Diverse as always, Focus Five 14 is once again your monthly sampling of the best new talent. Capping off March we have an aural shaman who’s music is frighteningly unique, a young future beat prodigy, the Alexander Wang of bass music, a Montreal based producer creating NEW RAVE, and finally a Swiss artist whose works are sure to instill a smile across your face. Get to know each of these artists below.
Mystic Grizzly
Jordan Hoffman is as much an aural shaman as he is an astonishingly brilliant and frighteningly unique music producer. Crafting intricate, enigmatic soundscapes under the guise Mystic Grizzly, with the intention to provoke deep thought and self-reflection, while promoting a sense of community and understanding for the tremendous impact and significance that music plays within the world. A multi-talented musician with nearly a decade of experience with guitar, piano, percussion, and harmonica, Mystic Grizzly’s ear for the uncanny and desire to push the boundaries of experimental bass gives his style a flavor of depth and precision that is currently unrivaled.
The We’ve Arrived EP paints a vivid depiction of Hoffman’s ability to work within his individual style as an artist, while Extra Ordinary with leet and Sacred Path demonstrate an equivalent talent for working candidly with supplementary sounds. Regardless of the method of delivery, the style of Mystic Grizzly will induce a dreamlike state of introspection.
-SL
olswel
olswel has been on my list as a candidate for Focus Five for nearly a year. Tracks like ‘bb_ily’ and ‘TR808’ showcased a high level of raw potential and originality but left me feeling like his full potential was yet to be fully realized. It seems time is all it would take, as 2019 has been off to a remarkable start both in terms of quality of work and overall output. The past two months have been nothing short of amazing with 3 incredible collabs with inimicvs, another collab with Summet and 3 solo originals. Almost every single week olswel is back with another impressive effort. Combining future beat, trap, future bass, and an almost jazz-like freedom for creative exploration, olswel is a must-listen for anyone who love artists like Sam Gellaitry and chromonicci. olswel is on track to become your favourite producer’s favourite producer, so don’t sleep.
-CV
Park
Park is not just a producer, he’s a freaking designer. The Armani of sound design, the Alexander Wang of bass music. Crazy ideas twisted with always excellent craftsmanship, creativity and technical skills, mind and machines working in perfect synergy: that’s what Park’s music is about. When it comes to underrated artists, the reddit bass community is unanimous in defining it outrageous that the Denver producer isn’t already in everyone’s libraries. This month has seen the release of it latest effort, the jawdropping S5 EP, a collection of three heavy weapons by him and regular collaborator Sakuraburst, which foreruns their ‘Ancient Show’, about to debut in May at Emission Festival.
-AA
SYN
First appearing on the scene in February 2018, Montreal-based hell-hound SYN has quickly become one of the hottest commodities in the bass scene. Following the tried and tested routine of capturing listeners with jaw-dropping remixes of classic cuts like Nero’s ‘Doomsday’, Deadmau5’s ‘Ghost ‘n’ Stuff’ and Porter Robinson’s ‘Unison’, SYN has recently turned his attention to crafting his own obsidian originals. Working with what he calls #NEW RAVE, his productions often operate at a blistering pace, battering your brains with a whipped up mix of DnB, dub- and drum-step. Depraved, diabolic and doom-ridden, #NEW RAVE is nothing if not nefarious, no holds barred, no nonsense rage-worthy revelry. While he’s clearly found his groove already dropping five tracks in 2019, the standout SYN production in my eyes comes in ‘Psycho,’ a soul-crushing stomper, sure to inspire some salacious and sickening rave rituals. It’s time to come to terms with our weaknesses and admit we’re all synners…
-OJ
ukko
In the spirit of spring, what better way to cap off another Focus Five segment than with ukko, a Switzerland-based producer who makes some of the hottest and liveliest beats. Recently hitting the 5k follower mark on SoundCloud and sharing the bouncy ‘skies’, ukko stated that he’s approximately halfway through the production of his upcoming Senses EP. Promising “dream pop/folk/trap,” the upcoming project is sure to put ukko on the map. With an uplifting signature highlighted by feel-good melodies and a future bounce essence, every ukko production is sure to put a smile on your face. With tracks such as his latest ‘atoms and void’, the talented artist always finds a way to keep his tracks fun and fresh, often playing with the tempo to engage his audience.
-SC
Get familiar with all the artists by bumping our Focus Five Volume 14 playlist below.
Words by Alessio, Colin, Oggie, Sam & Steph.
