We’re at a great moment right now where new voices and different approaches to production are evolving a sound inspired by some classic genres. Hopefully, people appreciate our take. And of course, to bring the energy to the dancefloor. – HMU

‘Pages’ is the perfect fusion of the sounds we love most at the moment. The bass-heavy banger is centered around KXNE’s charismatic flow, razor-sharp bars, and commanding delivery, offering a signature grime edge. Crisp percussion lays a swag-fueled foundation that is bolstered by menacing sub-bass and massive trap horns. Layering the drops with the verses beefs up both as KXNE flexes his skills over the gritty and wonky basslines. The namesake vocals are looped and filtered creating a powerful hook that builds into a massive second verse. Deepening the bass, HMU takes the production to another level with a speaker-filling explosion that’s matched by the mosh-pit-inducing raps and slick wordplay. ‘Pages’ is the perfect balance between grime, trap, and 140, making it an instant anthem.

KXNE gives listeners a taste of what to expect when they press play, saying, “Grime, adrenaline, urban city life in London or any major UK city worldwide. Think ‘Top Boy’.”

Listen below and stream it on all platforms. Don’t forget to grab the free download.

The post HMU – Pages (Feat. KXNE) appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Ominous undertones fuel a dark dreamlike sequence that flashes flourishes of a futuristic cityscape. There’s an undeniable energy that flows from the ground through the air and into your being. A fluttering lead, lip pops, and a smattering of samples inject a playful almost stunning sense of wonder. This is contrasted against the darker and grittier tones for a perfect balancing act. Raw grime vocal samples, menacing 808s, gritty trap brass, and boisterous grunts collide for a menacing swagger. Marked by varying drops and auditory aesthetics ‘Acid Code’ is a gritty can’t miss heater from the talented producer.

‘Acid Code’ is an ode to technology – a soundtrack to the grimly beautiful idea of the future city. I initially developed the synth patch and riff which was metallic and buzzy, reminiscent of a live current traveling through a wire. Running with that, a Carmack-style 808 and contrasting, ghostly B section helped shape the atmosphere around that lead. I’m really happy with the dark melodic vibe. ‘Acid Code’ marks Dont Die At Work’s third release of the year and we’ve got lots more on the way.  – HMU

Stream HMU’s ‘Acid Code’ below. Out now via Don’t Die At Work.

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Graveyard Shift is an effort to tap back into our roots as a collective and rediscover the underground sounds that started us off. The compilation is a combination of dark trap sounds, bass, and twerk, mixed with some raw experimentation and even melodic takes which is a new direction for us. It’s a mix of tracks that can transport you from the club to the forest and back. In our modern day hustle culture – where most people grind a 9 to 5 – this next generation of artists are rising above it, and their tracks stay grinding even harder when the day shift ends. I’m excited to finally start the next chapter. – HMU

Artists such as Rational Soul, Palpa, HMU, and more have brought this energetic album into a new spectrum thanks to their beautiful craft as musicians. Showcasing their evolution while paying homage to the label’s history. This compilation is full of rare gems from spine-tingling bass designs, horrifying arrangements, and unexplainable tones that take over your mind and soul. Making you appreciate the art that much more while becoming lost in a powerful stasis you won’t want to wake up from. Each artist went above and beyond and should truly feel proud. And we’re very excited to hear what else the label has in store for the future. So make sure to show your support. by streaming Graveyard Shift via Dont Die At Work!

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What was your vision when putting this mix together? What should fans expect when they press play?

I wanted to shed light on some of my favorite producers right now and share some tracks I’m really feeling at the moment. At the same time, give a sneak peek of the direction the HMU project is headed. There’s a bit of west coast bass, trap, halftime, and twerk/bounce stuff, and just some straight-up beats. Lately, I’ve been exploring more minimal, bassline focused tracks with emphasis on morphing and evolving analog-style sounds.

You took a bit of hiatus over the past two years. What prompted the break from releasing music?

Honestly, it was a mix of not feeling inspired by what had become my ‘sound’ and having a hard time balancing work.

By day, I work in the video game industry as a creative director, and work really ramped up over the past two years. It’s a great place to be because it lets me put together music, visual art, animation, coding, and all sorts of things I like to do, but it sucks a lot out of me creatively and I was feeling the burnout.

At the same time, I was trying to force the style and nervous to put out some different-sounding stuff I had written. After 2 solid months of writing I had 5 tunes I was finally proud of and decided it was time to come back. It all came together for me after returning from LIB this year and watching so many producers I love shred The Stacks. I came back from that and immediately wrote ‘Stacks’ which just dropped.

It’s definitely a difficult part of producing to depart from your bread & butter creatively, but I hope listeners can see the vision and come along for the ride while I work to redefine the project.

What brought you back?

Seeing what artists like Sømething and Karezza were doing with the new wave of bounce-style bass music was a big inspiration. Also learning more about synthesis and watching some of the Eprom & Alix Perez Twitch streams. Hearing them talk about sampling modular gear and learning about their process got me back into the technical side of producing which has always been my favorite.

From there I started experimenting with different style baselines and percussion sounds I don’t normally go for. In the process, I changed my approach a bit from trying to copy my own sound and just started taking ideas to completion. It’s definitely a difficult part of producing to depart from your bread & butter creatively, but I hope listeners can see the vision and come along for the ride while I work to redefine the project.

Can we expect regular releases moving forward?

Yes, I’m a couple tracks ahead at the moment and working on artwork for future releases. I’ve got two collaborations with Kid Alien dropping before the end of the year. 2 originals in the works and a few other collabs I’m looking forward to releasing. I’m really feeling the music again and looking to pick up some more gear, hone my production skills, and get better at collaborating to learn and blend styles.

You’ve found that perfect balance between keeping it weird and yet maintaining a groove and keeping it approachable. What’s the secret to pushing the envelope without making music that’s too alienating?

This is always something I’ve thought about when making tracks. I love some really weird stuff that would definitely be considered ‘alienating’ and that’s what helped me find the whole experimental bass scene. It was exciting and focused on sound design which made it interesting to make. At the same time, when I started producing I was making hip hop, and I love pop music so those definitely show through in what I’m going for. It’s always been about making the weird stuff accessible so I can convince my friends to listen to it! Some familiar hip hop samples and beats usually do the trick and allow you to introduce some wonky stuff and break the rules without being too jarring.

I just drag in an infinite amount of samples into the project and sometimes end up with hundreds of audio tracks, that’s why it cracks me up when I hear my music is considered minimal.

Your tracks also pack such an awesome bounce. What’s the key to bringing the bounce?

I love percussion and it’s probably the part of music I’m best at. I just drag in an infinite amount of samples into the project and sometimes end up with hundreds of audio tracks, that’s why it cracks me up when I hear my music is considered minimal. It’s the only way I feel like I know how to keep things interesting by making fills or adding layers of percs. This, mixed with those classic New Orleans bounce drum patterns make for a great combination. I usually keep my processing pretty dry, not using a lot of delay or reverb because I like the tight, short percussion and making use of empty space, though lately I’ve been introducing a bit more swing and verb.

You create some pretty epic 3D art. How did you get into that space and how has it evolved over the years?

Thank you! Seeing the art that Chadwickmak was making for Hucci and Skrillex back in the day really sparked my exploration into the 3D art world. I had to know how it was made and I watched a bunch of tutorials and learned Cinema 4D over the next couple of years via YouTube. I dove in head first into what I discovered is a massive world of 3D modeling, materials, lighting, physics simulation, camera movements the list goes on. It’s a bit mind-boggling at first but over the next 6 years I started to get the hang of it and most recently learned Octane, one of the industry standard render engines, which really leveled up my game. The next step is to go from visual loops to some more cinematic-style animations and VFX! You can check out my work here: https://hmu.graphics/

Some great designers and big inspiration to me right now are: Safehaven HQ, Alec Maassen, Achuray, Ash Thorp, Blunt_Action, Karlifetz and Sillygabe to name a few.

What’s new with Don’t Die At Work? I heard there may be a new compilation on the horizon?

Yes! We are currently listening to a bunch of demos and scouting for our next compilation which is due at the end of this year/early next year. I’m working to spotlight some awesome artists and bring back the collaborative energy and community we had when we started off. It’s helped me get in the habit of listening to a lot more music and collaborating with others in the music industry and I need to do more of both. The team is currently coming up with the theme and vision but I hope to get more people involved and make some announcements soon.

What do you enjoy most outside of music and visual art?

Definitely a tough question because those are the biggest parts of my life, but I appreciate it! There’s a ton of stuff I’m always tinkering with when I find the time like game development, toys and collectibles (I love building and painting gundams), film production & VFX , animation, and web development. I try to always stay learning and creating but I’m also a massive fan of Pizza and love a good tennis match.

I’m finally accepting that art is more of a journey than it is a sequence of perfect works, and it feels great to have the artists I love and support be a part of that journey.

Any final words?

Thank you for the support over the years. Sometimes I feel like my art doesn’t really have a place in the scene that I’m a part of but I’m so unbelievably thankful to have an audience of eyes and ears for it. I’m finally accepting that art is more of a journey than it is a sequence of perfect works, and it feels great to have the artists I love and support be a part of that journey.

HMU TRACKLIST

ANKA – ghettogospel
detre – Cru
FRQ NCY – Echo
Saka – Shaolin
Hamdi – Skanka
Snuffy – Tamarack
Sumthin Sumthin – Magenta
HMU – Stacks
X&G – Aces
LYNY – Reason w/ FLY
Nik P – Deflect
HMU – Sizzle
anti. – user
HMU – Hive Mind
Shöckface – METANÖIA
Karezza – ID
HMU x Kid Alien – ID
$ayonara. – KENDO
whereisalex – matrix

The post Guest Mix + Interview – HMU appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

This song reminds me of when I would take a rubber band and pretend it was a guitar, but deeper with a continuous bass pluck. It also has an everlasting introduction of sharp avant-garde samples that disappear as quickly as they appear, filling in the empty spaces. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of what should be expected from HMU and Don’t Die At Work this season. Grab that free download here and keep DDAW on your radar.

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HMU is a Chicago raised artist now based out of Los Angeles and is known for running the successful collective Don’t Die At Work where he blends his eye pleasing graphic design work with ear pleasing production. The collective has provided a community for boundary breaking artists such as Adiidas, thook and yojas. In his latest effort, he has teamed up with FLY for ‘Icaro’. With this release they continue to prove why they are worthy of having their music played out on only the best of speaker systems and why artists  need to have their tracks in their festival sets and playlists.

Listening to ‘Icaro’ on a poor speaker system is like watching a 3D movie without the glasses. It is absolutely necessary to give all frequencies presented a maximum volume level. In today’s times the word “icaro” is commonly used to describe medicine songs performed in vegetal ceremonies to induce a profound state of healing, awareness, or amazement. These feelings are also portrayed in this track, with the intro creating an ominous feeling of comfort and a slight sense of tension. It slowly builds with tribal like drums before the subtle amount of silence opens doors to a field of percussion. The bass tones are thick and bounce around freely, avoiding an interference with other sounds sampled. In the second drop, there is an emphasis on sound structure and using minimal layers to create the heaviest impact. From beginning to end ‘Icaro’ is a masterpiece that will shed proper light on these artists and help catapult them into well deserved positions among the forward thinking bass community. Grab the free download here and listen below.

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“Over the past few years, we’ve had the opportunity to forge and maintain relationships with incredibly talented producers across the spectrum of the bass scene. Several of the those artists are featured on this compilation, notably Episcool – who is one of our very favorites at the moment – LAF and Crystal Moth, Kurei, and Indra. We try our best to keep an ear to the ground for up-and-comers and anyone pushing the envelope of the experimental sound and we’re particularly pleased with how everything came together for this one. The whole fam packed some serious heat into Day of the Dead and we’re so grateful to be able to push the art we love through our platform.”

In addition to the artists listed above the project features new heat from HMU, FLY, Solotrip, B-Dos and Fisherman. Whether you’re looking for something to get you in the spirit of the season or just thirsting for some heavy new bass, Day of the Dead is sure to satisfy your needs. Stream it below and grab it here.

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After all, where would you be able to find a tune that mix tribal horns and percussion with obsessive vocal samples and an extremely chewy drop?

Judge ‘Prehistoric’ by yourself below, and be sure to check also ‘Action‘ and ‘Dolomite‘ from the album.

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