New year, same feature bringing you the best under the radar finds. Our latest installment of Focus Five brings the series to the one year mark. While our team has expanded the quality and diversity remains. This month we’ve got some brain-bending bass, a speed house producer, some heavy trap, a touch of wave and more.
AOTA
To the haters who still say SoundCloud is dead: you aren’t looking hard enough. Unaware of the background music that was playing while mindlessly doing homework earlier this month, the platform’s autoplay algorithm suddenly blessed me with a chaotic masterpiece. The track titled ‘Brainulator’ was the brainchild of Seattle-based artist Jordan Guzak, who produces under the pseudonym AOTA. Boasting almost 2.5k SoundCloud followers and a solid foundation of support from other up-and-comers, I knew I had to explore what else AOTA was capable of. Last week, he released his first full project of the year titled Dappa Clappa, which features four bass-riddled tracks that will get any trap and bass fan itching for more. Along with the wonky ‘Brainulator’, AOTA proves to have a knack for making a hybrid of weird, yet oddly satisfying free-form bass. Peculiarities are rampant throughout all of his tracks, with complex sounds and a seamless flow always shining at the forefront. Keep a close eye on AOTA.
–SC
Haus Of Panda
Single-handedly spearheading the Speed House movement, Winnipeg’s Haus Of Panda had quite the 2018, dropping nearly a dozen tracks on Brooklyn Fire alone. Clearly capturing the attention of Tommie Sunshine, not only has he found a home on the legend’s label, he’s both collaborated and played back to back with the big boss. However that’s not the only head he’s turning as his track ‘Back 2 The Sound’ found its way into the EDC 2019 trailer. Combining classic, killer electro vibes, with blistering bass/blog house energy and a jacked up tempo, Haus Of Panda is a brilliant bridge between old and new. And before becoming Brooklyn Fire’s hottest commodity, it was remixes of classics like The Bucketheads ‘The Bomb’ and Nightcrawlers ‘Push The Feeling’ that first propelled him into our ears through such shows as Diplo & Friends and Chuckie’s Dirty Dutch Radio. Along with authoring a mix to go along with the announcement that he’ll be hitting Ever After this summer, he just released ‘Kick It’, another single from forthcoming EP, Speed House Volume 2. It’s clear the Speed House movement is here to stay and frankly, I couldn’t be any more excited.
–OJ
josh cassidy
Anchored within the thriving heart of the electronic movement in Sydney, Australia, josh cassidy has managed to develop a niche, production-focused style of trap music that tactfully unites harsh percussion, colossal surges of bass and squeaky clean production, resulting in sensational depth and versatility that rests effortlessly on the ears. In one of cassidy’s earliest releases, he teams up with fellow Aussie NYRVUS for a spectacular flip of ‘Wasteland’ from Made By Tsuki & Moss. Contrasting enigmatic, shadow bass with an intuitive trap change-up in the second drop, cassidy demonstrates a sound proficiency working alongside talented colleagues. While solo efforts such as ‘Ghetto’ and ‘Trouble’ present an opportunity to take the reins on his own, crafting daunting bass soundscapes riddled with innovative fills and ruthless vocal samples. Prevision for the future is higher than ever, and we look forward for 2019 as a chance for cassidy to further reveal his vision for the project, elaborating on the momentum he’s built in the past year.
–SL
Klasey Jones
Aesthetic is certainly the first term I’d use to describe Klasey Jones and his project. From the artwork (made by the master Mizucat), to the music itself, everything is permeated with a cut-and-dried taste that brush wave, vaporwave, chill trap and all the endless shades in between. Since I had the first taste of his musical genius back in 2017 with the ‘Eleven’ album (an 11 track collection influenced by the audio and visual style of Stranger Things), the London producer has climbed my rankings, in no time becoming not just a point of reference for a certain type of luscious cinematic music, but a proper cult. It’s one thing to listen to good music. It’s another to listen to excellent music. Listening to Klasey Jones is quite an utterly different experience. After a solid 2018, he kicked off the year with ‘Blade Runner’, a new formidable EP, once again on terrorhythm. ‘Blood Money’ has everything we could expect from Klasey Jones. Originality? Plenty of it. Variety? Widespread across his catalog, but also in each individual track. An almighty, haunting aura? Absolutely. Skeptical? Try it out below.
–AA
SOKOS
From the moment I pressed play on SOKOS’ ‘IF YOU NEED ME’ I was sold. The ominous undertones and alluring vocals captivated my attention and as the song built, so did my excitement. When the drop hit I screamed “wow” and instantly headed to his page to see if I’d been sleeping on a beast. After a solid listen through his catalog the resounding response was yes. His music is filled with dense and evocative soundscapes that lure listeners in. Whether it’s trap or wave, SOKOS’ production talents are sure to impress. ‘P U C I O’ is a perfect example of his talent that’s sure to draw comparisons to thook and Dabow. Certainly not bad company to keep. Looking to get even filthier? Check out ‘BLACK,’ a true halftime killer. Consistency and creativity are two talents we regard very highly at FUXWITHIT and SOKOS has proven he posses a wealth of both.
–CV
Stream all the track in our playlist below.
