It's Monday, and so time for a new, hot-off-the-press BBB!
ENJOY 💙💙
—
NEWS
Hamro has cancer
In some of the most sobering news to hit the Bass scene this year, underground Dubstep fan favourite Hamro took to social media over the weekend to let fans, followers and peers of his know he’s been diagnosed with testicular cancer. The producer - in his 20s - posted to Instagram and X to say ‘I've been diagnosed with testicular cancer and will need surgery to remove it’, explaining that he’s been advised to take several weeks away from touring to let his body rest post-diagnosis. This will result in him missing a wealth of shows he had lined up alongside BLVNKSPVCE and SQISHI as STOOG3S. He did, however, provide some positivity amidst the general sadness of the news, writing that thankfully the cancer was 'caught fairly early', though there's still a chance he 'may need additional treatment after surgery'. He ended the post with a word of warning for his fellow producer / DJs, saying ‘don't ignore anything you're body's trying to tell you’.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Tarik a fair few times by now, mostly at Lost Lands in the States and Ilesoniq in Canada, and he tripped to London a few years ago when INFEKT played in the English capital. He’s absolutely one of the most passionate and genuinely funny people I’ve met in the scene. This is a sentiment shared by many, so it’s fair to say this news is being felt quite hard by the general modern Dubstep community, and especially the underground. That’s reflected in the amount of people that messaged with support in the replies to his posts across both platforms - he’s a beloved figure of the scene.
I speak for everyone on this Patreon when I say I wish him the speediest of recoveries.
Svdden Death's VOYD debut at ULTRA
In a moment some are calling one of the most iconic modern Dubstep has seen in recent years, Danny Howland, aka Svdden Death, debuted his VOYD project at ULTRA Music Festival in Miami at 4pm on the opening day - yes, you read that right. Pre-performance, many Dubstep enthusiasts expressed confusion at the idea of a VOYD set happening in the day - wondering how something so visually demonic and rooted in darkness could possibly function in daylight - but the performance still went down a treat, as evidenced by the wealth of positive feedback in the set’s aftermath.
Amidst people lauding the music itself, Howland’s entrance to the main stage through a sealed, birthing container, and his metallic armour outfit; perhaps the biggest compliment paid to him was the reaction of one festival attendee who, to put it simply, seemed visibly shaken by the whole experience. A look of pure, helpless shock and disbelief was as apt a response as ever to the soul-grabbing energy of VOYD, and said reaction subsequently took the Dubstep internet by storm.
As aforementioned, people have celebrated this set as a big moment for the Dubstep genre, pushing it further into the EDM limelight in a statement-making way through both sonics and visuals. That is undeniable given the quality of the performance across the board, though it is telling that it was placed so early in the day. This could have been for a multitude of reasons, possibly to fit within Howland’s general tour schedule. But it’s such a significant slot to land that I imagine most other sets would’ve been relegated in importance to accommodate ULTRA.
The unfortunate state of play, I think, is that Dubstep still isn’t acknowledged in the way most other mainstream electronic genres are. Howland still very much pulled VOYD off in the day, but imagine how much more of a shockwave it would’ve sent through the EDM sphere had it been at night. This style of music simply doesn’t get full priority at the moment unless it’s Subtronics or Crankdat, which is crazy to say, but that is the reality of the situation. It’s wild, near unimaginable, that VOYD doesn’t have a night-time main stage appearance for its debut, but for some reason Dubstep continues to not get its flowers at the very top of the industry.
Did any of you guys go to ULTRA, and more importantly see this set? If you did, I’d love to know what the general experience of it was like in the comments!
Virtual Riot launches Bismuth
Fans of Virtual Riot who also like making music, rejoice! The Bass music supremo took to social media last week to announce, in collaboration with software company Lunacy, that he’s created his very own plugin for producers to use and enjoy, called Bismuth. It’s the first plugin that Mr. Riot, real name Valentin Brunn, has ever made, and is described as an ‘iridescent colour resonator’ that ‘transforms any raw sound into something tonal, melodic and alive using resonant filters’. And it really does do what it says on the tin, as evidenced by producers like Jay Eskar, AZURA and BassTi who’ve already shown the capabilities of the software across various reels.
Jay Eskar reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWWYcQuNXIC/?igsh=NGNmMmE4bjM2MHBr
Even as someone that doesn’t really produce anymore, I can appreciate this is one of the coolest features I’ve seen come out of the Bass scene for a long time - and absolutely the most Virtual Riot-coded thing one could imagine him creating. For the producers amongst you, Bismuth is currently on sale at $20 off the original price, so get copping it whilst the discount’s there!
Bismuth link: https://lunacy.audio/products/bismuth/?srsltid=AfmBOopwY8TcjgQqSqaF_wuCDykwFdxlq-FNkTikysaht_xuJtsdWr9J
(and no, this is not an ad for Bismuth)
MUSIC
New Svdden Death clip on Soundcloud
NEW VOYD UP ON THE CLOUD. Sure, it's just a 1min3second clip, but it's nice to get something from Mr. Howland as we prepare for him dropping a boatload of new music soon (screenshot below). The snippet is a remix of Subfiltronik & Bommer's Riddim hit 'Planet Droid', aptly titled 'PLANET VOYD'. In classic Nawtystep fashion, I am refraining from hearing the clip in case it ends up coming out in full, but I've seen some good responses to it so far. The link for it is below for any of you that want to check it out.
In the lead-up to his debut ULTRA set as VOYD (discussed above), he also let fans and followers know of an upcoming collaboration with underground sensation Vanfleet, which he said is 'sounding genuinely menacing'. Following that, Tear Out producer Nimda tweeted about his own collab with VOYD, which was subsequently shared by Svdden Death. So yes, it seems clear that VOYD season is nearing yet again.
Vanfleet collab clip: https://x.com/vanfleetdub/status/2037644854822388046?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
Clip link: https://soundcloud.com/enterthevoyd/planet-voyd-subfiltronik
Zeds Dead x Subtronics x Tape B
Three-way collab alert! Has there been a more high profile three-part link-up in the mainstream of Dubstep over the last few years? The other clear example would be MUST DIE!, Skream and Akeos' 'LOL OK' from April 2021, but in terms of sheer numbers (not track quality, I hasten to add), Zeds Dead, Subtronics and Tape B's 'Word Scramble' will absolutely clear its predecessor.
I've yet to hear the cut, but somewhat disappointingly it is another big-name collaboration that only comes in at the 2min mark. Regardless, I will be checking it out on tomorrow's big stream alongside the new beastboi. project, the new Dylan Brady EP and more. Moreover, the visual trailer for the track was very well executed, I'll link that below for you guys to view too.
Track link: http://soundcloud.com/zedsdead/word-scramble
Visual trailer: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWUKfCHjkYd/?igsh=MW4yNTN4MWluYTk2cg==
Spag Heddy changes to SPAG for new era
'Welcome to the next chapter: Messiah is my first release as SPAG. That's right, just SPAG'. These were the words shared by Mischa Reining, formerly known as Spag Heddy and now known as SPAG, when announcing his newest track 'Messiah' in a new era for the Dutch producer. He told fans and followers he isn't necessarily going in a different direction stylistically, but importantly is 'going in fiercer, bolder and more focused than before'. It seems also that, along with 'Messiah', the majority of SPAG's future releases will be dropping on Black Tiger Sex Machine's label Kannibalen Records. Accompanying this was a very smooth-looking pasta-themed restaurant reel that Reining posted just before 'Messiah' went live. I will definitely be checking this on stream tomorrow too, so make sure to tune in for that!
Track link: https://soundcloud.com/spagheddy/messiah
Virtual Riot & Afrojack ID
Well, this would be quite the turn up the for the books! If you'd have told me even a year ago that in 2026 we'd get murmurings of an Afrojack & Virtual Riot collab, let alone an ID to hear, I might've laughed in your face. I mean, I suppose I can see where this has come from? Virtual Riot has been drifting more and more into long-form House music, not only individually but in collaborating with Skrillex too. I imagine Afrojack heard some of the material from Skrillex's FUS project, saw Virtual Riot as a feature and thought 'Wow the production on this is insane, we could make a serious House hit'. And it seems that's exactly what this collab will turn out as.
I was cheeky for this collab clip and checked it out because I couldn't resist - so should you!
Collaboration clip link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWfQomnDXnB/?igsh=MXRkejR5bTM2ZHJtbA==
Big Bass releases of the week
Apart from everything mentioned above, the other significant Bass releases from last week are, again, mostly singles. I was gonna do a segment on the new Skrillex & Young Miko track 'Duro' but it isn't particularly relevant for the BBB as a non-Bass cut. Though it's definitely still worth checking out, along with the Ray Volpe remix of it, which can only be heard on his Instagram page at the moment. There's a new Soundcloud-exclusive tune from MPH titled 'Swoon', and also a fresh banger from JoeB called 'POWER DRIVE'. I'd also like to highlight the new borne tune for UKF 'Can I', which I've heard a couple clips of and can confirm - it sounds good, and is worth giving your time. There's also a new Flux Pavilion & Doctor P collab out named 'The Last Breakfast', in anticipation of the Ultimate Edition of their joint 2025 album dropping soon.
Projects-wise, in terms of bigger, more notable names it's the new Wilkinson album and Midnight Tyrannosaurus EP that I'll direct your attention towards. Happy listening! 💙
DISCUSSION
Drum & Bass supergroup backlash
This is a really interesting one. A new Drum & Bass supergroup called WORSHIP - consisting of Sub Focus, Dimension, Culture Shock and 1991 - played on the main stage at ULTRA over the weekend, directly after Svdden Death’s VOYD debut. A clip was shared by the group’s X account showing the quartet playing out their debut single, stood atop the decks in front of a crowd of thousands with minimal movement accompanying the fast-paced tune. From there, people flocked to social media in their droves with various thoughts, and it was quite the mix of feedback. Let’s explore this some more.
I personally see validity in most things that’ve been said, and appreciate most sides of the discussion. Ignoring the people being horrible for horrible’s sake, the gripes people have with a performance like this are understandable. For starters, the track is incredibly basic, and so those hoping for something good from a group of individually brilliant Drum & Bass producers are going to be sorely disappointed. It’s a pretty clear sign that they’ve all sold out to at least some degree, which is always a shame to acknowledge. It’s also a reflection on what sells at the top of electronic music, where the more commercial and inoffensive you are, the more prestigious your role at that kind of event. You only have to look at the fact this came after VOYD to have a sense of warped priorities. Some people said the 'WORSHIP' name was awful - with several others seeing it as a Christianisation of Drum & Bass - whilst another called it 'an aggressive disservice to DnB'. Many also bemoaned their lack of energy on stage, with one even labelling it a 'hostage video', as if they didn't actually want to be there.
On the other side of the discussion, I have to ask why some people feel they have to be quite this horrible about DJs playing out music? Some of the replies to the original tweet are beyond inexcusable ('I've never wanted a square mile to be firebombed so badly in my life than witnessing this trash'), and beyond that it's clear most repliers are dog-piling more than coming through with anything remotely constructive for WORSHIP. Also, I'm not really sure what some people expect other than one of the most mainstream electronic music festivals to have easy-going material headlining it. And perhaps more importantly than any of that, moments like this are making Drum & Bass more accessible in America, and putting it further on the map generally. Is that not what we wanted? Of course we don't want the genre to be completely watered down, but this isn't an industry plant situation where the style and community are effectively taken advantage of. It's four DnB legends forming to bring the sound to more people. Yes, the song may be painfully plain, but that's often what you get for a first single from a supergroup - each of whom have mad touring schedules individually, and less time to craft something forward-thinking.
That's just my feelings from each side on the matter, which has caused quite the stir on X in particular over the last few days. But what do you guys think - is the WORSHIP supergroup a force for good or bad in Drum & Bass music?
FUNNIES // COOL STUFF
The making of Baddadan
I absolutely love when Bass artists share insightful stories like this, and this is undoubtedly one of the sickest I've heard in a long time. 12/10 must-watch right here!
And what an incredible voice IRAH has by the way, even when he's just speaking!
Reel link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWUegBZE4dV/?igsh=Z2pwN2dqYWtscjFm
Shit B2B Poop From A Butt
Unfortunately yes. Unfortunately agree. Unfortunately true.
Skrillex 💖 Dylan Brady
That's it, it's official. Now on with your day.
The Ultimate modern Dubstep logo collection
Worth zooming in on, for sure! Anyone obviously missing for Kretan to add here?
Electronic Stand Music
Whether it was the intention or not, I chuckled heartily I must admit.
—
Did I miss anything from the last week in Bass music? Let me know below! 😌