thook is a legend in the making. The Toronto-based producer has consistently proven his talent and originality with singles like ‘forest,’ ‘Voidless’ and ‘scars,’ plus his boundary pushing Quality Goods EP Natural Instincts. And that’s all just within the past year or so. Dig deeper into his catalog and you’ll find a multitude of gems assured to leave you astonished. Furthering his quest to become one of the best out comes the NOISE LP. The 11 track efforts arrives today and it’s nothing short of incredible. The project manages to traverse across a myriad of soundscapes and genres while sprinkling in the subharmonic dust that makes his music hit so differently. NOISE LP sees thook approaching jazz in an unheard of bass-influenced direction on ’18,’ redefining what menacing means in relation to a trap banger with ‘Quarters,’ and sampling and mixing sounds at a level that’s almost incomprehensible (‘Yo DJ’). Those three examples just begin to scratch the surface of the immense offering that is the NOISE LP. Enjoy this one from start to finish and be prepared for an out-of-body musical awakening.
We caught up with thook to talk about the project, how he connected with Dome of Doom for the release, whether he feels that he’s underrated and more. Listen to the album below and read our full interview. You can grab NOISE LP here.
How’s Toronto life treating you?
It’s great- definitely a change of pace compared to where I was before outside of the city. City is a lot faster in a lot of ways, and since the population is so dense here it’s easy to be inspired by anything.
I’ve grown in many facets and printing that into an album is important for me.
What made you want to put out an album vs. dropping a few EPs or singles?
It was the right time. My last LP/album project was in 2016 for the ACTION LP. That was a full body that felt like a milestone in my production. Since then I’ve grown in many facets and printing that into an album is important for me.
I have a lot of stuff planned for it and what it represents. There is NOISE merch and other cool shit I’ll be talking about soon.
What is the significance of the project’s title NOISE?
NOISE is much bigger than the title of the LP. I have a lot of stuff planned for it and what it represents. There is NOISE merch and other cool shit I’ll be talking about soon.
With this release it really feels like you’ve come into your signature sound. This truly sounds like a thook album and unlike anything else. Was this something you’ve intentionally been striving for?
That’s exactly what I wanted. I’ve been producing under ‘thook’ for about 5 years, and in all that time the NOISE LP is a hallmark to my progression.
What do you feel are the core elements of the thook signature sound?
Subharmonic dust.
The whole project is stellar but there’s a few tracks that really stand out. The first was definitely ‘18’. It sounds like a jazz record but with a crazy experimental bass spin. How did this track come together? How would you define it?
‘18’ is an homage to my older style on the ‘No Stop’ EP. I was really inspired by flylo at that time, and his ability to jump in and out of different genres in a track. I’ve always listened to artist like BBNG and Kaytranada who elegantly dip into jazz/bass elements. With ‘18’ I actually sampled myself playing a pocket trumpet into my phone, and started building around that. It’s definitely off-kilter to the jazz genre, but that’s the whole point.
Take us through the sequencing of Noise. What sort of journey did you try to program with the order of the tracks?
Had to start that shit off with ‘bags v3’. The dark bounce on that record just lets you know you’ve entered unmarked territory. I put ‘18’ somewhat early in the lineup to warm up the listener to different fusions of sound before going into tracks like ‘COSTS’ which have very distinctive, non musical elements. ‘DIGITAL WORLD’ had to be right in the middle, for obvious reasons.
How did you connect with Dome Of Doom? What made you want to release the album with them?
I did a show last year opening for Daedelus and HOLLY, where I met Wylie, the owner of DOD; we talked about projects and kept in touch where I eventually sent him an early version of the NOISE LP.
I read the project is going to released on cassette. What prompted this decision? Why cassette?
That’s actually something Wylie had in mind. I love the idea of that. It’s sort of novelty in today’s world of music, but it’s physical, and you can hold it in your hand unlike spotify playlists.
Also, the shit I bring to the table sonically is a new sound. New sounds always need to break before going up. It’s really up to bigger artists to see the vision and work with your boi. I’m gonna work with Billie Eilish I’m telling you.
I think you’re still criminally underrated. Do you feel you’re getting the respect/notice you deserve?
I don’t care about that. Some of the most amazing artists have no exposure. That’s not the fault of the artists. The system [ie. All social media] runs partly on algorithms and paid promotions. Sometimes you hear garbage on top trending playlists nad wonder how it got there. It’s not a coincidence. Also, the shit I bring to the table sonically is a new sound. New sounds always need to break before going up. It’s really up to bigger artists to see the vision and work with your boi. I’m gonna work with Billie Eilish I’m telling you.
You’re going to be playing Emissions Festival this summer. How excited are you for it? Any other big gigs lined up?
Super hyped. It’s my first festival, let alone the first time playing outside of Canada. Big energy. I have some other shows lined up in the U.S. but can’t announce just yet.
What’s next for you?
Hip hop.
