Quaint Conversations With Craftal

Ian McKenna, better known by his producer moniker of Craftal, has been creating breathtaking and thought provoking music across the last seven years and running. Craftal employs a diverse range of influences to sculpt his own impactful and refreshing sound, and has carved out his own space amidst the backdrop of psychedelic art. His releases on labels like Danktronics, Headroom, Wormhole, and Lost in Sound have opened doors for Ian like a revolving kaleidoscope. His drive propelled him onto the Sub.mission team at the Black Box in Denver, where he is currently a sound design instructor, and his knack for novel compositions keeps his discography in constant rotation.

Credit: Dark Matter Photography

Ian’s album Lullabytes, released by The Rust Music in 2020, features a heavy focus on glitch-hop and downtempo stylings, and is indicative of the maturation his catalog has undergone over the last few years. Yet, even stretching back to his earliest releases, tracks like “Nanobot Cave” and “Valley of Darkness” feature his traditional hallmarks of asynchronous arrangements and jubilant textures. Through patience and concentrated efforts, the current collection of Craftal tunes makes up for it's relative sparseness with meticulous attention to detail and overall quality, resulting in a powerful array of finely tuned tracks.

In order to get better acquainted with one of our favorite aural brainiacs, The Rust took advantage of an opportunity to talk candidly and at length about some of his artistic influences, production choices, and his potential relation to a certain 20th century psychonaut.

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Alyssa Barnhill: Where did you get your name? Where does that come from?

Craftal: It's a portmanteau of the words fractal and craft, plus it's just a clever, quick, little switch of the C and the F. 

Barnhill: Is that related to how you approach your music?

Craftal: Mostly it just came from when I was 20, that's when I really started doing musical stuff. I was just super into fractals, psychedelic culture, art, music and stuff like that, and my dad is actually a mathematician, who does fractal art.

Barnhill: Oh really? Anything we may have heard of?

Craftal: Yeah, actually he was one of the illustrators on Benoit Mandelbrot’s “The Fractal Geometry of Nature”, so fractal art has always been a part of my life, cuz I grew up with him and all that. And then the psychedelic art community, with all this digital shit that's been growing over the past 20 years, just coincided with everything that my dad helped Mandelbrot do, all the dance music and psychedelic culture stuff that I started getting into.  

Barnhill: Where did you grow up?

Craftal: In Boulder.

Barnhill: Were you actively “in to” music growing up? 

Craftal: I didn't really….like GET music. Like… I didn't really like... I hated all the popular music that I heard until like 6th or 7th grade, and then my sisters bought me a few CDs that I really loved. The only music I actively listened to before that was music from Nintendo games, which I only recently realized was and is a huge influence for me, and millions of other musicians who grew up with Gameboys and N64s and Playstations.

Barnhill: What were the albums?

Craftal: Demon Days by Gorillaz, The Process of Belief by Bad Religion, and technically the self titled Franz Ferdinand album, but I didn't really take to it like the other two. 

Barnhill: What are you listening to lately?

Craftal: These days, mostly friends, which is pretty cool. Keota, Jade Cicada, Tipper, Woulg, Billain, Mr. Bill, 5AM. If it's well made, it's well made. Lately I have been going back to middle school and high school stuff and listening to Bad Religion. My sister got me this book for Christmas: Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion.

Barnhill: I have heard really good things about that book.

Craftal: Yeah, they are the only punk band that I like. That I have ever liked. Because they’re like philosophical punk. Even in this book they detail how they never wanted to be topical, they never wanted to be like against any specific administration, it's always just been about people thinking for themselves.

Barnhill: What’s your favorite synth or plug-in right now?

Craftal: These days I really like Vital, which just came out a couple months ago. Pretty fucking great. Mostly before that it was just stock ableton stuff, like off operator. Super versatile.

Barnhill: What do you like about it?

Craftal: There's a lot of stuff I love about Vital. I love that any LFO can be turned into an FM oscillator. I love that there's a stereo option for individual modulators. I love how easy it is to understand what's going on visually. I love how powerful the remap matrix is, although I haven't gotten deep into that yet. And I love how it shows how ridiculously overpriced some soft synths are by allowing you to use the whole synth for free. And it just sounds damn good. 

Barnhill: Do you enjoy traditional song writing?

Craftal: I usually start with a melody but sometimes an interesting rhythm can turn into a melody. I like music where a catchy melody isn't the focus, but I think having good melodies is what makes most music memorable or timeless.

Barnhill: Would you describe that as freeform?

Craftal: Uh... I don’t know! At some point, yes, because everything is freeform until you commit to it. 

Barnhill: What's your writing process? Walk me through it.

Craftal: Usually it starts with a melody. I grew up playing piano and singing. If it doesn't have a good melody, I'm just like, psht. You could have the best texture, sound, whatever in the world, but it's probably not going to be remembered for very long if it doesn't have some melody to go with it. And i'm still working on that because mostly my songs just kind of revolve around a catchy melody and lots of sound design, but i'm still working on the emotions, the journey of it. For me, yeah, it mostly starts with a melody but it can start wherever. Whatever turns the gears.

Barnhill: How much time do you give to a track or song? An album\EP?

Craftal: Too much time for both. Some of my best songs, I made in like two to three days... But that doesn't happen too often.

Barnhill: Is that a moment you walk into? 

Craftal: That's the flow state that all artists try to get into. I don't know how to engineer it, yet. Or just get into it sometimes. Most of the shit I make takes like at least a month or something. I have quite tangible ADHD, so I have two modes: Hyperfocus on one single thing for 10-72 hours straight and go big mode, or shallowly get caught up in twenty different things that have nothing to do with making music for days, weeks, and months. I usually fall into the latter mode, which is a lifelong struggle for me. It’s tough for me to create art when there’s so much amazing art that’s just as good, if not better than your own, that is such a joy to observe, consume, and digest. I feel like an asshole if I don’t, because I’d like it if people did the same with my art. Or at least, that’s how I justify playing video games for dozens of hours.

Credit: Dark Matter Photography

Barnhill: Not every song has a purpose or underlying statement, but songs like “Testing”…, it feels like there may be a “musician-audience” conversation going on? Was there a direct message?

Craftal: I'm trying to think about that more lately actually. That was my first experiment with Vital, that synth I mentioned. So, it was a test with Vital, but it's also a test with playing with words and meaning. And trying to have something more interesting and concrete than just like, “Hey, look at these cool sounds''. And even though it's still “Hey, look at these cool sounds.”, “This is all a test” can be as deep as you want it to be. 

Barnhill: Very true. So is there a reason when you are making music?

Craftal: The other day I was just humming a melody in the shower and then later that day, I turned it into a beat. Some say that music is always around us, just hanging in the ether. Whether in “the air” or in the emergent networks of your brain, it’s just waiting for you to tune in and open the faucet. Technically true or not, it certainly feels as though that's often the case. As for why, I’d say because music is a model for how to live properly, and I'm trying to align my life through music. 

Barnhill: I heard something through the grapevine, that you have been a part of the new Meow Wolf exhibits here in Denver?

C: Yes, I am a collaborating artist. But I am also tentatively starting a new project focused on lyrics and more traditional songwriting.

Barnhill: Fun fact about you for the fans ?

Craftal: I can crack almost every joint in my body and Terence McKenna is not dad! He's my uncle.

Barnhill: No way? Really?

Craftal: No.

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Cracking into the Craftal state of mind, it's no wonder that his music permeates with a natural creative pulse. The fusion of ideas, modes, and motifs across his catalog are the standout elements that give such a powerful draw to his art, and reflect the inner machinations of the personality behind the music of the Craftal project. Where he goes from here is anyone's guess, but we're all eyes and ears on the course of his career.

FOLLOW Craftal: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Omnist - Time [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

The Swampwoofer roster artist Omnist is gearing up to launch his debut Systems EP, showcasing a honed-in production style that boasts a heavy dose of fanged, granular synthesis. Ahead of the EP's release, the Rust Music is excited to premiere the riveting closing track “Time”.

The Rust Music · Omnist - Time (Systems EP Single) [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

Rocking a steady tempo and a hip-hop gait, “Time” is tuned strictly for shredding speaker cones. Mottled, brackish textures and faint melodic elements set the stage for multiple dives into full-throttle breakdowns of both the half-time and DnB variety. Brutal bass lines switch gears between heavily processed patches, crushing the frequency spectrum with eager bass weight. It's the first glimpse into a four track exploration of bass music's rugged underground profile, and the rest is just around the corner. Make sure to grab a copy of the full Systems EP when it drops on 4/23 on all available platforms.

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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.

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Mindtality - Macrocosm [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

Mindtality has been busy amping up his production war chest, further defining his own unique sonic profile. Following up his Developmental Expedition LP, the Refrakted LP features a slew of new and improved sound design, songwriting fundamentals, and several refurbished productions from the unreleased Mindtality back catalog. In anticipation of the LP's full release, the Rust Music is excited to premiere "Macrocosm", showcasing a velvet-laden palette of textures across a lurid composition.

The Rust Music · Mindtality - Macrocosm [EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE]

We'll leave the parting words to Mindtality himself: "Macrocosm is my attempt to incorporate some of my older recordings of guitar playing from high school, and revamp them into a new Mindtality twist. This track was a complete vibe to write and basically did the work itself. Enjoy this nostalgic trip down memory lane."

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the full release of Mindtality's Refrakted LP across all affiliated platforms on 4/13.

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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

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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

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Getting Acquainted with the Satellite Era Media Label

Chicago; the Midwest's music and art hub, and the home of House, Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop, and Rock n’ Roll. A Hearthstone to so many, Chicago is the perfect melting pot for the media outlet Satellite Era. The majority of the Satellite Era’s team had been deep in the crowds of the early bass\electronic music surge that surfaced in the US starting in the early 2010’s. Their team and owners Nic Juister, Amir Mashayekhi, and Milan Milovanovic, honed in their mettle shoulder to shoulder with sweaty, elated 20-somethings in warehouses and house parties in the suburbs of Chicago.

Branching off from traditional club music, footwork/house parties, and early rave culture, the friends kept questioning and challenging the experience, what music was making waves in their surroundings, and their own involvement with it all. “We found ourselves coming back to club and older core genres such as ambient/electronica,” co-founder Amir Mashayekhi shared. “Long story short: we basically wanted to find sounds and styles that would help bridge the gap between the bass music community and the club scene.”

Satellite Era’s goal is to revolutionize the quality and coverage being offered by “bass music” media. Their pursuits of mind bending art and emphasis on digital visual content is pushing their platform further and helping expose eclectic artists to the stage and spotlight. In line with their ethos, the Satellite Era website features a music and art blog, playlists, free visual loops for download, releases, and albums that come complete with visual content, highlighting the numerous artistic outlets that Satellite Era propagates.

Their experienced team hunts through the wavelengths and interwebs for new and stimulating content. They seek to encourage and invite communication between enthusiastic fans and creators, combine music and digital art together, promoting both simultaneously, and most of all wanting to contribute to the modern age of electronic music. “We have kind of always felt like there wasn't really any major label making things happen here. Aside from the historical relevance, there aren't any tastemakers or major promoters bringing in some of the names you would see in LA or NY.” Amir said. “Chicago means so much to us and we want to embody all it has given us — an organic celebration of music in an urban setting. No flashiness or bullshit, just tightly packed rooms and warehouses.”

The Distant Arrays series EP’s are immersive art experiences that feature various artists and styles in audio/visual combinations. Aimed to create a cinematic journey into the counterculture of modern electronic styles, Volume 3 marks the beginning stages of the next emergent steps in the Satellite Era roadmap. When asked about the theme for this release, Amir expressed that this particular volume “does not have an entirely set theme, but was created to serve as an outlet for the team to share music separate from cohesive projects […] We strive to release tightly-woven, thematic EPs & albums, while letting our Distant Array series be more of an open format. I will say: we try to compile each of the Distant Array EPs to have a similar sound, which is why these artists were grouped together in the best possible fashion!”

“We selected what we thought sounded ethereal - influenced by dusty electronica from the late 90s / early 00s golden age. That is also why the color scheme for this one is a warm green,” Amir would go on to say. Each EP on this series is paired with generative, audio-reactive visuals. Co-founder Nic Juister, who concurrently works for Strangeloop Studios, produced the visual content for Volume 3.

When entering the four track collection, you are greeted by Montreal-based producer Gonima’s gorgeous introductory track “Luminescence”. Echoing chimes and distant piano-synth keys strike as the melody grows across the vibrant tempo. Decorated with glitching drums and snares that seem to bounce around like lightning in a bottle, “Luminescence” is inspired by early electronica with a lush melodies and modern drum patterns. Second is the Phoenix-based producer Brendan Rincon’s tune, “Variations”. Complete with break-beats, airy harmonies, and progressive melodies, this track reminds the listener to be attentitive to subtle moments of clarity. The chords of the harmony waver and strain, almost as if they are blowing in the wind. Slightly dissonant at times and interrupted by breaks and glitchy artifacts, those pristine moments come and go in a blink of a musical eye.

Then from the other side of the pond, Lazarus Moment comes out swinging with his heavy hitter garage track, “If I could”. Dark and futuristic, Lazarus works the room with well-structured breakdowns and echoing vocals. If the listener only closes their eyes, visions of smokey lazers and bouncing bodies effortlessly swaying fills the darkness behind the lids. The Swedish musician was set on showcasing his well established craft in this dance centric and fearless sound, and pulled it off flawlessly. Lastly but far from least, is the UK-based producer Test Bench with his jungle inspired track, “A Good Place”. The chord progression from beginning to end is impressive and gratifying to listen to. He dances from one harmonious drone to another, creating color and magnificent balance in the verses of sound.

Satellite Era hopes to usher in the new year with some inspiring and genuinely distinct artists, continue to be an outlet for musicians and creators, and uplift those around them. The last words here are best left to Amir — “Though 2020 marked the birth of Satellite Era, the rest of the year presented challenges from all angles. Our mission for 2021 is to regather ourselves, focus on the growth of our community and as individuals, deliver the best art we possibly can, and create an inclusive environment for people to discover something new. With Spring and its rebirth of the world around us, along with our 1-year anniversary coming up next month, this EP truly is the start of something entirely different.”

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Joy Guerrilla Expands Their Catalog With “The Park Is Closed”

Braying out yesterday’s future jazz from the heart of Los Angeles, Joy Guerrilla mingles analog production with instrumental affluence, fermenting their experiments across several multifaceted albums. Magda Daniec and Adam Grab form the brain trust of Joy Guerrilla’s compositions, collaborating with a growing rap sheet of contemporary musicians to flesh out and stake claim to their sonic territory. Their latest release, The Park Is Closed, features eight collaborating musicians across numerous disciplines, showcasing a full spectrum array of progressive jazz and tropicalia-inspired tracks that slide effortlessly into the Joy Guerrilla catalog.

Though the album finds healthy support from its inclusion of various session musicians, it is Daniec and Grab’s personal skillset that lays down the true groundwork for The Park Is Closed. With Daniec manning the melodies across ten keyboards and synthesizers, and Grab serving up pocketed grooves through string basses, lead guitars, and a variety of percussion, this dynamic duo sets the stage for an instrumental dialogue that plays like a sunset vignette over LA’s sprawling highways. Be it a slow walk through subtle bpm’s and cradled harmonies, or spurts of drum-and-bass rhythms in between tightly choreographed and syncopated notation, the compositional span of the Joy Guerrilla experience displays a fundamental control over all things in the hemisphere of groove.

The Park Is Closed spares no effort in maintaining a pure experience through rhythm, and it pays off entirely by the time the needle leaves the last track. With three albums in their pocket across the last five years, Joy Guerrilla is steadily cementing their position within the musical landscape of the United States.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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"

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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.

FOLLOW DeeZNauts: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

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.

FOLLOW Poldoore: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Webpage

Phantasmic Visions Meets Elegant Harmony: An Interview With Adam Ovoid

Deriving his name from the rare Ovoideocystidiata mushroom, Adam Ovoid has captivated the underground bass music scene with his unapologetically squishy and surreal sound design. The Ovoid name was not adopted by Adam until around 2016 when he decided to jump head first into the underground bass music scene. After releasing his first album, Life, Ovoid has been a unique presence releasing singles, EPs, and albums on multiple labels and collectives. 

Originating from Tacoma, Washington, Ovoid has always found himself inspired by a beautiful, dewey landscape filled with tall trees, delicate mosses and steep mountains. While exploring the dense forests of the Northwest, he had been simultaneously exploring his own musical evolution. Traveling through melody and harmony,  Adam hopes to expand his euphonic brain-child to other more quixotic horizons.  

A self taught mad man behind the wheel of a synth, Adam has shown commanding prowess in sound production. Ovoid’s knowledge base bleeds through into his other-worldly, and at times phantasmal, sound design. His music is an adventure through genre, merging the worlds of harmony and melody with huge 808 anthem releases such as “Bangus Dang''on the Denver based Headroom Collective, and a downtempo psychedelic inspired album titled “Enigma” through The Rust. Beyond just his own individual catalog, Adam has collaborations with sound design aficionados like Hullabaloo and Shanti, transforming musical experimentation into community appreciation, driving that experimentation towards new heights. 

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In his music, Ovoid transcends traditional musical limits by using texture and tone with his squishy and glitch-inspired sound. In such tracks as “Blocks In A Chain”, he focuses on reverberant mid-range bass lines, accentuating the twinkling highs of the melodies. In other tracks, he harnesses organic guitar tones to decorate the delicate phrases that inspire movement. “Mingo Mango (VIP)” is a song reminiscent of classic Americana and psychedelia in its purest form; long, echoing electric guitar screams, accompanied by squishy and repercussive arpeggios. It’s the liberating vibrations that move through the body in tandem with the cymbal crashes and synthetic textures, exemplifying the Ovoid ethos.

To get better acquainted with a long-time favorite of the Rust Team and the wider community, Adam graciously made himself available for a long-form interview, diving into the lifelong pursuit of his craft and his affiliate passions.

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Alyssa Barnhill: Who is Ovoid? Where are you from?

Ovoid: I go by Adam Ovoid and I'm from Tacoma, Washington, and kind of the Tacoma/Seattle area, in my adult life. I have lived here my whole life pretty much but I'm planning on moving to Denver soon.

Barnhill: How did you like growing up in Washington state?

Ovoid: It was great honestly. It's still definitely one of my favorite places in the country, just because of the nature here, the mountains, and the forest. I definitely grew up loving the forests and mountains here and never really realized how special they were until I got older and traveled other places and realized that there’s not many others out there, like this. So I definitely have a really special place in my heart {for tacoma} but also I really want to get out and go live in other places for a bit. Kinda just explore other parts of the country and the world.

Barnhill: Have you ever played under any other names? Or has it always been Ovoid?

Ovoid: As far as this genre of music it's always been Ovoid but I was in bands in my high school and also had some hip hop and electronic projects too.

Barnhill: What instrument did you play?

Ovoid: I play guitar. Grew up playing guitar from when I was like 12 so that's definitely a pretty integral part to my production. I use a lot of guitar in my songs.

Barnhill: Do you sample a lot of your own guitar work?

Ovoid: Yeah! Yeah, pretty much all the guitar on my songs is me playing. Expect like, maybe one or two tracks where one of my friends played a riff or two. 

Barnhill: What kind of guitar do you have?

Ovoid: Right now I have a Fender Stratocaster. I got it recently so it isn't on any of my released music but I am really excited about it because it's the nicest guitar I have personally ever had. I really love how it sounds.  So it's definitely already made it into some tracks but not anything that I've put out. And I have an acoustic guitar and that's on Enigma. That's all that guitar. 

Barnhill: What’s your first memory of an impactful musical experience?

Ovoid: Hard to say like the first but probably hearing my dad play drums. It was like the loudest music I had heard at the time cuz I'm sure he was doing it from the time I was born but I remember being a little kid and hearing my dad play Led Zeppelin on the drum, crank out stuff like that. He would play a lot of funk too like Parliament Funkadelic and Rick James. I remember being stoked on that music and I still love all that music. Then kinda growing up and getting into live music was probably listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Which has pretty much always been my favorite album. 

Barnhill: What was your first festival/show?

Ovoid: The first show I ever saw was actually The Rolling Stones.  Kinda funny because they were already so old at that point but I think I was like 12. My parents kinda just brought me there but I was still excited to see the Stones. The first concerts I really remember going to, that I really wanted to go to, was metal bands like Megadeth and Slayer. I liked that stuff a lot. Then getting into psychedelic music I think the first electronic/psychedelic festival I went to was Gem and Jam, in like 2014 maybe.  After that I got super into the bass music scene and kinda wooked out for a few years.

Barnhill: Yeah totally. I think we all have our wook years, at least at some point. You have to go through that. Where is your favorite place to play so far?

Ovoid: Definitely, most consistently I love playing at the Black Box. It’s always great. But it really just depends. Sometimes I'll go to a random show and I really don't know what to expect at all. If it's like somewhere I've never been before or even like a state I've never been before, completely foreign to me, but then it will be like such a great crowd. But it really just depends on if everyone is just feeling it, even small crowds in a random venue, with maybe not even the best sound can be pretty awesome.

Barnhill: Do you still get like pre show jitters?

Ovoid: Sometimes, but it kinda just depends on the show. A lot of time, if I’m just feeling good about what I am going to play and feel that I've been in the studio enough, then usually I feel pretty good about it. But then sometimes if I'm not too confident in something that I’ve been producing lately then I get a little more nervous for sure. 

Barnhill: How long have you been performing sets?

Ovoid: I probably started playing shows like 6 years ago? Or maybe 7 years ago.

Barnhill: So about 2013 or so?

Ovoid: Yeah. I'm pretty sure that was my first show. Then like, more shows though in the last like four years. After that I played Tipper & Friends. After that show it has been a lot more.

Barnhill: What year was your set at that Tipper & Friends event again?

Ovoid: I'm pretty sure that was 2015. Or no, I think, 2016? I always forget, I even though there is a poster on my wall!

Barnhill: How was that? I love tipper and friends events.

Ovoid: That was amazing. The Tipper and friends crews, they just do it so proper. It's just always such a good production all around.

Barnhill: What's your background playing shows? Did you start in smaller little venues locally? Did it all kind of just all jump off at once for you?

Ovoid: I definitely started in a lot of super small venues in Washington and Seattle. Underground shows, sometimes they were not even like really venues. Like tiny apartments and stuff. After the Tipper & Friends show I started to get bigger bookings, but still a lot of smaller stages and small clubs. Which I kind of prefer. I like having a more intimate audience usually because it feels more personal. 

Barnhill: Everyone wants to play bigger venues, but you prefer that more intimate stage. I mean the Black Box is definitely that way, it is very intimate. 

Ovoid: Yeah the black box is perfect. Enough people can fit in there but it's still very intimate. 

Barnhill: This may be a little left field but I have to ask, am I pronouncing this properly? Bang-us DANG?

O: Yeah! Haha

Barnhill: Where did that come from?

Ovoid: It's just gibberish really. I can't remember what sparked it but something one of my friends said. 

Barnhill: What do you have planned for the future?

Ovoid: I definitely am trying to get a full length album together and just really put a lot of effort into making sure it's super detailed and really how I want it to be. That's just a main goal, I want to be playing more shows and stuff like that. Mainly I am just finishing up a solid album, I have a good chunk of stuff with such potential. Like with my last, longer EP I did on The Rust, some of those songs, I worked on them for like three years before I released them. My process is just pretty slow on the downtempo stuff, I like to take a lot of time with it usually. 

Barnhill: There is no harm in that. I saw that you are doing mastering services and wanted to ask about that. What does that look like for you, what do you offer people? What track are you most proud of mastering?

Ovoid: Mastering has been great for me, it's honestly what's been keeping me afloat. And I have been mastering everyday, at least a little bit. Hopefully I will grow it to become a full service business. Generally, I really like it because I get to kind of hear what a lot of “up and coming” producers, or maybe more hobby producers are being influenced by and what they are trying to make. It’s cool to hear a lot of my friends' influences on people who send me music, like sometimes I’ll hear stuff that sounds a lot like my friends' music. It's cool to see the influence trickle down through the generations of producers. And then also being surprised by people sending me stuff that's pretty new sounding, a new sound, or really pushing the envelope. In addition, being able to master a lot of my friends' music is really great. I think the thing I'm most proud of is Craftal’s latest album on The Rust. That is my favorite thing I've done. I really love that album a lot and he's a good friend of mine.  

Barnhill:  What do you do outside of music? What do you do when you're not mastering or making your own music?

Ovoid: I am pretty social. I hang out with a lot of my friends that Ive known for most of my life in Tacoma. I hike a lot, I read. Oh, I'm trying to get into like full on summiting mountains but I need to take some glacier travel courses to be certified to get the permits but growing up here in Tacoma, with the mountains kinda looming over the city, has really inspired me to want to climb them. Hiking is definitely my favorite pastime. Mostly music though, honestly, I'm kinda a workaholic.

Barnhill: Who are you listening to now? Anyone you are looking forward to in music?

Ovoid: Right now, my biggest influence is probably Nine Inch Nails. I didn’t really listen to them growing up. I had heard their songs a little bit, but then in the last year and a half or so, I have been totally sucked into their music. I think it’s their production style that got me but I’ve been pretty obsessed with Nine Inch Nails lately. Also, I like things like Snarky Puppy, jazz fusion. I love all that. That's what I switch back and forth with, weird jazz fusion stuff to Nine Inch Nails. I like a lot of the stuff that I was playing on the Ovoid Radio Sessions, during quarantine. Just a lot of kinda chill stuff, a lot of trip hop, other sorts of relaxing music.

Barnhill: Did you go to school for music?

Ovoid: So for production, I'm mostly self taught but we have an awesome community of producers in psy-bass music that all share knowledge with each other constantly so that helps a ton. But I did go to an arts high school where I took songwriting and audio recording classes for 3 years and I definitely learned a ton there. I also took guitar lessons for many years before that so learning music has been a lifelong journey for me at this point. 

Barnhill: How would you describe your music?

Ovoid: How I would describe my music is one of my absolute least favorite questions to get because I hate trying to quantify it into genres. I use “psy-bass” as an overarching term but really it's all over the place and I try to not limit myself to certain tempos or genres. 

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Heavy, pulsating, and serendipitous, Adam Ovoid is bridging the gaps that define the genres of psychedelic, bass-heavy music. If music is the forest, its inhabitants are musicians and creatives, and Ovoid is the mycelium network reaching out to each corner. Nutritious for the soul, pleasing to the ears, and engaging for the body, everyone should take a nibble off the mushy delight that is Adam Ovoid.

FOLLOW Ovoid: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

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.

FOLLOW Poztman: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook

A Chat With Keith Wadsworth on His Paramount Record Adirondacks

By any metric, Keith Wadsworth is a jack-of-all-trades guitarist; his personally defined style chameleons between funk-rock fusion and neoclassicism, and his current body of collaborative Wax Future works showcase his songwriting and performance talents across several iterations of broken-beat electronic music. In many ways, his foray into electronic music has shaped his contemporary sound, but that’s just the most recent injection of influence. The long arc of his lifetime thus far has been a step-by-step march towards a cumulative display of musicianship. That display of musical immersion and education takes the form of his Adirondacks EP, released through his new solo moniker Wadsworth Music; With a completely distinct sonic profile from the Wax Future project, Wadsworth has refined his own definitive image, introducing the majority of his friends and fandom to his musical confluence for the first time.

Adirondacks is a guitar-driven record composed by a compositionally-driven guitarist, showcasing a stunning array of musical hues and instrumental finesse. “Climbing” opens the record with soft, major crescendos taking flight, contrasting wonderfully with the meandering minor note relationships in the closing track “Back at the Trailhead”. Sandwiched between the two subdued ballads are a trio of anthems that move the needle closer towards the Wadsworth musings we’ve grown so fond of; “Summit Nap” explores the power and the impact of harmony in notation, where “Dream Sequence A: Upload” and “Dream Sequence B: Error” place rhythmic syncopation and pure shred-head energy into the spotlight. It’s not just the complete package for appreciators of six-string prowess, but a stylistically unique and emotive collection for any discerning soundhead.

Having been so immediately drawn to the raw passion behind the record, we at The Rust felt compelled to reach out to Keith for a conversation about his new music, and the journey that led him here in the first place.

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The Rust: Let's start with the necessary and obvious topic: can you talk about your origins as a guitarist and a songwriter?

Wadsworth: I got my start as a rhythm guitar player for my dad at 8 years old, great gig, residency was in my living room. Made the jump to lead guitarist for the band around 9 years old after a gig in the guitar room of Sam Ash. Never looked back. My first compositions started around 2004 in a program called “Cakewalk”. I would take the drum sample tracks and write tunes around them. Bought a Dr. Rhythm drum machine and became enamored with drum programming. By 2006 I had written (a very poorly recorded) album of guitar music that I sold at my high school talent show for 5 dollars a pop, sold about a dozen. Out of high school played in a metal band, toured around the east coast a bunch. After that I bounced around in many projects, pop punk, singer songwriter, eventually meeting Connor and starting Wax around 2014.

The Rust: What are some of the stylistic influences you pulled from as you progressed as a musician?

Wadsworth: [I] started out following and emulating as my of my guitar idols as I could. Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai - I was a big Van Halen fan as well, and would always spend time attempting to master EVH’s solos and impeccable rhythm work. RIP to the absolute legend. As we dove deeper into Wax and started to play shows alongside cats I really looked up to I think I made a conscious decision to think about songwriting and the impact of the guitar in our songs. I think that helped my playing, kinda slowed down and serviced the song more. Obviously live I would still go off and have some fun though.

The Rust: The Wax Future project has been your collaborative brainchild for quite a while now, pocketing you into a powerful electro-soul-rock fusion; what was the preamble to exploring different motifs on this debut Wadsworth release?

Wadsworth: This solo release is kind of a full circle piece. I familiarized myself with recording and production in the beginning of my musical journey. With Wax it was like leveling up, you can’t be near Connor Hansell and not learn via osmosis or some shit. It’s real. So this record was a lot of revisiting where I was musically all those years ago with a broader grasp on production and creative tools.

The Rust: Can you dive into the songwriting process for this EP? Was it a conscious project, or a serendipitous assortment of tracks?

Wadsworth: I wrote the song summit nap first. It’s definitely an ode to my guitar hero roots, very droney ballad’y (those aren’t words I guess) But I didn’t really think I had a chance to create a small collection of music until I wrote Dream Sequence A. When that song came together I knew I had the nucleus of something. It was like a eureka moment. Very exciting. From there I kind of had an idea of where I wanted to the concept of the tunes to go. I enjoy creating a loose journey through collections of songs, it helps keep me focused.

The Rust: You've been keeping busy with an assortment of live looping gear and live production; Can you talk about your experience translating solo performances through technology?

Wadsworth: Speaking of eureka moments. Live looping is a giant prolonged eureka moment. Improvisation is that core of who I am as a musician, I have a hard time conjuring up as much joy as I do musically than from pulling concepts from the depths of my brain off the cuff. With live looping its just that non-stop. I want to establish a schedule of streams and just share. I miss the stage with my entire being, being able to look out into the crowd and share energy. The looping streams manufacture some of that energy. 

The Rust: As one of the foremost instrumentalists in our slice of music culture, you're given a fairly constant opportunity to collaborate on other live performances. Would you care to open up a bit about this dynamic? What are the major hurdles to surmount when sitting in, especially in the context of improvisation?

Wadsworth: As I said, improvisation is at the core of who I am as a musician. I’ve been really lucky to sit in with and collaborate with a fuck ton of artists I look up to. With some minimal prep, you can create this unique shared experience between you and an artist that’s able to be watched live, it's really special. Countless times I can remember just laughing on stage because something went perfectly and everyone on stage knows that we pulled it from the ether at that moment right there, it’s one of the downright best things about music.

Regarding hurdles or prep, there really isn’t hurdles, there are house rules for each artist. Some are particular, some are free form. Entering each artist's‘ house’ and learning their rules before a performance is part of the fun. When I sit in with Freddy Todd, he is such a guru with the onboard fx of the DJ mixer that he lets me kinda high fly through the tunes and mixes me in the moment, ie. Cutting my fader in the drop sections and adding delays in break sections. That collaboration is unique to our sit-ins and I’m not convinced Freddy isn’t an actual wizard sometimes after we play haha.

The Rust: With this first batch of Wadsworth tunes minted for release, where is your head with regards to future projects, both with Wax Future and as Wadsworth?

Wadsworth: I’m gonna let these tunes go, dive headfirst into the holiday season and then I would like for the Wadsworth stuff to maybe release a song a month through 2021. Wax is sitting on a GRIP of tunes, some really exciting stuff in the works over at that camp. I’m also just gonna drop it here, I made mention of one of my earliest projects being a metal band. Through quarantine, I’ve actually collaborated with my best friend Donovan remotely and we’ve started a metal project, hype to get the details of that off the ground. I didn’t expect to start two new projects during quarantine but this has all kind of progressed naturally.

The Rust: Can we expect to see some Wadsworth performances when stages become our lifeblood again?

Wadsworth: Most certainly, I want to pick these songs apart live and add some improvisational elements. I want to hit the stage with the live looping stuff too. Zone Drums and I were able to step out in a limited capacity but I want to grow that medium and share more.

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With this first solo release out of the gate, the path is wide open for Wadsworth to continue exploring the wide berth of his musical territory. In the time between now and the eventual return to traditional concerts, there's no question that he’ll be hard at work in the lab putting together a host of fresh material for the inevitable in-state debut of Wadsworth Music.

FOLLOW Wadsworth Music: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Facebook

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.

FOLLOW Man From Sol: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook

Zonra Opens Up about Stylistic Direction and A/V Stream Series

For the last six years, Jackson Hale has been pushing the boundaries of his musical acumen through the Zonra project; mingling precision production with gradually shifting compositional styles, he's kept his approach consistently fresh and above-par for the fidelity of his work. In line with his own burgeoning interests in multidimensional art, and with the shift towards digital streaming platforms across the last year, he's embarked on a stream series of curated A/V sets, mingling unreleased material, old favorites, potent reworks, and the first lens into the visual stratum of his creative endeavors.

The proficiency of the Zonra project is the boon of a lifetime of musical study and experimentation. Hale's choice of style, genre, and sound palatte have evolved several times across a distinct career, and the incoming release of his next collection, the Hypotheticals EP, showcases a further evolution in his production and songwriting processes. After the debut of his first A/V performance in October, he graciously agreed to entertain a series of interview questions for The Rust on his latest performance developments, his musical upbringing, and the novelty of sound.

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The Rust: The Zonra project has undergone a stylistic metamorphosis more than once at this point; what draws you towards each successive form your music takes?

Zonra: My approach with music production has always been to stay open to whatever direction interests me, and to explore it with patience. Ultimately, many of my stylistically-diverse projects will unfold together, and slowly, while new techniques are explored, learned, and shared between pieces. The propelling force behind my music is generally to find (it has always felt like more of a 'find' here than a 'create') an overall system of novel or crystallized ideas in sound that work together to create an experience that is larger than the sum of its parts, iterating through different versions or expressions of those ideas until some type of well-rounded arrangement appears. Recent audible experiments combined with influence from whatever I've been listening to at that time in my life tend to shape my tracks.

The Rust: Can you talk a bit about your musicianship and production background?

Zonra: I started with piano at a young age, and took up drums and percussion a little while after because I was bored with piano. I played drum set in various jazz bands through middle and high school, and always loved being part of the non-verbal communication that occurs between players' during solos. It's magic. I stumbled into electronic music production via Audiotool.com around age 15 where I learned the basics of synthesis, sequencing and sample editing — posting lots of tracks under the username Astrum. After several years, I found myself needing software that could handle larger projects and let me sketch more freely, and soon I really felt like I'd found a sound that was all my own- or at least a more specific focus within music production. As a kid I loved getting lost in certain songs, really losing myself in the mix and the cohesion of all the different instruments working together. The power of a clean mixdown is endlessly interesting to me — it's not necessarily the content of a song but rather the way it is presented that determines how it impacts. A degree in Recording Arts has helped me solidify my knowledge here. The creative powers of synthesis, sound design, and spatial audio have dictated the parameters for many of my projects — though to really get going on new ideas I have to forget about all that stuff and just have fun in my studio.

The Rust: How did you find yourself interested in performing A/V sets? Have you always had an inclination for visual art?

Zonra: I've always loved multi-media art and the idea of using different technological media to create unique, immersive experiences. I got my first camera this year and started recording videos of the world around me. I also got back into learning Max this year, and realized there was a way of using Max to connect my APC Mini to these videos, in effect creating my own VJ setup without having to buy any extra software. This gave me a brand new outlet for live creation during streams, as opposed to the (in my experience) detail-oriented, repetitive work of creating a song. After buying a green screen and building a PVC pipe stand for it for around $6, I was able to fully recreate the effect of performing on stage in front of a video wall, with the added bonus of being my own VJ. I had suddenly found a new dimension to play with — one that doesn't demand any editing sessions or prolonged contemplation of its presentation in order to be utilized and presented. Creative work is, at its heart, finding spaces where you can let yourself be free.

The Rust: Can you unpack some of the programming involved with crafting a smooth A/V performance? What's that experience like as an individual performer behind manning both helms?

Zonra: The first thing I needed to figure out was how involved I wanted to be with the visual aspect of the performance, and subsequently what the limitations of my current setup would allow. I'm continually using a process of trial and error to figure out what works for me and what works in the medium of live video streaming. My visual control setup uses a Max patch I created to connect my APC Mini to a playlist of video clips that I've recorded throughout the year and then running those through built-in visual data processing modules to add controllable effects, including pixelation, adjustable angled mirroring, and zoom depth, to create various kaleidoscopic effects. Having even a few different effects at my fingertips creates what feels like near-endless possibilities when connected to my video library. It's super fun to explore all these combinations of videos and music, constantly being surprised by the results that I'm given. Working with my own visual content is especially gratifying in that it lets me evolve and give new life to my music.

The Rust: We're now eight months beyond the initial surge of viral infections throughout the world, and closing in fast on the end of the year; what's your experience been like throughout the turmoil and tribulations?

Zonra: I have my health and I have employment which many can't say right now. Musicians are in a weird spot especially where the ultimate form of the art- live performance in a venue, connecting you with the audience into some kind of vibed-out hive-mind- is now a public health hazard. I know we all miss live music and its ability to connect us. I see this pandemic as having a catalytic effect on people: whatever energy you've been cultivating these past few years is amplified by the ever-present fact that activities we formerly took for granted now have sickness and death as potential side-effects- those who project love and healing into the world are reaffirmed in their nature and know the importance of what they do for others, while people with short fuses have even shorter fuses. My studio is more my safe haven than ever before. I'm just trying to stay positive and create the best music I can. I don't know if I would have expanded my work into visual art if not for the cancellation of all live events this year, so there's that.

The Rust: What's on the horizon for the Zonra project after the conclusion of the A/V stream series?

Zonra: I'm thinking I'll continue to explore the realms of live streaming and visual art in the context of my music. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface so far. I've got lots of music that needs further unfolding- the work never ends there.

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Coming in hot this evening is the second 90-minute installation of Zonra's A/V series, and it's sure to be bursting with sonic intrigue ahead of the release of his latest EP. We'd tell you to stay tuned into the gradual developments under the Zonra umbrella, but we get the feeling you're just as hyperaware as we are.

You can catch the stream tonight from 8-9:30pm PST on the Zonra Twitch channel.

FOLLOW Zonra: Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / Facebook

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.

FOLLOW Vellum: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook