There’s nothing better than discovering new and exciting music from up and coming artists in the bass scene. One of these rising stars gracing the world of electronic music is North Carolina bass producer, Echo Drone. Proving his immense production talent with his latest release, “Fly”, Echo Drone has created an absolute monster of a track that is not to be missed. With its heavy hitting bass line and wompy synths, this tune packs an absolute punch from start to finish. This is definitely a track that you are going to have blasting for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling this stomper, “Fly”, a certified bop.

Normally known for his heavy-hitting dubstep, Echo Drone’s new single ‘Fly’ introduces us to his side of the ever growing freeform bass music genre. This anthem of a track immediately pulls you in with gangster vocals and a catchy, earworm of a beat. Then, the drop builds up and kicks in “fly on the scene” with a minimalistic yet hard-hitting drop that is sure to create a crowd reaction at any show and festival.”

Diving Deep w/ Echo Drone

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?

Well, I have a pretty extensive background in music; I have played the piano since four years old (still do to this day!), played the clarinet in my high school band, and my uncle even taught me how to play drums too! When I was young, around 11 or so, I discovered Monstercat and became pretty much immediately obsessed. It led me down an electronic music rabbit hole until eventually I decided I wanted to try and make it myself. So, with the help of my parents, I bought FL Studio and dedicated myself to learning music production for years (it literally consumed my entire life throughout middle school and high school, and still does to this day LOL). So, with my quick love interest with music production and the music industry as a whole, needless to say I pursued it by all means necessary. Now, I’m 20 years old running a music label and an agency out of my passion of promoting dope music, and making music all of the time and overall just having a great time with it! 

2. You definitely have a very unique name for your project. Does the name have a specific meaning or derived from something in your life? Is there a story fans might not know about how you came to this name for your project?

A lot of people have speculated that my name is a Rainbow Six Siege reference, but unfortunately I’ve never played the game and didn’t purposefully reference anything haha! There’s not really a special story behind the name though! My friends and I were in a Discord call brainstorming names and we just put a bunch of words together until we came up with something cool. We all collectively agreed that Echo Drone sounded cool, so I ran that name. That’s honestly the whole story haha.

I have lots of collaborations that I want to do because there are a lot of insanely talented people out there. However, I think one of my biggest goals would have to be Subtronics. His production is just absolutely insane and he always knows how to make music that just receives a reaction haha. He’s a super dope producer and human being and I would love to be able to work on anything with him!

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?

Today, we have teamed up with one of our favorite up and coming Florida based record labels to bring you an absolute heater from none other than rising bass star, BASSGAZM. Releasing his latest track, “Naughty Dub” with SUMR&R, BASSGAZM has come out swinging with a heater that will knock your socks off from the first measure to the last. With its deep booming basslines and classic dubstep sound design, BASSGAZM has captured the essence of traditional dubstep and jam packed it into this track. We definitely are going to have this one blasting for a while! Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Naughty Dub”, a certified bop. 

“Naughty Dub was created with old school dubstep roots and mixed with my Bassgazm signature wubs. If it wasn’t for the original reggae dubstep vibes, there would be no dubstep. So, I wanted to pay my respects to old school dubstep with this tune.”

Diving Deep w/ BASSGAZM

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?

My whole dad’s side of the family is musicians. I starting playing drums at a young age and was in many hardcore / metal bands when I was younger. I learned the joy of creating music from scratch. I messed around with making hip hop beats on the computer in high school, but when I heard dubstep for the first time, I knew I wanted to produce dubstep music. I got a Macbook and Ableton and dove in facefirst.

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

When I first started producing and was a single young man in his 20’s, I was able to put all my free time into producing music and going to festivals/ dubstep shows and networking. But now that I am a little older, and married, and a business owner, I have learned about balance. Finding balance and the time to produce music while having a very busy life was extremely difficult at first, but after figuring it out, I am at peace. Balance is key. And with balance comes freedom and peace of mind. 

3. As an artist, you can experience a number of road blocks along the way to achieving your goals. What motivates you to continue to be creative and make music even when times get tough?

The genuine love for dubstep music is what motivates me to keep pushing on. Staying on Soundcloud, and constantly hearing new artists push the boundaries of bass music is extremely inspiring and keeps me going.

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 would say “stay teachable, and stay humble” is the way I try to live my life. There is always room for improvement and there are always different ways to better ourselves. I suggest surrounding yourself with mentors and other artists that are where you want to, and asking for help. Following their direction will help you get to where you want to be.

Rising up through the ever-expanding electronic music scene can be a feat for most artists as they navigate the never-ending world of new music This does not seem to have been an issue for upcoming bass star, Flintwick as he continues to step into the spotlight within the freeform bass scene. Today we have the absolute pleasure of premiering his latest heater of a track, “Goose Factory”, and boy are you in for a treat today folks! With its glitchy textures, and shifting bass sound design, this track pulls listeners left and right as they listen. Overall this track packs a punch, exemplifying the essential sounds of the Flintwick project that we have all come to know and love. We are definitely going to have this one on repeat for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Goose Factory” a certified bop.

“When making this tune, I had the idea of just having one track that could absolutely smear and beat the hell out of the dancefloor in the middle of an otherwise very dancey set. I also wanted to give a nod to the more “deep bass” genres that I don’t typically touch up on, and take it to a minimal and wobbly direction for the second half. The vocal sample used is from the book “Silly Little Goose” so when hearing the track I always picture some twisted factory that spits out deformed, mutated geese.”

Diving Deep w/ Flintwick

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?

Growing up, I had always viewed artistic expression as more of a  second language that everybody was supposed to know, constantly enthralled by learning the concepts and techniques that go into the creation of art itself, whether it be painting, cinema, literature, etc.  Music just so happened to be the one that I not only felt the most emotionally attached to but also provided the most entertainment and fulfillment from making and learning about. Though I can recall specific moments I fell deeper in love with music, there wasn’t a  specific moment that I decided to make it a career. I just enjoyed making booties shake and eventually people decided to hire me to do so. 

2. You definitely have a very unique name for your project. Does the name have a specific meaning or derived from something in your life?  Is there a story fans might not know about how you came to this name for your project?

Once I was a few years into producing on a more advanced level and had a full set of original material, I knew I needed a moniker that would check all the boxes and hopefully be a sustainable long-term title. My indecisive self spent over a year going back and forth on so many different names without releasing any music and absolutely nothing was sticking. Though I wasn’t crazy about it at first, the only thing my head kept coming back to from the very beginning was Flintwick for some reason. There’s an onomatopoeic quality in the annunciation that I’ve always felt gave a nod to the ‘flicky’ little samples and glitches throughout my music. It also just sounds whimsical and silly, which is certainly an adjective I like to aim for. At the time, I felt like I was “settling” but now I can’t imagine a more perfect fit.

3. As an artist, you can experience a number of roadblocks along the way to achieving your goals. What motivates you to continue to be creative and make music even when times get tough?

There are constantly roadblocks on the path to achieving artistic goals that can really cripple an aspiring artist, big and small. I’ve noticed how one may feel betrayed or hurt by the very art you pour your heart into when things don’t go the way that you feel they should, or aren’t feeling heard/ seen. It’s important to remember the art/ music is the medicine and if anything, will ALWAYS be a safe place to go when you’re hurt or feeling blocked. Feeling discouraged is natural and breaks can be very helpful, but once it becomes something you live and breathe- something as natural to you as gravity, “quitting” can’t be an option.

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?

This is a really hard one because SO many tough lessons come to mind- both starting out, and to this very day. The majority of problems that seem the toughest and most annoying to navigate circle around the business and performance aspect. Being taken advantage of is so easy when starting out with minimal guidance. Create basic contracts, make sure your needs are  expressed and will be covered before accepting an agreement. Stick up for what you feel that you are worth, and be comfortable with declining offers that you don’t feel 100 on. I could go on for days.

My “words of wisdom” on the creation side- you can always be  practicing your craft and leveling up. There have been a number of  times in my small career that I’ve had the misguided sense of having it figured out or feeling like I don’t need to learn more. There is always room for more practice, growth, and experimentation. If you’re not around your studio, watch tutorials or read about techniques you might not be familiar with. You don’t have to always be working on your grand portrait- practicing, doodling, and organizing your thoughts will only help get your ideas out faster and step up your workflow.

Electronic music seems to always have an incredible influx of exciting new talent and works of musical art that listeners get to experience each and every day. Adding his own musical flair to the EDM world, bass producer Smokestax has released the title track off his highly anticipated new EP coming in January. “The Phoenix” exemplifies the concept of starting anew with Smokestax’s new deep dive into curating different sound design and learning new production skills. This track is an absolute heater with its moving bass lines, vibrant melodies and bouncy synths. This is definitely a whole new side to the Smokestax project we have yet to see, making the wait for the rest of this 2 track EP unbearable! Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “The Phoenix”, a certified bop.

“This EP really showcases growth and reflection for me. I really took the time away during covid to think about the sound I want to push with my project and spent a lot of time focusing on new production and sound techniques to best express myself.”

Diving Deep w/ Smokestax

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 grew up surrounded by music. My Dad is a huge lover of all music. My earliest memories growing up are dancing around my house with my brother to Grateful Dead or Black Sabbath playing in the back. When I was around 6 I started playing classical piano. Then in 5th grade I began playing drums and that took over my life for the next few years. I’ve always been fascinated by rhythm and grooves. Throughout middle school and high school I played in punk bands, jazz band and marching band. At the time I was really only listening to punk, metal and some old hip hop stuff. Once I went to college I was introduced to electronic music and that’s really when everything clicked for me. I was blown away that one person was able to create all these sounds and arrange them on their own. I started Djing and then within only a few weeks I was hooked and dove into production. Once I got into Ableton it all made sense what I was trying to do with my vision of music. 

2. You definitely have a very unique name for your project. Does the name have a specific meaning or derived from something in your life? Is there a story fans might not know about how you came to this name for your project?

The Smokestax name actually has a pretty unique meaning to me. Everyone just assumes its just like some weeds tight thing haha but there is a story behind it. When I first started making beats I was really focusing more on hip hop instrumentals. My friend in college at the time was a dope rapper. After class everyday we would sit in his car writing music because it was the only speakers we had. We recorded our first song together in the parking lot of a smoke shop called Smoke Stacks. I was signing up for a Soundcloud account so I could post the song we just made and decided to go with that and switch it to the x.

3. As an artist, you can experience a number of road blocks along the way to achieving your goals. What motivates you to continue to be creative and make music even when times get tough?

I don’t want to get too personal but growing up I experienced a lot of loss of loved ones and people close to me. As hard as it is I’ve always tried to use that energy to create. When my brother passed away I used that as my motivation to really put everything I have into music. He was my number one fan and supporter. He didn’t listen to electronic music but he loved anything I made. He would go out of his way to show others and tell me what sounds were interesting to him. Without him I would have never dove as deep as a did into music in my teen years. I really owe everything to him musically. 

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?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to just have fun. Music can get so competitive and weird if you let it. To me, music has brought me so much joy and connections. I feel so lucky. I’ve met so many people I consider family on this journey so far. To sum it up, as you grow with your project and career always remember why we all began creating to just have fun