Luca Lush and VARI join forces on a ghostly single “Spectral Sequence,” as the fifth offering to surface on SLANDER’s Heaven Sent imprint.
The “emotional music sent from above” ethos of the recently minted Heaven Sent is encoded deep into the label’s next issue. Luca Lush and VARI are two highly volatile solo projects, who have continually shown they have forward-thinking experimentation down to a science. Each of them has tried their hand at mining a whole host of subgenres from across the bass music spectrum, and their research in the field is now culminating into a frenetic Frankenstein collaboration pulling from elements of future bass, breakbeat, neo-trance and more.
“Spectral Sequence” is a supersonic melodic bass phenomenon, formulated with a level of precision and programming power that would leave the latest iteration of AI stumped at trying to decipher its incalculable beauty. The cinematic intro builds tension gradually with twinkling keys and reverberating bottom-end, gradually picking up momentum like a sentient robot booting up before entering a state of self-awareness. Once all systems are fully online, it’s impossible to slow the spread of pure bliss as an intricate lattice of glitchy synth textures, euphoric arps, digitized tones, robust drums and oscillating bass start swirling into oblivion with supersonic speed. Add the luminous vocal loop into the equation, and it’s clear Luca Lush and VARI have cracked the code with an emotion-stimulating single that is anything but formulaic.
While this release may serve as both of the artists’ introduction to Heaven Sent, VARI is no stranger to releasing with SLANDER. His last single “Anodize” materialized on their Gud Vibrations label last September, which showcased his knack for fusing industrial-strength bass with highly reactive melody work. The budding producer from Oklahoma has already dipped into dubstep and drum & bass, having built a small but extremely potent catalog closing the gap between gritty distorted and dreamy aesthetics.
Pulling his own weight on the opposite end is Luca Lush, the Brooklyn-based phenom with an adaptable sound spanning a wide range of influences. Regardless of the style, his frantic output flaunts an edgy originality stemming from his psyche being punctured by the wealth of DIY punk rock and house in the New York scene. His tenacious drive to never sit still sonically has positioned him to become an authority on speed house, electropop, trap, future house and any other sound worthy of receiving the sweet touch of Lush.
As these two anomalies continue to forge their path into the future of bass music, “Spectral Sequence” is a moment of singularity eternalized through a jaw-dropping collab that is basically writing its own unique algorithm. It’s on you, if you’re able to keep up.
