As the summer continues to roll by we’re back with another installment of Focus Five. As expected we’ve rounded up 5 fresh artists that you need to familiarize yourself with. We’ve got French future beats, Michigan based-bass, a dnb egirl, a promising wave producer, and a grade-A SoundCloud trap producer. Dive into this month’s feature below.
AP11
France’s output of phenomenal future beat producers is seemingly endless. Hailing from Lyon, AP11 has been bubbling on our radar for over a year. His contribution to the impressive Outsider Paris compilation alongside tices was a sure standout, combining exotic and wordly sound palettes with his signature knock. AP11’s style is rap inspired with a futuristic approach and a keen ability to craft bangers. There may be no better example than their latest release Krunk. to embody this. From the lush, foreign strings to the mesmerizing plucks, it’s nearly transcendent while packing an absolutely filthy trap grittiness. Add in pitched down rap vocals and it simply doesn’t get much better than this. French future beats are taking over and AP11 is helping to lead the charge.
-C
BRUNCHBEATZ
Born and raised in Michigan, Quin Seabolt is quickly accumulating momentum behind his production alias BRUNCHBEATZ. A recent signee to Electric Hawk, Seabolt is widely regarded for possessing a diverse range of styles at even the earliest infancy in his career, with tracks such as ‘SCRAMBLED’ that range from a more eclectic variety of trap to a more aggressive dubstep, as depicted in ‘SMOKED’. In addition to his solo efforts, Seabolt has found a tactical opportunity to mesh both the sounds and imagery from branding into his own unique format of remixes coined ‘RE SCRAMBLES’. Much like the dining spread at a late morning buffet, there’s a variety of potential in BRUNCHBEATZ.
-SL
gyrofield
Ever since landing on my radar with the incredibly infectious ‘Out Of My Mind’ ft. inkwill over a year ago, I’ve been meaning to feature gyrofield on our Focus Five segment. The irresistibly danceable tune catapulted the Hong Kong-based artist to the top of the underground drum and bass scene, and with every subsequent release gyrofield has shown that her skills are only continuing to evolve, often exploring other genres with equal prowess. With a solid arsenal of original tracks under her belt, as well as a handful of unofficial remixes including an insanely catchy remix for AuRa and Alan Walker’s ‘Ghost,’ it’s evident that gyrofield has the ability to pump out quality hits on a regular basis, and with a forthcoming single on the coveted Pilot Records in early August, it’s only a matter of time before gyrofield becomes a household name.
-SC
Ivoryghost
While the wave scene is quite busy with an internal feud between the wave and hardwave formations, as a humble fan as I am, I prefer to simply focus on finding good music and brilliant creatives, regardless of genre. Ivoryghost is a name that I’ve seen popping up in my SoundCloud feed for a while thanks to his crossover remix of Joji and Lana del Rey and his appearance on pivotal networks like Yume and Sekai Collective, but now I believe it’s finally time to bring him to the spotlight. With the release of his brand new EP, the project has indeed reached maturity for me. In each one of the five tracks, the Dutch producer masterfully interprets wave’s signature mood in a different fashion. You’ll find wave and hardwave vibes of course, but also garage, house and ambient. With a huge release already signed by one of the biggest label in the game, I have high expectations from ivoryghost from now on.
-AA
SALLA
What’s better in this life than some grade-A underground SoundCloud trap? The most succinct answer is, “Not much.” Deep into one of my nightly binges of the seedy underbelly of the SoundCloud game, I found an account with a gigantic sound, but a currently small following. Not much is known about Salla, but he has 2 tracks that would be on-par with producers that have 100x the followers he already has. ‘Cook It Up‘ has inordinate amounts of bounce and a groove that will have your hips shaking until they fall off your entire body. ‘Lift‘ is shorter on the energy, but just as tall in style and ambiance. For fans of that gritty underground trap, Salla is definitely one to keep your eye on.
-AB
Words by Alessio, Alex, Colin, Sam & Steph
