We’re capping off February with lucky number 13 in our Focus Five Series. This month we’ve got a wild freeform bass duo, a Quebec based house creator, a Dutch secret weapon, a multi-demensional artist and a Kiwi with a Medasin-meets-Sam Gellaitry sound. As always you don’t want to miss these five incredible talents. Get familiar below and let us know your favourite.
beardthug
Tucked within the diverse fabric of the thriving east coast bass music scene, the sounds of beardthug waver between sonic psychedelic exploration and vicious freeform invasion. 2018 furnished a massive year for the Providence, Rhode Island duo with two EPs in wake which allowed the pair to further divulge their creative, experimental ingenuity. Building upon this momentum, a flavorful collaboration with Mississippi-native TVBOO released on the Outer Realms compilation Cult Classics promises that this will not be the last we hear from beardthug.
-SL
CastNowski
Steady, reliable and groovy – that describes both CastNowski and the music he makes. Hailing from Québec City, it’s likely your first exposure to this house-head came back in 2016 with the killer collaboration ‘Bleu Nuit‘ alongside fellow QC craftsman, Kayliox. Unleashing his bass beast, it was a forebearer of the fire to come as he’s since hit us over the head with some wild designs allowing his low end to purr, growl and even roar; case in point ‘Free Your Mind’ with Scissors. Eventually this awesome audio found its way into the ears of such heavy hitters as Shaun Frank, BIJOU and Oliver Heldens, who premiered the deep grit and groove of ‘Wantutri’. And this was just the beginning as CastNowski has since authored not one, but two top notch EPs in Machine-Made Music and The Factory, with the former debuting on his own label Fraudulent Records. While it’s been a while between releases, his hiatus is set to end with new EP Loren Ipsum set to drop Friday on Ghetto Ghetto. Dive into the depths of his all too dope catalog and catch him at Escapade in Ottawa this summer!
-OJ
inimicvs
inimicvs is a SoundCloud gem you need in your life. He’s a producer’s producer. That Dutch secret weapon that DJs call upon when they need that slapper that everyone knows but doesn’t seem to know who it’s by. His collab with sui.luj ‘Fatigue’ has been a weapon in DJ sets for the past 2 years, finding its way into mixes from trap heavyweights like UZ, QUIX and RL Grime. As a favourite of the underground his music has also landed in four of our guest mixes. Despite all this, inimicvs somehow always managed to stay on the fringe of my radar. That is until I heard Mojave a scorching hot collab EP with DILIP. The project instantly transported me to the golden era of trap. With a discombobulating array of samples ranging from Childish Gambino, Missy Elliot and Cali Swag District combined with neck snapping trap beats, I couldn’t ask for anything more. Doubling down on the SoundCloud golden era energy, inimicvs is unleashing new heaters seemingly every other day. With 7 stellar tracks released in the past 30 days, he’s making damn sure he never falls of our radar again. Put him on yours immediately.
-CV
m-cubed
If someone will ever write an alternative version of Kerouac’s ‘On The Road’ with an updated soundtrack, I’d love with all my heart to see m-cubed featured within it. I’m not telling tall tales if you think about it for a second. The novel may seem a travel diary in the first place, but below the surface it shows us how colorful life is, with all its thousands shades. In the same way, under a mask of apparent minimalism and improvisation, m-cubed’s music offers a multitude of inputs that can paint our days with the most disparate emotions.
Both needs time and several approaches to be appreciated at the best, but once the chemistry kicks in, it’s unconditional love. During the last month for example, with the two self releases ‘crisp/mismatch’ and the Night Owl Collective’s sponsored album ‘sounds from wednesday evening’, the texan producer had me dance, cry, smile, chill and even work out. It’s not something that all pieces of music can do. Most of the songs I enjoy have a specific potential that can be fully exploited in specific situations. Instead, with its ordinate chaos and frenzy, m-cubed’s creations have the virtue to be a kaleidoscopic of our lives.
-AA
nekolai
The New Zealand bass scene is currently thriving and showing no signs of slowing down. It seems like every Focus Five highlights a new Kiwi, and this month is no exception. The Smile High Club‘s weekly radio show introduced me to ‘QT’ from Auckland’s own nekolai, where a casual listening of the radio show quickly turned into a binge through the talented producer’s pristine catalog. Despite having only six tracks on his SoundCloud, nekolai has been able to make waves in the trap scene through his distinctly chill take on the genre. Although minimal, every synth, pluck and percussive element come together to create soothing soundscapes and beautiful melodies. With a Medasin-meets-Sam Gellaitry sound, nekolai is sure to gain traction sooner rather than later.
-SC
