Bristolian halftime producer Harry Taylor, aka HØST, forms part of the pioneering group of artists that, in recent years, have made the cross-pollination of hip-hop and bass an art-form. Having made his mark on labels such as Noisia’s Division Recordings, Saturate Records and Vandal Records, he is recognized for tastefully combining multiple disparate styles in his music, often taking rich soundscape electronica and threading it with the likes of trap, drum & bass, dubstep and left-field hip-hop.
Riding a recent wave of hot releases, HØST looks to further his arsenal once more, now teaming up with Unchained Recordings to deliver a boundary-pushing four-track project titled the Valhalla EP, out on Friday. Ahead of its release, we are ecstatic to premiere the EP’s title track to give fans a taste of what to expect from the versatile artist. When asked about the theme around the Valhalla EP and song, HØST states “I’m a bit obsessed with Norse mythology, the name for the track came from that love. However, I wanted to make a darkly emotive EP and that’s the thought I had in my mind while constructing the tracks. I wanted people to feel the grit and rawness of the tracks while being transported to a dark cave on top of a cliff edge, with a heavy storm beating down outside. The title track is the start of it all designed to be the ‘calm before the storm’ with the drop incorporating a lot of built up energy from the intro and delivering it in a brutal ‘Ragnarok’ inspired battle anthem.“
Although ‘Valhalla’ came to fruition over six months ago, HØST ties it nicely within the project to aptly convey his vision for the EP. A journey within itself, the track begins with an ominous horn warning of an impending battle. War-inspired sound effects are added to gradually build the tension before HØST goes full halftime warrior on us, weaving pulsating basses and eerie effects to create a true combat anthem. Bass fans are in for a treat with ‘Valhalla,’ so don’t miss it below!
