sound design. Take for example the visual associated with the “Recent Works, Vol. 3” mix. “I used an image of an old Turbosound cabinet, the TMS-4 to be exact. I had been reading up on the history of Tony Andrews and his time at Turbosound prior to Funktion One; the image seemed appropriate.”

"The picture from "Recent Works Vol. 3" is a continuation of the theme of using technical, document-inspired images with the music" - Joe Roberts a.k.a Detox Unit

Generally, with more than three self-acclaimed sound heads in a room, and it becomes nearly impossible to find a consensus about what music to bump. For the last month, however, virtually every time I gather with friends one person will advocate for the new Detox mix to the immediate and unanimous approval of others. “I made ‘Recent Works Vol. 3’ at around 8:00am in a makeshift studio I had setup in Denver after staying up all night writing the third tune in the mix, the 808 heavy one with the vocal bit saying ‘this is my real life’,” Joe tells us. “Admittedly I probably should have slept and then made the mix but inspiration is fleeting so I think it's important to strike while the iron is hot.”

Detox Unit music is mental and physical. Glitches woven into intricate patterns twist the mind in comfy little knots, while thunderous but carefully placed bass vibrates the room and everyone in it. Space is key. Empty space in his mix casts sounds into dramatic relief, sharpening their edges and drawing acute attention to every noise. Brief pauses give greater force to the fusillades of bass that follow, and the details of sound design which can be so easily missed become the center of attention within Detox Unit music.

This caught the attention of Blake Oakes from Together At Last Promotions out of Atlanta. Rust readers may remember that Blake conceived the Lights Out series to create a party focused on sound and little else. “It’s completely about the sound with him,” says Blake, who recently booked Detox Unit for another Lights Out set - his second - in Chicago. “He matches the concept to a tee.”

While Joe appears to spend most of his energy crafting new music, he’s found time to focus on his live performance, too. “Lately I've been mixing on the Pioneer CDJ platform using flash drives and it's been a lot of fun. My old setup featured Ableton, and I used a controller to play my tracks. Now with my new setup I've been focusing on how to string together different tracks to make the whole set one cohesive journey that keeps the dance floor moving.”

It's rare to be intellectually engaged by music while simultaneously getting down, but this is what Detox can deliver. Friday at Sunnyvale the dance floor will indeed be set in wild motion, but not just by Detox. Supporting him is the rising Rust artist MALAKAI along withgifted instrumentalist and producer 5AM, and local low-end lurker Yakooza who’ll spin back-to-back with a special guest. If you’ve never seen Detox Unit perform, prepare for an immersive experience. Check out any of his Recent Works mixes, his latest EP SubPlatter Splatter, or his set from Tipper & Friends Suwannee.

FOLLOW Detox Unit:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp 

Lo-Fi Sundays 005 - Guru Griff

Guru Griff isn’t about making beats anymore, he’s about making music. This according to his Twitter account, where the Los Angeles-based beat maker offers other candid thoughts like, “this lofi hype got another 6 months before everyone’s over it.” Perhaps, but Sundays aren’t for hype anyway.

Hype is a word with little relevance for Guru Griff. His beats are invariably chill, the height of music made for relaxation and a bit of contemplation. His drums are always dusty and in the pocket, his samples always placid and original. The producer popped on our radar when we heard his jelly-smooth, sidewalking tune “Long Day” open the Jazzy Town mix made by Youtube channel Fantastic Music. One muffled trumpet, one shuffling drum beat, and one crusted-over piano sample is all Guru Griff needs to set a vibe here.

Four Guru Griff tapes are available for streaming on Spotify and three for purchase on Bandcamp, all from 2017. The smooth sound Griff cultivates across his tapes is as consistent as his output; one requires little patience if they’re waiting on new music from this producer. 

The Natural Loops EP, a 22-minute collaboration with Danish beat knocker Axianreleased one month ago, sounds like a new vibe for Guru Griff. The tape is saturated with deeper hues and drawn with sharper edges than some of his older efforts. It’s dusted off, perhaps owing to Axian's contribution or perhaps to Guru Griff’s own progression as a producer, but that’s speculation. This compared for example to the 18-minute Apex EP from earlier in the year which has all that darling snap, crackle, and pop, but a bit less shine. Maybe save the former for a sunny stroll, and the latter for a rainy day when you’re “sittin’ back, smokin’ a 20”. Either way, you’re bopping.

Guru Griff’s most recent tape, Riptides, hit Spotify just one week ago. There’s a miscellany of tracks here, some posted on his SoundCloud one year ago and others just days ago. Certain tracks appear slightly more colorful, with slightly more fidelity. The drums slap where they once thudded. Hear this on “Ride Round”, a complex cut with flute, a strutting bass line, and running, pitched violin blending beneath a horn lead. There’s a powerful sample from Tupac Shakur, too, “The day I stepped out, that’s power! I want these little niggas to see that. I didn't get that power from guns ‘cuz there are no guns in jail. I got that power from books, and from thinking.” 

Guru Griff is generating his own power with these soulful beats. Whatever he chooses to call it - music or beats - we’ll choose to stay chooned for more. 

FOLLOW GURU GRIFF:   Soundcloud   /   Twitter   /   Bandcamp  

Wonk#ay Records - Feed the Contagious

Bass music is, in its purest form, a powerfully aggressive blanket-genre that thrives off of the manipulation of visceral, razor-sharp tones that thwack right in the chest and pulse deep in the eardrums. As Halloween rolls around each year, the spirit of the occasion has a tendency to creep its way into even the finest threads of low-end brutalism, and this time, the result is nothing short of skull-splitting: FEED THE CONTAGIOUS, a brand new compilation of specifically-produced tunes, hits the airwaves today via Wonk#Ay Records. 

Hailing from Brighton, UK, Wonk#Ay records began in 2004 as an initiative to immerse the Brighton club scene in free events hosting experimental music. By 2008, the official record label was born, and the operation was spearheaded by the release of their first compilation, GnomeOrWar, which featured a host of international artists showcasing an eclectic collection of lightning-paced psybient tracks. Within a few years the label began to shift their focus towards mid-tempo, glitch, dubstep, drum-&-bass, neuro, and techno, and would go on to greatly expand their talent pool; Kursa, Seppa, Dystopik, Hurtdeerand their label mates represent the face of Wonk#Ay Records, and together create the war-brand responsible for their label's most potent release to date. 

FEED THE CONTAGIOUS is a nuclear powerhouse of bone-smashing breakdowns, combining the talent of a multi-faceted team of top-flight producers and bass enthusiasts. It is a neural labyrinth of sine-wave compression synthesis, saturation, blistering percussion, and of course, pulverizing bass lines. Bringing each of their trademark styles to the table, this compilation is as much a cooperation amongst these sub-frequency dons as it is a competition for the most brutal, rhythmic cacophony. 

Kursa and Seppa concoct a potion of the highest magnitude, as expected and always delivered. Friendly Fade takes halftime d-n-b and flips it right on its head, panning back and forth between crunchy shuffles and meticulous blast-beats, bringing in aggressive timbres akin to British metal and punk music. Brief flashes of melodious pads are quickly washed away by a torrent of low-end obliteration wrapped in a percussive hailstorm.

Zimbu brings down the hammer with an industrial-era soundscape; Planets In Orbit vibrates to a metal-on-metal frequency, with a blistering bass tone complimented by a steel pipe snare on the most favorable downbeats, leaving just enough room for a bevy of atmospheric glitches to tighten the mix and randomize the direction.

Dystopik cranks up the bpm for his contribution, coming up to bat with a wild halftime d-n-b onslaught called Pulled to Pieces. Granular textures float amidst a sea of white noise and hard-wired kicks and snares battling for dominance. The mean-mugged FM bass synthesizers fire off like a malfunctioning machine gun, spraying the auditory field with a maelstrom of sub-bass and squared-off frequencies.

Wonk#Ay spares absolutely no expense or effort in their collaborative efforts with an ecosystem of top-flight producers. The FEED THE CONTAGIOUS compilation is a Trojan warhorse in an over-saturated sea of similar tones and musical stylings. The necessity to stand out, when much of modern bass music seems a simulacrum of itself, is met with outstanding sound design, mix downs, mastering, and deliberately "throwing the kitchen sink at the wall". All listeners should take the proper time to submerge themselves into each track in this collection, and when the end of the road is reached, Wonk#Ay Records has a wildly impressive back-catalog spanning back to 2008, all 100% FREE (with the option of donation), with quality being the absolute first defining marker of every release. This compilation has just been released into the hands of the masses, and we already can't wait for what Wonk#Ay has next up their sleeves.

FOLLOW Wonk#Ay Records:   Official   /   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Facebook

Origin 006 Brings Ton of Underground Talent to Bizarre Bushwick

The Rust has the privilege of co-hosting Origin 006 on Friday, November 3rd with the Brooklyn Bass Troupe at Bizarre Bushwick (12 Jefferson St. 11206 Brooklyn).

The ORIGIN series focuses on cutting edge electronic production, primarily in the realms of bass, glitch and psy music. Each one of the artists will be playing a 100% original set. We complete the environment with reinforced sound, installations, vending, live art and space saved especially for flow arts. 

Bringing beautiful ethereal beats to Origin 006 is Amawalk, an NYC-based producer who spun a delightful set at The Rust Music's Kalya Scintilla & Whitebear pre-party on October 14th. Truckin' up 95 from Philadelphia, Shapesift offers emotive ambient sound with thick layers of wet synthesis, while LRKR offers melodic, synth-laden music.

Holding down the heavier end of the spectrum is local producer Wubwitz, and Bagger Vance, a Queens native who'll give drum and bass heads a reason to get reckless.

Then there’s Nieratka, the man behind the Origin series and a true master of the squanch.

Vocal stylings will come from the quick-witted NYC rapper Rasp-5, who will join both Soley and Tygris for a collaborative performance. The trio teamed-up for an early October performance in Queens with Soley offering his extremely tight, soulful beats and Tygris on the cuts. Tying the night together with detailed, filthy sound design, and forming the greater part of The Rust Music’s imprint on Origin 006 will be Philthadelphia pride, Face Plant.

With this diverse roster, Origin 006 offers strains of sound for almost every electronic ear. As each performer presents all original sets, attendees can hear a night’s worth of new music for just $5. So join us for this unique gathering, and turn out early because that fiver becomes a ten-spot once the clock strikes midnight.

We put together a warmup playlist with tunes from a select couple of Friday evenings performers so you can get a little taste of what you're in for. 

CharlestheFirst Continues Honing His Sound With Single "Void"

The young Californian bass music producer CharlestheFirst just dropped a new single on Bandcamp today entitled “Void”. Raw and reckless, “Void” somehow strikes a balance between light and heavy, dirty and smooth. Walls of watery bass back erratic combinations of sound design, with no two combos appearing to repeat themselves. 

Charles presents a bit of bravado to with a trappin’ vocal sample, but he has every reason to strut at the moment. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for a music producer is to distinguish one's music from the rest - to create a distinct imprint, a sound which audiences can pick out of the seemingly endless influx of new music we experience in this day and age. CharlestheFirst has managed to accomplish that at an impressively early stage in his young career. "Void" offers a new look into his signature style and sound design.

FOLLOW Charlesthefirst:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Facebook

Lo-Fi Sundays 004 - STLNDRMS

STLNDRMS (stolen drums) is the truth. Posting daily beatmaking videos, hosting a weekly chill in Atlanta, and maintaining a prolific output on Soundcloud, STLNDRMS aka Chris Wilkes is a veritable beats brand. The dedicated Atlanta native slices some of the most rich and colorful beats on the web, hands down. 

STLNDRMS first emerged on our radar when 'backpack' cracked out of the Bless Vol. 1 tape from Inner Ocean Records.  On an already prolific beat tape, this one drew forth a wild, fiendish head bop. The drums smack relentlessly, and a pair of hair-raising string and horn samples race underneath a simple three-note melody to cultivate an almost cinematic vibe. A cut of Money Makin' Mitch, main character from the 2002 epic 'Paid in Full', comes through on the break - "The fans still gon' love me, man?"

This is one of two sampled ad-libs which invariably pop up in STLNDRUMS beats. Mitch is comparing an athlete retiring to a drug dealer leaving the game, waxing poetic about the potential loss of mojo if and when a man puts down his passions. This may be personal narrative at play. 

According to prodigious DJ journalism imprint Micro-Chop, Wilkes began crafting beats in 2001 and continued to chop and splice religiously for ten years before putting down the drums - almost for good - in 2011. Despite an abundance of passion and skill, STLNDRMS beats gained little traction outside of the producer's bedroom, a dilemma probably shared by more than one beatmaker. But naturally and perhaps magnetically, Wilkes was drawn back to his craft in 2016. "If I leave, the fans still gon' love me, man?"

Since he picked up the pads again, Wilkes has brought his beats out into the world in a big way. STLNDRMS broadcasts multi-hour home studio sessions about twice-a-week through his 'Beats and Chill' videos. He asks viewers to "spread the love", reminds them that "sharing is caring" and shouts out his viewers in real time while making piping hot beats on the spot.

Wilkes hosts a weekly gathering in Atlanta called Controllerise. With beat sets from underground DJs, pizza, and anime, Controllerise is a place for the "underground to flourish" Wilkes told Atlanta lifestyle publication Creative Loafing. Where once STLNDRMS struggled to achieve exposure for his own beats, he's now created a space to big up other underground talents in his scene. 

STLNDRMS has a surprisingly simple workflow. He's been using virtually the same drums since his genesis, a 15-drum pad assembled - stolen - from vinyls years ago, this again according to Micro-Chop. He doesn't use plug-ins or "anything fancy", just slapping drums, layered hi-hats, and rusty, dusty broad-brush instrumental samples to fill the stereo spread with radiant organized noise. The love is in the layering, and this dense sound is consistent across his cuts, like a signature.  

We collected some choice knocks from his Soundcloud, but STLNDRMS beats are infinite and always evolving. The intangible, priceless beauty of groove can arise any time Wilkes is behind his drums. So interact, hear more and explore on his Twitter or Instagram, or roll through the Thursday night vibe Controllerise if you're in Atlanta. Scoop some free .wav downloads from his Soundcloud, and stay chooned to STLNDRMS and Lo-Fi Sundays. 

FOLLOW STLNDRMS:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Instagram

Waterchild & Space Cadet - Premonitions

Bringing out the right flavors for “world music” is often times a daunting task; finding the proper timbres, creating an atmosphere of realism, and injecting the perfect porridge of nostalgia takes a musical mind that’s ready to put down tropes and typical schemas in favor of unbridled sonic exploration. Waterchild and Space Cadet bring to the table an atypical, yet absolutely archetypal bevy of rhythms, grooves, chops, cuts, and pulsating bass lines through their newest collaborative EP, Premonitions.

Following up their 2016 release, Impressions, their most recent creation is a modal, global souffle of indigenous percussion mingled with dungeon-ready synthesis, emotionally intelligent melodies layered on top of and behind a soup of auditory glitches and intentional missteps.

“Choice is the act of hesitation we make before making a decision. It is a mental wobbling.” So aptly named, Mental Wobble starts off the EP with a delicious groove smoothie, combining a balanced, steady rhythm with a-rhythmic subtleties and fluttering movements of top layer synthesis that can do no more or less than bring a comfortable smile to the listener’s face.

Oshun takes us on a journey towards the musicality of the far east, eschewing 3rds and 4ths in musical scales and fleshing out the beautiful interplay of Hirojoshi-esque note architecture. The bass never takes the spotlight, instead opting to play the role of a veritable cushion for the lighter, airy frequencies, giving the track a full base and flavour that fills up every part of the audible spectrum.

The final track on the EP is without question the most eclectic, and is incredibly specific in its intention while remaining absolutely non-specific in its direction. Akashi is an ambient adventure, filled with drips, clicks, plops, scrapes, oscillations, and scale interplay. There is a constant, but gradual ebb and flow, rising and building with a palpable tension, only to then dive farther down a mysterious rabbit hole. Beneath an omnipresent ascending and descending melody, choice flares of synthesizers and bubbly textures ooze to the surface, culminating in an satisfying, system-wide mainframe shutdown to close out this incredible journey.

Musicians; Producers; Auditory shamans. Waterchild and Space Cadet display a deeply educated understanding of the tools at their disposal, their own musical minds, and how to juxtapose those assets against each other to craft something beyond a typical product; Something that breathes on its own without any need for reference or perspective. You needn’t become acquainted with anything other than your own ears to enjoy the pallet of tones presented on the Premonitions EP. In fact, after just a single listen through this release, you might feel inclined to jump headfirst into the rest of these musicians’ incredible catalogs.

FOLLOW Waterchild:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp

FOLLOW Space Cadet:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify

Lo-Fi Sundays 003 - Erameld

Continuing with our journey through low-fidelity time and space, we came across a particularly interesting beatsmith known as Erameld; The classic dusty breaks and melancholy, bit-crushed accentuation is all there as it should be, but this producer has a serious talent for pin-point sound design and melody choice that places him a cut above the rest. Varying tempos, neurotic attention to arrangement and composition, and a pervasive sense of “I have been here before”, all wrapped up in an effervescent sonic hue; Here’s a few beat tapes and choice tracks to help you get acquainted with this one man beat cypher.

FOLLOW Erameld:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Instagram

Lo-Fi Sundays 002 - Poptartpete

Appearing in December 2015 courtesy of Radio Juicy, Palmas was the first vinyl and last musical release from Philadelphia skateboarder Jamal Smith aka Poptartpete, who put down the drum machine to focus solely on his skating career after dropping this gem. While his earlier beat tapes - Weed Money, Morning Blunt, and 8 Cavities - all ran at approximately 20 minutes, Palmas compiles all his work to date into a robust 41-minute magnum opus.

Superb instrumental sampling, warm pad melodies, and head-bopping drums define Poptartpete's sound. The same could be said of many beatsmiths, but beyond the guitars, horns, woodwinds, and percussion, many of his samples sound like they're cut from old film, television, and archetypal 1970s R&B, rendering the tunes with an authentic throwback vibe. The whole tape is magnificent, but we do have some standout tracks to highlight. "Ithaca" opens  with a bright, aqueous melody that conjures images of upstate New York gorge-dwelling in early autumn. "Jumba Jawn," a shout out to the Philadelphia native's stomping grounds, ups the energy early with its strutting saxophone sample. "Hard Times", the longest tune on the tape, delivers emotional impact with a prodding blues guitar sample and layers of humming female vocals. "Water Underneath" has a fuzzy shuffling hi-hat which driving the drums, water running underneath, and a brilliant flute sample to lead. 

We hope one day Jamal picks up the gear again. If that never happens, he undoubtedly left the beat scene on a high note with Palmas. You can obtain a reasonably-priced download on Bandcamp, and a few copies on wax of this sublime release may still be available on vinyl database/marketplace discogs. 

FOLLOW Poptartpete:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp

Inner Ocean Records Drops Futures Vol. 4 Compilation on Cassette Store Day

There may not be a more appropriate way to celebrate Cassette Store Day, October 14th, than pressing play on FUTURES Vol. 4, a two-plus hour tape of scratchy, stoic lo-fi and ambient beats from premiere independent label Inner Ocean Records. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Inner Ocean’s name reflects both the expanse of mountain, sky and plains which surrounds Calgary, and the well of creativity within ourselves that stirs with the experience of music. 62 tracks by 62 artists, most of them exclusive to the tape, spill across the stereo spread on FUTURES Vol. 4, the latest installment in a running compilation series which continues to look ahead, promoting new sounds and new artists through an old but timeless format. 

Conceived by a handful of record labels in 2013, Cassette Store Day is a growing celebration. It lacks the pull or popularity of Record Store Day, but its intention is different. “CSD is focused on celebrating cassettes rather than supporting shops,” according to cassettestoreday.com. While for many labels today is an occasion to reach into the past and re-release classic albums on tape, for Inner Ocean it’s another opportunity to slide into the future, and the future is chill. 

Almost four years ago, FUTURES Vol. 1 was Inner Ocean’s first compilation. “There was always an element of looking ahead when compiling them,”, says Inner Ocean Records founder Cory Giordano, “whether it be new directions in sound, working with new artists or simply a soundtrack for moving forward in life.” Then, the compilation was a vehicle for Inner Ocean to promote its own artists (the label currently has approximately 25 producers on its roster). Now, the compilation is open to submissions, allowing Inner Ocean to work with more artists and connect with more people in the community.  We counted only three cuts from Inner Ocean artists on FUTURES Vol. 4. This is a testament to Inner Ocean’s reputation, and its ability to help foster the lo-fi community. 

FUTURES Vol. 4 naturally embraces more than just lo-fi. The scratchy, stripped down, instrumental style pioneered by the likes J Dilla and Nujabes is a starting point to expand upon. Jazz tropes, ambient textures and experimental tones saturate the compilation and help to refresh or redirect its movement as it rolls along. Experimentation and boundary busting within the lo-fi lexicon has been the calling card of the FUTURES tapes. Yet regardless of how far a song stretches from familiarity, it is the ambience, the chill, delicately put forth with pads, drum machines and cozy cut samples, that serves as the compilation’s common denominator.

A lo-fi compilation is ideal for Cassette Store Day because as Cory tells us tape cassettes are inherently low fidelity and do not present the full frequency range. “You can get the cassettes loaded with a few different types of tape, each offering their own sound characteristics,” he says. “Though they all have hiss and have that subtle, tape-saturated tone.” Since its inception in 2012, little music leaves Inner Ocean Records unless packaged in at least one physical format. With the cassette format naturally lending itself to lo-fi soundscapes, Inner Ocean’s embrace of the genre has been a fateful marriage of music to material. 

“If listening to vinyl is likened to watching movies shot and projected on gorgeously rich film stock, listening to tapes is like watching 90’s movies on VHS, a little gritty but nostalgic and satisfying,” says Cory. When you can cram 1,000 tunes on one memory stick, there’s great pride and intention to the selection of physical formats. There’s also great expense and labor involved, but for Inner Ocean it’s a labor of love. 

“As nice as it is to be able to stream any song you want at any moment, Cory rhapsodizes, “that immediate access somehow takes away from the magic of music. There’s nothing like throwing down your vinyl collection on some turntables and hanging out with your friends, or tossing a tape into your car and cruising to some chill beats.” 

With such a large compilation, its best to breeze through the entire thing side by side and get totally lost in the lo-fi. But for reference we’ll offer our favorite cut from each side. On tape no. 1, it’s got to be the love song of love songs “Propose To My Drum Machine”  by PRGMAT on Side A, and the oriental and experimental sound of “Breathingfire” by Yunnan on Side B. For tape no. 2 we favor the R&B noire vibe of Jake and Bake’s “Got Myself a Present” on Side A and the wobbly “Flip Da Scrip” by Korey Wade on Side B. 

You can purchase the tape at Inner Ocean's website. If you don’t have a cassette player, you can still scoop up FUTURES Vol. 4 on mp3 to explore this massive compilation. If you like what you hear, stay chooned. We’ll likely feature more extraordinarily chill music from Inner Ocean Records in our new LoFi Sundays column. 

FOLLOW Inner Ocean Records:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Spotify   /   Instagram

Boukas Blends Beats and Dub on A Song For Samantha EP

Beatmaking is undoubtedly an art. As such it is composed of many styles, each with its own nuances. On his new EP A Song for Samantha Dennis Boukas of Stockholm, Sweden, or just Boukas when he's on the beat, showcases his own style - a delightful hybrid of dub and J Dilla influence peppered with a pinch of jazz. Boukas released this project with NINETOFIVE Records, which exclusively releases some of the finest contemporary hip-hop production this side of the galaxy. 

The kick and snare work on this EP is as crisp and well-sampled as anything we've heard, the strongest example being the percussion in the title track. "A Song for Samantha" matches a jumpy beat with a lilting, melancholic piano melody for an emotionally ambiguous vibe. This vibe encases the entire release truly, but it's most pronounced here on the title track. The shimmering guitar sample and light wash of cymbals in the background fill out the composition with great color. 

"Astral Traveling" may be our favorite cut from the release, with subtle synthesizers indeed invoking a sort of interstellar daydream. The bassline is so firm yet unpronounced, yielding center stage to the whizzing and washing miscellany of electronic timbres. 

The influence of dub, which Dennis cites as a major influence, is most evident on "Shape of Things" and "I Have Been Here Before". Boukas effortlessly weaves the echoing soundscape, drawling pace, and earthy percussion of dub music into a more traditional lo-fi hip hop beat, creating something novel and refreshing.  It's almost as if two beats are being put forth simultaneously - almost. On "Shape of Things" there's a bit less boom bap and a bit more tom and rimshot work in the vein of dub. The percussion is masterfully sampled, resonating across a layer of jazzy ride cymbals and punctuated by a mercurial trumpet sample. 

While the archetypal boom-bap will never fade away, beatmakers like Boukas grab our ear and satiate our spirit when they build on that boom bap and generate fresh vibes. Boukas has a full, "raw" beat tape coming soon via Worldwide Beatmakers, so stay chooned. 

Check out Boukas at NINETOFIVE Records HERE

FOLLOW Boukas:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp

Whitebear [Interview]

The hammer, the bat, the boxing glove; we as humans use these tools for literal smashing, but sometimes we need a more proverbial smashing. With Arthur Song behind his quickly rising nom de guerre, Whitebear pounds the ground with a visceral harmony of melody and discord, symphony and cacophony. A Malaysian native based out of Melbourne, Australia, he's made his way all the way out to the States for a massive tour alongside Kalya Scintilla, and is headed straight for NYC this weekend.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Whitebear and pick apart his brain just enough to satisfy the suspense of a long-awaited face-to-face blessing with the man, and see what really makes this production powerhouse tick.

The Rust: Your music has been described as “tribal”. Much electronic music from Australia has tribal or aboriginal influence, at least when heard by American ears. What effect can place have on music? Feel free to answer the question in relation to Whitebear music, or in general.

The environment most definitely plays a huge role when it comes to influencing the feel/mood of the music, although I don’t think that it is entirely dependent on it. Most of my music was written in an apartment in the middle of Melbourne city 12 stories above the ground, I guess which is why peppered amongst the “tribal” elements are dashes of inorganic sounds.

The Rust: The infrastructure of the music industry has undergone great change, and musicians, labels, collectives have to get creative to make a living off their music, with Shanti Planti being an example of a successful model with artists helping artists. How can artists help each other succeed? How, if at all, would you like to see the processes behind the publication, distribution, and sale of music change?

We need to stop viewing this as a competition, use the success of others to inspire you rather than depress/discourage you. Stop complaining about how someone else is doing better and level up. That and the sharing of knowledge amongst artists, most of us wouldn’t be where we are today without the help of online tutorials, tips from mates or whatever else it took us to learn the skills we needed to be the artists that we are today. Regarding the sale of music, I definitely would like to see more labels go down the collective route, much like Shanti Planti, and now Enig’matik as well since their rebirth not long ago. It’s a win-win for the “label owner” and the artists- most of the work has been offloaded or at least the weight is now equally distributed because the individual artist is now taking care of their own mastering, artwork, social media etc. with a few exceptions of distribution and promo still being taken care of by the label (depending on the label/collective). Too many labels have been discontinued purely due to the fact that there was too much of a workload and not enough financial gain to warrant that amount of work, which is a shame because we’ve lost some good ones!

The Rust: You told Lost in Sound that there’s a symbiotic relationship between “mainstream pop shit” and tasteful underground music, with the former forcing people to search for deeper, more meaningful music. I’ve been starting to see “edgy” electronic music used in television ads pretty frequently. Can the line between mainstream pop music and underground bass music become blurry at times?

Sure.

The Rust: You’ve said that in Australia, more people are flocking to the underground music scene, but bringing with them the attitudes and morals of the conventional world. The same could be said in American scene, which has exploded in popularity in the last five years. Can we welcome as many people as possible into the community, while preserving the unique attitudes, morals, and customs that have made the community so attractive?

I’m not too familiar with the evolution of the scene in the US so can’t speak for the scene here, but in Australia, there has definitely been a rise in outdoor festivals that are being run by companies that used to put on one-day raves. As long as we work to educate but more importantly inspire the newcomers, we’re sweet.

The Rust: You said you’ve been asked to play hip-hop here in America, which could in a way be described as the indigenous music of the United States. Are you influenced or inspired by hip-hop?

I never listened to much hip-hop growing up, I appreciate it, but it has never been a huge part of my musical life.\

The Rust: With your recent EP, Dialectics, you retain certain elements of archetypal psybient music, but also develop a darker tonality and sonic direction than previous works. What triggered the inspiration to tackle this shift in sound design and composition?

I didn’t want to be pigeonholed into the “tribal bass” thing, I’ve always been influenced by the darker forms of music with techy sound design so it was natural for me to explore that side of my musical palette.

The Rust: Can you walk us through your workflow? What digital tools do you use to flesh out your music? Do you have any affinity for hardware instruments in conjunction with conventional production methods? (Preferred DAWs, VSTs, Mastering software, etc)

Ableton Live is the main workhorse, everything else is software. Workflow is pretty much- get excited about writing music, start doing sound design, get more/less excited depending on success of sound design session, start sketching out track, whine about how track is not working at all, keep banging head against wall until something works or breaks, repeat until track is done. 

The Rust: Do you have a vision for the future of the Whitebear project and of your performance? Are you satisfied with your current methods for performing live, and are you experimenting with any unconventional ways of presenting your music? What does the ideal Whitebear show look like to you?

At the moment the vision is a bit clouded. If you had asked me six years ago if I saw myself doing what I do now, I would tell you- yeah nah. So I’ve been winging it this whole time with no solid plans except to write the best music I can write and to be stoked about what comes out as much as possible. I have some soul searching to do over the next six months. I would definitely like to collaborate with visual artists to create an immersive experience with synced visuals and maybe even surround sound type stuff, but to be honest it isn’t really a priority right now, more an idea I’ve been toying with. 

The Rust: Do you have your hands in any other artistic content beyond music? Do you take inspiration from non-musical art forms?

Navigating this human thing meat ship is an art in itself, that’s probably up there with the music. Inspiration comes from everywhere and everything, it's hard for it not to.

--

If you're in the tristate area this coming weekend, then we're sure you'll be piloting your human meat ships straight to Brooklyn for a tango amongst maestros. Make sure you grab your tickets HERE

FOLLOW Whitebear:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Instagram

Tipper - Lattice

Lattice is a style of framework that calls for criss-crossing strips of wood or metal, layering and interlocking different pieces to create a ‘network’ of calculated entanglement. The music of premier sound sculptor Dave Tipper exists in a similar manner, weaving seemingly unconnected sounds and emotion into intricate, multiplicitous organisms that ebb and flow in construction with each subsequent live performance.

Much like his tunes, which incorporate elements of an abundance of musical styles, a dedicated community has begun to form around his music. Fellow artists and fans from across the map intertwine in a latticed network that grows organically as more criss-crossed strips of interest and glorious bewilderment are affixed. What began as a single ‘Tipper & Friends’ event last summer at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park  has blossomed into a series of tight-knit gatherings that excel in bringing together those of us who enjoy the bizarre – with the Sultan of Strange at the proverbial helm. As the community evolves and develops, so does the music.

Tipper’s latest release, aptly dubbed Lattice, is only 4 songs, but it’s jam packed with an intense flavor that lingers on the palate long after the project concludes. There’s no debating that music can take you elsewhere - unfamiliar instruments may evoke visions of far off countries, or a particular tune may make you feel like you’re in a lush forest or jungle. Hell, some compositions may transport you to another planet – but what’s interesting about Tipper’s music is that the ‘locations’ it can bring you to are abstract, uncharted and ostensibly inconceivable.  You know you’ve left, you know you’re not at home… but where you’ve wound up is impossible to comprehend.

Like his previous two releases, “Lattice” contains 3 saucy uptempo brain-bruisers and one delightfully decadent downtempo production – a VIP of “Dreamsters” from Dave’s last full length release, “Forward Escape.” These abnormal sonic amalgams pull the appendages every which way like a medieval quartering, while the encephalon struggles to process – both in the finest way imaginable, of course. It’s clear that Dave Tipper simply isn’t pulling from the same pool… the only explanation is that he’s plucking from a puddle of primordial ooze.

Ultimately, “Lattice” is a beacon of hope; a lighthouse in an endless abyss of monotony, and a sine qua non in any experimental music collection. 

Pick up your copy HERE through the homies at Addictech.com

FOLLOW Tipper:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp

Lo-Fi Sundays 001 - saiko

The Rust Music was envisioned to spread awareness of the eclectic, off-kilter sound that thrives in the minds of the world’s many brilliant musicians and composers. To further that goal, we present the first of many Lo-Fi Sundays - a weekly column created to highlight the finest bit-crushed producers currently on our radar.

Hailing from Brussels, Belgium, our first featured beatsmith Saiko delivers on both the sculpting of the lo-fi soundscape, and the richness of note choice. Always at a steady head-nod pace, the music speaks as if it is coming out of a rusted wind-up toy, with the ebb and flow of each beat rising and falling like the mechanical failures of gears and speaker boxes gone awry. Sit back tonight and pop on Saiko through whatever audio medium you see fit, and feel the comedown of the week slide right off your shoulders like sea water on seal skin.

FOLLOW Saiko:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   iTunes

Kalya Scintilla on Progress and the Perils of Pop Music

If ever a musician was rooted in the past, acting in the present and looking to the future it is Kalya Scintilla. Scintilla, real name Yaegon Lamagaia, is a pillar of psychedelic electronic music and culture. Since the late aughts this Australian producer has pioneered a now popular sound - a juxtaposition of earthy, instrumental world beats with squelchy, spacey synths in a psybient mid-tempo mold.

Scintilla takes great care to draw listeners into the thematic world beyond his sounds, one of ancient energy, myth, intention and alignment. Ahead of his Back to Roots tour stop at Knitting Factory Brooklyn, supported by Whitebear and The Rust Music artist MALAKAI, we were fortunate enough to speak briefly with Yaegon about his music and ideas.

As the NYC tour stop draws closer we’ll also share a conversation with Whitebear, the other half of the Back to Roots tour, who for the last few years has been carrying the mid-tempo torch lit by Scintilla and others into deeper and darker territory to illuminate new sonic spaces.

The Rust: You’ve said the drum is the oldest instrument and that its ancient rhythms unlock ancient mysteries within us. How about the synthesizer? As a new instrument with a digitized soundscape, what can the synthesizer potentially unlock within us?

The drum is ancient and the synth is future. The synth can carve out new and different unexplored worlds, propelling our imagination into something unseen. That's why I love the fusion of the two world. It's like having your feet in the earth, your mind in the universe and your emotions everywhere between.

The Rust: You purchased your first computer to make beats in 2005. What was it like to make a beat on the computer over a decade ago? Is there anything you miss about the composition process back then?

I do miss the simplicity of a decade ago. There is such a heavy saturation in the digital music technology market now... and the crazy thing is that most of it is amazing. So it's a challenge now to keep a simple palate of sounds and textures and explore them intensely. I always recommend to artists just starting out to keep it simple. When you keep you setup simple, your focus and thirst for learning and pushing the limits of what you have is greater. Slow down with getting new tech and learn what you have... this is also a reminder to myself HA!

(Credit: Derek Rickert)

The Rust: As the head of Merkaba Music, are there any new artists or sounds that you admire right now?

The sounds that push boundaries for me are not necessarily ones that are trying to be the next new sound but sounds that are a true expression of an individual's soul. As each soul is different, when a soul shines through music it's always a magical and unique feeling.

The Rust: As a leader in psychedelic sound design and composition, what’s next for Kalya Scintilla’s sound? Do any musical challenges still lay before you?

Art and creativity is infinite and inspiration can be found everywhere so while I feel I have accomplished so much I feel in some ways that I am just beginning. I have visions and more creations on the way for both Merkaba and Kalya Scintilla and a few other secret things I am flirting with at the moment. I see art and the creation of something truly original and profound as a deep and infinite exploration. A fun one!

The Rust: You once said a great awakening took place within you when you listened to Herbie Hancock’s “Manchild” on vinyl when you were younger. What will the next generation be awakening to? Is it problematic that the next generation will likely be listening on mp3, youtube, or a streaming service instead of the organic wax?

(Credit: Derek Rickert)

I have come to know that the feeling, intention and story of a piece of music can be experienced regardless of the tuning or bit rate. But why not quest for the most detailed representation of a piece of art? I feel that with the way digital storage is becoming, and with a push from many in the industry to always have the best quality possible, we will evolve away from MP3 and towards a higher quality standard. But you can’t beat the feeling of a good vinyl! To anyone reading this I recommend taking that voyage [“Manchild”] in a dark room by yourself.  

The Rust: If sound is much more powerful than most people realize, and I believe we agree on this, is the power of sound being used for negative purposes? If so, what does this look like?

MTV pop music! This is the best example of music being used to ill effect. Sound is creation and destruction so it goes without saying that there is some truly destructive sound on our planet. How much destructive music is created intentionally? Probably not a lot. When money, bitches, guns, 'satan', death, ego, etc. are fed to a society as the norm and as status symbols, it's natural that humans would mimic and imitate that in their own art. The question is who planted the seed in the first place?

--

Who indeed? Kalya Scintilla certainly knows how to plant a seed or two of his own with his transcendent, mid-tempo music, seeds which soon sprout roots, roots which we may eventually come back to. We’re extraordinary grateful to Yaegon for taking the time to share his thoughts with us, and with the world.

Don’t forget to check back with The Rust as Back to the Roots at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn draws closer. We’ll be diving a bit deeper in our conversation with Whitebear, so stay chooned!

FOLLOW Kalya Scintilla:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Instagram   /   Spotify

Jon Kennedy's Masterful Trip-Hop Odyssey HA!

With subtle brilliance, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Kennedy builds upon a near two-decade career with HA!,  setting the standard again for balanced, break-based downtempo hip-hop music. This robust 15-track album, released September 22nd, exhibits a strain of musical expressionism which can only be described as rare, painting a soundscape full of life and variable emotion without a hint of din or dissonance, without a trace of zealous exhibitionism.

Grasping the extent of Kennedy’s musicianship and the breadth of composition within HA! requires some context. Kennedy cites Peter Frampton, Electric Light Orchestra, David Essex, and Geoff Wayne’s “War of the Worlds” as some of his earliest influences. His brother’s affinity for classic rock oriented Kennedy towards guitar-driven musical concepts. He was quickly signed onto the independent British label Tru Thoughts after one of his demo CDs was played on the UK-based radio show, Brighton’s Juice in 2000. After releasing three more LPs, including two on the legendary UK label Grand Central, Kennedy founded his own label in 2009, signing a half a dozen artists onto Jon Kennedy Federation and self-releasing his fifth LP, Corporeal. During these formative years, he also created under the aliases 777, KRS Jon, and with the group Snare Force One.

As a label owner, Kennedy encourages artists to send tunes directly to him, or offer him a physical copy of their work at his shows. Kennedy himself was first “discovered” after handing a tape to legendary UK DJ Mr. Scruff at a gig. Today he keeps a vinyl collection of over 6,000 plates. When he’s not spinning DJ sets from Romania to Ukraine, and from England to Vietnam, he performs with an ambitious live outfit, conducting guitar, bass, keyboard, flute, and alto sax from his command center and musical home behind the drum kit.

Throughout his career, the musicality and tonal direction of Kennedy’s work has evolved from slice-and-loop trip-hop beats into multi-instrumental organic composition marked by acoustic fidelity, musical dialogue, and balanced arrangements.

A drummer before all else, he grounds every note and noise on Ha! in a garden of perfect, pocket percussion. The shine of ride cymbals, the pitter-patter of raspy snares, the shake of the tambourine, and the steadfast kick offer a backdrop upon which familiar melodies and delicate tonal sprinkles shine in beautiful relief. Ha! Can easily slide into the listening rotation of any discerning audiophile.

The album opens with the title track, a soulful head-nodder which Kennedy also reprises to close the album, this time weaving in colorful vocals from Adjua. Kennedy maintains a smooth blend and stable balance of sonic elements throughout the album. His mixing and mastering is seamless. No single lead or instrument stand too far apart from another, yet nothing is lost or buried.

“I could see the clouds boiling, starlight was coming down through the eye,” says a voice to open the dazzling cut “Twilight”. “There was absolutely nothing blocking this light from the stars. And I’ve got this straight shot into the heavens, and all the stars were there and the light coming down was bright.” The bassline, of a delightful timbre and likely recorded on a stand-up bass, strikes back and forth like the arm of a clock. After counting time on the hi-hat for a few measures, a boom-bap beat steps into the mix punctuated by what sounds like one of the cleanest snare drums in recorded history. The tune meanders through space, when towards the end a winsome acoustic guitar lick, assumedly played by Kennedy himself, offers a catalyst for fresh and cosmic thoughts.

“Iron Lung” serves up the deepest bassline on the album, a stomping swaggering system sound with a flush, jet-engineered synthesizer - electronica’s counterpart to the distorted guitar - that struts overtop the quaking sub bass. Within the musical rests, a scratchy bagpipe wales out a tone adding color to the refrains.

A pure elemental groove of drum and bass swells like a wave throughout the album, and the gravitational undertones of “Jupiter Calling” form the crest of this wave. A bass synthesizer sings out a triumphant, atavistic melody, setting a foundation solid as bedrock for a dance between funked-out drums, hi-hats splashing like huge falling raindrops, and a shifty, maneuvering bassline with a groove of its own to match its percussive partner.

Kennedy also writes and performs his own vocals, producing moments of profound poetry on Ha!. “You can be a slave to the TV, or you can get up and look around,” Kennedy offers on “Slave to the TV”. “I’m inside this box of fear and laughter, like my past lives it’s you I’m after.” Drums shuffle beneath a spaced-out mode of notes in the middle of a heated dialogue, acquiescing tension, begging an unanswered question from the listener.

“The Runner” floats on for what feels like an eternity. The longest song on the album, it’s also the most serene. One could justifiably identify this as downtempo, but it forgoes the electronic associations of downtempo which are so common this side of the pond, generating its soothing vibe instead with a calm cuddle between bass, drums, soft and sustained guitar playing, and melancholic vocal samples.

“I think you genuinely have to be an exhibitionist to really be a star” says a voice at the outset of “Burn Me”. While the drums flitter swiftly, a symphonic string movement leads the listener into an unfamiliar space. An unintelligible but emotionally stirring vocal sample again brings up unanswered questions.

Jon Kennedy’s music typifies the expression that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The parts - traditional instruments, plaintive samples, vocals, bits of rock, hip-hop, jazz - are combined to create something extraordinary, something beyond. The same could be said of Kennedy’s career. LP’s, singles, sets, videos, collaborations, mixes, artists signed and influences mined through the Jon Kennedy Federation coalesce into a distinguished body of work, a resplendent whole which after spinning through HA! front to back, one can hardly help but investigate further.

Kennedy has also been gracious enough to provide the seventh installment of Rusted Rhythms. This exclusive 65-minute mix features some of our favorite cuts from “HA!”, a handful of older tracks and remixes from Kennedy, and highly exclusive remixes and unreleased tunes from legends like 6blocc and Reso. Not to mention that the mix was done in one take on control vinyl - all solid state needle on records.

Take the opportunity to enjoy highlights from an already seamless album alongside unreleased gems in this continuous mix, while catching a glimpse of Kennedy’s wider catalog. We promise there’s a handful of heavy surprises in there, too!

Pick up HA! here and make sure to check out Jon's subscription service, which includes all of his 11 previous releases and all forthcoming music as well!

FOLLOW Jon Kennedy:   Jon Kennedy Federation   /   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Instagram

Co-Written by Pasquale Zinna & Mark McNulty