Crafting a brand around an air of mystery is no small task, but one that Washington State’s Dead Robot has wholeheartedly accomplished. Starting out life with a much more vibey, future bass-esque approach to his production with the release of his Therapy EP back in 2017, he’s gradually evolved his sonic palette to curve the fiendish appetites of fans of the bassy, more experimental flavors of music. In 2019, he saw massive success from his track ‘Metaphysical‘ which most notably received support from the main martian himself Liquid Stranger, a veritable nuclear bomb waiting to be unleashed in every single one of his sets. Now, he’s got his finger once again on the pulse of the music community with the release of his debut album Transference, a 9-track affair of truly astounding proportions.
Immediately enrapturing you in the ominous, futuristic aesthetic of Transference as a whole, ‘Bad Dream’ sets the tone in a truly concrete fashion. Greeted by a hearty helping of thunderous low end, listeners will be left firmly gripping whatever piece of furniture is closest straight from the get-go. Prime booty-shaking, earth-quaking, and shenanigan-making music for the soul, this piece lights up any room with its full-bodied presence. Utilizing insatiable amounts of groove that ratchets up the head nods to 11, stillness will be a state for another time, movement being the only thing that matters.
Keeping the foot firmly on the gas, ‘Spooky’ comes out the gates swinging with a hypnotizing melody that makes the listener let their guard down, before introducing thick horns and robust drums that lead you into the crushing first drop. Dark, rich, and aggressively stylistic, to say ‘Spooky’ slams on a proper sound system would be a foolhardy understatement, as the torrential downpour of bass that coats your being is ludicrously intense, but more-than-welcome. The latter switch-ups add undeniable swagger to the piece as a whole, and are another testament to the top-tier production quality Dead Robot is more than capable of.
Sitting firmly in the 3rd spot on Transference, ‘Quantum Immortality’ is a welcome departure from the more vicious or even party-esque feel of the previous pieces. Taking a much more tender, heartfelt, and yet simultaneously powerful approach, fans will be greeted by lush tendrils of melodic goodness that combine with immensely satisfying speaker purrs that would make even rumbles from the ancient Egyptian sphynx itself jealous. Affixing the listener in place, forced to take it all in as the sounds reverberate across their body, one will surely attain ‘Quantum Immortality’ in that time and place.
Sexy, saucy, and supremely satisfying, ‘Time Pools’ is arguably my favorite piece on Transference due to its gruesome, gritty energy that borders on downright chaotic. A one-way ticket straight to the insane asylum, this piece defies all conscious boundaries and scrambles the brain like a delicious feast of eggs for breakfast. The latter drop is especially wild, incorporating a trapped out groove that signals the beginning of an unrelenting twerkfest.
One of the most emotional pieces in the collection, ‘See Your Heart’ will have you doing just that. Introspective soundscapes force you to look deep within and grapple with your most powerful demons, but yet also gives you the power to overcome them in the same burst of electricity. Whip out a map, the last half will have your mind wandering wherever it shall roam, the destination wherever you truly need to be.
‘You’re Everywhere But Here’ weaves a tale of an unbreakable connection that spans distances like an ever-expanding rope that knows no end. Tear-jerking piano melodies are coupled with elegant layering and powerful punchiness that mold an emotional thoroughfare as an end result. One of those tracks that leave you silently mouthing “wow” to yourself, an initial listen will be followed up quickly by compulsive rinses that seemingly never stop.
The last piece I’d like to touch on from this epic journey of sound is ‘In Search Of Light’, unmistakeably the light at the end of the tunnel. A story of hope and quiet confidence that brings unbridled joy to all that listen, any speaker that plays this track instantly couples as a mobile lantern. An uplifting message that is of the utmost importance in this day and age, the world needs more magic like this 2 minutes and 52 seconds of bliss.
To say that Transference is an absolute masterpiece of a project would be a massive understatement, as it’s one of the finest underground projects I’ve heard from start to finish in a very long time. Proudly boasting a veteran sound that is currently being slept on by far too many bass music fans, Dead Robot is one artist that fans should be waiting with bated breath for each subsequent release. Think the music was insanely top tier? Wait until you see the MOVIE he made to go along with it. Handcrafting a god-tier audiovisual experience that stimulates the mind, body, and soul in all the right ways, this Washingtonian has set himself apart as a true master craftsman. If you buy Transference in full on Bandcamp, you’ll receive the movie along with 2 bonus tracks that are just as pristine as the rest, rounding out to be an 11-track journey of titanic proportions. You can grab the whole album here, or stream it in full for yourself below!
