Allen Mock Makes Waves w/ New 2019 EP via LoFreq

by | Jun 26, 2023 | PREMIERE

In the world of electronic music, it only truly takes one killer release to shot put any artist into the spotlight, garnering them new fans and listeners from all over the world. This is exactly what Tokyo-based producer Allen Mock has done with his latest EP release via our friends over at LoFreq. The 2019 EP is straight heat from start to finish, combining some nasty deep wubs, deep driving bass lines, and an overall high-energy feel unlike any other. Our premiere today off this EP, ”Slump”, packs a punch from start to finish, with its grimy drops and booming bass sounds. Each track on this EP brings its unique sound design making this entire compilation something not to sleep on. We definitely are going to have the entire 2019 EP on repeat for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Slump” and the rest of the 2019 EP, a certified bop.

“I hope you enjoy this strange and incomprehensible world I built. There is a message and a feeling I want to express and I hope you somehow find it with your own interpretation.”

Diving Deep w/ Allen Mock

1. Creating a cohesive EP that explores different soundscapes and tempos can be a difficult challenge. How did you approach producing and putting together the 2019 EP? What elements and inspirations did you make sure to include throughout all three of these tracks?

I’m a huge advocate of resampling and “recycling” sounds and changing them in different ways. By using the same samples and morphing them in different ways (such as sampler/simpler, warping, putting a lot of fxs/delay and racks,) I was able to create cohesiveness throughout the EP. The songs are between 110 to 120 bpm in half-time (technically 55~60bpm) which is very slow compared to 130~150bpm dance-friendly bass music. However, I felt a potential to express myself within that bpm area.

I love to start my set slow, and gradually build up the tension and bpm from there, so that the listener’s body subconsciously starts to move and warm up. Which is why when I was making this EP, I was picturing a scenario where I am doing a 2-3 hour long set. I’m at a point in my life where high-energy songs for 2-3 hours make me exhausted and need to take a break. So with that in mind, I purposefully went into the session thinking “I’m going to start very slow and build tension”

I made sure to include the feeling of tension and suspense in this EP. I named this track “2019”, because these 3 tracks best represented how I felt at the time. There was a lot of uncertainty and confusion. I was lost and didn’t know where the “light at the end of the tunnel” was. I tried to re-create that feeling through ambience and unpleasant rhythm/melody in this EP. 

2. What was your favorite track on the EP and why?

My favorite track from the EP is Slump. The vocals are what makes the track interesting for me. When I came back to this project (when it was still work-in-progress) I realized I didn’t know what the vocals were actually saying ; it could be “your mind” “do you mind?” “Mnemonic” or “you’re mine”. I enjoy the process of wondering which one it is, and having my body/mind distinguish which one. 

3. When it comes to producing new music, what do you feel is the biggest struggle you have as an artist? What do you do to overcome this in your production?

For me, I find it rather easy to make music since I don’t necessarily think about releasing them officially. I do it for fun. However, with that being said, I noticed I haven’t been able to create “new” or ground-breaking sounds since I haven’t honed in my sound-design skills. I try my best not to compare my songs with other bass music peers, but it’s one of those inevitable things that happen every now and then, especially when I hear something completely unique and cool. I struggle with trying to create absurd sounds which makes it hard for me to take my music to the next level.
One of the things that has helped me tremendously is sharing my knowledge with my producer friends and learning from them. It almost feels like a trade between creatives since we’re all in this to explore, experiment, and learn. So, to have friends show me what’s possible, and being able to return the favor back with my own set of knowledge and skills has been one of the most effective ways to overcome this struggle.
I’d like to thank Herbalistek, Lowki, and GuiltChip for giving me a lot of great tips as well as showing me top-tier music. They’ve been one of the kindest and smartest individuals with an undeniable passion for sound-design/beat-making.

4. Where do you see yourself and your project in 5 years? Do you have any big goals you hope to accomplish with the Allen Mock project?

I see myself making music as usual. One thing I noticed about myself is that I’m paying a lot more attention to ambience and textures. I’ve been finding a lot of great music that pays attention to how the glitches,textures, and atmosphere sound within the context of a beat. With that in mind, I see myself field-recording and going outside more to get inspired!

I don’t know if this is necessarily a goal, but I do want to drop an album one day that feels authentic to myself. I’ve announced several times online that I was going to release an album, only to end up deleting the ideas due to insecurity and changing as a person. So, next time I ever say “I’m going to release an album” I want everyone to brace themselves.

5. What is next for the Allen Mock project? Do you and your team have any exciting things planned in the future that fans have to look forward to?

As of right now, I’m planning on self-releasing more and building my foundation all over again. I’ve had a confusing year ever since 2019 onwards which put me at a strange point in my life; where I sometimes view myself as a failure. I’ve been emotionally and mentally all over the place, and I realized it’s because I’ve released on several credible labels, but I didn’t know what sounds and music I wanted to express and present as “Allen Mock” – as I said before, I just enjoy making whatever and whenever, as long as I’m in the zone and exploring what’s possible, that was all that mattered to me. Nowadays, I pay more attention to the quality of the sound as well as dynamics. I have also been learning to sound-design and find new ways to create music. 

From this point on, you’ll hear a lot of deeper and longer music from me, because I love this form of art to heart. You’ll also hear chilled out tunes that are not so heavily focused on crazy sounds, and instead, family-friendly songs where you don’t necessarily have to tune in to get mind-blown. I pretty much enjoy both deep intellectual music as well as chill and light-hearted music. I’d like to challenge my listeners who follow my music to give my “chill” songs a listen and see if they enjoy it.

At the same time, I won’t forget my roots and the energetic/hype music that I started out with. I believe I can somehow combine all of the things I mentioned earlier, and somehow still sound like me. I can’t say I’m there yet, but I’ve been recently finding hints of ideas that are getting me closer to the answer I’m looking for. At the same time, I’m in no rush:)