Bringing multiple genres and instruments into one bass project can seem like a daunting task, let alone managing a full time bass project on its own. No challenge seems to big, however, for saxophone-playing bass producer, SoDown, who has not only brought a live musical aspect into his project, but has also demonstrated his skill creating absolute heater across bass genres. Bringing forth his debut LP, Worlds Beyond, SoDown has kept his classic sound while featuring different and exciting soundscapes for us to enjoy. Our premiere that we have the honor of presenting to you today in the wake of this highly anticipated release, “Gas Down” is an absolute heater of a Drum and Bass tune from this artist. Combining high energy sounds with a heavy hitting upbeat, bouncy bassline this track is guaranteed to get you up and moving no matter where you are. “Gas Down” fully encompasses the feels of the wild wild west from a totally different dimension. We definitely know this one is going to be rinsed out far and wide throughout this festival season. This is just a taste of the incredible sound that is packed in Worlds Beyond, and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for us upon its release. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Gas Down”, a certified bop.

“Gas Down is an action packed anthem teleporting you back to the wild west through another galaxy.”

Diving Deeper w/ SoDown

1. How did you decide to get into music? Was there a certain event in your childhood/life that made you stop and realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

I was always obsessed with music, I used to record tapes off the radio and write freestyles back in elementary school. I played quite a few instruments when I was younger, everything from cello to the drums. Shortly after high school I discovered dance music! My friend invited me to a Pretty Lights show at Red rocks and shortly after that, I was hooked and went to shows every weekend for about six months. One late night after a show I was beatboxing with my friends on their porch and decided I wanted to make music. I dropped out of business school and the rest history… 

2. Being an artist in the spotlight, you have a continuously growing impact on your fanbase and the scene. Due to the nature of this, have you had any fan interactions that have particularly hit home for you as an artist and why?

Oh man, too many to list. I feel immense gratitude that my music has had an impact on people, and that my creation has benefited them in some way. This community is family and I want to continue to support it in any way I can.

3. It can be very hard sometimes separating music from day to day life when it’s your whole career. How do you personally separate your artist life from your everyday life, and have you faced any challenges doing so?

Honestly, this is something that I’ve struggled with quite a bit. Music is my life and having it as a career can make it complicated. I’m also quite a workaholic and have a tendency to work myself to the bone. I do however enjoy seeking balance mentally through meditation, exercise and adventure sports. Riding my dirt bike, motorcycle and snowmobile brings me a feeling of freedom and presence that I cherish. 

4. What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you started making music? Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring producers hoping to follow in your footsteps?

I’ve learned alot about myself. Music is the lens through which I experience the world. I’ve learned patience, persistence and how to love. As far as advice, I would say do it for the love, and show up everyday. It’s not an easy path, so be prepared for challenges, and embrace them with a smile

When artist join forces and combine sounds some of the best music usually results from the medling of these minds. One great example of this comes to us as our premiere today, brought to you live and direct by bass producers Moon Lotus and gNat with their latest release via Aspire Higher, “Somewhere, Somehow”. This track does not fail on delivering some absolutely incredible vibes from start to finish with it’s smooth and soothing melodies. With it’s driving bassline, airy vocals and flowing synths, this track is the perfect track to get your vibe right any day. We definitely will have this one on repeat for the forseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling this beauty of a collab, “Somewhere, Somehow”, a certified bop. 

Diving Deeper w/ Moon Lotus & gNat

1. What is your biggest inspiration to this day that has helped shape your style of music and why?

“I would say many of the sounds being found in the underground ‘Freeform’ bass communities now have inspired me the most. Artists like Chmura, Phurn, Contra Scandal, and Orenda. I think many artists who are on the rise also took so much inspiration from the late and great CharlesTheFirst and what he did for the scene as well. In many ways it seemed as though Charles paved the way for a new and fresh perspective in the bass music world that allowed for many heavier bass music producers to express themselves in a more melodic/downtempo light. I am deeply inspired by not only his sound, but his willingness to bring that sound to a wider audience that starkly contrasted a lot of the ‘heavier’ bass music that’s been popular in the scene. I think many popular genres of Electronic music in general lack a lot of emotion. People should be free to feel and work through their deeper feelings, even on the dancefloor and I LOVE music that allows for the audience to have that experience. I think this niche of sound is where you’ll find the Moon Lotus project for a long time to come.” -Moon Lotus

“Man that is such a hard question to answer for me haha. I don’t think naming just one artist really justifies how many different kinds of music I like to listen to and have drawn inspiration from. Recently I’ve been primarily listening to music that my friends are making. That’s what’s most exciting to me right now. That all being said I think Linkin Park has been highly influential on me, I’m a big fan of their career.” -gNat

2. What has been a personal career struggle that you have battled with the most and how has it helped mold your character for the better good presently?

“I think many newer artists to the scene are struggling with finding a circle of like-minded individuals who are GOOD people at heart with good intentions that they can trust to work with. Whether it be other artists, promoters, event organizers, labels / management teams, or engineers; Our music communities have been plagued with many individuals who have abused their position of power within the industry / scene. It has become more and more difficult to figure out which collectives and artists to brand yourself alongside and who to trust to keep our audiences safe. For me personally, I know if I keep my head down and trust in my ultimate vision as an artist I will naturally attract those that have the same standards and morals as myself. Not only that, but if I choose to be more vocal about issues within our community and stand up for those that need a voice, I at the very least can make the events I attend and perform at a safe space for those around me. I believe the community as a whole, both audiences and artists/event organizers, need to actively address the issues of sexual misconduct, harm reduction, and ill-intentioned business practices so our community spaces can actually be a safe space for all. There has been a massive focus on accountability in this scene over the last few years which I have loved to see. I think the dialogue surrounding victims and their stories is now more prevalent than ever but there is always more work to do and more perspectives to learn from. I had a cool convo with my mom the other day and we came to the conclusion: “If you’re not actively being the difference, then how can we expect a difference to be made?”. She always brings such an amazing perspective to my life. Listen to your mothers!!” -Moon Lotus

“Making it in the music industry is hard! There’s a million different dynamics to that, many of which I’ve struggled with. I’ve been producing electronic music since late 2015, and that’s been a journey in and of itself. I’m still striving to learn how to get better and better at making high-quality productions. I think the fact that I care so much about this music project has forced me to learn persistence and dedication that I’ve applied to other aspects of my life. Those skills have actually gotten me through a lot lately, so there’s another reason I’m very thankful for music.” -gNat

3. What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you started making music full time? Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring producers hoping to follow in your footsteps?

Finding some absolutely insane high energy slappers can be a huge task with all of the available music on the market. Today, we have come to ease your intense search for the latests heaters in the freeform bass world with today’s premiere, brought to you by bass wizards msft. and VARI. Teaming up to release their latest track “crash course”, both of these artists have created a tune that packs a punch, filled with some incredible uptempo soundscapes. With changing tempos, bouncy synths, and a driving bassline, this track has all of the elements of an outright stomper that you do not want to be sleeping on. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “crash test”, a certified bop.

“I had such a fun time working with VARI. This song represents the perfect combination between our styles and the directions we’re taking with music right now. Crash Test is a ravey, ominous 150bpm breaks track and this is the representation of how we want our music to sound.” -msft.

“msft and I had been talking about doing a track for a while, and after getting the idea down for Crash Test it felt like the perfect one to work with. It feels like we both got to come in and flex our styles on the track, and I really love how it came out.”-VARI

Diving Deep w/ msft. and VARI

1. How did you decide to get into music? Was there a certain event in your childhood/life that made you stop and realize that you wanted to pursue a career in music?

“I decided to start making my own music in 2014, it was a peak moment for European EDM, I used to watch every single major festival livestream (Tomorrowland, UMF, etc), it was such an impactful era and I couldn’t not start to make my own stuff. I wanted to feel the same emotions with my own music. It is something very deep that sometimes is hard to describe.” -msft.

 “I had always been into music (specifically guitar) from a young age, and up until high school was always a rock/metal/alt rock fan. I recall during an arts festival in 9th grade there were a couple guys who setup some speakers and threw a “rave”, which was my first real exposure to dance music. After seeing that, I fell in love with the sound and experience, and realized I wanted to be that person on the stage playing the music for people.” -VARI

2. What is your biggest inspiration to this day that has helped shape your style of music and why?

“I have multiple inspirations, my day 1 idol has always been Porter Robinson, the ability he has to make both emotional music and timeless bangers is honestly unmatched. Nowadays my fav artists are Peekaboo, IMANU, Nitepunk, LSDREAM and the list goes on.” -msft.

“Even before I got into EDM I had always specifically loved a good melody or chord progression. The melodic aspects of metal and rock music are so underrated, and that sound is what drew me in. As I got into EDM I listened to a bunch of progressive house for the same reasons, and it was a big part (and still is) of my process in music to put heavy emphasis on the chords and progression of a track.” -VARI

3. What has been a personal career struggle that you have battled with the most and how has it helped mold your character for the better good presently?

“It has to be living in Italy. Sadly my country is not very open to bass music events/festivals. Europe in general in the past few years showed a lack of interest in electronic music (comprared to the golden age 2010-2015). Knowing 99% of the industry is in the US sometimes is a struggle and a reason to overthink, but I know one day I will get there.” -msft.

“I feel like I’ve always fallen into a bit of overdiversification. I’ll flip back and forth, dropping a heavy distorted bass track followed by a melodic hardwave track. This year alone I released a 3-track EP of slower melodic tracks, and then followed it up with an EP of my heaviest most aggressive rave tracks yet. It’s a challenge to create all the types of music that interest me without diluting the project too much. It’s mainly pushed me to find specific pieces of my style to hold consistent, even if the genre of the track may change. I want to be able to produce any type of track and still have it sound like VARI” -VARI