Within the electronic bass scene, there is a constant ebb and flow of artists gaining their chance to step into the musical spotlight. Each new release is an opportunity to excel into the forefront of the EDM world and putting their project on the map. This is exactly what bass wizard and producer extraordinaire, IORA, has come to do with his latest stomper of a track, “Helix”, that we have the pleasure of premiering for you all today. With its driving 140 beat, electric synths, and high energy melody, this track is one for the books, captivating anyone who gets the chance to hear it. It’s almost hypnotic sound is one that is not to be missed and is sure to get entire dance floors up and moving. We will definitely have this one on repeat for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling this rager, “Helix”, a certified bop. 

“This song is incredibly important to me for two main reasons. The first is that it represents the fusion of an emotionally evocative atmosphere with an energetic, driving beat. The second is that it provided the opportunity to share the stage with Sully at Electric Zoo and ultimately led to our forthcoming collaboration, which we teased together at Evolutions Festival last fall.”

Diving Deep w/ IORA

1. How did you decide to get into making 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 didn’t fit in very well at my high school early on, and one of my outlets was listening to electronic music. A childhood buddy of mine showed me “Satisfaction”by Benny Benassi & The Biz back in like 2007 (I was late to that one), and that led to a deep exploration of different genres and styles. In 2010, at the height of my UKF Dubstep era (their YouTube channel was my main source of tunes back then), I stumbled upon the Doctor P remix of “Last Ones Standing” by Example. For some reason, this track above all others piqued my curiosity around how these tracks are made. So I went home from school one day and stole my mom’s Macbook (temporarily) to mess around in GarageBand. The 80s disco loops were great, but I wanted more creative freedom so I did a little research and bought Ableton Live 8 shortly after. I’ve taken a couple years at a time off music here and there since then, but getting laid off during COVID allowed me to rediscover that sense of wonder I had when I first downloaded Ableton. The mentors I connected with during that time rekindled that feeling I had when watching a Mr. Bill tutorial in my bedroom at home, having no idea what the dude was talking about (he’s a genius), but having so much fun just learning something new and dope from an amazing artist. More recently I’ve been feeling trapped in the corporate rat race, and after some soul-searching I realized that I don’t want to one day die knowing I didn’t at least try to realize the dream that I promised myself I’d chase at 14.

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 it would be the classic trifecta of perfectionism, fear of failure, and impostor syndrome (I list three because it’s all tied together). I think a major reason I’d take time off making music was due to this. Holding tracks for years because I never thought they were finished, turning down gigs or release opportunities because I didn’t want to make mistakes or be judged, and feeling like everyone in the scene is somehow better or cooler than me — these were massive roadblocks to my enjoyment of taking my music out of the bedroom studio or connecting to other artists and fans. I think these will always be a work in progress, but I’m proud to say that I’ve forced myself out of my comfort zone in all three of these areas with amazing results. I’ve released some music that’s been incredibly well-received and have an upcoming release on my dream label (take that, perfectionism!), I have some really amazing shows and festival bookings coming up this summer (I’d still rather not make mistakes, but I’m doing it!), and I’ve met some of my best friends through networking with other artists, even those who were mentors to begin with (shoutout Sully!). I guess this journey has allowed me to see my own courage and confidence that wasn’t there for a very long time, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

3. 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?

Shoot your shot! Reach out to that artist and hit up that promoter! But do it politely, and remember that they are also just a person. The opportunities starting to unfold for me because I learned this lesson are invaluable. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help and find a mentor.

4. What’s next for your project? What plans do you have in the near future that you hope to accomplish as “IORA“?

Write and release a whole bunch of music. That’s the goal. I’m kicking my 2023 release calendar off with Helix, and have a major release next month. Going to keep writing and keep releases consistent going forward. I also want to put out my debut EP this year, so I’m workshopping concepts for that. It’s going to be a fun year!

“Human Nature” can be a tough concept to explain because it is in itself unpredictable and sometimes chaotic. While the idea of human nature can be a difficult idea to understand, Detroit-based bass wizard Grayskale has taken his idea of human nature and translated it into his latest 4 track EP. Like the many different faces and concepts of human nature itself, each of the tracks on this EP showcases their own unique sound, taking listeners through a journey of their own mind unlike any other. Our premiere today of this EP, “Inertia” plays on the tension and release of everyday life. Life is a continuous ebb and flow of events, feelings, and emotions, and this idea was translated perfectly into the build-ups and breakdowns of this rolling drum and bass track. With its upbeat DnB melodies, this tune will catch any listener’s ears and have them playing it on repeat for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Inertia” and the rest of the Human Nature EP, a certified bop.

Inertia is a song about the release of tension built up during the stagnant periods in life. I consider myself to be a busy body, and when I’m not preoccupied with things to do, things to learn, or the ability to create, I have a tendency to get stressed, so this song is dedicated to the release of that stress.

Diving Deep w/ Grayskale

1. How did you decide to get into making 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’ve been making music as long as I can remember, but I didn’t start really writing my own music and learning how to operate any sort of music workstation device or software until I was about 14. I started producing beats and recording my vocals at home, and it slowly turned into producing bass music.

2. 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?

The community of friends and family we’ve carved out of the community is definitely my #1 motivator. I’ve met my best friends thru music, and I’m sure there’s plenty more friends to make on the way!

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?

One fan interaction that hit home for me was a woman who found herself wishing she could perform music, art, or anything creative. She expressed to me that she feels incredibly inspired to learn how to play an instrument or produce music every time she sees live music, but she feels as though there’s no way for her to make it a reality. I explained to her the importance of believing in yourself, and giving yourself a fair shot at following your dreams! I definitely remember what that feeling is like, and I’m sure a lot of you do, too.

4. What’s next for your project? What plans do you have in the near future that you hope to accomplish as “Greyskale“?

Up next for the Grayskale project is a full length LP, probably some more singles, EPs, and filling up the bookings for the back half of 2023!

There are a number of talented women making their way to the forefront of the experimental bass scene, paving their path to the spotlight with some absolute heat. As many know WAKAAN’s very own spider queen, Sharlitz Web, has been at the head of this movement, weaving her own web throughout the bass music scene. Today, she continues to live up to all of the hype surrounding her project with her latest release Plexured Minds, a 5 track compilation that captures and tantalizes listeners from the very first measure. Our premiere today off this incredible body of work, “Web Works”, is nothing short of an absolute stomper. Its heavy-hitting bass line, intricate melodies, and catchy uptempo tune will have every listener with a permanent bass face. There is no doubt that Sharlitz Web is spinning her own web throughout the EDM scene, capturing everyone in her path with her sound. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling “Web Works” and the rest of the Plexured Minds EP, a certified bop.

Plexured Minds is the dark playground of my own mind. I had to bring some of the unwanted parts to the surface and integrate it into myself whilst trying to find balance between the dark and light. This EP has helped me weave new parts into my life while doing my own shadow work.”

Diving Deep w/ Sharlitz Web

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

I always had an obsession with music as I grew up. Both my parents took me to a lot of live events as a child. We had backstage access sometimes and I was very blessed to experience some of the things I did with them. I would stand in front of the sub woofers and wouldn’t want to move. I loved the way it would feel going through my body and the way it made me feel from the inside out. I remember as a child watching everyone dance and let go, fully immersing themselves into the music was something I was learning while being so young at these events. I would dance with my parents until I would fall asleep in their arms. That was the beginning of my love for music. Something about that bass and the power behind the music to let you let go 😉

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?

 Absolutely. Some of them have brought me to tears of happiness.  I’ve gotten messages from fans about how much my music means to them and some have felt safe enough to tell me that my music has hit them deep enough to start unlocking parts of themselves and has helped them with their own depression. Also, because I lost my sister, some of my fans have come forward and shared their stories of losses and in a way we’ve bonded over it. It’s really special and makes me feel like this mission I’m on is truly helping people heal which is a huge part of my project.

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?

I’ve gotten a lot better at being easier on myself. In those moments of roadblocks I’ll just do a little revaluation of what’s going on with me at that time. Self care and doing things that are healthy is huge motivation for me as well as getting into nature and taking a step back from whatever it is that has my nervous system overworked. The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to take care of yourself. Working out a few times a week and getting out of the house really has benefited me since I moved to Denver. My fans and my team are also a huge motivation to me when things get tough. Just taking a second to think about how much we’ve accomplished and how much more we are going to accomplish just sets a fire inside of me.

4.  What’s next for your project? What plans do you have in the near future that you hope to accomplish as “Sharlitz Web“?

I’m sitting on a lot of music that I am very excited to share throughout this year. More consistent releases and I’ve been doing a lot more manifestation work for some bucket list festivals and label releases. This month I get to play Lightning In A Bottle and Sunset Music Festival, which are both bucket list festivals for me. Collabs will most definitely be more of a focus this year as well.  Moving to Denver has opened up a new chapter in my life. Just continuing to hone in on my sound and my social media presence while balancing other aspects of my life is on the agenda. 2022 was really tough for me as I struggled both mentally and financially so just getting back into my roots,  getting into a good flow, and continuing to heal myself is most important right now.

Drum & Bass has been on the rise to the forefront of the EDM scene, gaining more and more traction as this classic UK subgenre finds its way overseas and more and more into the US bass culture. With this surge of DNB music into our local airways, there has also been a wave of new and exciting DNB artists all trying to make their mark as well. One shining star within this genre, already climbing his way into the bass music spotlight is none other than DC-based artist Shreztah, who has already begun turning heads left and right with his music. Today, we have the absolute pleasure of teaming up with our friends over at The Gradient Perspective to premier his latest track “Reaper”, which is a DNB stomper unlike any we have ever heard. This one will definitely get those finger guns going, with its rolling bass, and catchy melody that will have any dancefloor up and moving. There is no doubt that we are going to start hearing this one being rinsed out all over the place this festival season. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling this stomper “Reaper”, a certified bop.

Diving Deep w/ Shreztah

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

I have always been a pretty musically inclined person from a young age. I’ve played guitar and piano on and off throughout my life but I am by no means a classically trained musician. I always just played music for fun! I discovered electronic music through YouTube in elementary school and I would listen to Deadmau5 in my room in the dark because I just loved the vibe of a dark room and strange music that still holds true to this day. My best friend in middle school Jared introduced me to dubstep in 2010 and my life changed trajectory from then. I was absolutely blown away by how it pushed the boundaries of everything I knew about music at that point and knew I wanted to find out more about it and where it came from, eventually leading up to me going to my first dubstep show in 2016. This was the night I decided I wanted to continue doing that for the rest of my life. A little while after that night and a couple of other events I decided I to buy my first dj controller and eventually Ableton which has led me to where I am today. 

2. 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?

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?

Whenever people I have never met before come up to me in a crowd or at an event and tell me how much they enjoy my music it warms my heart so much that I am able to have an impact on someone through something that I created. Before I got involved in the electronic music community I barely had any direction in life. Through this community, I was able to find who I am and who I want to be. I’ve made something of myself for myself and others to be proud of.

4. What’s next for your project? What plans do you have in the near future that you hope to accomplish as “Shreztah“?

What’s coming up next so far for me is my self-release old school rave/ breaks inspired 3 track EP “The Sound Culture Rave-a-thon” dropping next week on Wednesday, May 3rd. Hopefully, you can catch me spinning a couple of festivals and events this summer :). I will also be continuing to work with “District.wav” a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. striving to tackle community wellness through peer-to-peer harm reduction support and raising awareness to behavioral health topics including but not limited to, substance use/education, sexual education/health, & mental health. 

When it comes to music, one melody can transport any listener through time and space into a completely alternate reality. Many artists try to tell stories with their music, painting pictures through notes, bleeps and bloops. This is especially true for up-and-coming bass master Andriod Dreaming. We have the absolute pleasure of premiering and showcasing his latest track “Decorating Time”, a bass-heavy tune that will captivate both the ears and the soul. Fueled by its future bass sounds, this track will have anyone tuned in with its catchy melody, deep booming bass, and glitchy auditory experience. We definitely are going to be blasting this one for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a deeper dive into why we are calling this stomper “Decorating Time”, a certified bop.

“I slowed down on releasing music last year to focus on developing my sound and exploring new production techniques. ‘Decorating Time’ is the result of some of the happy accidents that occurred during this period.”

1. How did you decide to get into making 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?

Music has been a passion for as long as I can remember. I got really into the guitar when I was young, but fell in love with electronic music after being introduced to it in college. It really blew my mind to hear something that was so novel, going beyond melody and rhythm to exploring textures and other dimensions of sound.  After finishing school, I picked up Ableton and I was immediately hooked on producing. 

2. If you had the chance to collaborate with any artist of your choosing, who would it be and why would you choose them?

A dream collab would be with Max Cooper. I’m consistently impressed by the creativity in his compositions, and the way that his immaculate sound design plays off of the harmonic ideas in his work. His creative use of technology for live performances is also really inspiring, and I think his work with setups such as ‘4d sound’ bring a really interesting way to experience music.

3. 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?

Be patient, and make sure you’re having fun! When you learn to play an instrument, it is a slow, rewarding process, and you can learn for a lifetime. Producing electronic music is no different, so you need to really enjoy the process. Find ways to inspire yourself over and over again – try new gear, learn from good teachers, collaborate, and challenge yourself. If producing is fun, it will continue to pull you in. 

4. What’s next for your project? What plans do you have in the near future that you hope to accomplish as “Android Dreaming“?

Lately I’ve been trying to get further from a computer when I write, so I’ve been using synths, drum machines, and a piano a lot more than I used to. I’m writing a lot of music these days, and I’m trying to release more consistently this year.  I’m looking forward to sharing a range of tunes from club-oriented tracks to weirder modular compositions and downtempo tunes. I’m also working on developing a live set and hoping to share a version of it later this year!

If you want to talk about artists who are quickly paving their way to the top of the charts, the name Feelmonger may come up and for good reason. There is a current fire in him that’s been burning strong now for the past 8 months with his ongoing release schedule. When you’re receiving constant support from the likes of Mersiv , Steller and others in live sets , stopping is the last thing you want to do. Mathew is now here to further show folks that there’s more to come with his newest 4 track ep titled “High Dive”. Today we have the honor of premiering the first single off the ep w/ APE ESCAPE , a gnarly drumstep track with lots of switch ups and break downs to keep folks glues to their speakers. Feelmonger will be dropping one single per weak leading up to the final full platform release date on May 5th so make sure you keep your eye for more. Now it’s time to take a deeper dive into the man behind it all and why we consider this track to be what we like to call , a certified bop.