Bassrush

Blazing straight out of Oakland, Sayer steps up for the next release in the Bassrush Records imprint with two amazing slices of dark and dirty burners sure to have the heads bouncing off the walls and shaking in their boots. Continuing to impress with his ability to craft a sound that’s all his own, the futuristic-psychedelic-glitched-out trip that the East Bay youngblood is cooking merges the heaviest elements of bass music across the board while also drawing upon outside influences, most notably metal and punk.

It’s a narrative that continues to evolve as his latest for Bassrush Records can attest. “Selkie” takes the 8-bit grind to a whole new level as the homie BOATS stops in for a little creep and freak in the studio before Sayer kicks down the doors on “Ride or Die.” Dark, dystopian vibes reign supreme as Sayer conjures up visions of a dank basement rammed with wall-to-wall bodies heaving at the rails, moisture dripping off the cieling, and that unholy techno-bass hook squeezing the air right out your lungs.

Bassrush Records is offering up these two killer cuts as a free download so snag your own copy below followed by an exclusive Q&A with Sayer himself on the influences behind his unique sound and why the East Bay is so hot right now.

 

For those who don’t know who is Sayer and where you coming from?
Hi, I’m Arden. I live in Oakland, California and enjoy mangling audio.

Influences ranging from trap, grime, 808 bass, future bass, and dubstep surface in your music. How do you describe your sound and what makes it unique?
Describing one’s sound is always incredibly hard because the beautiful thing about music is that it can tap into a feeling or vibe that words could never capture. I can say that my influences reach far beyond electronic music, as I played in punk and metal bands for years prior to delving in to computer stuff; that gives a specific slant to the beats I make.

How much of that is related to not only being from the West Coast but the Bay Area, specifically? There are lots of heavy hitters and fellow beat/bass scientists coming out of the Bay lately; is there a Bay Area movement the world should be looking out for?
I am extremely lucky to count most of my favorite producers as friends and influences. I met a lot of them at shows in the Bay and it’s been great to be able to share techniques and ideas and try to push each other to make wilder music. It also makes it easier to make beats together, as evidenced by “Selkie,” which BOATS and I wrote when he skated over to my house one day. There is this definitely this kinda dystopian/late capitalism vibe to the East Bay in general that rears its head in the music as well. You can’t help but breathe that vibe in being in here.

Last but not least, tell us about linking up with Bassrush Records and this release.
When I was writing these tunes I was really only listening to heavy guitar music and rarely leaving my room, so I feel like they reflect that. When I played a Bassrush show in L.A. with G Jones a few months back, the vibe of the material fit perfectly with the crowd and this release evolved from there.