borne

Montreal-based borne has quickly become a standout amongst the new wave of producers mixing dark UKG and 140. Alluring samples, pristine drum programming, and mastery of soul-rattling bass combine for a signature sound that’s been popping up everywhere in 2024. The producer capped off 2023 with his statement-making Deep End EP arriving in December and he hasn’t let off the gas since. He set the stage for the year with his FUXWITHIT Guest Mix and followed it up in short order with the massive ID showcasing ‘OFF-THE-RECORD // BORNE 2024 SHOWCASE‘ mix. A steady slew of impressive singles has kept the producer atop everyone’s minds and playlists with standouts like ‘My Mind,’ ‘Silence’ and ‘Hush’ alongside Alexis B all doing numbers on Spotify and ringing off in live sets. This time last year we said borne had officially put us on notice, and a year later his star continues to ascend as we expected.
-C

KILLMATTER

The stellar efforts and constant wave of perseverance from KILLMATTER have inspired many this year. From releasing his bonkers debut EP, DON’T EAT THE FRUIT,’ having his very own guest mix with us, to just releasing an insane live performance showcasing a ton of IDs, there’s no telling what he’ll deliver next! He even dropped arguably the best ‘Push’ remix by Skrillex, Hamdi, Taichu, and Offaiah. The skies are the limit for this madman as he continues to descend into madness, working day and night to give us the best quality of tunes! If you haven’t dove into his discography, then now is the time! We highly recommend keeping a close, sharp eye on him. We have a great feeling 2025 will be an even bigger year for this artist.
-JD

Nikita, The Wicked

Something wicked this way comes… Despite branding himself as the villain of the electronic music scene, Nikita, The Wicked, is hard not to love. The rising star had an absolutely incredible 2024 that began with a house-leaning offering ‘The Auction,’ before exploding with his genre-defying ‘iloveitwhentheyrun’ EP. He then continued to skyrocket with the release of masterful singles like ‘Back Once Again,’ ‘Ya Body’ and ‘Like Me.’ His creativity is unmatched, blending off-kilter and experimental flourishes without ever sacrificing the groove, finding the difficult balance between innovative and approachable. Sprinkle in some of the best sampling in recent times (which range from film dialogue to rap bars) and it’s easy to see why we’ve fallen in love with the artist. But we’re not the only ones – the producer’s achievements speak for themselves: from impressive play counts across Spotify to sets with iconic tastemaking event brands like Brownies and Lemonade, and DEF. He’s also become a favorite among DJs and fans alike landing a spot as one of Beatport’s Top-Selling Trap/Future Bass artists (ahead of RL Grime) and releasing two of the Top 10 Trap/Future Bass Songs of 2024 on the platform with ‘Like Me’ and ‘Ya Body’.  If Nikita, The Wicked is dance music’s villain, heroes beware, he’s coming for your spot with a vengeance.
-C

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Sorza

Despite launching his solo project a few years back, and even appearing on our Focus Five segment in April 2023, there is no denying that 2024 was a breakout year for Sorza. When we first featured the Dutch artist early last year, he had a mere 600 SoundCloud followers, and probably a similar number of monthly listeners on Spotify. Since then, the Sorza project has taken off into full flight, largely aided by the stellar ten-track Pillars project released via VISION. In addition to the album, Sorza recently released an audiovisual accompaniment to Pillars, further demonstrating his boundary-pushing creativity. Boasting a sound that resonates perfectly with the FUXWITHIT audience, we had the extreme pleasure of hosting Sorza for a guest mix and interview back in August, where the artist verbally and sonically showcased his wide range of influences, while also touching on topics such as the origin of Sorza and where he sees himself in five years. All in all, it’s been a huge year for Sorza, and we can’t wait to keep following him on his journey.
-SC

Simula

Simula has been at the forefront of designing some of the raunchiest drum and bass around for all of 2024. If we had done this piece for 2023, he would’ve been a contender for this spot last year too. His remix of Hamdi’s ‘Counting,’ released on Deadbeats in February, helped to catapult his name into the ears of mainstream audiences everywhere as the track made its rounds on festival stages and in DJ sets worldwide. April saw the drop of the Salvo EP with four absolutely mind-bending tunes that hit like a good kind of sonic whiplash. September blessed us with the release of the third installment of his self-titled mix series on SoundCloud, stuffed to the brim with IDs that I’m certain people will be begging for in the comments for many more months to come (myself included). While his output this year hasn’t quite hit last year’s level in terms of number of tracks, Simula seems to be taking the approach of quality over quantity here and it shows. His latest track, ‘Maw,’ released only five days ago, might be the last we hear from him before the year is over. It’s a proper “fuck off” sound that demands a stank face with middle fingers in the air. I have no doubt that 2025 is going to be huge for Simula, and I hope to hear the man himself on those festival stages instead of just his tracks being played out.
-BG

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Words by Braden, Colin, John & Steph.

The post Breakout Producers Of 2024 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Modestly calling his new project an EP, Sorza unveiled this newest chapter last week in the form of a nine-track collection titled Pillars released via Noisia’s VISION. Demonstrating an evolution in his production and in his personality, Sorza has elevated his art to another level with the release of Pillars, taking listeners on a voyage through many facets of bass music and beyond. In tracks such as ‘Visions of what could be’ and ‘Hiding in the sea,’ Sorza showcases his ability to engulf listeners through ethereal textures and airy soundscapes. In ‘Take me’ and ‘I’m here,’ the artist flexes his versatility, going from a swagger-filled halftime cut to a boundary-pushing dubstep/future bass/trap hybrid. Through the other five tracks, Sorza further displays this knack for creating meaningful narratives that very few artists have replicated this year, attesting to why he, and his project, landed on a label as coveted as VISION. Pillars is a beautiful project that any fan of electronic music should dive into.

We had the extreme pleasure of connecting with Sorza to talk about his journey as a solo artist, the creation of Pillars, other avenues of artistic expression, and more. In addition, we have been graced with a guest mix riddled with unreleased material, giving us a taste into what a Sorza live experience would resemble. Don’t miss Pillars, as well as the mix and interview, below.

Welcome, Sorza. We’re really stoked to have you on for a mix and interview today. First, can you tell us a bit about the mix you put together? What’s the best setting for listening? Is this a cut from a typical Sorza live set, or something different meant for individual listening?

Thanks for having me over for an interview. It’s a mix between a dance set and a listening experience at home. Depending on the occasion and the type of event or audience, I love incorporating breakdowns in my live sets to create more ambiance, rather than just spamming drop after drop. I drew inspiration from a B2B set I performed with Jukaa (Jozef from The Outsiders) at Liquicity Festival last month. There was something truly magical about that set.

What initially prompted you to create the Sorza alias?

Before I started Sorza, I had always made music as part of a duo and never really explored my solo potential. During the 2020 lockdown, it felt only natural to focus on an alias that was fully me and to let people into the sound world that was inside my head.

When approaching production, how is your mindset different when creating a track for Sorza as opposed to a track for The Outsiders? Is it difficult to separate the two?

I think I have different modes, and I can switch between them depending on what the track needs. For example, ‘Does it Hurt Me’ really needed a rough, dusty, and not-overly-clean production. I wanted to give it an analog/modular feel. In contrast, the track ‘Never’ had to be ultra-clean, synthetic, and overproduced. I’ve stopped trying to pull everything together too much. I feel like I don’t have much influence on what the tracks want to be – I just go where the production takes me.

Singles push artists to create tracks that stand on their own, but it’s hard to create depth if all your music is meant to stand alone.

Congratulations on your latest release, Pillars, released via VISION. Can you tell us a bit about how the project came together?

Thank you! I never thought it would turn into such a big project. I’ve known Noisia (and their team) for quite a few years. At the end of 2022, we released an EP with The Outsiders on VISION. Now, Jozef (Jukaa) and I are more focused on our solo projects, so it made perfect sense to do a full project with Sorza.

I think the idea for a solo EP on VISION started in March 2023. There was a huge A&R process, with tons of demos and concepts. It was a real struggle to determine what this project was going to represent and what shape it would take.
Instead of pursuing one clear direction, we combined multiple EP ideas into one big project. We came up with the Pillars concept, which showcases different sides of me and the various sonic directions I’ve explored.

You don’t seem to be the type to release individual singles. Is this intentional? Have you been in album-mode since the release of I IDENTIFY?

It’s true I’m not a fan of the single-release format. I think it pushes artists more and more to create tracks that stand on their own, but it’s hard to create depth if all your music is meant to stand alone. I’ve developed quite an obsession with the way an album flows. I love it when one track sets the vibe for the next, with everything moving toward a certain climax followed by an aftermath, creating a cohesive journey.

About I IDENTIFY, you said “I was in a really weird headspace and I definitely wouldn’t say that it felt very good, but on the flip side I have never felt more connected to the music I made before. I could fully express myself through audio.” How was the mental journey of creating Pillars compared to I IDENTIFY?

To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get into that headspace again, and I’m totally fine with that. The entire 9-track record was written in just 2 months, but figuring out what should come after that took me over 2 years. So, to answer your previous question, it wasn’t entirely intentional to stay silent with original material for so long and then return with such a big project, but I’m very happy I did. I needed that time to figure out what I wanted with Sorza.

Pillars feels like the project where you can hear my search, explorations, and development since the release of I IDENTIFY.

Your music really transcends a number of genres, fusing elements from all walks of bass music and beyond, with ‘Sonyo’ carrying a particularly interesting story. Could you tell us about some of your musical inspirations and what they mean to you?

I’ve been into what you might call “non-Western” music for quite a while now. It all started with Indonesian microtonal gamelan music. I won’t go too deep in the microtonal rabbit hole now, but it’s something I’m really into. More recently, my interest in foreign music has shifted towards Middle Eastern and Balkan music, which you can hear in ‘Sonyo’ and ‘Does It Hurt Me.’

I’m currently working on a record where I’m diving really deep into this microtonal exploration. It’s also something that came out of the A&R process for Pillars, but I won’t bore you with that for now ;)

Would you say you make music more for yourself, or for your listeners? Do you ever feel pressured to change a track you’ve written because it might not be what listeners expect?

It’s always a bit of a mix. I want to create music that’s enjoyable for people who are into bass music or experimental electronica. Music needs to have a certain purpose, and for me, it’s important that listeners engage with the entire project and really get into it.

During the A&R process, there was some struggle because we were missing a “banger” track. When I was working on ‘Never,’ I was very conscious of the type of track I wanted to create. My brief to myself was: “I want a modern dubstep track with Hamdi grooves and Skrillex vibes, something that would fit well for a UKF upload.” I really wanted to create a track like that, but I also did it to serve the overall project because we needed a track like that. So, it was for myself, but also for the audience.

I think Sorza will develop in a way that is not directly linked to bass music, but rather into an even freer electronic realm.

Can you tell us a bit about ARSYN? Does that work translate to things you do for the Sorza project? If so, how?

Definitely, ARSYN is the name we gave to my collaborative project with visual artist Aidan Mulcahy, one of my closest friends. He is also involved in all the visual content we create for Sorza. We are currently working on a full A/V set that will be finished very soon.

ARSYN is a bit more focused locally. When we do A/V performances and installations or work with theaters, it sometimes diverges from what we do with Sorza, so using a different name makes a lot of sense.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’ll be one of the artists at the forefront of experimental bass music in Europe. I’m currently focused on establishing a scene and building a community in the Netherlands for the music I make and for more experimental club music in general.
I think Sorza will develop in a way that is not directly linked to bass music, but rather into an even freer electronic realm, similar to where artists like Lapalux and Flying Lotus operate. I love bass music, but I think I’ll be moving more towards music that’s made primarily for the listening experience.

Tracklist

1. Sorza – Never
2. The Glitch Mob – Higher (Sorza Remix)
3. Sorza – ID
4. Sorza – Dumble
5. Sorza – Visions of what could be
6. Sorza – Hiding in the sea
7. Sorza x Gaszia – ID (Sorza Flip)
8. Sorza x Gaszia – ID (Sorza Flip)
9. Keenan Mundane – O.U.Y.S – (Sorza UK Flip)
10. Sorza x ID – ID
11. Keenan Mundane – Die Broke (Sorza Remix)
12. Sorza – ID
13. Sorza – ID (DnB flip)
14. Sorza – ID
15. Sorza – Does it hurt me
16. Razat – D Worry (Doubled)
17. Sorza – Lucid Disconnect (ID Remix)
18. Chase & Status, Bou – Baddadan ft. IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga, Takura (ID x ID Bootleg)
19. Willow – Whip My Hair (Sorza Bootleg)
20. Keenan Mundane – Black Enough (Sorza Loud Halftime Bootleg)
21. Sorza – I’m here
22. Sorza – Creating An Oasis (ID Remix)

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

Alasen

I’m not sure how Alasen has alluded a proper feature on our site for this long. The Chicago-based producer posseses an impressive discography of trap meets future beats that spans back years. While the gifted producer has been popping up in FUXWITHFRIDAYS, and his 2023 release ‘Theme’ served as the opener to our Guest Mix for Deadbeats, it’s more than overdue that we formally introduce Alasen to our audience. With recent releases on Quality Goods Records and Lucid Monday, it’s fair to say 2023 is the year everyone stops sleeping on this immense talent. Bringing amplitudes of knock and pairing them with a synthesized sense of emotion gives Alasen a sound that’s evocative yet banging. Off-kilter, addictive and vibey, every track is another step into the creator’s stunning sonic world. Alasen’s entire SoundCloud is worthy of a deep dive but if you want a sample of what expect ‘supercompute,’ ‘Theme,’ and ‘spiral’ are sure to make you a fan.
-C

Nautika

UK-based Nautika wandered onto my radar a few months back when I was blown away by the Lil Yachty remix he dropped alongside Formula. Let me start by saying, “blown away by the Lil Yachty remix” are words I never thought I’d find myself writing but it’s really that fucking good. The track landed in our first installment of Bootleg Business and has been on repeat ever since. The way they utilize Yachty’s vocals is uplifting to a point of spiritual ascension. It’s absurdly fun, addictive, and it hits. If you’re a serious DnB head who’s not convinced by SoundCloud rap flips, don’t worry, Nautika’s impressive catalog runs deep. ‘Convert Operation’ with Formula mixes a spy-tinged undertone with some darker layers and a brooding bounce. If that’s not enough, enter a ‘R.E.M State’ for a sinister and filthy trip into your mind’s subconscious darkness.
-C

haydys

This month we’re stopping in Minneapolis to get familiar with haydys. Those of you who are deep into the wave scene might also know him as hades, his alias before the recent rebranding. Co-founder of Cybercollective and producer himself, haydys characterizes his storytelling-driven sound with the motto “nostalgia of a time long gone.” It’s no surprise then that the influences we can recall the most in his music come from genres that have powerful melodies at their own essence, like downtempo and trance. Especially the latter is quite present within his discography but often contextualized in ways that preserve the original trance flavor without turning into a predictable hardwave sound. After all, he lists among his main influences names such as juche, skeler and heimanu who are masterminds in this field. haydys is fresh from a superb release on Liquid Ritual, titled ‘Tear In The Sky,’ which was preceded by a very special release on his own imprint, ‘carousel’, the first track from the incoming Cybercollective’ Chronicles: Prologue compilation. Listen to both songs below and be sure to dive into haydys’ entire discography. My personal suggestion is to start from his and Sage’s NEXT GENERATION collaborative EP.

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Sorza

With less than 600 SoundCloud followers, Sorza is criminally underrated. Landing his first official release on the coveted Alpha Pup and making a statement with the enthralling nine-track I IDENTIFY LP, the Dutch producer already impresses with the breadth of his discography, but only recently landed on my radar with his mind-melting official remix for Noisia and Former’s ‘Pleasure Mantra.’ Remixing these legends is no easy task, but Sorza executed at a top tier level. With his debut LP, the artist sways between various styles of bass music, telling a cohesive story despite the lack of lyrics. Reminiscent of Alon Mor in some ways (‘Catharsis’ is a great example), Sorza masterfully blends bass and musicality throughout his works.

It’s only at the time of writing this article that I discovered that Sorza is the side project of one of the members from The Outsiders, which explains the top-tier production behind this relatively new alias. Nonetheless, Sorza is one to watch.
-SC

Strobez

Hailing from the Golden Gate City, Strobez is quickly becoming an all-time favorite within the electronic spectrum. His swift and mind-blowing techniques behind his works are simply jaw-dropping. Developing high-tier ideas with executions that slice through the competition. Making a truly unique world for himself. Crisp bass structures combined with high-energy vocals are only a couple of characteristics that make his works memorable.

His most recent remix for Greentea Peng packs a major punch. Making your soul soar into the sky and beyond. Its attitude shines on a whole new level thanks to Strobez’s whimsical skills and techniques. The way he uses her vocals to compliment his overall personality through the sonic spectrum elevates your spirits and makes you become purely hypnotized. The main lead combined with those groovy drums can make any listener happy with glee. The perfect amount of movement from beginning to end. Never a dull moment!

His newest original, ‘Drama,’ is easily an instant classic for his project. There’s so much going on but it all works together in a colorful fashion. From a euphoric introduction with an angelic atmosphere to the chorus sections comprised of a distorted bass lead and powerful vocal following along, this piece is full of ear candy and gets better and better with each listen. An absolute monster of a track that will take over any stage around the world. So make sure to keep an eye on this artist throughout 2023. We’re stoked to hear more from him!
-JD

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Words by Alessio, Colin, John & Steph

The post Focus Five: Volume 61 appeared first on FUXWITHIT.