EPROM is one of the vibrant West-Coast scene's most colorful characters and an important cog in the international Rwina machine. He's a consummate post-snake person producer, and his sound varies from toxic hip-hop to searing garage mutations to bizarre concoctions somewhere in between. His beats jiggle and drip and contort wildly, always in some perpetual state of melting, churning, and mutation. He's had releases on Warp, Surefire, and Bristol-based Bad Acid, but it's his Rwina releases that have been the most visible and enduring, whether it's the timestretch torture and fierce melodic geysers of "Humanoid" or deconstructionist mayhem of his "Pipe Dream" EP, where dubstep and grime collide for a staggering beast that shakes off heavy blotches of radioactive fluorescent sludge with every beat that lands. His live sets are something to behold as well, emphasizing the hip-hop roots that lurk underneath his sewer beats, and an hour of EPROM is bound to turn your brain into to the same sort of goo that gums the gears of his distinctive beats. Fans and supporters of Eprom include Flying Lotus, Questlove, DJ Shadow, Rustie, THE GASLAMP KILLER, The Glitch Mob and BBC Radio One's Mary Anne Hobbs, and the producer has shared the stage with many of the international electronic music community's hottest artists. With his new album, Metahuman, garnering critical acclaim from all corners, Eprom is finally getting the recognition he has earned as an integral part of the giant bouncing backbone of West Coast Sound.
Addison Groove (aka Antony Williams) started life under a different pseudonym altogether. Recording as Headhunter, with an LP and 12” releases on the influential Tempa label stretching back to 2007, he achieved legendary status within the dubstep scene. His work at the deeper end of the spectrum graced the label an impressive 7 times, a figure matched only by Skream. This work looked set to continue until 2010 when, seemingly out of nowhere, he crafted one of the biggest bass music tracks of the decade, ‘Footcrab’, under the new name of Addison Groove.
The response to ‘Footcrab’ was phenomenal, receiving critical and commercial success in equal measure across the dance music scene. Getting plays not only from the dubstep DJs that Williams was used to reaching, it also found its way into the record boxes of techno and house heavyweights such as Aphex Twin, Surgeon, Ricardo Villalobos and Mr Scruff, bringing an enormous new audience to his music in the process. Taking influences from the Chicago ghetto tek and juke scenes, Addison Groove’s impact on UK bass music has been colossal and unprecedented, sparking a huge interest in these styles from his peers and the listening public alike.
For even more music, check the Addison Groove Soundcloud.
Lost City is a fresh collaboration between veteran producers Noah D and No Thing based out of Los Angeles. The aim of Lost City is to bring a unique, new twist on the Jungle sound the two fell in love with over ten years ago by combining new structures, tempos and styles with the traditional breaks, sub bass and Reggae influences found in Jungle. The duo calls this new amalgamation of the old and new simply, “JNGL”.
Noah D started in electronic music with a wide range of Drum N Bass releases including the classic, Good Sound with reggae legend Anthony B which also saw DNB star Benny Page on remix duties. Years later he followed with groundbreaking Dubstep tunes including, Seeeriousss and Examination of Time with Babylon System. More recently SMOG Records put out his first full length artist album entitled, Perspective which included collaborations with Antiserum and Truth, as well as vocal appearances by The Grouch and UK Grime stars, P Money and Newham Generals. Over the years his tunes have been rinsed by the likes of Skream, Dj Hype, 12th Planet, Dieselboy, and Mista Jam to name a few.
For the past ten years No Thing has been collaborating with powerhouse producers like Noah D, Antiserum, Truth, Babylon System, and SPL. Tunes like Fully Loaded, Examination of Time, Murderous, Gangster and “All as One” made it to the playlists of Skream, Bassnectar, N-Type, Plastician and Excision.
Anastasia Culbert better known as ‘Lotus Drops’, is a multi-faceted DJ/Producer hailing from the depths of the Bay Area. Driven by her love and profound passion of Underground Electronic Bass Music Scene, Lotus Drops has established herself as a staple and emerged to become one of the most exhilarating artists mixing-it-up on the scene today.
Representing bass music for 15 years strong, The Dowlz is the founder, and label boss behind Kaos Theory, one the Northwest's largest, and longest running electronic music promotion groups. From weekly club nights to 7,000 person massives. Pretty much the god father of bass music in Seattle. Honored is an understatement . BIG UP KAOS THEORY.
Ana Sia’s DJ crate is a ticker for the hottest sounds of tomorrow. One of the west coast’s most celebrated DJs, this LA-based tastemaker is known for not only energizing the dance floor, but consistently breaking new sounds from all over the world. Having championed many of the most beloved music festivals in the North America and abroad, Ana Sia has gone from rocking house parties to stadiums by stylistically staying two steps ahead of the game. From huge festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival and an array of clubs and venues spanning every major city, countless college towns and hot spots everywhere, Ana Sia has built a community just as fun, wild and eclectic as her style and alongside that comes a growing list of artists ranging in all styles that she has shared the stage with. Sia unleashed her first full length contribution in 2012, a well-regarded compilation and DJ-mix titled ‘Surreal Estate’, a strong testament to her forward-thinking style, ‘Surreal Estate’ was featured in music publications such as Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, XLR8R, & Sonic Router, touted as leading the way with the brightest production minds in North American dance music. Coupled with her growing production catalog on Frite Nite, Hot n Heavy Recordings, Thoughtless Music and self-launched Cham Recordings, Ana Sia looks to make her mark on recorded music as memorable as her DJ sets. In the meantime, she’ll keep crowds enticed -- keeping speakers pumping with big bass-driven, intelligent and sexy music...deep enough for the cabaret and filthy enough for the festival stage.
The Jersey Club movement is being hailed by music authorities like FADER and VICE as the next big wave in dance music. Thankfully, this movement has already found a first lady to guide it into the future. UNiiQU3, began as a sought-after vocalist in the club scene, and has recently solidified herself as one of the most electrifying producers in the game. From throwing some of Jersey's hottest DIY events, to now spreading the genre across the globe from Australia to South America she's definitely leaving her impact wherever she goes. In 2015 alone she's worked with Givenchy, Red Bull Sound Select, H&M, MTV, Boiler Room and more, to provide a unique experience to a variety of audiences worldwide. Her records have been obliterating festival and club sound systems through the hands of some of the most influential people in dance music such as Skrillex, A-Trak, Diplo, Anna Lunoe and Sinjin Hawke. She's also shared the stage with notable artists and djs such as Rae Sremmurd, Kehlani, Skepta, Cashmere Cat and Hudson Mohawk to name a few.
As a performer, UNiiQU3 is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser who moves effortlessly from hard-hitting bass music to current and classic hip-hop, r&b along with her own live cuts, she's the definition of entertainment. Her goal is to push the genre forward and show people that you can do whatever you want if you work hard and stay true to you. Be sure to be on the lookout for her debut EP in 2016.
One of the most intriguing rising talents of the West Coast dance scene, Saint’s musical and artistic palette is as diverse as the city he calls home- Los Angeles. From vocal-heavy rap tracks, to experimental bass music, traditional house to club music bangers, the producer tackles a wide array of sounds- all with the defining flair and signature bold aesthetic he’s known for. It’s no wonder the producer’s work has been supported by a wide array of the community’s biggest and most celebrated artists and publications. With his profile continuing to rise, the young producer is poised to form his genre-defying sound even further, all the while defining the balance between accessible and progressive as only he can.
No one DJ or indeed producer can claim sole credit for Dubstep. But when the history of the genre gets told, no DJ has ever had, or perhaps ever will again have so much influence over the course of the genre as Hatcha. It’s no overstatement to say the entire genre bares his stamp.
Hatcha’s roots seep deep back into late ‘90s UK garage, Croydon and pirate radio. Originally the buyer at the now defunct Big Apple record shop, Hatcha was one of the very first DJs to pick up on the new dark strains of 2step that were being made by local producers like El-B, Artwork and Horsepower at the turn of the millennium. As the producers came into the shop to sell white labels of these niche new sounds, a community arose. The shop began its own label, Big Apple Records and its first release was the dubstep classic “Red” by the shop’s resident producer Artwork. The next releases came from his two protégés, Benga and Skream.
As the garage sounds from south London began to take on their own unique, dark swung direction, it became clear that the nascent scene needed a home. In 2001 Forward>>, dubstep’s founding club, started with Hatcha a resident. It was here he began to up the ante. While other DJs came with a collection of white labels (tracks immanently due for a public release), he arrived with a box of upfront dubplates: unique one-off exclusive tracks. No DJ could test.
Throughout the decade Hatcha’s sets, first on south London pirates then Rinse FM and now Kiss 100, went from strength to strength. His headline slots at Forward>> forged the genre into the form we now know it in. This was in no small part because he had exclusive access to Benga and Skream’s music, before adding three new producers: Mala Digital Mystikz, Coki and Loefah to his arsenal. The destiny of an entire scene lay in his hands, every time he played.
In 2003 he even played a part in naming the genre. Amidst the scene’s key players: the Big Apple camp and Ammunition who ran Forward>> and Tempa, the term “dubstep” (from dubby 2step garage), began being circulated. It appeared in a press release and then on a US magazine cover. Hatcha was then asked to mix the scene’s first compilation that cemented the use of the name: Dubstep Allstars vol 1. He must have done something right: they asked him back to co-mix vol 4.
Since those times Hatcha has gone on to hold down his flagship Kiss 100 show alongside long time MC, Crazy D, DJ across the planet, co-produce with a variety of the scene’s heavyweights and mix compilations such as Ten Tons Heavy for Planet Mu.
As the scene he inspired and crafted developed into the worldwide phenomenon it now is, Hatcha toured the world spreading the Dubstep gospel. Over recent years he has played to crowds from America, to Japan, to Australia and across Europe. From the
biggest UK festivals to the best festivals and events around the globe.
On top of DJing, Hatcha has released a host of genre defining productions on some of the world's most innovative and iconic record labels. Currently working on original productions and remixes, Hatcha and studio partner Lost have already remixed UK chart topping singles and acts, setting the sky as their limit.
Recently launching his Sin City brand alongside fellow Dubstep don, DJ N Type, Hatcha has gone on to host Sin City events at the UK's leading venues (including their new residency at the legendary Fabric London), as well as release critically acclaimed singles through the Sin City record label. A label which, alongside Hatcha's nomination for best DJ, was nominated for best new Dubstep label at the yearly genre awards.
Through all this, Hatcha has well and truly cemented his name in music history books for his role in creating and continuing to develop the most innovative and exciting genre of the 21st Century.
Youngsta should need little introduction. One of the figureheads of dubstep since the very beginning, resident at scene-defining club night FWD>>, and the DJ who first played some of the genre's most-loved anthems, he continues to be a hugely active figure in dubstep's development. His weekly show on Rinse draws deep for new music, helping to expose talented new producers, and the founding ethics that defined dubstep in its early years still remain at the heart of his sets.
"The sound is just me," he says, explaining that he's hesitant to draw a defined line around the music he plays. "It's Youngsta. It's what I've always done. People say it's not changed much, but you can hear progression and change definitely, it's not the same [;as it was];. It's obviously the same vibe, it's going to be deep."
Youngsta was one of the first DJs to play dubstep on Rinse, alongside Hatcha and Kode9, in the early part of last decade. Since he's borne witness to every mutation in the sound, and his shows now find music by brand new producers rubbing shoulders with Tempa artists such as J:Kenzo, Icicle and Proxima. His name is synonymous with the immersive end of the genre, something that's run through everything he's done over the years. Having been involved with Rinse FM for such a long time, he says, it's hugely rewarding to see how well-loved the station - and the music that he plays - has become. Playing at Brixton Academy especially, he says, was a huge buzz. "It was great to see that Rinse can fill a dance that big, and to be able to play such deep music on such a big scale."
Shhhhhhhh! Andrea Graham is known as the Librarian, but don't be fooled by her deceptively quiet composure. The Bass Coast Music Festival's co-founder and music curator has been making some very loud noises up and down the Pacific Northwest for the better part of a decade. Her knack for blending total dance floor destruction with sly subtleties and hot new exclusives makes for a consistently accessible, yet undeniably future sound. Indeed, her festival's carefully crafted music line-up is a perfect mirror of her style. Serving up a veritable who's who of the West Coast bass scene and reaching deep both backwards and forwards, The Librarian offers up unabashedly hard-hitting low-end bliss paired with thoughtful, sophisticated chops.
In addition to curating and co-producing Bass Coast since its 2009 inauguration, Andrea has toured the Pacific Northwest club & festival circuit extensively (Shambhala, Symbiosis, Rifflandia, WTF!, Sonic Bloom, Tall Tree, Burning Man, Sync, Envision, Meme, World Ski & Snowboarding Festival, Crankworks and more), and has performed as far way as Costa Rica; throughout the midwest in Can & USA.
"Tom Kha Soup is a collaborative effort between Seattle-based DJs SHTICKYKEYS and THALO. Initially inspired by their respective upbringings in dubstep, Baltimore club, drum & bass, hip hop, beat music, and East Coast goonery, the two have translated their love for forward-thinking electronic music into live sets and events that dissolve genre boundaries and create an energy all their own. In addition to their collaborative DJ project, Shtickykeys and Thalo run Tom Kha Productions, whose bi-weekly Spectrum parties have become Seattle's home for underground bass music. Since forming their live project 2 years ago, they have provided support for such heavy-weights as G Jones, Minnesota, Moody Good, AWE, EPROM, Astronomar, DJ Sliink, Om Unit, AK1200, Sweater Beats, Louis Futon, Bleep Bloop, Distal, Hermitude, Branchez, and many others.
Sander Dennis makes loud music. Unrepentantly blaring, aggressive, brutal, sometimes even macho music. That's not exactly a point of distinction in the exploding American electronic music scene. But EPROM's music is, perhaps paradoxically, also some of the most subtle and inventive of his West Coast peers, meshing the rude with the avant garde. He carefully manipulates each element to a degree usually reserved for the fussiest of minimal techno producers. An EPROM track roars, belches, squeals and shrieks, sounds contorted into frequencies stretched to their limits.
Unlike many of his US brethren, Dennis' music isn't exactly dubstep. In fact, it's more hip-hop than anything else. (He often loads his strange sludgy brew with dirty south rap percussion—snares that slide off the greasy surfaces.) But he doesn't quite fit in there either. His music is too willfully weird to fit a formula. Just take his idiosyncratic obsession with the aquatic, for example. Water bubbles prop up unstable melodies all over his debut album Metahuman. So maybe that's why he's become one of the biggest underground electronic producers in America: Like all of the best music, genres don't encapsulate what he's doing. It's better just to focus on what it feels like, namely unleaded physical power and giddy destruction.
Partners in Grime aka Pressha & Kat1lyst first met in the year 3033. Both had been Stationed on the 12th Planet to explore unknown areas of bass. They first met during a very dark time in the universe known as the Great Skrillex Depression. Working together in the deep coal mines of Noisia is where these two honed their skills.
Pressha being a master of the Abacus and Kat1lyst being highly skilled in the art of Taxidermy these two knew they had no choice but to team up.
Shortly after coming together to form the PiG alliance these two went on to create life changing inventions. Things such as the Fizzy Lifting Drink, Swiss Cheese, The Revolving Door, The Cucumber and the most important thing of them all.. Their 8th mix in a series of mixes.
These two have opened for a huge roster of talent. Sharing the stage with people such as Obama, Merlin, The Girl Next Door, Bunny Sparkle GoGo Festival Goddess, Slush Puppy, Random Henchmen#2, Satan, Tom From Myspace, Season 3 of Teen Mom and last but not least Elton Johns Hairdresser.
We truly hope you enjoy the musical journey that is Partners in Grime.
Rachel Morales, also known as Altesse is a California born, Seattle based DJ whose love for dance music developed at a very young age. She was exposed to various forms of dance music such as Jungle, Drum & Bass, Breakbeat, Trance, House as well as Techno. This exposure has transitioned her becoming a well-rounded, multi-genre DJ. Her DJ resume is a great reflection of her appreciation for various forms of dance music. From sharing the stage with TWRK, and Mayhem at Volume, Alison Wonderland at Q as well as mixing hip hop at Aston Manor. She has landed a residency at Q nightclub on their FWD Wednesday nights, as well as their MADNESS Saturday nights. DJ-ing has been her focus on the forefront. Her goal is to eventually create the music that she loves, so she can deliver the feeling she gets from seeing her favorite artists.
LA’s William Bensussen, aka The Gaslamp Killer, is many things at once. The San Diego native is a bonafide one-off; an artist and human being that can never be repeated. With an unparalleled energy, the DJ, producer, promoter and curator brings a different level of performance and showmanship to electronic music.
"I always felt drawn to party time ever since I was little. Any kind of opportunity; a wedding, bar mitzvah, holiday. Whatever kind of event that was going on in my little community in San Diego, if there was music, I was dancing. It's just the way it was. I've always been into the energy and the happiness that it brings.”
Being a true music lover, and a complete obsessive, as a DJ/selector Bensussen has opened minds around the world to music that wouldn’t otherwise get heard. In his own words: “As artists, it's our job to entertain as well as educate.” Alongside co-founder Daddy Kev, GLK has put Southern California on the music map for years to come, with their beat mecca Low End Theory and the vibrant creative community they’ve built around it. The weekly Wednesday club night has brought together different scenes and generations, breaking new artists while also getting the likes of Thom Yorke and Erykah Badu to play DJ sets to the fevered Low End crowd, who often wait hours to get in.
Over the last ten years, Gaslamp Killer’s iconoclastic attitude has led him beyond LA to far-reaching corners of the globe, one stage at a time: from Pitch in Amsterdam, to Sonar in Barcelona, to Austin Psych Fest, to Roskilde in Denmark, to Coachella. Holding a collection of well over 13,000 vinyl records, GLK’s untamed, unpredictable sets take traditional genres of rock into the outer reaches of hip-hop and the deep into the cosmic pressure of the heaviest electronic beats, with plenty of obscurity and bizarreness in-between.
"The music that I grew up with influences me today enormously still. I love classic rock, I still love Dub and I still love Rap. Real rap. Gansta rap. I love bands, live bands, it's the music I grew up with. I don't think there are that many bands that can compare to Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors. They're not popular for no reason. I play The Beatles in my sets all the time still. Their music is a huge influence on me. I still play Dr Dre in my set all the time. His beats and the rhymes, the energy, they just affect me so much. They are a part of me. As well as Hip Hop, as well as Rock, and Blues, and Soul, and Jazz, and Reggae, and Dub. That kind of music I think lends to everything that we are all into today. All of us are fueled by that. The formulas that they laid and the foundations that they laid are used by musicians forever and will continue to be used forever.” (GLK, from an interview with Serato)
As a producer, The Gaslamp Killer has worked with artists such as Gonjasufi, Prefuse 73, and Flying Lotus. His own experimental solo material pushes the borders of genre as much as his performances, particularly with his heavy- weighted EP ‘My Troubled Mind’(Brainfeeder) and the monster ‘Death Gate‘ EP (Brainfeeder), which featured Gonjasufi, Computer Jay and Mophono.
Released on Brainfeeder in September 2012, ‘Breakthrough’ marked the debut full-length album from the Gaslamp Killer. Blending California-inspired psych with widespread global influences, on ‘Breakthrough’ GLK brings together a potent cast of friends to contribute to the album, with guest appearances from Gonjasufi, Adrian Younge, Dimlite, Daedelus, SAMIYAM and more. A musical anachronism and unconstrained compilation from a wandering spirit.
Shhhhhhhh! Andrea Graham is known as the Librarian, but don't be fooled by her deceptively quiet composure. The Bass Coast Music Festival's co-founder and music curator has been making some very loud noises up and down the Pacific Northwest for the better part of a decade. Her knack for blending total dance floor destruction with sly subtleties and hot new exclusives makes for a consistently accessible, yet undeniably future sound. Indeed, her festival's carefully crafted music line-up is a perfect mirror of her style. Serving up a veritable who's who of the West Coast bass scene and reaching deep both backwards and forwards, The Librarian offers up unabashedly hard-hitting low-end bliss paired with thoughtful, sophisticated chops.
Seattle native Zac Hendrix is a world class selector and has served as Del the Funky Homosapien's DJ for the past 12 years. Leland Jones is the co-founder, lead vocalist, and main producer for legendary underground hip-hop crews Insult2Injury and All Flags Burn. As Hendrix Jones, they are responsible for the wildly successful Midnight Hotline Rendezvous club nights that feature soul and funk music from the early 1980's. Their "MHR" parties are some of the largest of their kind in the world and are the only ones to feature such a uniquely hip-hop spin on the genre. Be prepared to dance! These heavyweights are gonna reach deep into their 20,000-count crates to get extra funky for you!
