Australian-born, Portland-based producer and DJ ZEKE BEATS has become a staple in the bass scene with his special blend of hip-hop and grime-influenced leftfield bass and experimental dubstep.
Making his return to Bassrush Records comes the heavy-hitting four-track EP, ‘Futura’. The release follows the lead single “BABABASS” alongside Jantsen, which has seen live support from legends like Liquid Stranger and Zeds Dead.
Rightfully leading off the EP is the timeline-shifting opener, “EPIC.” It’s a brain-tickling dubstep cut that’s built around hypnotic 8-bit tones. The sweeping melodies hit in the intro with a dizzying furiosity, which is backed by punchy percussion. Building to a crescendo, ZEKE BEATS offers an impactful release with a slowed and swagged-out drop mixing a flipped melody, glitchy textures, rumbling low-end growls, and seething call-and-response. The perfectly placed pitched-down pre-drop vocal samples further the descent into chaos. Keeping the crowd on its toes, “EPIC” raises the pulse with another frantic break and build before returning with a devastating finale that pushes the boundaries of bass.
ZEKE BEATS explains the unique inspiration behind the track: “Crafting ‘Epic’ was a truly enjoyable and fascinating process for me. I aimed to blend melody, heavy drops, and experimental bass design. Surprisingly, the idea came to me during a flight, where the change in air pressure was messing with my ears, forcing me to concentrate on writing melodies instead of focusing solely on heavy sound design.”
Joining forces with Jansten, the two cook up “BABABASS,” a heater that blurs the lines between face-melting dubstep and enthralling experimental bass while harnessing underlying festival-ready energy in the process. The introduction offers an inviting yet uncertain pull that is beefed up with a distinct hip-hop feel. Sirens give way to hypnotic synths that are enhanced with its snappy trap percussion. As the stuttered vocals are chopped and looped with precision, the pair take the energy to a peak before unloading the booming onslaught. Ping-ponging synth riffs, trippy bleep tones, mind-twisting undertones, and the filthy call-and-response of the rapid-fire leads flex the pair’s unrivaled sound design skills, while chest-rattling low-end pushes speakers to the max. Never stagnating, “BABABASS” continues its metamorphosis through tension-building breaks and a massive retooled finale.
Catapulting the energy into a dystopian future comes “Program Activated.” The track sounds like the awakening and uprising of a robotic war machine set to take over the planet. Computerized vocals are interspersed with glitched-out bleeps and bloops, off-kilter percussion, and metallic flourishes. From heart-racing builds to the neck-breaking drops, it’s a relentless descent into the mainframe of an all-too-powerful sentient robot mind hive that’s been infected with murderous intent. Experimental only begins to describe the mind-altering trip that is “Program Activated.”
Closing things off with a bang, ZEKE BEATS links up with British grime duo Virus Syndicate. “HARDER” goes precisely as the name suggests. A frantic breakbeat intro gives way to a bass-laden, grime-leaning sound palette that’s beefed up with Virus Syndicate’s raw raps. The commanding flows and razor sharps bars are ready for war while ZEKE BEATS weaves an exceptional sonic tapestry that shares the spotlight. Pulling in elements from experimental bass, dubstep, trap, grime, and beyond, “HARDER” is impossible to pin down, and just as difficult not to love. The collaboration proves that ZEKE BEATS and Virus Syndicate are truly a perfect match, delivering a wild bass-heavy anthem.
Portland-based producer and turntablist ZEKE BEATS has become an icon in the bass music scene with a style that blends his affinity for analog gear with hip-hop and grime influences. He debuted on the label during its earliest days with the anabolic banger “Bounce,” and then kept the momentum soaring with his follow-up effort “Mind,” his collaboration alongside Dirty Audio in 2018. His work has gained support from Alison Wonderland, Zeds Dead, Slumberjack, Noisia, Liquid Stranger, NGHTMRE, SLANDER, and more. He is fresh off playing support for Barely Alive’s ‘Better Off Dead’ Tour, in addition to running up with Liquid Stranger at Midland Theater, and will be providing direct support for Crankdat at The DNA Lounge.
Spanning four cutting-edge bass tracks, ‘Futura’ is an EP only further proving why ZEKE BEATS has and will continue to be the future of bass music.
ZEKE BEATS’ new ‘Futura’ EP is available on all platforms via Bassrush Records.
