It's Monday, so time for another BBB! 🗞️✨
ENJOY 💙💙
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NEWS
Hordes of producers leave Wasserman agency as CEO discovered in Epstein files
As horrible as this subject matter is, from the other side of it there's still some faith in humanity to be gleaned. Over the course of last week, one electronic artist after another announced their decision to leave the Wasserman talent agency, after it was revealed that the company's CEO Casey Wasserman had been discovered in the Epstein files via flirtatious emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Within the Bass scene, attention surrounding Wasserman intensified after Levity let fans and followers know of their decision to leave the agency. Following that, many other huge artists within the scene from Subtronics to REZZ, Seven Lions to Tape B, ALLEYCVT to Of The Trees and far beyond, announced they were also departing Wasserman. This extended to mainstream electronic music at large, with artists such as John Summit, ODESZA and Louis The Child also giving statements of their own. Below, I will share a very good X post from @TokenOfTheMonth, who's stitched a lot of the most significant updates together into one thread.
X thread: https://x.com/tokenofthemonth/status/2021665743742574841?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
I think we've got to a point now where it's more remarkable which artists have yet to post about this, than the ones that have. Props must go to Levity though for - I think - being the first significant Bass act to make this step. They were active with this and definitely led by example, because look at how many producers followed after them in the days after their post.
In the fallout from this news breaking, Wasserman has put the company up for sale, and apparently messaged its current employees to say that he had 'become a distraction' to the agency's work. Yeah, you can say that again. The entire talent roster has also been removed from the Wasserman website.
I imagine we'll be getting a tranche of other artist posts related to this in the next few days, for anyone that has failed as of yet to make their position clear on this. From those musicians in particular, it's fair to say the silence is deafening.
Deadmau5 calls out AI-using producer
This is very weird, and not okay. Deadmau5 took to Instagram last week to talk about AI, and an incident of someone using his image and voice to create a video that Deadmau5 himself had no part in at all, and didn't OK. This was apparently done by another DJ in the electronic scene, but it hasn't been revealed who that is. Of the incident, Deadmau5 - real name Joel Zimmerman - said 'I'm sure this is just the beginning for talentless fucks to abuse this tech further themselves while violating others rights in one of the worst ways possible'. Unfortunately, I think he is right in also saying that this will just keep happening, because the generation of it is so easy. It's a 'dystopian future' indeed.
Have you seen any other examples of this in the electronic music scene?
MUSIC
Skrillex & Ahadadream collab is finally here
A couple of weeks ago, I reported briefly on a new collaboration between Skrillex and Ahadadream, which many thought was being released with that announcement, but it's actually only just come out last week. The tribal House cut, titled 'Bass Dhol', lasts just over 3.5 minutes and is extremely catchy, thanks in large part to its rattling percussion that takes the listeners' attention from start to finish. It isn't particularly forward-thinking, but is a certified banger without question, so get on checking it out if you haven't yet!
Stream 'Bass Dhol': https://soundcloud.com/ahadadream/bass-dhol
New Moody Good EP
It's a good time to be a Moody Good fan - which realistically, I think is all of you! Fresh off the release of his ID-stacked mix in December, the legendary UK producer has given fans and followers a lot more good news to enjoy. He dropped new track titled 'Grinding' last Wednesday, which it says has exclusive license to Zeds Dead's label Deadbeats, but which is mainly on a new collective called SPEEDBUMP. This could turn out to be a new sister imprint to Deadbeats, which I imagine we'll find out more about in the near future.
With 'Grinding', Moody Good announced a new EP, which might share the same SPEEDBUMP title if we're to follow his Instagram post logically. This could also be the name of a new production house and animation studio, which he also mentioned in his post. Maybe this will come to be a new way of understanding the Moody Good project, through a selection of artistic mediums not previously associated with it. Regardless, it really does seem like the start of a new chapter to him, and an extremely exciting one at that! 2026 is sure to be a big year for Moody Good lovers.
Stream 'Griding': https://soundcloud.com/moodygood/grinding
Joyryde is back
This has got me SO hyped. Just last night, predominantly Bass House and Garage producer JOYRYDE shared a multi-part Instagram story from a show he played in Toronto. Unsurprisingly, amongst the clips was a slew of IDs that fans have been seeking out for what must be a couple of years at least by now. All of this to say - it seems like he'll be releasing a fair bit of music pretty soon.
TRACK 1, TRACK 3 and TRACK 6 - what could this mean? Could it be the second album people have been rumouring about? How much do we read into 'The weight is lifted'? Of all the Bass producers that've been away from releasing for a while, he's absolutely one of the top few that I'm most excited to hear new stuff from, so bring it on!
Watch the Instagram story before it evaporates forever @enjoyryde!
TYNAN drops debut album
Just over a decade into releasing officially, TYNAN has put out his first full-length LP. The project, titled TYNAN TIME, is self-released and consists of 15 tracks, coming in at 40mins in run time. I've yet to hear the collection but will likely be streaming my reaction to it tomorrow on Twitch, so do tune in for that if you can!
P.S. I love the artwork! The collage-y presentation of it suggests that the album is diverse in terms of genre, which would definitely be reflective of TYNAN's general approach to making Bass music.
Have you listened to TYNAN TIME yet? If so, which track of the 15 is your pick?
Stream TYNAN TIME: https://soundcloud.com/tynanofficial/sets/tynan-time-album-1
Modal Nodes debut EP drops
This is another huge debut project to have dropped in the Bass scene last week! In the last BBB, I reported on Modal Nodes' debut show at Northern Invasion, and speculated that it could be the springboard for more official music to be released soon under the alias. Well, that turned out to be the case as out of nowhere, the duo - how Modal Nodes presents on stage at least - put out their first multi-track release, a 5-track EP on INFEKT's label Port Zero titled Alone. Like the TYNAN album, I will also be streaming my reaction to this project on Twitch tomorrow, and seeing if the material reflects the immense amount of hype it's gotten over the last few days. Safe to say, I'm very excited to check it out.
Have you heard Alone yet? If so, which track of the 5 is your pick?
Stream Alone: https://soundcloud.com/modalnodesdubs/sets/alone-ep
The week's big Bass releases
Along with everything mentioned above, there were several other significant releases from the Bass world last week. To go with the Modal Nodes EP, there were also Extended Play drops from HOL! and Moore Kismet, the latter of which I covered on the channel. Collaborations-wise, alongside Skrillex & Ahadadream's track we got duets from Excision & Subtronics, Virtual Riot & Blanke and GRiZ & Levity.
Interval Audio unveiled a new sister imprint called Cyepher, and with that dropped a new compilation featuring the likes of Azernion & Devath, altair & Rocket, FRESH STUFF and more. There are also new singles from Effin and beastboi., as well as a fresh Loompaskettee track that I simply couldn't go without mentioning.
Moore Kismet EP reaction: https://youtu.be/S2kmKVxnV00
Happy listening and watching to you all! 💙
DISCUSSION
Technical skill is worthless compared to songwriting
Of late, this section of the BBB has been about finding opinions and including them because of my own strong thoughts on those views. However, this particular take from underground producer Dyzphoria differs in that it's actually generating a fair bit of discussion online. So the topic this week is 'technical skill in music production is almost completely worthless compared to songwriting ability'. Let's dig into it.
My favourite response within this general discussion came from Taiki Nulight, who simply said 'You should be good at both really'. Ultimately, I think this is true and important to remember in light of how Dyzphoria has framed his take. To say technical skill is 'almost completely worthless' in this context means that that aspect of a track wouldn't have to be great at all if the songwriting was fantastic. I know this isn't the case for some, but personally I've got to a point where a song can be extremely well-written, though if the production value isn't there, I find it hard to sit through it. It's the same the other way around. Do I prefer if the songwriting and technical quality are both in the middle, as opposed to an extreme at either end? Probably not, but I think you do have to have a degree of excellence in both departments for a track to truly do seriously. If an idea isn't memorable or engaging, listeners will tap out. In the same breath, if the overall sonics of a track grate on the ear, people are hardly gonna go back to it much.
Other responses explored the relationship between technicality and creativity, which I thought was interesting. If you become more technically skilled, do you inherently become more creative in your music-making? That seems like a logical through-line, though again it really depends on what's meant by 'technically skilled'. Is that becoming better at finding and manipulating sounds, or is it more to do with composition? A lot of these things require definition, which you're hardly gonna find on X, but some good back-and-forths were had, so it's definitely worth giving the thread a look when you can.
Original tweet and responses: https://x.com/dyzphoria/status/2022978951308808297?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
What do you guys think? How 'worthless' is technical skill alongside songwriting prowess?
FUNNIES // COOL STUFF
Another great phonon reel
A really cool video from none other than phonon explaining the chasm between the Jazz and Dubstep worlds, people's misinterpretations of their fusions, and what can be done to bring those two musical spheres together more. It's a short and great watch!
Reel link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUtWEAGjz14/?igsh=eWllcmpiOWJkOTZ5
R.A.V.E. in Super Mario
Yes, yes, all the yes! This is exactly as you'd expect, and does exactly what it says on the tin. Bravo, props, chapeau and all that.
Clip link: https://x.com/djnintendo64/status/2023114252039700800?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
Skrillex - This or that
Just top drawer short form content, has to be said!
It's also a good way of figuring out for good what the ultimate Skrillex track of all time is.
(Safe to say I disagreed with a lot of the choices!)
Reel link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUofok6EwOd/?igsh=MXhkdzFtaWdxa2tuYw==
An absolute Brostep bonanza
This is very fun to play along with! It's a 30second mash-up medley of Brostep brilliance from Barely Alive. The game is to name as many of the tracks involved in said super mini-mix as you can. Go!
Clip link: https://x.com/barelyaliveus/status/2022414947565867412?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
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Did I miss anything from the last week in Bass music? Let me know below! 😌