It's Monday, and so time for another BBB!
ENJOY 💙💙
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NEWS
Space Laces and Dillon Francis drop 'STAXX'
I THROW MY STACK BACK. As is the case with every VAULTAGE mix drop, everyone invested in the Space Laces project - practically every member of the Bass music community - wonders which ID will be the first to drop in full from that given mix. For VAULTAGE 004, we have our answer - the bulldozing Moombahcore track 'STAXX' in collaboration with EDM legend Dillon Francis.
If you'll remember, this track sits neatly between 'TUNNELS' and 'GARFIELD', transitioning us seamlessly out of some Psytrance into a slower, more lumbering sequence, and then on into another heavyweight collab for the project alongside Getter. And what do I personally make of this ID in its full, final form? I actually just streamed my reaction to it on Twitch, the First Listen video for which has just gone up on the YouTube channel, so you might be best off just watching that (link below). Though I will say that, somewhat unsurprisingly given how much I've enjoyed that snippet of 004, my coverage of the complete tune is pretty positive.
Reaction link: https://youtu.be/K5_zjwVbLMM
How long do you guys think before the Moombah approach - whether Moombahton, Moombahcore or any of its hybrid styles - starts being produced loads again across the scene? It seems probable given how many times this has happened with Space Laces' music, and especially given how popular the dembow moombah beat used to be for electronic music producers.
Underground producer Floure District took to X to warn people of this problem, saying 'Please dont turn Moombah into what Techno did to the scene like 3 years ago. Or what Complextro/Brostep is doing right now'. And whilst you can't police or dictate what people make, or knock them for what they're inspired by, we've all seen how watered-down a genre can get when this happens (is it currently happening with Brostep?), and it could very much be the case with Moombah too.
What do you guys think, will Moombahcore make a return following this single release?
Dodge & Fuski - 'the gang is getting back together!'
According to ex-co-founder of legendary modern Dubstep label Disciple Records, Rob Talbott aka Dodge from Dodge & Fuski, the past group of artists associated with the imprint are reuniting. For months now, Talbott has been teasing a new project labelled '2.0' on Instagram, involving many people from the scene - myself included - to spread the word about a new movement for him and his team in the post-Disciple era, as reported in a previous BBB. What's clear now is that '2.0' is referencing a second iteration of Disciple, though given the label was sold to Create Music Group in 2024, Talbott and co wouldn't be allowed to use that name for this new venture. Quite what it will be called, who exactly it will involve, and when it'll be officially launched, is not known at the moment, but it is undoubtedly a momentous piece of news for the modern Dubstep scene.
With Skism reemerging online, and rumours circulating about a return of his label Never Say Die Records, we could have a situation again where NSD and Disciple (with its new name) resume their ultimate ongoing 'tête-à-tête as healthy competition' position at the top of the scene, just like the good old days of 2016-2022. Imagine mentioning that as a possibility a year ago!
What are you most looking forward to about the resurrection, or second version, of Disciple Records?
Monstercat receive backlash for Emorfik inclusion on festival lineup
Last Tuesday, one of EDM's biggest labels, Monstercat, named the lineup for its stage takeover at Nameless Festival in Lake Como, Italy on June 1st this year. Among the names were some big hitters from the Bass scene, including Svdden Death, Liquid Stranger and Ray Volpe. But there was another name that garnered the lineup announcement a lot of attention for the wrong reasons: Emorfik. If you'll remember, as reported months ago on another BBB, the Dubstep producer was embroiled in a transphobia case where derogatory past comments he'd made about the trans community were unearthed. He responded to the backlash at the time and issued an apology, but many in the scene are still unhappy with his inclusion on lineups, and in the Bass community generally today.
There weren't stacks of replies to the original tweet, though of what there was, almost every reply was bad feedback. Some responses were more direct and to the point - 'do not book emorfik if you have any self-respect left', 'Emorfik is not it' - whilst others contextualised the pushback with a bit more detail, saying things like 'Drop emorfik. Working with him could align monstercat with his transphobic views'. You know, just in case Monstercat weren't aware of the situation Emorfik was involved in? There were also quote retweets of the original post, one of which shared the meme pictured below.
Will Emorfik always have this backlash issue whilst he remains a touring DJ, or is there another apology he could issue to quell that bad feeling?
MUSIC
Skrillex shares live 'RECOVERY' remix to Instagram
This should mean something, right? Why would Skrillex go out of his way to publish a collab post with Space Laces, showing him playing out a live remix of their track 'RECOVERY' in San Isidro for Lollapalooza Argentina. He could've just made it a story post and left it at that, but taking this step feels significant somehow. Might a full version of the collaboration be coming soon? Does Skrillex know Space Laces has a lot of clout within the Bass scene, and so doing a collab post with him out of nowhere can only be a good thing? There's no way of knowing for now, but it's definitely worth watching the clip below just to see how the original cut - as we know it from 'FUS' - was refashioned.
Video link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV6c7GtEQc3/?igsh=MTRhcnV0YXBwNGhrNQ==
Hamdi & Peekaboo collab ID surfaces
Another week, another huge Hamdi ID teaser clip. This time, it's a collaboration with fellow Dubstepper of the moment Peekaboo, completing a team-up that I feel it was only a matter of time before it came to fruition. As you all know, I don't usually seek out IDs, or listen to them when they're in their earliest versions, but I must admit I was cheeky this time - I did check this one out. I think because I trust it to be good in all its forms and iterations? Anyway, it sounds pretty saucy, and I'll leave a link to it below for all of you to feast your ears on.
ID clip: https://x.com/hamdimusic/status/2032201369587790242?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
New Sharks EP on Port Zero
Sharks' first EP since August last year is here! This new project is a 5-tracker called Ichor and has dropped on INFEKT's label Port Zero, following up on 2025's Panic Attack which came out on Disciple. This fully completes the comeback cycle for Sharks, who as you'll remember went on an indefinite hiatus a couple of years ago to work on his health, and give himself some time away from the scene. It seems that that break has done him good, as he's now in a good rhythm with releasing again for the first time in years. I covered the Ichor EP on stream earlier today, my coverage of which should be going up on the channel tomorrow, so look out for that when it drops!
The week's other big Bass releases
Last week was another significant one in the Bass scene for singles! To go with the Space Laces & Dillon Francis collab, there were also pair-ups from Virtual Riot & YDG on Monstercat (reaction up this week), Getter & Svdden Death (reaction already up on YouTube), Kill Safari (Kill The Noise & Bro Safari) and Tom Finster & Vorso. There were also big-name solo cuts from the likes of Chase & Status, Dubloadz, Oliverse (reaction on this Patreon) and Skybreak.
Getter & Svdden Death - 'UNORTHODOX' reaction: https://youtu.be/MRhYgHdld7c
Beyond the Sharks EP, on the projects front it's also worth mentioning the latest EP from one of the biggest names in the Dubstep underground - Veer and his brand new 'FLOW STATE' collection for Reinelex Records. It would also be worth flagging the new Interval Audio compilation Eye know better now, and the first James Blake solo album since 2023, titled Trying Times.
Happy listening! 💙
DISCUSSION
Svdden Death's demonic visuals problem
This was a fascinating insight into the trials and tribulations associated with Danny Howland, aka Svdden Death / VOYD, fully executing his vision with his on-stage branding, design and theatrics. Up until recently, pretty much all that fans and followers of his have known is that his Summoning festival couldn't operate in the way that it used to because of complaints from religious groups near to the area, about said appearance whilst performing. Not only this, but Howland seems to receive this kind of backlash even when doing a normal show, not just when running his own event. Let's take a closer look at what he said about it in a brief thread of tweets last week.
The 'religious psychosis' Howland talks of here is intriguing, and I imagine what leads to a lot of people condemning what he does whilst playing shows. I don't wanna mix this up or get it wrong, but it feels like that might be the connection he's establishing here? Knowing that he's experienced several people in his life with this kind of psychosis is tough, coz it must really wear him and his project down. On the other hand, it's good that he's acknowledged what they're going through in the final tweet - it is indeed a 'depressing state of affairs' when anyone is so consumed by something that they can't function beyond that experience, to not only evaluate things rationally, but get control of their own life too. Thankfully there were many people replying to support him, from fellow musicians who've gone through similar things, to fans letting him know how much they love the dark, ghoulish side of his aesthetic. 'It's all art at the end of the day,' said one X user.
I don't think there's too much else to say about it, I just wanted to leave his thoughts here for people to look over coz I think it's important to get glimpses of what some producers go through for their craft - when they're comfortable to offer that information, of course. The fact of the matter is that the demonic visuals reflect the vibe of his music very well, so persevere with that for maximum effect he must. That turned out a bit Yoda didn't it? I just hope he never gets to a point where he feels he has to eliminate that aspect of his brand completely. In doing that, a part of the Svdden Death / VOYD project would die, and its magic would likely evaporate.
FUNNIES // COOL STUFF
BROSTEP STONKS
Haven't you heard? It's all the rage at the moment.
Ace Aura shows daughter his IDs
This was a very cute watch. Unfortunately it isn't a reel in and of itself, it was on his Instagram story so I can't give you a link to watch. A couple pictures below will have to suffice!
I can't read
I mean honestly, how and why did the ineligible thing even come into prominence?
Like I appreciate the aesthetic, and that it stems from the metal scene, but it gets to a point where nothing can be made of it, you know?
NEED
Yeah so who's making me this for my 32nd birthday??
The funny of the week
This is just top drawer. It's a guy impersonating the on-stage visual animations at shows EXTREMELY well. It's kinda scary how on point this is - well worth a watch!
Video clip: https://x.com/localbateman/status/2031475430625259928?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
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Did I miss anything from the last week in Bass music? Let me know below! 😌