Let’s start in the US, where Sidewalks & Skeletons and Brothel have been touring throughout all of October, bringing their bewitching show along a series of exciting openers such as Kota Kira and tomkillsjerry. ‘Phase 1’ of this tour features a few more dates in the States later this month before moving to Europe. If you’re in Los Angeles, Seattle, or Portland, check here for more info and tickets.

Talking about Europe, ADE 2024 was a quiet year for wave, with no dedicated events. It fell to skeler to represent the whole movement with a set at the insane VISION x Kompass Music Group boat party and, from what I’ve heard, he didn’t disappoint. “It was really surprising to see skeler on an almost exclusively Drum & Bass lineup” was the first thing that crowit., who attended the event, told me, adding that “this is also what made the set feel really special. Coming from high tempos and gnarly basses into a melody-driven Wave, Phonk & Hardwave set was like a needed breath of fresh air in the middle of the night.” crowit. also reported that “skeler’s set was a good mixture of his signature hardwave sound, his newer wave/phonk tunes” and, as expected from him, “a couple edits I haven’t heard before”.  “My highlight of the set was definitely the ending, where he played Tel Aviv and right afterwards an edit of it, with a mindblowing four-on-the-floor section”. 

After finishing writing the previous paragraph I realized how fantastic it is that the news I report in this monthly column is increasingly related to tours, festivals, and shows. We’re in a new era for the wave scene. We’ve been in for a while, to be honest, but sometimes is important just to say it out loud. Almost ten years in and the movement is going strong, eyes on the future. Plastician himself recently tweeted his call for a 10-year celebration event next year. Nothing is settled at the moment, but keep an eye on his and our social accounts to see how this plan will unfold. 

Moving on from live to recorded music, October’s playlist is, not surprisingly, a little bit spookier than the previous ones. I know Halloween is behind us at this point, but come on, true waveheads are into spookier vibes all year round.  For the first time in 2024, you won’t find a Juche song featured. Feels weird? I agree, but we actually got no releases from him this past month. MRJay didn’t break his streak instead, unveiling a new collaboration with the one and only Kareful. The good people at Harmony Heaven published an horror-themed compilation, excerpts of which you will find in the playlist, alongside tracks from Nick Neutronz, Heimanu, Altare, HAIKU, Tokyo Tears, almogfx, MYSTYK, nibiru’, and many more.  

The post Wave Monthly | October 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

skeler wasn’t the only one cooking though. Thirty days is a long time frame in the modern music industry and June was another month filled with freshly baked songs. June also means it’s time for the traditional mid-year reports and I was glad to notice how this column makes this process incredibly fluent. I won’t geek out and bring up stats and analysis here, but take a few minutes to go through the previous playlists if you want to get a more three-dimensional picture of the scene over the past six months. You’ll find interesting creative and release patterns that otherwise are hard to spot in the boisterous Friday-to-Friday routine.

If I had to highlight two artists who have stolen the show over the past six months, I would select Bafu and Juche. Bafu wasn’t a new name for me, but with a superlative streak of devastating remixes and originals, he rightfully became the unpredicted hero of the first half of 2024. On the other end, Juche‘s massive impact on the scene was everything but unpredictable. He’s already a superstar, but despite his status, he deservedly earned this shout-out for having released a staggering total of fourteen original singles so far (collab with Sublab included).

In addition to tracks from these two champions, in this Wave Monthly playlist, you’ll find charming and introspective tracks from STATIC ANGEL, BL1THE and cali.xo, glyte and Øtherside. SBU, Teneki, crowit., ZETMO, KENØK, Exodynamix, and the dream team REMNANT.exe & Noah B brought in some hardwave-ish energy while if you’re eager for obscure and mental cuts you have to check Cirrus Minus, GAZHELL and SAGE & KYLLER’s collaboration.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1845707727″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Wave Monthly | June 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

There was no shortage of major releases that raised the OG sound to new heights, but at the same time there was no lack of artists venturing into largely virgin territories where they mixed the wave approach with drum&bass, trance, house, planting the seeds for a promising future for the movement. To be remembered in the same way as its predecessor, 2024 will have to hold no small surprises in store for us. For the time being, I believe the premises are there. On my side, to help you keep track of all the music to be released in the next eleven months, I will compile a monthly summary with the best releases, here on FUXWITHIT.

Easier said than done. If the next months are anything like February,  this will be one hell of a journey. To make amends for missing the January issue, I’m doubling down this month, but still, where can I start? cali.xo released her long-awaited EP ‘cry‘ at the beginning of the month, a suggestive project that alone would fill this list. Then Juche decided to show us no mercy, delivering one new release per week (one better than the others, of course), forcing me to make choices I didn’t want to make. He’s not alone though. Heimanu, Nick Neutronz, vowl, Kareful, Enjoii, Øtherside., all published multiple tracks this month as well. Then there’s Static Angel, who gifted us with one of her classic euphoric pieces, obey who went on remix duties on skeler’s ‘my fight‘,  KENOK who managed to squeeze hardware, breaks and trance in a single track and MitroWave who dived into electroclash territories with his latest EP. And that’s not all.

Check the full playlist below.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1784120976″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Wave Monthly | February 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

What struck me the most about Nick Neutronz’s music is the singular way he crystallizes a thought, an emotion, a certain mood in the form of beats and melodies. I’m not talking about the simple concept of inspiration, which is the basis of the creation of art. What I personally feel in his tracks is a more direct and less filtered, sometimes even raw, link between ideas and outcome. As if the artist had little time to transcribe his vision in musical language and has decided to cut out all the unnecessary noise and stuck with only the very essential. This “impulsiveness” however doesn’t affect the technical quality, which remains immaculate, and gives the results a distinct touch. This is not something tangible that can be connected to practical skills in the use of the DAW. It’s something atavic that I sense and experience with my gut. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if any of this really makes sense to you, but anyway I hope you enjoyed the little excursus inside my fantasies.

His latest track ‘Hikikomori’ is another great result of his creative output. The title clearly states it. The track revolves around one specific concept: hikikomori. As declared by Nick Neutronz himself at Mendo Werks magazine, “I came upon hikikomori through this Netflix tv show, Neo Yokio. That’s when I started researching it […] I found the subculture sad, but also very prophetic.” The spark that started the creation of the track seems to be triggered precisely by the realization that hikikomori is not a dystopian concept, but a very real condition that could only become more common in a future where “climate disasters increase and our digital lives usurp our physical lives, for better or worse.” The shamanic vocal sample and the tribal percussions give ‘Hikikomori’ a hallucinating and psychedelic effect. The continuous repetition of these elements sends the brain into a trance, as happens when you stare at the same point for too long or repeat the same action over and over. This obsessive repetition seems to create a bubble where we are trapped, locked up until the song slowly fades and frees us from its bonds (I suggest you to put this song in loop to amplify this sensation). From a certain point of view, it is a distressing experience, but it is also undeniable how, after several listenings, the familiarity that slowly arises with the track’s sounds begins to become more and more comfortable. Listening to ‘Hikkikomori’ turns into a moment outside of space and time where nothing else disturbs us and we enjoy our solitude. Why should we stop and go back to reality, with all its unpredictable facets? Why? Why?

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1184435845″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Nick Neutronz Goes Conceptual On His Latest Release ‘Hikikomori’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Nick has collaborated with Eminem, Styles P, Kendrick Lamar (unreleased), placed on Billboard internationally and domestically, and charted on Beatport’s Hip Hop & Dub / Chillout charts. ‘Heartless’ is a solo release that highlights how Nick has refined his sound, and delved deep into the uncharted waters of hardwave, a genre on the edge of electronic music creativity.

At first, ‘Heartless’ sounds like an 80’s throwback, synthwave jam, but soon the harder samples creep in. It’s clear how this track was inspired by space and astral projection as it begins with fluttering synths, thumping cavernous bass, a trickle of sparkling synths, and meditative vocals. What spring-boards from this trippy back drop are bursts of melodic energy and bolts of fierce bass. The tension is built up by the rich layering of samples, and either the abrupt deconstruction of sounds or the ballooning of snare and robust synths hook onto your ear, making it easy to hang on to every note, anticipating the switch.

The emotional and abrupt nature of the track is perhaps a nod to the deeper inspiration for it.

“Heartless is a violent outburst, a temper tantrum of someone who needs love but is twisted inside; too angered to open themselves to the love they desire. I used to have this tape playing in my head. It would say, ‘Nobody Cares About You.’ ‘You’re a Failure’ ‘No One Loves You.’ These evil mantras come back every now and again, particularly when I disappoint loved ones. I’m really scared of disappointing people I love but no one is perfect. Sometimes feeling unloved can feel like even your God doesn’t love you, that you are forsaken. But the world is a wound, and we are meant to carry these pains with grace, faith, courage… I believe. This tune is an outlet that hopefully allows for that as well.”– Nick Neutronz

Check out ‘Heartless’ below and let it ignite your latest Hardwave obsession.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/857741500″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

The post Nick Neutronz Releases Hardwave-inspired ‘Heartless’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.