It’s the end of April and that means it’s time for a new installment of Focus Five. As promised we’re bringing you another five fresh artists that you need to know. This month we have a group of incredible bass producers including Element, KaTT, L*O*J, no doz, and t1r. This month’s edition is just another reminder of how much the underground scene is thriving. Each artist is pushing the boundaries of bass in their own exceptional way. Don’t sleep.
Element
My introduction to Brooklyn’s Element came in epic, emotional fashion with ‘Augustine’ a track of tremendous weight, made while watching over his grandmother in the ICU. The power of the track alone is enough to have your heart hit the floor, adding on that caveat is like pulling the floor out from underneath you, forcing your heart to fall for eternity. He’s since followed up that November breath-taker with a handful of releases showcasing, believe it or not, an even more abounding bass delivery contrasted with a couple feels driven future bass tracks. Nailing the noxious rapid fire bass delivery ‘Needles’ is like a bonus level in DOOM. But if you’d rather breathe, and not find yourself crushed under Element’s eminence, sink your teeth into the sublime ‘What Lovers Do’ remix.
-OJ
KaTT
This Torontonian takes the term scary talented to a whole new level. Just take a look at his two most recent efforts: the squelchy and stupefying ‘Touch’ on Jadū Dala and the blistering beast that is ‘Blasé,’ a production for Front Royal. And this is where KaTT really starts to show his teeth, as he’s the one who puts the 6ix in six impala. In our inaugural edition of the Focus Five we gave a nod to underscores, who too calls the collective home. It is this kind of quality, creativity and range that makes not only six impala, but indeed KaTT such a breath of fresh air. His productions are steely strong, undeniably electrifying, at times downright nasty but there’s always a core of creativity and musical mastery — the former fire via ‘Sileo (Fol)’, the latter lushiousness via ‘Opus Solace.’
-OJ
L*O*J
Swiss duo L*O*J seemingly appeared out of nowhere recently and then proceeded to set our SoundCloud feed on fire. It all began with their Dabow collaboration ‘Slide,’ and absolute monster that pairs an iconic soulful sample with some beastly bass. It’s the type of incredible track that makes you instantly smash that follow and when I did, I was quickly treated to something special: their newly releases Dysfunction EP. The 7 track effort is a buffet of bass that features collabs with some of the hottest producers on the rise from Mo Vibez, to Jon Casey, Abelation, Milano, THRPY and more. If you’re looking for hard-hitting bass music that challenges and excites you, Loris and Josh have what you need.
-C
no doz
New Zealand’s no doz found his way into our inbox just over a week ago with ‘return to sender’. The hypnotically eerie opening put me in a trance and when the bass hit my mouth mirrored the vocal sample with a resounding “fuck.” I was sold off that song alone but his latest on The Dog Pound reaffirmed my fandom. ‘paranoia’ sees a similarly spooky aesthetic that rinses with some sinister laughter and chest-pounding bass. I’m talking about the type of bass that’ll make your internal organs shake…and who doesn’t enjoy a good kidney rattling every now and again. Embrace the darkness that is no doz.
-C
t1r
Our second New Zealander to make this month’s edition is t1r. His main account houses some slapping originals like ‘conk,’ and ‘contact’ but it’s his flips which are featured on his main and secondary accounts (t2r) that really standout. From Future, to Kendrick, Ludacris and Busta Rhymes, t1r blends familiar vocals with out-of-this world production for a sound that’ll bring you back SoundCloud’s golden era. Just listening to t1r’s tunes takes you back to the days when creativity reigned over copyright claims.
-C
Words by Colin & Oggie James.
