It may be the Labour day long weekend, but our quest for bringing you the best from the underground never takes time off. Keeping that in mind, we are proud to give you the 19th installment of Focus Five. To cap off the summer we’ve got a stellar house duo, a producer taking a fresh direction with future bass, a dark and dirty bass wizard, and two trap offerings that you cannot afford to miss. Dive in below and let us know who’s your favourite.
FETISH
“Last year we had never released a song. This year we had tracks playing at HARD and major festivals. JUST KEEP SWIMMING.” On top of that impressive achievement, LA-based duo FETISH‘s only originals have been released on the esteemed CONFESSION label. Not too shabby for a duo with less than 400 followers. Their quick recognition should come as no surprise though, as one of the members lives with the likes of PEEKABOO and Sully. Living in such a powerhouse of a home must sometimes be difficult, yet FETISH’s dirty take on late-night house music helps them stand out among some of the top players in the scene. As it looks like these two are only getting started, we’re stoked to be ahead of the curve and showcase FETISH to our readers. Don’t miss their impressive debut project on CONFESSION below.
-SC
Inadze
After July’s D&B excursus, this month I’m back in more familiar territories to put my bet on the head of this young producer. Although I’m not afraid to say that Inadze still has some way to go before actually gaining the title of “promise” of the scene, I can already see a scintillating path ahead of him. In 2019 his music seems to have reached a new level, finding what it needs to stand out. A soul, an identity, a dazzling light inside it, a blaze that always sends chills down my spine anytime I loose myself staring at it. With a strong cinematic component flavoured with highly energetic Future Bass drops and very original virtuosity and expedients, Inadze’s style is a perfect blend of mainstream and underground sounds. As someone has written on SoundCloud: “that’s how rl grime x hex cougar would sound together”. If you’re still hesitant, just know that I’m not the only one sponsoring this Greek producer: Kumo Collective, the Bonsai crew, JKuch, Rome in Silver and even top players in the bass scene (which unfortunately I’m not allowed to mention) are already fan of Inadze. How about you?
-AA
JLEON
Fittingly tethered within TRUTH’s Deep, Dark, & Dangerous label, Costa Rica-native JLEON possesses a keen ear for concocting shady, atmospheric bass soundscapes that grasp skillfully at the lowest threshold of audible frequencies. Released just last month, the Boruca Mask EP establishes captivating sinister energy with jagged tempos and faint tribal symbolism, indicative of JLEON’s ability to craft a compelling storyline within each of his personal projects. In addition to his repertoire of solo work, he possesses a diverse arsenal of remixes that range from G JONES & Doshy’s ‘Ghetto Bird’ to ‘Comprendes, Mendes?’ by Control Machete. Dig deep into the heart of JLEON’s style below!
-SL
ledim
Based in Belgium with under a thousand followers, ledim is exactly what we look for in an artist for Focus Five. Completely under the radar for most, yet boasting a SoundCloud page bursting with bangers. I stumbled upon one of his tracks from the recommended section of Sebjin’s latest. His hulking trap style is minimal yet knocking reminiscent of classic Hucci with a wordly flair. With many of his works leveraging Asian inspired soundscapes, the talented artist pairs this foundation with snapping 808s and thick bass. There’s no better start then ‘Confundus,’ which takes listeners atop Mount Amei to a sacred temple. The calm energy will centre your soul before dropping you into an ancient battle that’s assured to have your heart pumping. ‘Ningen 人間 w/ KEIDEN’ possesses a similar Far East energy that’s woven with a slapping trap backbone. Rounding out the list of can’t miss tracks from lidem is ‘energy w cvrbi,’ which perfectly fuses his signature sound with familiar JME vocals for an absolute banger. lidem is about to set SoundCloud ablaze.
-C
nets
Auckland duo nets offer undeviating authentic trap. Breaking onto the scene with prodigious remixes and flips, they began putting their own touch on hip hop and rap tracks. Early standouts include a regenerated thought process on a Wiz Khalifa track aptly titled ‘no sleep,‘ and ‘bottles‘ a fresh take on Trey Songz ‘Bottoms Up.’ Honing in on their 808 driven structure, nets unveiled their debut EP pay it. A three-track showcase of their signature sound with substantial drum framework and beefy bass. If you enjoy any of the mentioned tracks, check out their alt SoundCloud account nets two for some hidden gems. Staying true to the origins of trap, we are excited to see where they progress from here and look forward to future releases.
-TL
Words by Alessio, Colin, Sam, Steph and Tony.
