Discovery Project launches its newly formed Discover X series with an extremely stacked 10-track compilation, ‘Discover: Dubstep 001,’ powered by Bassrush Records.
Since it was first conceived nearly a decade ago at EDC Las Vegas 2012, the Discovery Project has been on tireless mission to provide a platform for understated artists deserving of an extra push into the global spotlight.
After hosting countless DJ/producer competitions at some of the most renowned Insomniac festivals around the world—extending a springboard for hundreds of up-and-comers sprawled across the dance music spectrum—the team is now giving rise to a new Discover X initiative that will find them joining forces with the brand-centric labels housed within the Insomniac Music Group umbrella, as they zoom in on one specific subgenre at a time. X is the variable, and it’s going to add new names and sounds into the equation with every fresh iteration.
Bassrush is stepping up as the first partner by way of the inaugural compilation, ‘Discover: Dubstep 001,’ which started from an open demo submission window calling for the most slept on artists from the world of wub and is now spitting out 10 speaker-shredding selections worthy of tearing this year’s festival season wide open.
The genre-probing alien known as Ahee strikes fast and hard with the opening offering, “Killer Thriller,” hovering around wonky bursts of bottom-end and some murderous sample play capable of catapulting heads straight through the stratosphere. Australia’s Yvng Jalapeño fires up the lasers on some brain-searing arrangements on “Underground.”
Holding it down for Florida, Jinx links up with her homie Steller to burn a dank galactic strain on the reggae-laced “Cosmic Haze.” YKES operates on the tear-out route via his rewind-ready joint, “Selecta,” nodding to the late aught’s era through some gassed-up vocals. Kromuh goes deeper with frequent collaborator SPADES on “Shook,” a cerebral leftfield-centered cut built around rippling glitch work.
On the latter half, the crew continues to stimulate the senses through fresh variants veering off into their own unique microcosms. Baltimore’s Zingara seizes the moment with ROYALFLU$H on “The Time Is Now,” creeping into trap territory with crisp 808s and gut-punching horn phrases. Sebjin, who’s repping the GVLVXY collective out of Montreal, slides in with a healthy helping of slow-churning hedonism on his melody-laden “X.”
The Bay Area-based duo Slang Dogs break skin on their sacrificial number “Blood,” slicing through an ominous atmosphere with primal elements. Hailing from Boston, AG spikes the adrenaline on the ruthless and rugged stomper, “FIU.” Last but certainly not least, Tampa’s riddim enthusiast VLCN closes out the package with an invitation to run the most pit with the brutal boom on his cut, “Pull Up.”
“I love mixing old-school rave vibes into modern high energy drops,” says Ahee. “‘With Killer Thriller,’ I wanted to take the listener on a highspeed ride through my energetic sound design.”
“Bassrush has been one of my top goal labels since the day I started producing in 2016,” says VLCN. “To have this song have its home be here is surreal and a huge accomplishment of mine.”
“‘Selecta’ was inspired by the old-school style vocal I utilized,” explains YKES. “I wanted to take a fresh approach on something that reminded me of the early days of heavy dubstep. I wanted something that also had a melody within the drop, something an audience could sing (which is usually hard for dubstep).”
“‘The Time Is Now’ is an important song for both of us,” says Zingara and ROAYLFLU$H. “We feel like our generation is easily pulled into scrolling through social media, wishing they could be like those they look up to. The time is NOW to make your dreams come true and to be the person you have always wanted to be. We are grateful Bassrush has given us the opportunity to share our music and get our message out there. The clock is always ticking.”
“The song ‘Blood’ came from a week of writing as many builds to drop ideas as we could,” states Slang Dogs. “We feel that the inaudible, devious vocal sample chosen sounds like its saying ‘Blood,’ hence the song title, super original. This led us to create a short story for the track; we picture a headmaster apostle speaking to the deity they worship with a blood offering. We continued building the track with what we feel are essential Slang Dogs sounds such as tribal flutes, cinematic war drums, organic textures, and ambiences. Our main goal with this and any track is to create another world the listener can visit audibly and visually, even if it’s just in their own mind.”
“Beyond stoked that STELLER and I get to release our collab on one of our favorite labels,” says Jinx. “We had so much fun making it and hope you guys enjoy the journey through the ‘Cosmic Haze!’”
“Extremely excited for this collab with Jinx, and honored to be releasing it through Bassrush,” adds STELLER. “This track was super fun to produce, and I hope the listeners will be transported into their own cosmic, wubby world.”
“‘X’ symbolizes this unbridled quest for pleasure and joy which can turn into a dangerous game,” remarks sebjin. “How can a feeling of happiness and euphoria make us make bad choices? I am very happy to be able to share ‘X’ through Bassrush Records, which is a label that knows how to highlight dubstep and the artists of tomorrow. It is a real honor for me to be welcomed as I am in their family!”
From the rail-riding fare to the more wook-friendly circles, the ‘Discover: Dubstep 001’ compilation is by all measures a proper introduction to the Discover X series, showcasing a whole host of on-the-rise artists who should be added to your own personal watchlist. The question that remain is which genre will the Discovery Project target next?
