It's Monday, and so time for a new BBB! 🗞️✨
ENJOY 💙💙
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NEWS
Never Say Die drop first compilation in 7.5 years
In November 2019, Never Say Die label head SKisM definitively said that a potential Never Say Die Vol. 7 compilation was never coming out. Fast forward 6.5 years, and following months of SKisM himself coming out of the wilderness to post relentlessly on social media, Never Say Die Vol. 7 is an actuality.
At the beginning of last week, SKisM took to Instagram to share a post - in collaboration with the Never Say Die account - that had everyone repeatedly rubbing their eyes just to check it was real. First of all, SKisM published an exclusive mix tied directly to the compilation, as he has done for previous iterations of the series. With the announcement came a few words from SKisM: 'Traditionally, these mixes were about new music (and this one is too), but it's also about history ... I see it as two 45min sets with different vibes, but stitched together by a shared theme of legacy'. In a vlog-style video shared later in the week, SKisM informed fans and followers that the first half of the mix is dedicated to older material, whilst the second half is more recent, current and future music. The mix was released on Soundcloud, and then Spotify the next day.
In the days after, as more and more iconic artists from the renowned Never Say Die roster started to post about Vol. 7, it became clear who was going to feature on the 25-track project. There are notable NSD names missing on the compilation - there was always going to be - but the bulk is made up of a horde of classics associated with the imprint, from Zomboy to Eptic, LAXX to SPAG, MUST DIE! to Badklaat and beyond.
But there was more, as with the release of Vol. 7 on Friday, SKisM said 'One chapter ends, another one begins'. In a further vlog-style post to Instagram, he said that though Never Say Die will continue in some capacity, "it's not gonna be like it was before". In his words, this new compilation closes off the first chapter of Never Say Die. Before that happens, I get the feeling there'll be a project centred around the remixes of NSD classics that we get on the Vol. 7 mix tracklist, which so far includes the likes of Chime, WINK, Silcrow, Modal Nodes and more.
SKisM video link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZNckMrjMkv/?igsh=Y3hjYnlqdjJ5dzgz
The final thing to mention is that my coverage of Never Say Die Vol. 7 is now live on the channel if you've yet to check it! I had an absolute blast covering the collection from start to finish and the chat was absolutely popping off throughout, so if you were involved in that - thank you!
First Listen video link: https://youtu.be/hIBQWtgD2OY?si=LFAINAOqXwGRqdXT
What are you guys making of Never Say Die Vol. 7? How many times have you gone through it start to finish, and which tracks of the 25 are your favourites? I wanna hear all your thoughts in the comments please!
Skrillex drops 4th album SOMA
The fourth, full-length studio album from Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex, dropped last Friday to wanting fans and followers across the world. The LP is titled SOMA, is 13 tracks long with a 42min run-time, and features collaborations with the likes of Nitepunk - the opener and title track - ISOxo, Chris Lake and more. To be clear, I'm calling it his 4th album following Recess, Quest For Fire and Don't Get Too Close because I don't see F**K U SKRILLEX ... as an album in the same way they are. On the subject of QFF / DGTC - which effectively dropped at the same time in February 2023 - it's felt quite odd saying to myself 'What, another Skrillex album?!' thinking that double-release came out really recently, when actually it's been 3 years since that immense comeback moment. It's genuinely mad how quickly time passes.
It's safe to say that the reception of SOMA has been quite split so far. It began with the artwork drop on Thursday, one day prior to album release, with many people expressing confusion as to where Skrillex was coming from with this visual choice. The vintage 3-line Skrillex logo shaved into long locks on the back of someone's head was about as attention-grabbing and thought-provoking as he could've gone before getting weird with that kind of imagery. The majority, however, saw it as a fittingly striking image to accompany a new, somewhat off-kilter era for Skrillex, post working with Atlantic Records. I couldn't find any solid takes as to whether there could in fact be a hidden meaning behind this image, but no doubt that could very well be a thing.
The music, however, certainly proved more divisive than its visual representation. The biggest bone of contention at the moment is the closing track 'Diwali' alongside BEAM and his girlfriend Naisha on vocal duty. A lot of the album is Skrillex doing his normal thing, experimenting stylistically but very much making tracks to be taken seriously in an album context. For many, 'Diwali' somewhat throws that into disrepute with an odd beat, and lyrics from Naisha such as "he suckin on my tiddies then he put it in my kidney", with repeated rollercoaster-like "WEEEEE" sounds filling up the track too. I think it's hilarious, though I do get that finishing the album with this makes it more difficult to take seriously as a body of work. Having this cut somewhere in the middle as a strange interlude might've worked better in amidst all the banger material, kinda like how 'Doompy Poomp' functions on the Recess LP. To me it sounds like Skrillex having a kind of fun with music-making that he wasn't able to have before, and that's arguably the most important thing. It might drive a few fans away, but most will be happy that he's in that spot with his creation at the moment.
(Pictured above is a selection of comments from the reel I made about 'Diwali' in particular)
As with the Never Say Die compilation, my coverage of SOMA is now up on the channel for you all to watch and enjoy if you haven't yet. Again, covering this project was so much fun and if you were in the chat making that happen - thank you! I'll link the video below, as well as the 'Diwali'-specific reel I made too.
First Listen video link: https://youtu.be/cBC95vC5j1I?si=7VW0cFoA5ixNA1PR
'Diwali' reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZSuDFYsdZo/?igsh=M2Nwejcwbmhwd2hn
And finally, what are you guys making of SOMA? Which tracks of the 13 are your favourites? Gimme all your thoughts in the comments please!
Peekaboo updates fans
A week ago it was REZZ, and now it's Peekaboo making an importantly frank, honest post about how he's feeling generally at the moment. The Bass producer, real name Matthew Austin Lucas, wrote about how tough the last couple of months have been for him mentally, and how he's 'trying to just feel better about [himself]' again. He went on to talk about how he's started therapy recently, and the good it's provided for him so far, before reminding people that they should seek out help if they are struggling in any way. He closed the post off by saying 'hopefully this resonates with someone else that is also going through similar things'.
I mentioned this with REZZ's post from a week or so ago, but I think it's really important to have significant figures like herself and Peekaboo providing this example in the scene when it comes to self-care, and looking after oneself. These guys have big followings and can be a hugely beneficial influence to someone that follows them and is experiencing a hard time of things. Reading a post like that can be so helpful, so again I'm glad that this kind of post is becoming more commonplace amongst Bass musicians. Long may it continue!
REZZ is making a movie
Well, this is pretty cool! In the wake of her announcement that she's taking an indefinite hiatus from touring until at least the start of 2027, REZZ took to X to let fans and followers know that she's 'begun writing a treatment for a psychological horror film'. In her first post about this news, she also wrote 'This will be my next major project. I will do the soundtrack too'. Then, in a follow-up quote retweet of that post, she added 'I can guarantee this movie will be one of the most fucked, heartbreaking, relatable and horrifying films. I feel confidence and I’m shocked this film doesn’t exist yet'. Now, if that doesn't sound incredibly exciting coming from a producer who's specialised in making demonic, pensive, mid-tempo Bass music for the last decade or so, I'm not sure what will!
Best of luck to REZZ with this incredible new venture, I'm excited to see how this concept turns out!
MUSIC
1985 Music 10-year anniversary compilation
Another big compilation celebration for a mammoth Dubstep-driven label. This year marks 10 years of Alix Perez's label 1985 Music being in operation, and they'll be commemorating that with a colossal 20-track, multi-artist project to drop on July 2nd. In Perez's words, this collection 'encapsulates our current sonic standing as a record label', which likely means it'll be a pretty balanced blend of Dubstep and Drum & Bass. Perez added in-post that there are several 1985 mainstays involved, as well as some newer faces, with the comp's first single from GLM, 'Jack It' with Verbz, out now.
This is set to be one of the most significant Bass compilations of the year, and I can't wait for it to drop in full! I may even do a First Listen reaction for it, who knows ...
New Flux Pavilion, Shadient + ZETTA albums coming soon
Some upcoming albums news for you! Flux Pavilion will be dropping Fluxiverse Vol. 3 soon which is usually EP-length, but according to him he'll be putting out a new album too not long after that. Shadient also took to X to say 'you wont believe it guys but my albums almost done'. Whether this project will include the INTRUDER and SEIZURE LATER EP material I'm not sure on yet, but it's still exciting to know he's dipping into this format again for the first time since November 2021. Finally, we will also be getting a debut album from Brazilian Dubstep sensation ZETTA, titled Baile Infernal. The LP will be 11 tracks in total, and feature collaborations with fellow underground Bass stars SAIGGA and Yandrel, amongst others.
Flux video: https://x.com/fluxpavilion/status/2062571322769584170?s=46&t=TEbbHyZ3OlICtgts4_3J0g
Which of these projects would you say you're looking forward to hearing most?
Needle Guy (Hamdi Remix)
It's officially a thing - Hamdi is remixing one of the biggest Bass singles of 2026 so far, Dylan Brady's 'Needle Guy'. The British producer posted a clip of himself playing it out at a recent show, and it sounds a little bit ... muddled to me? There's some clear reworking of the original instrumental and vocal, but from what I can hear it doesn't sound like the cleanest idea in its direction. Regardless though, it's great that he's remixing such a huge track, and I imagine it'll sound significantly better on streaming services rather than just hearing a 20-odd-second live clip. Give it a listen yourselves and let me know what you're making of it!
Video clip: https://x.com/hamdimusic/status/2062208019534958803/video/1?s=46
Big Bass releases of the week
Put simply, unlucky you if you had to release on the same week we got the first Never Say Die compilation in 7.5 years, Skrillex's 4th album and new projects from GRiZ and San Holo. But there is other music from last week to report on, notably a remix EP of Subtronics and Inéz's track 'Eyes Cut Deeper', featuring Jacknife, Ghost In Real Life and more. From the underground, there's a new album from Colour Bass artist modus titled REGNUM ULTRA. New EPs from Caster and HVDES are worth mentioning too, as well as singles from the likes of REZZ, Code: Pandorum, ring noord, Viperactive and runThis. So there were some worthwhile releases from last week beyond the big-name bonanza - happy listening! 💙
DISCUSSION
Why did we accept Dubstep being rubbish?
I'm not gonna lie, it took me a couple of seconds to get completely clear on what was being said here by underground Dubstepper KAIFU. I think I was struggling to understand the sentiment of the tweet because I found myself repeatedly asking whether what he's saying has actually been the case. Did the people celebrating Never Say Die's return accept that Dubstep had to be garbage for 3 years straight? Is that what happened in some people's eyes?
To me, this is a thing of recency bias and sensationalism more than anything. Do people really mean it when they say Dubstep is being saved by Never Say Die? If they're genuinely invested in the scene and music, it'd be difficult to know where they're coming from. It's never really needed 'saving' from the viewpoint of a modern Dubstep fan. Original Dubstep fans will say the genre's needed saving from modern Dubstep, but that's a different topic altogether.
As with most genres of music, there's always been a small amount of great Dubstep material that's washed out by the not-so-good stuff - it's difficult to make good art. People see the Never Say Die announcement, the dopamine kicks in and suddenly the last few years of the genre are awful. I'm also not quite sure what KAIFU's '3 years straight' refers to, or what era that makes up, but I'm definitely interested in that choice of number. Most listeners and fans wanna contribute to the hype of such a significant announcement, but that doesn't mean they fully believe every word of what they've said. I'm also not sure the 'accepting' of Dubstep being bad happened, as again most fans aren't that invested in the culture. They'll happily tick along with whatever's coming out, and accept that as the current norm. My point making's probably a bit jumbled in this segment, but I wanted to make it as stream of consciousness as possible, whilst not forgetting any mini ideas I had surrounding this topic along the way. I hope I'm making some sense with what I'm saying though - the people celebrating NSD's return aren't the ones actively accepting Dubstep's perceived downfall over the last 3 years. They're frankly not that invested.
And I just wanna add this funny from MUST DIE! at the end as well, simply because it's topical, and ultimately encapsulates how many truly feel about the genre. Growl-laden cinematic masterpiece, or awkwardly-colliding robot sex noises - what's it gonna be?
FUNNIES // COOL STUFF
New Dubstep history book alert!
Writer Lauren Martin has written a new book titled 'Aftershock' about the history of Dubstep. The core of the book is interviews with a host of legendary names from the original Dubstep scene, from Mala to Kode9, Hatcha to Loefah and beyond. It explores the scene further through photography, and charts the genre's boom across multiple labels - Hyperdub, Tectonic and more - and parts of the UK, where Dubstep was birthed. I will absolutely be grabbing a copy of this, and I recommend you guys do too to get a more comprehensive understanding of where the genre we all know and love truly came from.
Pre-order the book here: https://velocitypress.uk/product/aftershock-book/
The Effin NSD sandwich
I had admittedly forgotten about this excellence, but what better week than the one just gone to share it to the world once more? God bless Effin.
Wooh, that's good
Big up to Darek from The Dub Rebellion for finding and sharing this one! A simply sensational continuation of the Skrillex monkey hairdresser meme.
COUPLE GOATS
Just a nice thing to see really, isn't it? Couple BASS BOIS having a good time.
Sad, but true
I pray for your sanity if you guys haven't stumbled across this meme yet, and end up finding it - avoid at all costs! But if you have seen it, you just know this is happening don't you?
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Did I miss anything from the last week in Bass music? Let me know below! 😌