Focus Five is back for 2021! As January comes to a close it’s time for us to round up our five fresh finds for the month. Rounding out the list we have some incredible future beats, a fresh take on house, drum and bass mastery, and a few producers defying genre barriers. Check them all below.
Cerdin
First setting off my radar in late September, killer Calgarian producer Cerdin kicked the door down with the ferocity of ‘FRACTURE.’ Its undeniable intensity and ominous energy give it the feeling of a high-stakes shootout. Almost unhinged in its radioactive rollout, Cerdin doesn’t let the track stagnate; instead, he fires off a flurry of effects while sending ‘FRACTURE’ flying off in all directions. More recently, we’ve seen an explosion of releases as he tackled the likes of A.G. Cook, Baauer, and Clipping in his second remix package. While distinct in their styles, each one of these free offerings slaps. Whether hyperactive like ‘Show Me What,’ a wall of sound like ‘AETHER,’ or slow and sadistic like ‘96 Neve Campbell,’ Cerdin crafts the perfect punch for each track. Now, for my money, Cerdin’s hardest hitters come in ‘Lemonade,’ ‘3030!‘ and ‘OLD SCHOOL.’ Hop on his hardcore bandwagon and brace yourself for a bumpy ride!
-OJ
Drvmmer
Now that I think about it, it’s almost a year since I met Andrea aka Drvmmer for the first time. If I’m not wrong, it was during the only gig I attended in 2020 alongside Patrick, msft., Voliik, Marlus, GAZZ, Degra and many others. Ah, the nostalgia. Anyway, I waited so long to give him a spotlight not because I wanted to spite him but because I preferred to follow a rational approach. You see, sometimes here on Focus Five I like to follow my instincts and make bets, but I know that I’m not flawless. For this first episode of the year instead, I wanted to give you a guarantee and now I can assure you that waging on this artist is not a risky business. Drvmmer is an assurance. It’s not subject to volatility and inflation. His production level leaves no doubt, it is first class. Even though he usually creates highly complex sonic textures, the outcome is always absurdly clean. It doesn’t matter how many genres it changes within a single song or how much the sound pressure is: the outcome will always be a treat for your ears. Dubstep, electronica, drum&bass his SoundCloud profile says loud and clear “fuck genres”. Want concrete proof? Just listen to his latest remix of Jack U’s classic ‘Mind’ and thank me later. From what I know, he’s sitting on an insane amount of music and, even if he’s going to release just a small share of it, I’m sure you’ll see him again on the pages of FUXWITHIT in 2021.
-AA
Knick
It may be a new year but I’m keeping my streak of championing future beats alive in 2021. One of the latest producers to catch my ear within the space is North Carolina’s Knick. It was Knick’s collaboration ‘distantworlds’ off of cozy kev’s complacency that first caught my attention. The track is a majestic work of art – heavenly, vibey and packing just the right amount of bump. A dive into Knick’s SoundCloud shows this is no fluke. He just dropped a next-level collab with $teev, koru & ohgoddc entitled ‘elevate’. Living up to its name, the song will take you to a higher plane of existence. It will allow you to feel lighter, unburdened, and lost in the bounce. While the collabs are amazing, Knick can definitely stand alone on his own. ‘circumvent’ is absolutely stunning while ‘aluminum’ shows off a more relentless approach. For the future beats fanatics such myself, Knick is undeniably one to watch.
-C
spüke
The last year has been everything but easy for everyone. Given the challenges, we could all use a little uplifting. Enter: spüke. The California producer is crafting energizing and futuristic house tunes to give listeners new life. ‘Emanate’ which was released on Bonsai’s Hayashi compilation was a staple in my summer rotation. Moving vocals, wildly bouncy drops, and a playful candor made it a certified warm weather bop. Keeping the heat up came the gripping and emotive ‘tell me’ which carries a truly uplifting energy. Risking it all with a remix of a classic, spüke delivered with an addictive flip of Flux Pavillion’s ‘I Can’t Stop.’ Taking on a iconic anthem is no easy feat but the talented producer delivered in full. If you’re looking for a fresh spin on house check out spüke.
-C
Trinist
Unfortunately, I can’t take the credit for this one, but I feel like this month’s list would be incomplete without the inclusion of Trinist. Landing on my radar just a couple of weeks ago thanks to his pristine release on Powered by Inspected: Series 2, I knew I had to jump aboard the Trinist train before the bandwagon left the station. With less than 400 SoundCloud followers at the time of writing, the Netherlands-based producer has shown immense promise with his latest releases on Inspected, VALE, and Andy C’s RAM Records. The former, which was my introduction to this talented artist, is a mind-melting drum and bass cut that’s abrasive yet bouncy, and chaotic yet controlled. A deeper dive into Trinist’s brief arsenal shows more of this meticulous attention to detail, with carefully crafted sounds and mechanical percussion precision being a recurring theme in his latest tracks. I’m keeping a close eye on Trinist, you should too.
-SC
Words by Alessio, Colin, Oggie & Steph
