Jonteal - Mezmerize

Art: Resonant Language

Combining infectious rhythms and swollen, emotive textures, Arkansas-based producer Jonteal puts an interesting approach to modern low-end design in his third EP, Mezmerize. His poignant synthesis and compositional command blend into a purée of pure mood music.

The combination of tracks on Mezmerize give it a wide berth for a double sided release; the arrangements are extremely fluid, with tendrils of influence from glitch and psychedelic music reflected with soothing twists. The mid-range patches and tones are smoothed around the edges, trading a soft bite for a large impact.

Jonteal’s diverse use of stereo space allows every melody and rhythm to shine in synchronicity. Bright, precision percussion and thumping downbeats are the workhorse of both tracks, matching up with the movements of each bass line with whipcord ferocity. The mingling of that ferocity and an abundance of atmospheric movement define Jonteal as a forward thinking musician, and highlight a deep affinity for structure and tonal relationships. The powerful undercurrent of those relationships is what gives Mezmerize it’s lasting impact.

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Tom Lokhem - Alone

Art: Imagine Visual Lab

Combining porous ambience and droning melodies, Colombia native Tom Lohkem casts a soothsayer’s spell on his single, “Alone”. The track is textured and succinct, with each sound given ample room to breathe within their respective layers. Placing the focus on lead melodies and percussive innards emphasizes the dynamic range accomplished through Lokhem’s clever production and engineering. Floating within a sensual vibe, “Alone” touches on the emotive synapses through potent, orchestral composition.

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5AM Trio - Triovision

Art: 5AM

Hurling through stereo space and time, the 5AM project has fused a myriad of collaborative forces into a space-aged ensemble. He has brought to full fruition a vision of electronic music that pulls from the expansive arrangement styles of jazz and jam, and was borne from the stage as much as the studio. The addition of fellow Philadelphians ZONE Drum's dynamic percussion and Tygris' combination of electronic production, bass guitar, and turntablism has brought 5AM's music into fresh, improvisational territory. Over a year of trio appearances across the country and countless hours spent practicing and workshopping the tunes have forged this combined musical might into a fierce, producer-driven, multi-instrumental act, and this synergy has produced a lush, organic set of tunes; the Triovision EP.

The hi-fi production and fluid composition across Triovision are in line with 5AM’s conventional output, but the addition of Tygris and ZONE Drums on the record itself amounts to far more than just a touch of extra spice. Brazen cuts, organic fills, and instrumental synchronicity breathe a whole new life into 5AM’s patented blend of soul, jazz, and sheer bass weight. The added complement of Maya Elise’s vocal work and call-and-response guitar licks from Keith Wadsworth of Wax Future spread a lasting blanket of emotion across the record, accenting the concise production with succinct musicianship. Each track complements the greater whole of Triovision, gradually building on tempo, tension, and arrangement. It’s the typified journey through sound, brought to life through rounded edges, sultry chord progressions, and precision engineering. As an instrumentalist, 5AM’s chops have never been shone so brilliantly, and as a composer, Triovision is a well-rounded re-interpretation of his signature sonic adventures.

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MALAKAI - Odd Views

Art: A.L. Grime

With sharper edges, elevated sound design and a new posse of collaborators, MALAKAI comes correct on his fourth EP, Odd Views. It’s been more than two years since the New York City-based producer first released with The Rust, but in some ways it feels like a lifetime ago.

On these four tracks it’s plain to hear that MALAKAI’s sound design and songwriting have improved and his intent has sharpened. The sonic material itself isn’t revolutionary, but the subtle ways he moves and shapes the sounds gives attitude to the songs. Strong as ever is MALAKAI’s ability to communicate a feeling with melody, harmony, and note choice. Only now, the feelings are different. He’s deviated ever so slightly from his usual earthy, acoustic, mystical motifs. The void that remains is filled with something grittier, more urban, more direct.

His friends have changed, too, It’s reflected in the posture of this EP, which features Thought Process, pheel., and cuts from Bogtrotter. These producers, who are heavily influenced by hip-hop, deliver great bounce and buoyancy on their features. It’s still MALAKAI’s signature sound - grazing along, moving forward with swing and without haste. Not quite glitch hop, not quite dub, not quite hip-hop, but a home brew with all these ingredients. The edges are again sharper, the movements more crisp. There’s less to think about and more to groove on.

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AMAWALK - Flubbed

Art: Buffalo Jay

AMAWALK cultivates reverberant atmospheres and intuitive arrangements with his dual-track release, Flubbed, taking full advantage of stereo space and musical modalities. It’s his second release through The Rust Music, and a potent expansion of his immersive, genre-blending style.

The one-two punch packaged up in Flubbed is a duality of rhythm and sensuality. Ambient pads and stereophonic echoes combine with world-fusion percussion to create a primal listening experience. The phrasing is simple and elaborate at the same time, showcasing strong songwriting evolution paired with bold sound design choices and a sense of note relationships. Both tunes build on powerful root melodies and syncopated harmonies, so there’s a distinct alliteration to the EP. Open to close, Flubbed is an emotive wave of choice engineering and crisp compositions that aptly displays the ongoing growth of AMAWALK’s musical vision.

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Universe of Sounds - Froth

Art: Resonant Language

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Universe of Sounds brings liquidity and fidelity to the table through his first full release, the Froth EP.
Dripping in synthetic moisture and vibrant melodies, the EP blends texture and melody into a tonally full experience.

“Gumption” brings the energy up with a modern shine to classic glitch hop. Pocketed rhythms serve as a foundation for a vivacious skip through processed string lines and space-aged breaks. Every texture fills the stereo space no more than it needs to, balancing intensity with grace with smooth interpolation. “Peroration” is an airy, percussive swell of glitches and poignant lead lines. It takes its time developing from start to finish, cultivating a complete musical immersion.

For fans of a good headtrip and psychedelic soundscapes, the Froth EP will surely satiate any metaphysical cravings.

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Foxtail - Revontulet

Photo: Sunn Kim
Painting: Tom Loranz

The Utah-based audiophile and producer Foxtail reinvents his own wheel with Revontulet. Foxtail’s sound is categorically fluid in every way, and he succeeds in delivering on that fluidity yet again. Each aspect of his songwriting process has continued to mature, from the precise production to the crisp engineering. This maturation process has resulted in a tonally balanced set of five songs that together weave an emotional membrane.

Each track pairs off with the one ahead of it in a spacious, harmonious dance. The synthesis patching across the release is consistent and direct, creating a continuity that holds the record together like glue. Two tracks feature careful, syncopated vinyl cuts that dart through the percussion layers, combining dancefloor sentimentalities with downtempo ambience. Foxtail’s rhythmic structures are concise and hypnotic, carrying each composition straight from headphones to headspace.

Returning fans will remember his last release, Kitsune, as a melodious terminal into the Foxtail audio mythology. Revontulet is its natural successor, honing in on and evolving his undeniably dynamic style. Grouped together with his first release, Vosmana, these three EP’s makeup a dynamic trilogy that spans across the musical mindset of Foxtail.

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Kromuh - Shadow Terra

Art: László Magyar

Infusing hip-hop rhythmic fundamentals and outright devilish sound design, Kromuh unleashes the street-smart Shadow Terra. The Chicago-based producer excels in balancing bass weight and intuitive grooves, coming this time with three original tracks plus a collaboration with fellow neuronaut VCTRE. This music can be enjoyed any number of ways. It’s smooth, letting the listener rock back and forth with grace. But it’s also sharp, encouraging the heads to dig into the precise sound design. 

Kromuh didn’t always produce filthy, hip-hop driven bass music. He first cut his teeth on funkier sounds. But once he began dabbling in the darkness, he truly honed in on a specific rude man sound and has elevated it ever since. Shadow Terra represents the next great leap in this journey. Every song slams the frequency spectrum with jagged cuts and pocket percussion serenades, turning otherwise smooth hip-hop rhythms into dance floor carnage.

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Rumpistol - In My Room

Music from the Danish producer Jens Christiansen aka Rumpistol has never been conventional. It was his ability to create experimental yet accessible electronic music that first earned him notoriety over a decade ago. Now, a new five-track collection called In My Room finds the producer leaning ever further into that absence of orthodoxy. In My Room takes artistic risk and combines threads from many electronic styles. It showcases non-linear songwriting, bold textures, and uninhibited array of sonic material. Yet despite Rumpistol’s endless tinkering and flirtations with the edge, In My Room still offers a deeply comforting listening experience. 

Art: Carlin Diaz

Tempos and moods are fluid throughout this release, but the common denominator is a sense of wonder. The sort of wonder surrounding something ultimate and grand that we can’t quite grasp, yet we know is out there. The sort of wonder that surfaces when we’re lost in thought alone in our room. Rumpistol can fit so many distinct, disparate sounds into his music without creating a crowded mix. Each element has room to breathe. In My Room offers another great example of this dynamic. 

In the past several years, Jens has been working with his jazz and world fusion supergroup Kalaha, and maneuvering through the United States’ bass music circuit. The sounds of these two different worlds appear to have heavily influenced In My Room, and as such, it represents a new evolution of Rumpistol’s music.

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Ankou - Artificial Intelligence

Art: ALTITXDE.

Across six data-rich drum and bass tracks on Artificial Intelligence, the Polish producer Ankou fleshes out a story of sentience searching for a body. Epic, theatrical chord progressions and pounding percussion are balanced by an omnipresent layer of glitch so detailed and dynamic. It’s as if once Ankou created this thick layer of processed sound, he became incapable of controlling it. It trickles and crashes into every orifice and open space, like data soup moving swiftly and not gently through a birth canal.

Each song blends seamlessly into the next. This creates deep interludes of rest that allow the listener to catch their breath. Ankou takes a loose approach to layering across Artificial Intelligence. His bit-crushed synthesis fans out into differing frequencies that still come back to smoothly congeal with one another. The result is a lush soundscape that’s unmistakably digital yet seemingly alive. This breathing digital synthesis is the definitive mark of Artificial Intelligence, and it is maintained across the EP, including its two halftime tracks.

Whether releasing with Vale, Renraku, or on a compilation from The Rust Music, Ankou’s style has always been dark and dystopian. With this release, however, he creates a cohesive, thought-provoking narrative that guides the listener through that darkness. The debate over whether artificial intelligence is malevolent or benign will find no resolution here, but it will find a soundtrack.

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Tygris - Fabric

Art: Only Motif

The Fabric EP finds Northeastern glitch hop head Tygris leading a tour through dark urban nights filled with rumbling bass and distorted voices that echo down hidden sonic passageways. All four songs flow deliberately into the next, with careful motifs connecting the entire project. It kicks off with classic rap vocal samples, ends with dirty, dense verses from the quick-witted Rasp 5, and is punctuated by a collaboration with Wax Future. 

Consistent hip-hop rhythms serve as a familiar jumping off point that listeners can lean into. This sets the stage for an interplay of experimental sound design and aggressively manipulated vocal samples. Voices are stretched and peeled apart as Tygris plies them both for their unique sonic properties and their ability to express thoughts. Precise calculations create just the right pitch and veneer on a series of bass synthesizers. Then the entire weight of the sound is tumbled to and fro, tossed, turned and mashed down like a piece of play-doh. With the vocals tumbling along in tandem, Fabric becomes a maelstrom of head-bopping psychedelic bass that’s impossible to ignore.

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goldwire - Shadow People

Art: Only Motif

The rising Texas-based producer goldwire envelopes listeners in darkness with “Shadow People”. Synthesis like radioactive liquid seeps around the edges of sharp mechanical noise, with irresistible subsurface bass pulsating beneath it all. Whereas system music is often sonically sparse, goldwire fills up the stereo spread on this single, leaving no room for escape and bathing the listener in a deep sea of frequency. Dial in your subwoofer properly for this one. And if you don’t own a sub, well, “Shadow People” may just make you reconsider that decision.

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swesdo - Gallium

Art: swesdo

Breaking sonic tropes and bending frequencies with a dynamic flexibility, swesdo continues to define his hi-fi palette with the release of “Gallium”. Based out of the Chicago suburbs, swesdo maintains a lush, vibrant blend of emotional motifs and attitudes throughout his released catalog, and the addition of “Gallium” adds yet another dimension to his discography: pure butter. Spreading from funk to chunk, this record is slam-packed with percussive grooves and bombastic textures, all wrapped up a zero-point precision mixdown. Directly appealing to fans of meticulous audio design and programming, there's no good excuse to miss out on the audio 
treasures permeating the innards of “Gallium”.

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Gaddy - Foodtruck Fugitive

Art: Only Motif

The Houston-born beats archivist Gaddy returns to The Rust Music with another sidewalk-stomping project, the five-track Foodtruck Fugitive. Approaching electronic music via the back-door of hip-hop, Gaddy possesses one of the most refreshing sounds in alternative electronic music, a beautiful blend of urban Americana and semi-psychedelic bass that sounds both rough and refined on this release.

With Foodtruck Fugitive Gaddy builds out his beats into fully-fledged compositions that have smooth edges, dark corners, and wide horizons. One minute you’re cooling and rocking a sensual head-nod with some lurky sampled strings. The next minute your mind is gyrating hither and thither, tumbling inside a crashing wave of cerebral bass. After honing in on the essence of his groove, Gaddy takes risks and has fun with it. This calculated yet care-free approach creates music with wide appeal, perfect for pounding the pavement or for spacing out.

Here is something new for hip-hop heads, and something fresh for electronic fans. And if you listen close enough, you can almost hear the sense of humor of the foodtruck fugitive himself, slinging jokes, tacos, and fat bass beats from behind the fryers.

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VCTRE - Animagus

Art: FFINN

VCTRE sets a high bar amongst the incoming generation of producers with his latest release, “Animagus”. A fast-rising star in the world of underground music, his production prowess and musical output display a forward-thinking attitude in pushing the boundaries of contemporary music, with this EP being his brightest work yet.

Featuring guttural bass lines and a vivacious swagger, VCTRE hones in on the textures and boisterous musical attitude that has brought him a growing acclaim across the realm of low-end music. From tonal fidelity to compositional risks, he manages to cover all bases to ensure a positively glitched-out headspace, and does it with more than a subtle rhythmic jaunt. If left-field breaks and emulsified synthesis is your bag, then “Animagus” is poised to deliver.

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Face Plant - Spectral Drift

Art: Surreal Art Visions

Following the aggressive dancefloor EP Boom Slang from earlier this year, Face Plant the mad chemist returns with the more psychologically complex and cinematic Spectral Drift. This release manages to fit what feels like dozens of deep and sophisticated musical ideas into just three tracks, all while packing a frightening sonic punch.

Face Plant carefully orchestrates communicative melodies across the release which balance well with intense sound design. So while synthesizers split the speaker cones, highly cultivated note relationships and tonal movements create an engaging narrative for the listener to follow. Two talented instrumentalists are featured on Spectral Drift. Violinist Jon Hao (Bunk Buddha) lays down a lead full of folkloric flair upon which Face Plant spills a barrel radioactive glitches. Later, McWavy comes correct with a bellowing saxophone solo which is processed then positioned perfectly by Face Plant.

The producer prides himself on transcending the typical trappings of bass music to offer a thought provoking mental journey on top of a slamming dancefloor experience. He dials in that signature Face Plant dynamic just right on Spectral Drift.

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AMAWALK - Solar

Art: Buffalo Jay

AMAWALK offers a peaceful and enchanting listening experience on this three-track EP, Solar, balancing careful electronic movements atop a textured instrumental palette. This represents the first label release from the New York City-based producer, whose music is wise beyond its years.

Across Solar, AMAWALK leverages the organic sound of strings, woodwinds, and a buffet of percussion. He leans on the natural resonance of these sounds to establish wide, earthen atmospheres. Layered sine waves, ample sub movement, and a garnish of glitch; these electronic elements descend into his compositions and lea to a quickening. Pieces begin to interlock, forming full-bodied, enlivened compositions that gently grab hold of the listener without overpowering them. With great continuity from song to song, Solar becomes its own novel journey, reaching an emotional and harmonic climax before fading into silence.

The Rust Music - Auburn Etch [VA]

The Rust Music is honored to present our third compilation, Auburn Etch. Departing from the variable genres of our previous Oxidized compilations, this collection of music is a full service package of brolic and boisterous bass music. We’re tapping into the global reservoir of talent for this release, presenting producers from the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, and Australia.

Featuring high-octane rhythms, visceral sound design, brutish breakdowns, and break-neck musical phrasing, each track on this compilation represents a one-inch-punch of high fidelity audio production. Danny Grooves, Rumpistol, and Easyjack have lent their production wizardry and impeccable rhythm to the compilation, anchoring a release that showcases the unhindered skillsets of 5AM, Maxfield, Wessanders, and a host of other young-blooded producers with a tenable ferocity for meticulously processed synthesis.

Auburn Etch is a necessity in the catalog of any discerning audiophile. It’s full of those sonic sensations that are fondly familiar, and those that are new and boundary breaking.

Art: Max Burstein

Zonra - Formed

Art: Hexeosis

Take a pure and undiluted dive into sonic psychedelia with Formed, a five-track EP from Zonra, a veteran of experimental bass music. Although abstract electronica has always been a calling card for Jackson Hale (Zonra), he continues to test the limits of his creative faculties, and Formed is the splendid result.

Formed is detail-oriented electronic music. Crisp programmed percussion pairs well with resonant hand drum samples. Provocative sound design is arranged into complex structures resembling a four-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The producer, who hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico and currently resides in Denver, Colorado, is recognized for his stylistic flexibility. Although Formed leverages psydub motifs, the release cannot easily be pegged with a traditional classification. Rather, it’s an exercise in experimentation.

Formed ultimately represents an unfolding, a manifestation on the physical plane of imagery conceived on the spiritual. The complexity of the imagery means that successive listens may yield new results. Spend time with Formed and one will realize that things may not be in the end as they seem at first.

MALAKAI - Saros [New Cycle]

Art: Jesse Wheaton

Coming back around for its second pass through the gauntlet, MALAKAI’s methodically sculpted Saros EP has been remixed and reimagined by a select cadre of forward-thinking producers on Saros [New Cycle]. Primate., pheel., Foxtail, and wiseyoungfool bring forth unique flavors of experimentation on each respective remix.

From wildly enhanced percussive movements to fresh synthesis and juggled arrangements, each producer has spared no effort unleashing a renewed creative wave over Saros. Having no mind to miss out on all the fun, MALAKAI also snuck in a VIP of “My Middle Name..“, reinvigorating the track from the top down with a fresh lease of life. Considering each new take falls in line with the MALAKAI ethos, fans of his original catalog will thoroughly enjoy the musings on Saros [New Cycle].