XTALS has been one of our favorite artists to watch this past year. 2019 has been absolutely insane for the North Carolina based producer, as he’s been pumping out heavy hitting tracks non-stop. XTALS’ unique style of experimental bass music has given him the opportunity to release with Saturate Records, Presently Lifted, and Below the Surface, to name a few. Fresh off of opening for Sfam and ATLiens, we had a chance to sit down with XTALS and for an interview and a mind-blowing guest mix. Stocked full of IDs, originals, and fire edits, XTALS seriously flexes on this mix and gives us some insight on his production on the interview.
How did the name XTALS come about when it’s pronounced crystals?
I went to school for Geology, and while I was in the program I was in between names for my music project. In my mineralogy class my professor always abbreviated the word crystals as XTALS. One day while I was taking notes it hit me that it would be a cool name to use, and after thinking about it for a few months it just felt natural to go by that. It’s been a lot of fun to combine my love for rocks into the visual and sonic signatures of the project.
You have some insane sound design going on in your tracks, what are some of your go to plugins?
Lately I’ve really been digging using the synth Spire to get my bass sounds; I’ve found a couple cool tricks in there that I really like. I also just do a lot of trial and error resampling and post-processing until things sound cool. A couple of my favorites for this have been Decimort, Hematohm, and Disperser. The first of those is just a really nice bit crusher, the second is a frequency shifter by Ohm Force that just sounds insane, and Disperser is this weird all pass filter by Kilo Hearts that makes everything sound very watery. I also really like a lot of the plugins in the Voxengo suite for my mixing and mastering.
For whatever reason the word ethereal always sticks out to me when I think about my tracks.
You have a really experimental signature sound, how would you describe your tracks?
For whatever reason the word ethereal always sticks out to me when I think about my tracks. I’ve always tried to create moments of space within my songs, especially in the buildup and breakdown sections in order to juxtapose the drops and make them an immersive experience.
How do you find your inspiration for tracks?
I feel like my immediate sources of inspiration are constantly changing but overall I’m inspired by life experiences, my peers, and other great music that I hear. I’ve always been inspired by grunge music and bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Queens of the Stone Age, and Soundgarden; a lot of bands then wrote songs that had some incredibly delicate sections and would go into very loud and abrasive sections. I always have appreciated having those two extremes in one song and I really enjoy trying to adopt that into a more electronic environment while making it danceable and club friendly. I get a lot of inspiration from my friends that make music as well, being involved with Partica Artist Group has helped me improve so much as an artist. It’s great to have a community of like minded artists that I can always go to for feedback and just talking about our ideas of music in general.
What are some hobbies of yours outside of producing?
I grew up in a small mountain town so I really enjoy getting outside and going on hikes when I have the chance. Recently, I’ve gotten back into playing the guitar more and that’s been a lot of fun for me. Aside from that I occasionally play some video games with my friends when I get the chance. I’d say for the most part my other hobbies just revolve around music and music related activities.
I feel like myself and my peers are in a great stage of growth at this time and things are really exciting because of the potential we all have.
What are some moves for XTALS in 2020?
I have a lot of collabs with some great artists that I’m stoked about working on and getting out there. I feel like myself and my peers are in a great stage of growth at this time and things are really exciting because of the potential we all have. The focus for me now is just to write and release as much music as possible and continue to push my sound forward.
What is your go to snack when you work?
My favorite snack is making homemade popcorn on the stovetop, and most of the time I sprinkle some Old Bay on that bish (but no snacks in the stu). I’ve also making unsweet iced tea at home and drink that pretty much 24/7.
Trackllist
XTALS Intro
XTALS – ID
A$AP Ferg – Plain Jane (XTALS Flip) [Unreleased]
Caracal – Hypa w/ JLEON & KOWTA – Loaded
midnght – ID [PARTICA]
L’homie – ID w/ Flosstradamus ft. Casino – Mosh Pit (Acapella)
RVKIT – ID
bd hbt x yojas x scullion – BIG ENERGY (GURF Edit)
Runnit – ID
barnacle boi. – still. (XTALS Remix)
TYNAN – Diggid (scullion flip)
bd hbt x Detrix – ID
XTALS x OUZA – ID
Runnit – Mug Club V1 (feat. XTALS, Klavay, bd hbt, Gurf, DHITTO, ZCR, XAVIER, & RAFTYR)
XTALS x GURF – FLORA
RAFTYR x smolspider – ID
Yates – ID
XTALS x Glitter Soda – THIRD IMPACT
bd hbt x yojas – Sarcasm
anti. – ID
XTALS – Tell Me Things
RL Grime – Scylla
XTALS – LEEEEN
MineSweepa – Black McLaren (Moore Kismet Remix)
anti. – mattr
XTALS – ID [PARTICA]
XTALS – GAMEBOI COLOR
SuperAve. – ID
Saka – ID
PLAIN – SAFARI
RL Grime, What So Not, Skrillex – Waiting w/ Britney Spears – Toxic (Acappella)
scullion – ambidextrous
Skrillex – Dirty Vibe (XTALS Flip) [Unreleased]
XTALS – VOID
XTALS – FLUX
Edekit – ID
XTALS – BIND
XTALS – ID
Nina Las Vegas – Deserts
4B & TEEZ – Whistle
Runnit x TVBOO – ID
XTALS x DEVIOUS – Jungle Games
KUREI – ID
GURF x XTALS – THROWIN SHADE
XTALS – RNGR
DONKONG – ID
Wiwek – Stop Me (feat. Sirah)
Eater & GAWM – ID
Baauer – GoGo!
Brillz & Ghastly – Hawt
SNAK PAK x XTALS – INSIGHT
So Sus – ID
