Members of the illustrious and progressive west coast bass movement Harrison Hays and Anthony Battaglia, also known by their dual production moniker Smoakland, along with Tennessee native Bryce Herlong, or Vibe Emissions, have come together to produce a wubby wonderland of auditory delight. Putting a new age bass-centric twist on the timeless 1962 classic ‘Somebody Have Mercy’ by Sam Cooke, these dealers of deep, heavy frequencies have joined past and present hand-in-hand.
The initial aspect you’ll notice of ‘Have Mercy’ within the opening seconds is the sense of a dark mysterious force quickly approaching. The tone of the piece is quite serious, drawing you in with hollow, faded out notes accentuated impeccably by crispy snares. The predrop vocals bring in Sam Cooke, asking longingly “will somebody have mercy?” Sorry to break it to you Sam, but mercy will surely not be coming anytime soon from these two groups. The wubs are thick, full-bodied, and plentiful; a veritable all-you-can-gyrate buffet. Featuring immaculate mixing across the board, each sound feels individual yet part of the bigger whole, nothing taking up more space or attention than another. Need a workout for your sound system? Throw this bad boy on and watch your speakers flex so hard it looks like they’re going through the ringer with a personal trainer, assuredly squealing “have mercy” in response.
Both Smoakland and Vibe Emissions have shown consistently throughout the course of the year that their sound is here to stay and will only continue to get more sharp, polished, and creative. For fans of all the forward-thinking players in the bass music realm, this are two groups to keep a very close eye on for the foreseeable future. For now, check out ‘Have Mercy’ for yourself below!
