To say that I’ve been frantically anticipating the release of this EP would be a vastly immense understatement. With it’s original release date set for December 21st of last year, it’s been exactly one month of constantly waiting to see this one hit the shelves. Tunnidge has always been one of most successful proponents of the ‘stripped-down’ approach to song writing and this most recent release with the emphatically idolized Deep Medi imprint displays three perfect examples of this type of production.
2012 ||
The track bearing the release title establishes a precedent of ominous synths and panning undertones that could easily disorient the faint of heart. As always the fierce drums that have become a staple of Tunnidge’s sound are very apparent throughout the beat, namely (at least for me) his kicks and hat work. I couldn’t imagine a track better-suited for the title.
Orion ||
This beat is without a doubt my favorite off the release. Immediately the atompheres caught my attention as my mind quickly wandered into realms of pre-1990 video games and science fiction film scoring. The rolling drum sequences are sure to keep your head nodding on this one as the classically Atari-esque horn blows sounds off in melody. I still haven’t been able to make out much of the sound-bit that was used but what I can say it is a vital component to the tracks synchronicity.
Take Flight ||
While maintaining a theme of brooding atmospheres and analog presence, the EP’s final track takes the energy down a bit. The dissonant, ringing lo-fi pad that is heard throughout provides perfect contrast for the remaining elements of the tune, as they’re extremely dark. This is the type of music that sends chills down your spine.
Have a listen below and make sure to go out purchase this release if you’re feeling it!
Today marks the 1 year anniversary for BWS. I’m astounded at the amount of support this little idea has gained (although it may be miniscule relative to other platforms). Going from 1 to nearly 800 supporters with over 20K views in a single year is amazing in my mind, regardless of how jaded the current state of social media would make it seem. I am so thankful for the relationships that have come into being from this website. I’ve connected with various people from all the world, and it’s been really humbling.
A seriously MASSIVE shout out of respect from myself to all of you that have made this page what it is today. I would also like to shout a major thank you to you my best boys Shice and Lowkey, who helped build the foundation of BWS with me last year, although they’re both onto their own paths now. Also, as you may have seen in the last post, there will be some new writers being introduced over the next couple months so be on the look for new flavor/opinions and be sure to make them feel welcome. Ben Grimm was the first to be announced, so expect to see more from ‘Begrim’ on the garage side of things. Let’s see what the next year holds for us, shall we?!
In order to celebrate this oh so monumental milestone I have decided to run a little competition for some free giveaways. I was looking through my crates and came across 3 records that are duplicates because I double ordered them – sadly, on 3 separate occasions too, haha. Anyways, since I’m broke as f*ck this was the best I could come up with. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, however. All of the records are in ‘mint’ condition as they’ve never been played. I will say, though, the Compa remix does have some scuffs along the outer rim, but this was due to manufacturer defect so don’t get pissed about a scuff on the free record you receive. The three records are:
Mavado – Dem A Talk (Compa Remix) [WXWL001]
Razor Rekta – Loko-Motiv / Development [CHST018]
Dark Tantrums – Unborn / Storm [MEDI054]
***Note to the winner: If you’re located outside of the US, I will not be able to cover all the shipping costs, however, I will split them with you. Once we come to that juncture we will figure it out as needed. If you’re in the US, shipping is on me.
This competition is meant for the people that have been supporting during this year, so there is no need to publicly share this competition, unless you prefer to lessen your odds of victory. If you prefer to share it, however, I have no issue with that. All you need to do is answer the following three questions:
1. Which song on his self-titled EP (‘Commodo EP’) did Commodo not want to include?
2. Which artist that interviewed with BWS said these words:
“theres just not enough energy in most of the stuff coming out whereas with these techno influenced rollers with the big relentless kick drum lines and the pounding subs there is just so much natural energy, you move instinctively to the music whether you like it or not because of the sheer physicality of it and the rhythms that have been engrained in us over the past millenia from ancient ‘tribal’ music. “
3. Who was the first artist to record a mix exclusively for BWS?
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Email your responses to bassweightsociety@gmail.com before November 15th, 2012. YOU MUST ENTER ‘BWS 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY’ AS THE SUBJECT LINE OR YOUR RESPONSE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Big up fam’! Hope all is well. A preview of ‘Mischief’, a tune forthcoming track from Swindle on the Deep Medi imprint, has been released via the Deep Medi YouTube page. The track is part of a 3-track EP, titled ‘Forest Funk’, due out November 5th, 2012. This tune is a beautifully written track that delves deep into jazz influences, and more so, the actual song structure.
“A producer building a beat and extensively focusing on the harmonic progression and interplay of a jazz band is a little bit of uncharted territory (though I’m sure there are probably more than twenty examples of it I’m overlooking right now). Sure someone like James Blake has that classically trained kind of phrasing but I’m talking about that brass; that concert piano and that serene humanization of the melodies. It’s something Swindle does really well on ‘Mischief’, the flip side of his new 12” for Mala’s Deep Medi imprint.
It’s easy to understand, from a production point of view, how you could just plonk a sick 140 bpm beat on top of a web of sampled instruments but ‘Mischief’ really benefits from the fact that everything is played live. The lithe way it wiggles through the evolutions is a real success suggesting that the direction and interplay between the producer and horn player harbours a next level of maturity for Swindle’s production.”
And if you haven’t had a listen to ‘Forest Funk’ yet, head over to Swindle’s Soundcloud page and give it a go. Or just listen below 🙂
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Some seriously next level sounds coming from Swindle in this EP – but what else could be expected when the minds of Swindle & Mala are considered. Again, this EP drops November 5th, 2012 at all major record/digital retailers. Vinyl heads – this will sell out fast so be sure you’re quick once it hits the shelves! Until next time…
EZ brothers and sisters. Hope everybody is doing well, feeling good, and vibing out to this beautiful world that we live in. Time has been straight up FLYING by lately, it’s truly insane. I thought that once school was done with I would have all the time in the world to keep this site updated and content constantly rolling through during my summer break. Life just keeps throwing this and that, and things just haven’t been catering to my free time. I apologize for that, hopefully all ya’ll heads can understand :). It’s been almost a week since I last got a post up here and in that time there has been some really amazing music put out and some great news revealed, as well as some saddening news.
Let’s get the sad out of the way first. Although it seems to be quite speculative, considering no definite statements have been recorded, rumors are spreading that Pendulum will no longer be writing/performing music as they’ve decided to concentrate on their Knife Party project. I have no hate for what they’ve chosen to do with Knife Party, everybody needs to make money, and I’m sure they really do enjoy the music they make and the reactions they get from the crowds. However, it saddens me that Pendulum will no longer be. They provided my youth with some of the greatest EDM experiences and I draw a lot of influence from their innovation and flat-out talent. I hope that it’s not really the end but, times change, people change, and the game changes too. Much love and respect out to them boys for doing their thing for so long and I wish them the best in their future endeavors!
To lighten things up a bit, their is two specific events that made me extremely happy recently. One being that Mala’s in Cuba album was reviewed by Joe Muggs and published on The Arts Desk (read here). Not that I ever doubted the quality of Mala’s production skills, but it was quite an intriguing concept to incorporate Latin music into the South London brainchild of dubstep. I’ve heard the two tunes that I’m sure everybody else has heard as well, but to read to Joe Muggs interpretations of the remainder of the album made my heart jump up like a schoolgirl who had just seen the Nsync tour bus pass by. I truly cannot wait for this album to drop! It’s going to look all these ignorant bastards, who make claims like “dubstep is dead”, straight in the eyes and tell them to FUCK OFF! I’m getting really tired of all these jaded listeners who incessantly complain because they are too lazy to do their homework and search through hype. Dubstep will never die. Second thing that made me quite happy was the announcing of the boat parties that will be held during both Dimensions and Outlook festival. HYPED! The tickets will go on sale this Thurday at 8pm (GMT), so all the US heads that means 11am. So many unreal parties will be going down, I can’t even begin to imagine the vibes that will be going down. Make sure you get to your tickets to whichever party you want to attend fast! They will sellout in an extremely quick fashion.
Now, to the beats. I’ve got a solid handful of tunes that I want to post up on this beezy, hope you enjoy dem’.
First track is from a favorite producer of mine, TMSV. It’s a collaboration with the notorious Beezy. The track is laced up with some awakening lyrics that get your mind thinking about some of the more troubling things occurring on our planet. The words are abruptly met with percussion that will take your mind back to the tribal roots we all share. The dread-ridden synth created for this tune is all-time. Puts out some of the most intense energy. Massive one out to TMSV and Beezy for this production.
This next bit is a forthcoming on Tempa Records by Consequence. Proper soundsystem music, this one. Such a powerful kick, the snare is tailored perfectly, and the space in this tune is just as vital as the notes. I’m sure there will be lots of great things to come from Consequence after this release.
This next track picks the energy up and gets in your face with Biome incredible production skills. This one is another tune filled with percussion that will incite the most primal of urges inna’ dance. THIS TUNE IS FUCKING MAD! I keep finding myself saying this but the man just keeps putting out heat after heat but, Biome has seriously been on a roll for about a year straight, putting out the heaviest and most intricately constructed tunes. Big respect to the badman.
Next up is forthcoming on the almighty Deep Medi imprint. I’m sure you’ve heard it because it’s been getting so much hype but I have to repost it because it’s such an amazing release. Medi 59 will be from Jack Sparrow, and it’s about bloody time this man got signed to the Medi fam! This track, titled ‘Good Old Days’ features Ruckspin on the production with Sparrow and is a jazz-infused bassweight masterpiece. These guys have nearly unrivaled mix-downs, every element of the track being placed and EQ’d with the finest of precision. The flip, ‘Afraid of Me’, takes a step away from the jazzy side of things and delves into the sonic exploration of techno-infused bass and analog sounding atmospherics. Going to be an amazing release and I cannot wait to snag up a vinyl for myself!
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I want to send you off tonight with two absolutely MASSIVE remixes done by Sleeper and Compa. Sleeper has remixed DCult’s ‘Deadly Hands of Shang Chi’ and done an amazing job! Rupturing sub-bass on this one! Compa has chosen to release his rendition of Reamz – Fear on the ‘We Are Wax’ white label imprint. This tune displays Compa’s top-notch ability to take an original, that is already an amazing tune, and turn it into an equally as large interpretation. Make sure that your subs are ready to flex on this one!
Oiiiiiiiiiiiiii! What up everybody, hope all is well. Friday is finally here, so that means it’s time to whyle out! Cannot verbalize how excited I am to see Rustie at Smog Sunday’s this weekend. This young man has done some phenomenal things with his music. He is honestly one of the most forward-thinking producers out there at the moment, in my opinion. Add Rustie’s musical prowess into the equation with SMOG’s ability to throw some of the ILLEST parties that California has seen, and what do you have? A fucking amazing night, that’s what you have. I strongly urge you to make it out to this show if you can, it is sure to be one of the highlights for the summer. Sunday night, Dim Mak Studios, BE THERE. You can find more details about the show here.
So, as were about get into the weekend, which usually entails several forms of debauchery, I tried to pull together some tunes that are going to clear your mind, and then get your blood pumping hard.
I wanna start things off with a new bit from the ultimate badman, Swindle. As we’re anxiously awaiting his Deep Medi release to hit the shelves, he has blessed us with this soulful number in the meantime. This jam throws out some killer vibes. The vocals from Takura set the stage perfectly for Swindle’s bounce-infused purple dance number. A perfect way to clear all the negativity/stress that has accumulated over the week and get your mind on the right level for good times with the ones you love.
This next bit is comes from the hands of Icicle, and is an absolute roller. I have to say, I am extremely pleased with the direction Icicle has been taking his beats. The title suits the style, as he’s named it ‘Deep Tech’. Give it a listen and close your eyes as you’re transported to a dungeon in eastern europe with the deepest, most minimal beats playing. This is taken from the Rinse 19 mixed by Icicle.
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Now I want to hype this new piece that Ghost Note just uploaded, titled ‘Transmission’. This one hits some low notes! Spacey percussion, techno-infused stabs, and an extremely powerful dub-esque bassline fill the airwaves as your body vibrates to the frequencies, warming your soul. Pardon the quality, it is only 128kbps, but it’s forthcoming on the S/T EP so be on the look. Apparently the second drop is absolutely mental, too! Can’t wait. Big up the NZ crew!
Up next is a tune from the industrial beat-smith, Distance. The track is called ‘Searching’ and it emits some truly evil vibes. Fading chants, rolling kick drums, and growling basslines take hold of the frequency spectrum and transcend your mind into visions of deep and dark silhouettes (or at least my mind).
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Now, to finish off the weeks tunes I wanted to bring back an all-time classic from the Cali-grown innovator of west coast dubstep, Matty G. This tune, released back in 2009, will smash any dance floor up! Infusing the west coasts hip-hop funkiness into the UK’s bass-ridden brainchild (dubstep), results in nothing short of AMAZING. This man is a pure example of forward-thinking, and the fact that his tunes still sound so good stands a testament to that. Turn the subs up and get ready for the west coast to show you how we rock! 😉
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That’s it fam, hope these tune will put you into those weekend vibes! We will see you next week, and if you’re going to Rustie, we will see you then! Big up the readers, much respect from the crew.
Bassweight Society 