Fundamentally different from your average bass label, the Partica Artist Group provides a much-needed haven for future creators while crafting the perfect community for trap-purists, hip-hop heads, and bass enthusiasts. The Partica Artist Group succeeds in inviting unsuspecting fans to the below-ground territories of dance while allowing the innovative sounds of tomorrow to take advantage of the community’s growing recognition. 

Gurf expands upon Partica Artist Group’s initial intent and early aspirations: 

“Partica started as an effort from Runnit and me to showcase the specific flavor of bass music that we’re passionate about – what the fans sometimes call “experimental trap,” but to us is just hip-hop-inspired dance music. We started highlighting this sound originally with “Weekly Gas” – a SoundCloud playlist series that focused exclusively on tracks with under 10,000 plays. After doing that for months, we discovered that there was a big group of insanely talented artists that we adored and an absence of community-based around those sounds. At the time, other communities certainly existed but were already cliqued up. Many of them seemed to focus on their current superstars, and we wanted to create an environment from which we could extend our arms and support any and all producers interested in this sound.” – Gurf

The platform’s running discography is unique in its diverse selection of like-minded artists and heavy-weight sounds, featuring the works of episcool, drak, Scullion, bd hbt, Danforth, and dozens more. Partnering alongside adjacent collectives, the Partica community gains wide-spread recognition for the group’s astronomical release selection and inspiring methods of aid. The platform and label’s Co-Founder, Gurf speaks on what exactly defines Partica’s morality and creative foundations.

 “Partica’s community is encouraging, uplifting, and genuine, and it’s that way by design. We support camaraderie, not competition. We support sharing knowledge, not keeping secrets. We encourage our community regularly and genuinely seek to see growth in other artists. While other collectives we know are putting out some awesome music, labels that genuinely support artists are far and few between. Oftentimes, this industry is a bleak one. Artists that are trying to grow need organizations to fight for them, and that’s how we operate as a company. Put simply; we’re creators that give a fuck about other creators.” – Gurf

Since its inception, Partica metamorphosizes into one of the most nurturing collectives for bass communities, utilizing several viable outreach outlets, including Twitch contests, Discord channels, and unlimited social support. With the remainder of 2021 on the horizon, the platform’s founders tease at the future endeavors of what fans can expect from Partica moving forward.

“For the future of Partica, we intend to continue our culture of mega collabs, compilations, & beat battles with the team. We’ll advocate for producers in our scene when shows & festivals are fully back. Within the next year, we will be maximizing our battle streams, pushing out new merch ideas, & giving other artists a chance to sell digital products on our store too. 2021 is looking promising & we’re just getting started!” – Runnit

“It’s impossible to truly say what lies in our future. A massive goal for us is to help artists access the tools they need to build their brand and create an organic fan-base. The one thing you’ll be guaranteed from Partica this year is more insane music from artists that you wish you’d known about earlier.” – Gurf

Shining light on Partica’s possibilities, the platform takes over our Spotify’ FUXWITHIT X’ series playlist. With a daunting injection of weighted-bass. The playlist’s 50 records include the sounds of R4ID, Memblem, JKuch, and Kizer: to name only a few.

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Residents of California, Future Fest thrives in creating highly detailed digital stages for application in virtual music events that are both artistically appealing and interactive for audience members. The team served as the digital backbone for select artist performances, including OOKAY, Madeaux, Luke Andy, Chef Boyarbeatz, ALRT, and several more. Future Fest is also seen working alongside electronic collectives such as Space Yacht, Halcyon, Jackson Collective, and G Code. These thoughtfully executed stages succeed in three significant areas of at-home music consumption:

• Heightening the experience for viewers
• Enhancing the visual presentation of a project
• Deepening the momentary connection between fan and artist 

Director of Production, Pablo Canales, elaborates on the foundations that birth the direction of Future Fest:

“The idea of Future Fest first started around five years ago with the goal to bring the music festival experience to virtual reality. With the pandemic shutting down most in-person events, we began to see artists transition to streaming platforms to reach their audience, and we saw a great opportunity to make that experience better.”

Future Fest’s 3-dimensional stages are designed with flexibility in mind to align with a project’s specific needs concerning aesthetics, ensuring no two sets are always the same. And in catering to the fan base, these stages are also set to interact with audience voting, allowing viewers to drastically change the set’s lighting, color, viewpoint, and overall mood. The team then pushes the journey further in offering simple games that circle around the performance’s pre-created landscapes.

“We create our stages and interactions based on what inspires us most about concert experiences. Engaging with the artist in a compelling way, sociability and engagement from other attendees, and the unexpected. We want to present our audience with an experience they feel a part of instead of feeling like they are watching a pre-recorded show.”

As quarantine measures loosen and live bookings near reality, fans and artists alike ponder the viability of virtual events post-covid. However, Future Fest remains optimistic regarding their endeavors and the impact our digital space can continue to have alongside live scenarios moving forward.  

“The Pandemic has opened the floodgates when it comes to virtual performances and live streaming. But the question that’s on people’s minds is if they will still be around when in-person events come back. We actually see virtual events as a supplement to live events, as a way to offer a new experience alongside the in-person event. A way to enhance audience reach and engagement that’s not possible any other way. So we see ourselves pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible with virtual events and create even better experiences.”

Regardless of future in-person concerts, Future Fest is undoubtedly worth adoration for both their technical creativity and avant-garde approach to programmed entertainment. The team’s next virtual experience is to-be-announced on Instagram @futurefestxr.

The post Future Fest Is Elevating Virtual Performances [Interview] appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Although crafted from a singular artist’s mind, Legacy feels personal for those that allow themselves the experience. Opening with ’96,’ the project’s journey evokes a contrasting range of emotions while curiosity, hope, fear, destruction, and longing play the foundation to its depth. This weighted series of events acts with the intent for beginning-to-end play.

Levitate expands on the driving inspiration and timing for the release of Legacy.

I had just done so many one-off projects and EPs in the past, at that point, about 1.5 years ago, that was really the only idea that I wanted to chomp into. With the skillset and subtle world-building, I tried to do the year prior, there was kind of a thought like, “fuck this, I want to make something as close to a movie as I can.”

Legacy feels very elite in the sense that every moment of passing detail finds support in another. All finite characters exist with purpose, allowing this to live as perhaps the most cohesive body of work music fans will enjoy this year.

Stealing the attention of wandering listeners, Levitate opens up about the early creative process on how Legacy came to fruition.

There’s a lot of things I pull from. Tales From The Loop, District 9, and Ghost In The Shell are some that come to mind. The process of imagining the storyline came after I wrote: ‘Among Trees.’ I knew I wanted to do an A/V album, but when I wrote that, it sounded so much like a robotic thing in the woods to me. I just leaned into that idea and thought the story out one day while taking a walk.

Through the cautious application of color and texture, Legacy‘s visual entities play flawlessly into its corresponding audio. A narrative between a man and his grandson acts as a transition between different scenes, forcing unsuspecting listeners to confront an extensive range of emotions, unforgivingly. From the subtle glisten of an A.I.’s cold exterior to the skeleton of a lonely home’s fiery demise, Legacy toys with the human senses.

Levitate explains his direction behind the project’s intent for fans’ interpretations.

Ideally escapism that isn’t so far they can’t take a moment to reflect on their own life. The concept of this thing is definitely fantasy. Still, I feel there’s a kind of art out there that is so driven by arbitrary feelings on things like euphoria and happiness and even forced sadness that I wanted to avoid. I want people to watch/listen to the project and be fully immersed but still have space to let the underlying music allow them to self reflect and really feel something genuine. Because under the fantasy of this thing, the music really is just so fucking genuine to me. Whether or not I achieved that, I don’t know, but that was the goal.

Of course, Levitate’s use of thought-provoking texture bleeds into his auditory work. Although coupled with its visual immersion, all ten records of Legacy thrive individually. The design and placement of sound exceed any expectations one may confront Levitate’s musicality with. The rich execution of harmony, haunting lyrical compositions, and crisp detailing allow Legacy the honorable title of living as Levitate’s best work thus far.

Levitate offers further insight into the creative venture behind his album. Why an audiovisual project, rather than a single body of sound?

Honestly, just the skillset. In the earlier days of all this, there were certain artists that allowed me to know that kind of thing was possible; Former, Deadmau5, Feed Me, and actually my homie Alter. These were people I saw creating both, and I was just so inspired by the idea of songs, not just being songs, but being a piece of something bigger. That, to me, just hits every bullet point of how I want to express art. When it came to this point in my life, if I was going to do an album, I knew I could do more than just write music, and if I could do visuals, then what story would I tell? Furthermore, what story pairs best with synthesized music and synthesized visuals.

And (because we’re dealing with Levitate), the experience extends beyond both sound and visual design. The artist crafted a website, replicating the weapons lab responsible for manufacturing the featured Artificial Intelligence. Listeners can discover more about the robotic entity’s creation with 360 viewability. Complete with Legacy merchandise, the site offers fans a boundless glimpse into the mind and capabilities of music’s best-kept gem, Levitate.

Stream Legacy

Watch Legacy

Experience Mesics Labs

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As an artist manager, I believe branding should accomplish three primary objectives: Be marketable, unique, and relatable. When thinking of visual designs and color schemes to craft a marketable project, our human minds tend to over-complicate the process. We generally know what is on-trend and what sells well. The tricky part is allowing the branding process to be personal while finding ways to relate with one’s target audience. To aid, here is my branding process as an artist manager: One I have used for my clients and outside artists who ask for assistance.

Allow me to lead with this statement: Advice is entirely subjective. There is no one pathway to success and no definitive process that fulfills every artist’s needs or aspirations. So, bear in mind, there are many ways to create the foundations for a brand identity. This is the process that works for me. 

For the sake of this piece, I will be creating a mock brand identity, step by step, with picture examples. All example layouts are bare-bones, so to speak. Each following asset will look entirely different for every artist. Feel free to pull inspiration from this base example and adjust it accordingly. 

Personality

Before narrowing down font types, textures, logos, and color schemes, I start by taking detailed notes on the artist’s overall personality and target audience. This is perhaps the most critical aspect of my creative process as, although the visual areas need to appeal to specific fan bases, branding without personality may become wasted efforts. I want the artist to fall in love with the foundations of the identity because it represents who they are as a person. With proper execution, you can make almost anything marketable, so I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of finding a happy medium between interests and character.

I start by studying my conversations with the artist and noting how I, an outside party and initial fan, views them. This includes questions such as:

• What are the artist’s interests outside of music? 
• How do they usually dress?
• What are their communication styles?
• Who are their favorite graphic designers?
• What are their occupational interests?
• What makes this artist unique?

I find it is most useful to notate and lead with the design concepts an artist is most drawn to. Turning close attention to their favorite brands and graphic designers, I locate any common similarities. An artist can be extremely outgoing and humorous with a colorful personality but may find themselves frequently drawn to dark art themes and classic horror films. In this case, I would focus primarily on building the details according to their interests before finding ways to marry in their colorful character.

Most of the time, their interests already reflect their personality and sound preferences. Again, every artist is wildly different than the next, and the approach will always vary. 

Moving forward with this information, I begin creating a very general color scheme and aesthetic. I then compile these surface-level aspects of the brand into a written overview, ensuring I am as detailed as possible. Here is how this written draft identity may appear:

If you are beginning this branding journey alone, remember to be honest with yourself. I have worked with artists that are very particular about what they are looking to achieve visually and others that allow me full reign of the process. If you already have an end goal of how your project should be perceived, include those details as well. 

Creating The Mood Board

Once I receive the artist’s approval on the written guideline, I begin creating the mood board by color scheme, personality, and interests. Using the above example of the written brand identity, I recognize the artist is secluded and prefers the outdoors. This artist also dresses in sportswear and enjoys activities such as camping, biking, and hiking. Additionally, I find this artist chooses to be alone most of their time and is honest about being uncomfortable in front of a camera. I take all of this information into account when fine-tuning design themes.

With this general understanding and a written overview to refer back to, I turn to Designspiration for the mood board. Designspiration allows me to search not only by image and concept but color code as well. The mood board can always undergo edits to reciprocate any artist’s evolving interests. 

I personally believe a mood board is crucial. This acts as a physical and changing asset that highlights the brand’s direction over time. I have sent out a mood board to graphic designers and visual artists on multiple occasions when commissioning projects. This ensures anything I choose to outsource will come back to me looking cohesive, following brand guidelines. 

Color Codes

Following the mood board, I narrow down colors and their corresponding codes to start building the physical brand guideline. I turn to htmlcolorcodes.com to create and notate this information. This site allows me to customize color selections and make a palette to the artist’s liking. Additionally, due to Designpiration’s unique color code search capabilities, I may choose to seek inspiration in the board’s reoccurring themes and grab codes from there. 

There are two reasons I find this important when creating a brand guideline for any of my artists. Firstly, the palette allows me to focus on the brand’s overall color schematics as they appear side by side. This offers me the chance to locate colors that contrast one another and may perform on their own while still appearing cohesive. Secondly, when outsourcing, rather than the commissioned designer guessing the requested colors’, they have the exact codes and color examples available to them for seamless application.

Typography

Regarding typography, this is entirely your own decision. I have worked with artists that use a custom font, others that choose one according to their personal likings, and others that find one closest to their logo’s font. 

If typography selection is new territory for you, I recommend utilizing a free Google Drive extension known as Extensis Fonts. Once active, you can browse through their selection and find one that you enjoy. 

Physical Brand Guideline

The physical brand guideline, in my opinion, is equally vital to an artist’s EPK. It gives my team a clear concept of what we are looking to achieve moving forward and is an important asset to share when commissioning projects. Although simplistic in format, it is the primary foundation when building all visual aspects pertaining to the brand, including but not limited to, cover art, promotional videos, live visuals, and physical merch.    

For the birth of the physical guideline, I prefer using Google Slides. I begin by creating a simple on-brand cover that incorporates the artist’s base color, logo, and typography selection. The remaining pages will stay white. All of these details will carry over to the EPK creation. 

Overall, there are three main points I like to convey in the brand guideline: Logo, color, and font, with color being the most important. For each objective, I provide examples. Again, this is an elementary example of what a brand guideline may look like. Both of my current artist’s approaches look wildly different from one another as each contains asset information particular to their brand. You may choose to include art examples (brand expressions), typography downloads (if using a custom font), logo exclusion zones, etc.  

These are the base points I start with to keep it clean and simple. Alongside the mood board, I use a brand guideline almost immediately when working on a project. Because every aspect of my artists’ brands needs to stay cohesive, record labels, VJ’s, graphic designers, and photographers will all receive this. 

Upon completion, I download this in PDF format and save it to a ‘Brand Assets’ Google Drive folder for quick sharing. 

Electronic Press Kit

As a writer, I am more intrigued by a project when a press kit is interactive and on-brand. It is the first in-depth representation of a project outside sources, such as press and labels, may view. Once again, utilizing Google Slides, I combine all viable assets into a one-page downloadable scroller with links to individual drive folders for seamless access and organization. 

Using the same color codes and fonts from the guideline mentioned above, I create a 6-7 page EPK. This may include a cover, discography, biography, press downloads, social links, and a contact link. This layout will give outside sources a one-stop know-all about the artist and their brand while presenting as professional and marketable.

Once in awhile, I come across truly in-depth press kits that will include a press release from the artist’s most recent work alongside that release’s promotional assets. Additionally, I have seen embedded YouTube links to the artist’s current sets, streams, music videos, and or interviews. When creating your EPK, think of what you want the viewer to know about your project as a whole and arrange those details accordingly.

Asset Use

All of the artist’s brand assets are filed into a ‘Brand Assets’ Google Drive folder (all masters are saved separately for quick edits). 

For me, this process spans over roughly two to three weeks to ensure everything is perfect, down to the smallest detail. Given the amount of effort I pour into creating the necessary foundations of the project’s identity, I use at least one of these for every contact pertaining to the artist. And I fight to keep it as cohesive as possible moving forward. 

I believe the most challenging area of branding is not the creation but instead maintaining these details over time. If my artist signs to a label, I request our team retains full control of art assets working within their preference template. If the label refuses, I fight to ensure their art delivery follows brand guidelines. When scheduling press photos, I send the mood board, guideline, and EPK to the photographer while scouting locations according to brand aesthetics. Motion graphic designers and VJ’s receive all of these as well. 

Bringing It All Together

With similar target audiences, my current clients found visual inspiration in different mediums such as film and graphic art. One other artist I worked with found inspiration in contemporary pieces and nature. Their individual guidelines are far different from each other and serve different purposes for their growing fan bases. Just as my artists’ assets appear far more detailed than these image examples, the branding process is not meant to move in quick-pace. Although these foundational basics take only a few weeks to complete, successful branding requires long-term patience and active application. Take your time and be forgiving with the journey as well-thought-out details will perform far better than haphazard decisions. Time and attention to detail will matter when manifesting your brand identity.

The post Building The Brand: A Step-By-Step Guide For Artists appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Touching first on the video, ’96’ sets the scene with a slow dirt-road drive through rural landscapes. Soft, natural light cautiously passes between the untouched forestry’s denseness as a white van travels with an unknown, yet apparent, purpose. As fresh rainwater beads down the vehicle’s glass surfaces, we catch a brief glimpse of the traveling passengers. Casually positioned in the van’s rear space, artificial intelligence sits still in an upright and relaxed stance, caged in the metal framework. The remaining two passengers stationed in the front are organic of contrasting generations: One man and one child. 3 minutes and 23 seconds in duration, the brief video invites us to physically feel the emotional weight and silent anxiety of the travelers’ journey.

Concerning the musical composition of ’96’, the track mimics the impending grief and anticipation of its corresponding visual experience. ’96’ leads with full-bodied harmonizations as performed by Seattle based vocalist, Kody Ryan, bearing a tale of longing and togetherness. Although seemingly simplistic, ’96’ provides a sensory experience for listeners. The opening lyrics are as follows:

Take a hold of my hand and walk with me.
I’ll carry you home. Just be patient now.
So take a hold of my hand because I believe.
I won’t let you down now if you have faith in me.
If you have faith in me.

We caught up with Levitate for further insight into his forthcoming project’s creation and crafting ’96’.

This song means so much to me. Really every song means something to me, but in this case, for a much different reason. I started about two and a half years ago; it was about the passing of my father when I was really young. At the time, I knew fundamentally that I still had growing to do as an artist, and frankly, I hated the idea of some fuckin EDM artist writing a song about my father, even if that fuckin EDM artist was me. But at this point, I’m just an artist, that’s all it is, and when working on this album, I revisited this song knowing there wouldn’t be a better way to open up my next album. The vibe fit. It sounded like a tone was being set. So after I realized how perfect this was in context, I reached out to an artist in Seattle who I have really been enjoying, Kody Ryan, and I asked that he do the vocal performance I don’t have the ability to do. Furthermore, I knew he would nail it better than I can imagine, and he definitely did. I went home and, in the following week, I wrapped the song. When it was finished, I had myself a good cry and called it a day, with no fucking doubt on my mind that’s how I was going to open up my album.”  – Levitate

The strategic placement of digital sounds with organic textures in both audio and visual presentations beg listeners to confront even their own inner afflictions fully. The artist’s unique process and approach to emotion-filled design feel devastatingly personal. From the artist’s earliest inspirations to the flawless execution of ’96’, the introductory track alongside its visual exploration sets a weighted tone for the project’s remainder. Art in it’s rawest core manifests itself in the form of Levitate’s Legacy.

The post LEViT∆TE Unveils Captivating Audio/Visual Experience For ’96’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

If you are unfamiliar with the weighted sounds of the jordmoody brand, please refrain from sleeping on this introduction. Hailing from San Diego, the California native leads his reputation with a blend of deep-toned bass and sexy West Coast swag. This combination of compatible sounds creates the dark and edgy aesthetics jordnmoody is known for executing.

Landing at three minutes and twelve seconds in length, the artist’s freshest debut ‘Here We Go’ is a simplistic layer of full-bodied moving bass and cutting vocal samples. Staying true to his long-established defining sounds, ‘Here We Go’ is slow and grimey in character, allowing this to be a record all west-coasters can readily “lean-back” to. 

We caught up with jordnmoody for further insight into his inspirations behind the creation process:  

“I think the main thing I wanted to get across with this track was making a ‘dubstep’ ish track that doesn’t really align with the current sound of the genre/subgenres. I guess it’s more so my interpretation of the genre. At a young age, I was exposed to a lot of reggae/dub culture type music, and I think that influence definitely shines through a little bit on this one. Whenever I think of dubstep, I always associate its ties to reggae/dub music, so it came naturally to add elements of those genres into ‘Here We Go’.”

Although steady in nature, ‘Here We Go’ maintains a nasty atmosphere while playing as a modern homage to OG soundscapes. With grabbing vocal placements beckoning back any wandering attentions, jordnmoody’s cutting design forces fans to continue hitting the ‘rewind’ button.

The post jordnmoody Drops Wonky ‘Here We Go’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Following the team’s well-known approach to supporting fresh talent, the tastemakers at Space Yacht relax this week’s growing tensions with the launching of their new record label. Staying true to the promise of a diverse focus on emerging creatives, the Los Angeles based label leads with an unexpected debut of Drum & Bass heat in the form of CLB and Formula’s ‘Moving Forward.’

Commencing a new addition to the Space Yacht identity, ‘Moving Forward’ undoubtedly sets the bar for what listeners should expect from the label in the future regarding technique and expertise. The initial release can prove itself monumental when developing or maintaining any project’s tone, and some may say choosing ‘Moving Forward’ was a wise and well-calculated move. However, the curiosity remains: Why CLB and Formula?

Space Yacht co-founder, Henry, allows us into the team’s decisive processes:

“In the five short years that we’ve done events at a global scale, we’ve always made room for the ‘wild card’ performance. Sometimes that manifested itself in the established artist that never had the courage to show off their full range. Sometimes it was the newcomer who just seemed like they had nowhere to go but up.

CLB was one of those artists we met on Twitter, and we kept in touch for years. We always felt like he executed his style of UK Bass and Drum & Bass elegantly as an American against the damning expectation that the U.S. is where things get bro-ified. CLB deals with none of that.

‘Moving Forward’ landed on our Tune Reactor show, and we were blown away. Part of it was the hook that came from the co-producer and lyricist, Formula. ‘No matter how hard you try, you try to stay alive. You keep on moving forward’ was spot on in terms of what we were feeling in 2020, yet timeless in that it describes something we all do every day and have done since the beginning of time–survive. Formula nailed it. We knew right away we wanted to work with this piece of art somehow, so we decided to launch our label with it.”

The collaborative hitter holds to both artist’s respective methods of design. Landing just under six minutes in duration, ‘Moving Forward’ sustains moving bass and sharpened melodies only tinged with a sentimental allure. The track introduces itself with a captivating vocal performance as relayed by UK native Formula and, perhaps, indicates one’s positive emotional response to life’s current state of madness.

CLB speaks upon the underlying foundations for the track and his working with co-writer Formula:

“So how it came together was really simple. Formula is one of my biggest inspirations as a producer and we’ve been making tunes for a long time now. ‘Moving Forward’ is his first time ever singing on a track, so I was blown away when I heard it for the first time. He sent me a rough sketch with the vocals and I took it apart, added the drums, rearranged it to flow, and that was it! The whole process took maybe three days total to complete. I really want him to sing more because his voice is fantastic.”

If nothing else, ‘Moving Forward’ is a commendable execution of interchangeable styles, exhibiting two skillful artists’ creative interpretations while representing the hidden potentials of American Drum & Bass. Regardless of whether or not the vocals serve as a direct response to the chaotic happenings of 2020, the newest Space Yacht release poses a bass-heavy, weighted reminder that all of us can continue ‘Moving Forward.’

The post Space Yacht Launches Label With CLB & Formula’s ‘Moving Forward’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Synopsis is a bold exemplification of the experimental technics gyrofield is so widely praised for. A tactical layering of rolling basslines and melodic cuts, the four-track project marries contrasting genre-cultures with drum and bass design: a boundary-shattering approach the Hong Kong native beautifully perfects. Pushing drum and bass production to its absolute limit, Synopsis maintains a bright, dance floor energy with aery emotion thriving at its core.

Serving as a brief glimpse into gyrofield’s otherworldly mind, Synopsis opens with ‘2024’ (as premiered on Drum & Bass Arena). Euphonic in personality, ‘2024,’ is viciously complex, highlighting upbeat rhythms and rapid melodic force. This opening hitter creeps slightly over four minutes in duration, setting an imaginative precedent for what lies ahead.

Gyrofield lends an introspective look into the creation of ‘2024’ and its influence in guiding the creative execution of Synopsis:

“After ‘Evaluate Me’ and ‘Tech Flex,’ I knew I really enjoyed making music with synths. I enjoyed their unique expressiveness and the energy they brought to tracks, so I knew I wanted to do something focused on them, though at first, I did not know how. The first track, ‘2024’, came about from a simple bass riff experiment where I added layers and details to make the track progress. The initial idea sounded like something Camo & Krooked would do. At the halfway mark of the track, I wondered what I could do with the second half to give it that special edge. When I made the triplet switch idea, I felt the track really came together, and that it had an interesting series of twists and turns. Once the rough arrangement of ‘2024’ was finished, the concept of Synopsis started to take shape. I wanted tracks that were unexpected, full of details in both engineering and composition, and high energy. ‘Search Optimized’ came next…”

Our transition into ‘Search Optimized’ is an unpredicted one. Keeping true to gyrofield’s signature sound, ‘Search Optimized’ sits at just under four-and-one-half minutes in length. Although this track continues the promise of light-hearted dynamics and quickening excitement, it approaches listeners with an unsuspecting shift.

Gyrofield goes on to explain her creative process behind the record and its second-half tempo switch-up: 

“…I had the original idea of it back in last September, and it started as a more typical dancefloor track. One day I decided I wanted to revamp it, so I built a new track around the repeating synth riff. In some ways, it’s influenced by synth-funk music, like the short interjecting synth lines, the syncopated basses, and the complex call and response they were all a part of. With the tempo switch in the second half, the track was built.”

Gyrofield’s well-calculated detail and chopped melodic progressions carry into the following track titled ‘The True.’ However, unlike the previous records, ‘The True’ holds onto darker tones as it draws inspiration from classic techno production and design. 

The artist elaborates on the track’s gripping emergence of complimenting soundscapes from contrasting music cultures:

“‘The True’ and ‘Jade’ both seem more straightforward arrangement-wise, but I made sure to pack in enough rhythmic and sonic nuance to make them just as satisfying to listen to as the first half of the EP. ‘The True’ was influenced by synth-heavy techno tracks where layers built upon each other, but always changing. Similarly, the rhythms of the track change every 16 bars. The juggling-around of kick and snares was also a prominent feature in the track. I’d say juke and footwork and broken beat techno were influenced in the rhythmic ideas.”

Continuing further down the beaten path that is Synopsis, we land upon ‘Jade.’ Adhering to the orthodox drum and bass structure fans adore, “Jade” leads with a full-spirited atmosphere and strategically implemented gyrofield charm. The light-hearted makeup of ‘Jade’ then breaks into finite detail while harmonizing alongside a punchy bassline.  

“I think Jade is the most standard track out of the four and was very much influenced by contemporary drum and bass artists, such as Grey Code, The Caracal Project, IMANU, Phace, etc. One neat thing about it is that it used syncopated 16ths as the rhythm on the sharp sub stab, which made for an interesting groove and allowed for the elements on top to be more rhythmically simple but still interact with the bass. I packed in a lot of small little synth details into the intro and breakdown while finishing Jade to make sure that they were engaging while still being ambient enough to have the function of an intro or breakdown.”

Outside of the auditory aspects that enable this project to be so enticing, gyrofield finds the importance of carrying her intricacies to the visual experiences. The emerging tastemaker relays her admiration for abstract design and the early inspirations for the Synposis artwork:

“In terms of the artwork, I’d always been interested in abstract designs, so I decided I’d keep the Synopsis artwork in line with my two previous drum and bass EPs. I was fascinated by abstract oil paint art and crystal structures and wanted to combine the two in some way for the artwork. Once again, in this EP, I was attempting to communicate the abstract, but in a way that more resembles a narrative, and I aimed for the EP to be full of detail but still interesting as a whole, so I thought the ideas for the artwork were quite fitting for the music”.

Synopsis positions itself as just one of gyrofield’s more technical works and fans are right to be ecstatic. When listeners feel they have pinpointed her defining sound and direction, she surprises the masses to reinvent what drum and bass can accomplish in sound design and overall presentation. Gyrofield’s art-conscious and haphazardly philosophical approach to production is nearing incomparability as her newest EP displays not only her vast capabilities as an artist but her unique placement within the electronic scene. Setting unique sounds into the minds of steadfast drum and bass die-hards, gyrofield is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, and Synopsis plays proof to this statement.

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Sitting at just under three minutes and thirty seconds in duration, ‘No Way’ binds the experimental, bass-derived elements the Guilt Chip project is vastly known for with an added dance twist. The track is thick with full-bodied detail and weighted bass. It’s smooth and fluctuates in different tones before shifting to a vigorous house progression.

Guilt Chip elaborates on his direction for the track:

‘No Way’ is a play on a few different things; obviously it’s reflected in the lyrics, but also it’s (hopefully) an expression for how the song and its multiple switch-ups are received. If you want to dig deeper, the cover art and heavily compressed tone of the track calls back to my hardcore punk roots, which given our current climate of wrongthink and loss of privacy. Well, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions there.

‘No Way’ carries diverse energy while effortlessly marrying several elements from various genres. With the ability to source interest from a broad array of assorted audiences, the track represents Guilt Chip’s distinctive production style. ‘No Way’ adds to an already top-notch discography of unconventional Guilt Chip bangers.

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Social Initiatives

Before diving headfirst into Bandcamp’s back-end systems, it’s important to touch on the overriding chaos of present-day society. At the risk of sounding monotonous, the global pandemic’s grim economic results continue to affect a vast majority of artists. More than ever before, these artists need the financial support of outside aid and are paying closer attention to the communities that care.

Upon the immediate loss of live performances, Bandcamp took swift action in offering monetary support for musicians by waiving their platform’s revenue cuts on all purchases. On March 20th, May 1st, June 5th, and July 3rd of this year, 100% of all revenue were given directly to artists, arriving within a 24 to 48-hour timeframe. The platform dubs these predetermined periods as Bandcamp Days, serving as a time when fans can organically support the artists they admire.

Alongside the financial support for struggling artists affected by COVID-19, Bandcamp stood in solidarity with people of color, answering the desperate call for social justice with their Juneteenth initiative. On this day of observance for the black community, the platform donated 100% of their financial cuts to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Diverse Revenue Options And Fair Artist Percentages

Thriving on the belief that artists of varying audiences deserve fair compensation and transparency for their work, Bandcamp’s mission openly provides clear and concise information accessible to both fans and artists. An ethical anomaly in the otherwise capitalist industry, this platform is an active contributor to independent creators’ support. And the proof is in the details.

Offering free accounts to all artists (with options for premium accounts billed monthly), Bandcamp claims a minor 15% off all digital revenue in exchange for their services, leaving the remaining 85% for the artist. Alongside digital sales, artists and labels may choose to diversify their income through merchandise distribution, offering their fans a seamless one-stop-shop experience. For those physical merchandise sales, Bandcamp claims just 10%. In simpler words, the artists make more money than the platform itself: A model any music fan should stand behind. Unlike its major competitors, Bandcamp is public about their percentage allocations as this information can be located directly on their website. The good guys usually have nothing to hide.

Commercial Control And Optimal Quality

As an ideal additive to an already supreme system, Bandcamp allows artists to have total commercial control over their work. Yes, we said TOTAL control. The artist can determine the price of their music and may change that price at their discretion, any given time. The platform’s flexibility may also allow fans to contribute a higher amount than the minimum asking price for an item. Additionally, artists can bundle their digital items with physical merchandise at competitive prices, offering fans a wider variety of supporting options. The sky’s the limit.

And if the do-it-yourself character isn’t convincing enough, Bandcamp offers every high-quality download format imaginable to ensure purchasers receive optimal auditory experiences every time. Now, combine the possibilities above with real-time statics, simplified order fulfillments, personalized discount codes for fans, search engine optimization, and sales report submissions for music charts. The opportunities for Bandcamp Artists are limitless.

Fan To Artist Interaction

Bandcamp now allows more opportunities for fans to connect and discover artists in a vastly diverse yet straight-forward manner by introducing fan accounts. Here, fans can comment on a musician’s work, create tracklists, share their thoughts on specific pieces, and exchange those track selections with other fans. These supporters can then follow each other’s accounts, connect over the shared similarities in music preferences, and directly purchase their new finds. Once an artist’s work is purchased and downloaded, the fan will then receive personalized emails pertaining to future releases. It’s fan engagement on steroids, and it only gets better.

Through Bandcamp’s music feed, audiophiles can browse the activity of the fans and artists they follow. That includes recent song picks, fresh releases, and track purchases. The platform will then notify users when other individuals purchase music from their selections. The enrichment of fan-to-fan connection and artist-to-fan engagement, opens the doors of opportunity for broader music discovery, and artist growth.

The offerings provided by Bandcamp present a wide array of opportunities for independent artists and labels. From social initiatives to fair revenue splits, their willingness to allow complete commercial control over work and fan connection makes them the most promising platform for creators. And, for the fans, Bandcamp delivers endless opportunities to discover and support artists during these times of financial difficulty.

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