Champagne Drip is a favorite artist here at Bassrush in all his previous, current and future incarnations. A musical scientist who seems to be evolving faster than any of us can keep up with, Mr. Drip has burned through a number of bass music genres. Starting with drum and bass (under the moniker SPL) then dubstep and smooth, funk-based halftime, this new Obelisk EP out on Liquid Stranger’s Wakaan label delves into trippy, riddim-based territory.
Since Champagne Drip doesn’t really pay attention to labels of subgenres, Obelisk sort of sways back and forth between dubstep and riddim and venturing into halftime, proving those lines are easily blurrable. What’s extraordinary about the EP is what’s happening up in the top register. Sometimes symphonic like on “Axis Mundi” and “The Portal” and other times quite steppy and danceable, it’s clear Champagne Drip had some fun with synths and sound design this time around, and it makes for an altogether fun and brain-melting experience.
Coming up with a playlist about where Champagne Drip’s inspiration came from for Obelisk seemed to come quite easy to him, as he sent it back to us here at Bassrush very quickly. As an artist who’s clearly into composition and song construction, he was likely conscious of the types of sounds he wanted to create on the EP and thus knew his inspiration pieces pretty well. That said, we’ll now turn the tracks and the reasons why over to him, as this playlist is just as rich and interesting as Obelisk itself. Listen and read.
Space Jesus & Dirt Monkey “Sofa Surfin” (Liquid Stranger Remix)
“The way the bass comes in before the drums in the drop was a big inspiration for the structure behind ‘Nerf This.’”
Herobust “Move Mint”
“Herobust is always on the cutting edge of sound design and production. I keep listening to hear how he pushes the envelope.”
G Jones “Fuck What You Heard”
“I love the use of effects and delay in this track. I’m always trying to come up with new ways to echo sounds and make music hypnotic.”
Eprom “Pineapple” (Zeke Beats Remix)
“Both Eprom & Zeke Beats are artists that I keep tabs on to see how they twist up sounds and create a vibe. This track is a great example.”
Noisia “Voodoo”
“Noisia is another production outfit that I pay close attention to. They are always creative and their sounds are always out of this world. I love tracks like ‘Voodoo’ with a heavy emphasis on the quarter note, this creates a great bouncing pace. You could say that is the pulse I was going for with the initial drop phrase in ‘Nerf This.’”
Eskmo “I Dream I’m Flying”
“This one is an oldie but goodie. The delicate balance of sweeping bass and arpeggiation nestled between foley style drums is so cool. I’m such a sucker for stroboscopic and psychedelic arpeggiated synthesizers. You can hear this love in ‘Axis Mundi.’”
Current Value “Scenario”
“Early in my musical career I traded remixes with and was featured alongside Current Value on several occasions. He’s remained a cutting edge and unique producer. This track is a masterpiece of science fiction audio. I love tracks that are so angelic and beautiful but take a dark turn and drop into agonizing heaviness.”
Konflict “Messiah”
“This is a drum and bass classic among classics. If you were into D&B around the turn of the century, you knew this track. This is another example of science fiction poetry with a hyper-futuristic intro that drops fucking hard and epic. ‘Axis Mundi’ wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for ‘Messiah.’”
Kryptic Minds & Leon Switch “Blueprint” (Tech Itch Remix)
“The bassline and switching drums in this track are ferocious and alive. When I was developing the tearing main bass in Argent Energy I couldn’t help but be reminded of this remix.”
Hans Zimmer “Cornfield Chase”
“I’m a science fiction nerd. Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers, and this track from the movie Interstellaris an amazing example of his work. I already mentioned that I’m a huge fan of arpeggios which lay the foundation of this track. I was a huge fan of baroque organ music from a young age and I think that is where that love stems from and why it keeps creeping into the music I create.”