V/A - Oxidized, Vol. 3

February 14, 2023

The Oxidized compilation series is a charity project we have been working on since the inception of The Rust Music, with Oxidized, Vol. 1 being our very first label release in February 2017. At the end of each year we select a new charity, aid organization, or non-profit, to which all proceeds from the series are donated. In the past we have donated to organizations focusing on natural disaster aid, environmental restoration and preservation, as well as civil/human rights advocates and COVID-19 relief efforts on local, national, and international levels. Proceeds from the Oxidized series in 2022 and 2023 will be donated to support equal rights to healthcare and access to abortion.

Across the last 6 years, we've recurrently tapped into a network of both our roster talent and our close associates across the experimental electronic music spectrum to craft our first two Oxidized compilations. Now, for the final entry in the Oxidized Trilogy, we've brought together 32 producers, songwriters, and musicians from the US, the UK, Germany and Georgia to craft 28 tracks that cross through a medley of motifs in Hip-Hop, Drum & Bass, Downtempo, and more. Please relax and enjoy this curated selection of moods and attitudes, courtesy of The Rust Music and our extended kinfolk.

crawdad sniper - Squid Pro Quo

January 24, 2023

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Hailing from the D.C. area and falling back on a lifetime of experience behind the drum kit, Crawdad Sniper is a producer/DJ with a significant rhythmic bent. Already boasting a modest catalog of hip-shaking tunes and sprinkles of funkadelic electronic music, his latest collection of tracks fields sharp sound design and pocketed phasing with a polished profile. In a bid to start the new off with a righteous groove, The Rust is especially excited to host his newly minted EP, Squid Pro Quo.

Tight, pinpoint percussion dominates the runtime of Squid Pro Quo, serving as the consistent foundation for his rhythmic and melodic arrangements. Taking clear advantage of his time as a drummer, it’s simultaneously the backbone and foreground of the EP, with each hit taking up generous sonic bandwidth. Each track flares with an alternate series of forward and laid back attitudes while keeping the focus squarely on kinetics; splices of throaty synthesis mingle with staccato lead lines and harmonized chord plucks, closing the distance between hard hitting neuro motifs and pronounced songwriting fundamentals. There’s an almost liquid quality to the EP’s engineering, producing a listening experience that is as hygienic as it is engaging, and betraying a significant dedication to cleanliness as well as design. For fans and appreciators of rhythmic inertia, funk motifs, and generous synthesis, Crawdad Sniper’s Squid Pro Quo is guaranteed to satisfy.

Primate - Tortuous

September 28, 2021

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With a sound and style that begets immediate recognition, Primate originally emerged with a design palette that felt honed in beyond its years, presenting a catalog of exceptionally avant-garde electronic music right out of the gate. As such, we’ve proudly hosted his work on numerous occasions, and are just as excited to debut his latest experiments on the Tortuous EP.

The absolute first hallmark of any Primate production is his bombastic percussive arrangement; be it rising swells, crashing climaxes, or veritable rhythmic bridges, his drum shaping and programming across the entire EP is both on par with his sonic aesthetic and a step above previous releases. The liquid-soul underbelly of each track acts as an anchor for daring runs of low end synthesis, mingling the playbook of improvisational jazz with his own brand of space-aged synthesis. It’s a masterclass in phrasing, pacing, and evolution across compositions, bringing breaks, glitch, and instrumental dialogue to the same table. For music minds of all shapes and sizes, Primate’s Tortuous should be next on your list of must-have records.

Absalon - The Mind

July 27, 2021

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Reaching across the globe with ambitious appeal and obvious creative command, the Israeli producer Absalon has quickly found himself in the nexus of interest in novel electronic music, brandishing extraordinarily viscous compositions and stylized sound design. With a keen eye on appreciators of textured arrangements, The Rust is incredibly excited to present his latest release, The Mind EP.

Absalon’s music is defined by predominantly lush phrases and profiles, with a clear ear for modality and tonal relationships. The Mind begins and ends with the same emotive, melodious egress, with pulsing chords shifting into and out of the frequency spectrum. There’s a buoyancy to his songwriting that is demonstrably refreshing in a scene defined so often by sharp, razor-edged textures and attitudes, and the result is a vivacious and positively charged collection of tracks that fuse precise engineering and emotional resonance with outstanding clarity. For anyone looking to balance out their listening catalog and find respite from the harsher sounds of contemporary offerings, look no further than Absalon’s The Mind EP.