An integral component of the movement for experimental bass music, Dome of Doom founder and California-based producer Wylie Cable has remained covertly beyond the reach of the public eye, carefully orchestrating the rise of his label while discreetly polishing a project of his own.
‘Oculus Non Vidit’ abstracts the apex track from Cable’s upcoming debut Lemniscate, working alongside fellow eclectic producer Gangus to synthesize a depth-woven two-minutes that both questions and defies the need for genres altogether.
“Like the keystone in architecture, it’s not often the largest or most ornate piece of the puzzle but it supports and ties together the two sides of the story,” Cable shares regarding his vision for the specific arrangement of the tracklist. “Anyone who’s done a release with Dome of Doom would probably echo that about me, I really think having things in a certain order will serve the music better and help people understand the story and energy behind the music more fully,” he continues.
Positioned as the crescendo of energy within the full project, ‘Oculus Non Vidit’ works in conjoinment between the more traditionalized trap and drum components in the first half of the project and the less rigid, free-flowing soundscapes in the latter half.
After months resting discreetly behind the scenes, Wylie Cable is finally ready to unleash his craft upon the public ear. Be sure to check out ‘Oculus Non Vidit’ and our brief interview with Dome of Doom founder Wylie Cable, out now below!
What role does ‘Oculus Non Vidit’ play within the scope of the entire Lemniscate project?
I really do spend a lot of time obsessing over track order and things like that, I think its a super important detail in the way music is released. Anyone who’s done a release with Dome of Doom would probably echo that about me, I’ve done conference calls with people on several different continents just do dial in a tracklist for an album, if I really think having things in a certain order will serve the music better and help people understand the story and energy behind the music more fully.
With ‘Oculus Non Vidit’ sitting right in the middle of the record, I like to think of is at the energetic zenith of the album. It is probably the most dancefloor/club-friendly track on the album but also just has a fast-paced frenetic energy that I feel balances well between the first half of the album that’s got the more traditionally heavy bass music sounds, and then the second half of the record that gets more into the more experimental side of things. Like the keystone in architecture, it’s not often the largest or most ornate piece of the puzzle but it supports and ties together the two sides of the story.
For a project that enlists a variety of unique and talented collaborative support, what made Gangus an ideal fit for this track in particular?
Gangus and I started this track together at Dome of Doom HQ in LA while he was in town crashing at my house to play at Lowend in March of 2018, so it wasn’t like I selected him in particular to complete an already started piece of work. With basically all of the songs that have featured artists save the one with CLYDE, since he lives in the UK, I started the sessions together with the other artists in the studio. I prefer to do collaborations like this if possible just because I feel it gives more unique energy to the project when you can be in the same room working with someone. After that initial session, Gangus and I bounced back and forth the project file for almost a year, trying different arrangements of the tune. Gangus is a good friend of mine and we already share a lot of the same interests in sound design and styles of music so it’s always easy to work with him, and beyond just being fun to work with Gangus’ knowledge and desire to always learn more about production techniques is super infectious and fun to be around.
‘Oculus Non Vidit’ stands out as being the shortest track from the EP by a great measure. Are you able to create more freely of restriction when aspects such as track length aren’t a major concern?
When I’ve sent the album to my producer homies I’d say 90 percent of them quote the Gangus collab as their favorite track on the record, I think part of that is the amount of styles and rhythms were able to flow through in the piece, it references a lot of genres but isn’t easily pegged down as anyone of them. I’m sure non-producer ears will pick other songs for different reasons, but from the standpoint of just sheer ridiculous musical creativity I’m really happy with how many ideas and different styles Gangus and I were able to move through in the notably short song. I think that’s part of what gives it a special energy in that it sort of leaves you wanting more, maybe after a first listen you will want to go back and play the song again, you’ll probably have missed some of the intricacies that we crammed in there if you just play it through once without a few spin backs.
We actually tried to make it longer a bunch of times, added extra sections, extended the drops we already had… but ultimately, Gangus and I agreed on the version you are hearing now because we felt it just had the rawest and most interesting flow. One measure its dirty trap rhythms, and then before you realize it you’re in full swing with crashing breakbeat patterns and then suddenly that transforms into a recapitulated half time feel at the end. Sometimes trying to stick to a formal song structure or format can be helpful in the creative process but for this one, it was really just about having fun and experimenting with someone whose musical ideas I already really resonate with. When I’m able to work with people whose artists decisions I already trust the process is always more free-flowing and organic.
Tour Dates:
9/13 – London, UK w/ Tom Ravenscroft BBC6
9/14 – Amsterdam, NT w/ Red Light Radio
9/20 – Brooklyn, NY w/ Speak, Lao, Nick Hook, QRTR & Wylie Cable
9/21 – Los Angeles, CA w/ Daedelus, Shlohmo, Wylie Cable, Baseck + more (Dublab 20 Year Anniversary)
10/29 – Austin, TX w/ Gangus & Wylie Cable
11/1-11/3 – Denton TX at Nightfall Music Festival
