Deez ft. Frequency Fodder - Juice [Premiere]
It's fitting that we cap our coverage of the compilation Neurons Vol. 1 from Elemental Minded Promotions (EMP) by premiering "Juice" by DeeZ featuring Frequency Fodder. DeeZ, formerly known as Satori and going by Andy Widdecomb by day, mastered all 11 tracks on the compilation. Frequency Fodder, a friend of Andy's with mega modular synth capabilities, is a relative newcomer whose contributions to this track leave us looking for more of his work.
"Juice" is led by a wonky piece of synthesis that sounds once like a psychedelic talkbox, and again like the shuffling of a metallic deck of cards. Distinct and mastered to crystal clarity, it offers a unique tingle for the ear. According to Andy, the pair recorded an hour of audio with Frequency Fodder's Eurorack modular synth rig, which Andy then chopped and arranged into the squelchy, maneuvering delight you hear in the track.
Having worked with Elemental Minded Promotions for over three years, DeeZ is a pillar of the EMP family. Years ago, Andy struggled to juggle work, production and performing, a dilemma faced by countless musicians and not an easy one to remedy. It was at this time that Tyler Hettel, EMP founder, began managing DeeZ. "It was great timing and really helped me continue moving forward," Andy says.
For over five years Andy has been practicing the art of mastering music. "I started doing it for two reasons," he says. "One, because I needed to put rough masters on tunes that weren't finished in order to play them live, and two, I wanted to have a better understanding of how it works." Putting a glossy veneer on complex bass frequencies is no small challenge, but it's one Andy has risen to.
The practice also informed his production process. "When I first started, I would notice problems in the mixdowns of my tunes when compressing/limiting them. Now that I know these things cause issues when the tune is mastered, I try to keep these common problems in mind when producing."
For his part, Frequency Fodder is a self-described "Eurocrack fiend", alluding to his synthesizer setup and an apparent addiction to it. You can see and hear more of this rig through some absolutely jamming clips on Frequency Fodder's Instagram, linked below.
We can apparently expect more collaboration from these two in the future. This is great news, as after a few listens to their contribution on Neurons Vol. 1, it's clear who's got the juice at the moment.
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