Focus Five: Volume 34 – FUXWITHIT

Returning with our second last Focus Five of 2020, we’ve got all the new heat you need to keep you warm as the days continue to grow colder. For this month’s installment we have a wide array of producers including a genre-defying Berlin-based creator, a Canadian duo pushing “club music only,” a Chilean beatmith bringing the bounce, a future beat purveyor tearing up the underground, and an elusive Philly producer with bubbly beats. Get familiar with them all below.

Alydian

Few tracks that have been on repeat for the majority of this calendar year have yet to grow stale, but artists such as Ekcle, Skope, and COPYCATT sure know how to make tunes that truly never grow old. When I came across Alydian, I knew I was bound to have that same feeling, and since having ‘Futurist’ on repeat over the last two weeks, I can confirm that the ingenuity, intricacies and raw energy behind the track are sure to leave me coming for more, time and time again. Despite boasting less than 500 monthly listeners on Spotify, the Berlin-based artist has already earned the support from the great duo that is KOAN Sound, and with good reason. Alydian’s genre-defying approach, wicked attention to sound design details, and mesmerizing melodies engulf listeners from start to finish, bringing one on a roller coaster of emotions and sound that is rarely found in electronic music today – with ‘Memory Tree’ being another prime example. With a short yet impressive repertoire and more to come soon, Alydian should be at the top of everyone’s radar.
-SC

Glass Petals

Canadian duo Glass Petals first put the pedal to the metal in August of 2018, scoring a couple of killer club cuts on Arkade and Spinnin Deep. The bass-heavy brainchild of Felix Cartal and Johnny Jover, Glass Petals quickly found their “club music only” ethos embraced by some of the biggest players in the scene (Confession, Heldeep, Hexagon, In/Rotation and others). With their second Heldeep release, ‘Simulation,’ the duo really seemed to hit their stride offering up an infectious driving bassline, hypnotic vocals and dynamic, immersive drops that feature the kind of puppeteering power that even Jim Henson would envy. Proving themselves club captivators with their blend of acid, bass, G and future house, it may be hard to nail down just what the duo is going to do next, but you can be sure they’ll hammer home a good groove. This year we’ve seen them deliver a handful of fire sets that combine old electro/bloghaus bangers and their seemingly endless assortment of IDs. And it’s the latter that really gets us excited for the future of Glass Petals. Just in time for Halloween, they finally dropped the psychotic stalker of a bootleg of Justice classic ‘Stress,’ which they’d been teasing for a couple of months. Another sneak peek we’ve been salivating over is this collab with Dr. Fresch (longer clip here). These guys know a good groove when they find one, and you can guarantee they’ll leverage it into a body-rocking banger. Whether clubs are open or not is irrelevant as you cannot miss the power of Glass Petals.
-OJ

ImBN

Put on some comfort clothes and fall into a trance with ImBN‘s lush and groovy art. This musician truly brings the energy and calming sensations. His swing being integrated with vast sounding melodies will bring any listener to life and keep a smile on their faces thanks to his beautiful sound design. Not to mention his intoxicating drum work, knocking anyone off their feet into a dream cloud of rhythm. And once his 808’s hit you, they slam hard in the soul. Making your spirit feel at peace with every note being played. But he can also get a little wild with his work. For example, his flip of TNGHT’s classic, ‘Serpent’ is a delicious sound dessert. Filled with an airy percussion lead while being surrounded by a tribalistic atmosphere. To really transport the audience into a jungle, filled with sources of wildlife who are dancing with you. It’s wonderfully crafted and will get your party started no doubt. And for those who adore whimsical wavy pieces, one of his newest tracks, ‘yeah’ will put you right in a good mood. You might notice something familiar about it. If you didn’t know, it’s a flip he did of Usher! Which makes the vibe instantly lovable. Creating a soft and adorable sounding song around the original was a genius idea. Creating a fresh feeling to his work and making it flow naturally as if pouring a glass of water on a hot day. So go ahead, start your mornings right with a dash of ImBN. His creations will wake you up instantly with a positive feeling.
-JD

milye

When you first think about Germany and electronic music, chances are your mind goes to techno. You wouldn’t be wrong to think this, but there are a slew of incredible new artists looking to reshape this perspective, from KRISCHVN, to Lenny, MCTR and more. The newest German producer to add to the list is milye. While the aforementioned artists tend to reside within the trap and bass realms, milye finds his home with future beats (with a hint of trap). His tracks are often short but sweet pairing lush soundscapes, bent vocals and no shortage of bounce and swing. Whether it’s taking listeners for a ride on ‘Exploration,’ bringing the soulful slaps on ‘surf’ or fusing RnB undertones with future knock on ‘one,’ milye never disappoints.
-C

Stevedoesmusic

This month I’m gonna kill two birds with one stone. That’s right because I’m not only introducing you to the livewire world of stevedoesmusic, but indirectly I’m also giving a shout out to one of the most interesting and bizarre labels in the world: Prrrrrrr Records (with seven r’s). But let’s go step by step. Who’s steve? Stevedoesmusic is an elusive Philly producer, with a strong inclination for short, bubbly beats. Mainly dominated by R&B vibes, but with more electronic interludes too, steve’s SoundCloud is a colorful sketchbook that reflects an eclectic and flexible creative nature, definitely not inclined to be stick to canons or paradigms. Just to give you a quick example, very few tracks actually reach a two minutes length! As someone who worships the extended mix practice, you can imagine how hardcore it must have been for me to explore his catalog. What about Prrrrrrr then? Chance willed that steve’s latest EP was released by no other than the irreverent German label. falling is a warm concentration of sexy basslines, jazzy grooves and on-point samples that “will leave no producer ear unsatisfied”. Have a bite below or listen to the EP in full on Bandcamp.
-AA

Words by Alessio, Colin, Oggie, John & Steph