In the electronic world,  relating emotional journeys and ideas through music can result in some of the most inspiring and beautiful tracks. Skinny Limbs has produced just this in his latest EP, Emotions in Balance, as he tries to exemplify the highs and lows in life and how one navigates through them. This two track EP, combines lo-fi sounds and high energy bass into one amazing compilation. Our premiere that we have the honor of presenting to you today, “It Isn’t Fair”, provides an uptempo and exciting experimental bass soundscape that is not to be missed. It’s vocals combined with deep booming bass lines and bouncy melodies perfectly captures everything about the Skinny Limbs project and what sound it brings. This entire EP shows a clear juxtaposition between the two tracks, that correlates effortlessly with how life has it’s juxtapositions as well. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “It Isn’t Fair” and the rest of the Emotions in Balance EP, a certified bop.  

“This project expresses the importance of recognizing that no journey is linear. There are always going to be highs and there are always going to be lows, it’s all about how you react to those moments and what you can learn from them. This EP represents the emotions that come from those highs and those lows.” -Skinny Limbs

Diving Deeper w/ Skinny Limbs

1. If you could go back in time and start over given what you have learned in your career so far, what changes and approach would have done differently?

In the early stages of my music producing journey I would put a lot of unhealthy pressure on myself.  From telling myself I wasn’t good enough to comparing my individual journey to the people around me, I began to loose sight of why I started to produce in the first place. I started to feel this strange anxiety about me not reaching my fullest potential musically. Looking back now I would tell myself that it’s ok to have periods of stagnation. It’s ok to feel unmotivated and it’s ok to feel like your falling behind. I’d tell myself that those are the feelings that ultimately push us forward and challenge us to grow. I’d let myself know that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. 

2. What has been one of the most memorable career achievements so far as an artist and how did that impact you moving forward?

Since I started the Skinny Limbs project a little over 6 years ago I always had dreams of one day being able to perform at festivals. In July, I got the chance to play my debut festival set at Big Dub in Artemas PA. This experience was surreal to say the least. Getting the opportunity to play at this festival was a huge reminder to me that I’m on the right path and I just have to keep trusting the process. 

There is a constant influx of new music being put out in the electronic music scene each and every day, which can make standing out of the crowd increasingly difficult. This has not been a challenge for Ohio native bass producer, Toadface, who has launched himself to the forefront of the scene with his latest release, “Cardboard”. Serving as the first single off his upcoming EP, this track provides a bouncy high energy soundscape, all while maintaining the iconic experimental sound we know and love from this artist. This tune breaks the illusion between what is real and what is fake through the use of its vocal samples, representing the separation of what is and what seems to be. The steady bass lines, cascading falsettos and attention to subtle details really make this song a masterpiece of sound that you do not want to sleep on. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Cardboard”, a certified bop.

“Cardboard refers to the feelings of thinking something is real only to realize later it was fake the whole time. The sample ‘so many details’ refers to how real you thought the thing was until taking a closer look.” – Toadface

DIving Deep w/ Toadface

1.  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?

“It can be hard to feel okay with taking time off when you are your own boss but I always at least try to take some time each day to exercise and spend time with the fam. It feels important to do things other than make art to fill your artistic spirit.”

2. Did you have a moment in your life/ childhood that made you stop and realize you wanted to pursue a career in music?

“I was playing in our friend’s basement. It was the first time I had ever djed and it was only to like 10 of our friends. We used studio monitors with no sub. Back in those days, I had no idea what I was doing, but everyone still went crazy. I still chase that high to this day.”

Back at it again with the second half of his 2 part EP release, Vermont producer, Marvel Years has returned to present the second installation of Voyage Ahead. One month ago, Marvel Years introduced the first half of his most innovative work yet, in which he produced and played every musical element in each one of his tracks. Today, we have the pleasure of premiering “Dive” off the second half of this ingenious compilation, which aims to encapsulate the more hard hitting soundscapes of his project. Focusing on using guitar sounds, the bass heavy energy of this track is infectious, making this one we will have on repeat for the foreseeable future. The entire second half of this EP is crafted perfectly, displaying the different thought processes that went into the composition of the sounds in each of the 4 tunes. Both parts of the Voyage Ahead EP is not one you should be sleeping on. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Dive” and the rest of the Voyage Ahead 2 EP, a certified bop.

“Dive” is a track I made to showcase the heavier side of my music. I wanted to make a bass-heavy track that revolved around a guitar riff and fuse the two elements together. The end result is a gritty, guitar-focused bass banger that delivers energy from the first note. – Marvel Years

Diving Deep w/ Marvel Years

1. What originally made you want to pursue music full time? Was there any moment in your life that made you stop and realize that this was something you wanted to be serious about?

In high school, I always found myself messing around and making beats late at night but it wasn’t until I started uploading my music online and received my first show offer that I really considered it an option. I ended up seeing RJD2 live my freshman year of college and after that show, I realized this was something that I really wanted to pursue and the rest is history. I’ve been doing it ever since that moment.

2. 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?

Being an artist nowadays can be hard sometimes because it involves so much more than just the music. There is a whole online presence that comes with being an artist, especially an independent artist. So it can be tough sometimes to take a breather and walk away from social media for a day or two, but I have found that going outside and doing outdoor activities like skating or hiking have been a huge benefit to me and can help disassociate the personal from professional aspects of life.

3. 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?

Meeting fans who I have inspired is something that I will never get used to still. It’s an amazing feeling to hear from someone how my musical journey impacted them so much that they decided to chase their dreams as well. It really makes all of the long hours on the road worth it to hear something like that.

4. What’s next for Marvel Years? What are some goals you’re trying to hit with your team as well as for yourself?

Lots of new music. I am planning on writing an album and releasing it hopefully early next year so that is something I am really excited about. I also want to curate a tour around the album and make it especially unique to the new music and build the show around that. A lot of great things are on the horizon and I can’t wait to show everyone what I have been working on.