Three-way collaborations are hard to come by, especially when all of the artists in question are spread across the globe. Take IVORY, Yakz, and Codd Dubz, who span from the Pacific West Coast all the way to Europe. Still, that distance didn’t stop the three like-minded bassbin warriors from locking horns and kicking out the epic floor-stomper known as “Dirty Dogs” on NSD: Black Label.
With each of the artists bringing their own flex to the proceedings, the resulting cut is one that not only had 12th Planet shouting from the rooftops about the power of this one when it hits, but also hinting that it was an homage to one of his “favorite hot dog spots in the world.” We’ll let the crew reveal the exact location of this infamous hot dog spot and confirm whether or not the tune was made as a homage to the delectable treats it’s kicking below.
But first, prepare to get your head cracked by the untethered beast known as “Dirty Dogs” that’s out now via NSD: Black Label before digging into the three-way conversation with the crew that follows.
First off, so people get a sense of just how epic this collab is, remind readers where you call home.
IVORY: Paris, France!
Yakz: California, baby. Los Angeles.
Codd Dubz: Brooklyn, New York.
Now tell us the story about how this project came together; who approached who and where was this conversation taking place?
IVORY: All of us were at Quebec’s Valhalla Sound Circus Festival and after the show we went to Montreal for an afterparty later in the week.
Yakz: The afterparty was like a week after the festival so we stayed in Montreal and there’s this restaurant called Dirty Dogs and I shit you not, we ate there every single day. We decided to make a tune about that place cause it’s SO GOOD everyone should eat there.
This is the same place that 12th Planet calls his “favorite hot dog place in the world,” right?
Yakz: 12th is right, it’s the best fucking place ever. I could eat it every day and not get tired of it. The Mac Attack is the best thing to get there.
Out of you three, who’s the dirtiest dog of them all?
IVORY: Yakz is definitely the dirtiest doggo here.
Back to the tune proper: was there an initial vision going into the creation of the tune or was it more just a matter of “let’s rinse this motherfucker out”?
Yakz: We just made it because we were having fun. We didn’t really have a plan to release it. At first it was just more unreleased arsenal for us to play out
Codd Dubz: The three of us all took out our laptops the first day we had in Montreal and started putting pieces together to see what we could come up with.
Three-way collabs are unusual so that must’ve been a unique experience on its own.
IVORY: It is unusual but being able to learn each other’s production style and how each of us could add to the track while together in Montreal made putting the rest of the collab together when apart much easier!
Yakz: Three-way collabs are kinda tricky cause everyone has something different to bring to the table. We mostly just went based off an IVORY flow and added little things here and there.
Codd Dubz: I’ve been a fan of IVORY’s production for years. He absolutely smashed his production style on the track. At the same time, I really dig the switch up on the tune where it brings out more of mine and Yakz’s style.
It is unusual but being able to learn each other’s production style and how each of us could add to the track while together in Montreal made putting the rest of the collab together when apart much easier!
Since you guys are literally spread across the globe, give us a sense of how you guys finished what you started in Montreal?
IVORY: We made half of the tune during our trip in Montreal, at the hotel. We picked up a key for the song then each of us started working on some elements of the tracks such as the intro, drop, FX, etcetera. I was hosting the project with FL Studio but [Yakz] and [Codd Dubz] work on Ableton Live so they put everything they did on a USB stick, which I then dropped into the host project. There is a lot of stuff going on in this project; a lot of our sounds are layered together which makes everything sounds like one single thing.
Codd Dubz: We basically had the whole idea laid out by the end of the week. We made it a goal that we should make a playable version of the track to premiere in Montreal at the Valhalla afterparty that the three of us were playing at, so we did that. After that, once we all went home, IVORY put some finishing touches on it and made it sound amazing.
Let’s say this collab is so successful that you guys decide to join forces under a single artist name. What would it be?
IVORY: The Dirty Doggos.
Yakz: “Three dumbasses make a song about a hotdog place,” I don’t know. [Laughs]
Codd Dubz: I’m thinking we could make a pretty good boy band and something tells me Andy [IVORY] would be a good band leader. So I’m thinking maybe something like Andy & The Dirty Boiz.
Last but not least, hit us with any shout-outs and tell us why NSD: Black Label is the perfect home for this cut.
Codd Dubz: I liked how NSD: Black Label had us post the cryptic dog/wolf videos. The day before the release all three of us posted this video and some people caught onto it and knew what was happening, and others weren’t so sure. The next day we got to announce the track and people went wild.
IVORY: Shout out to Dirty Dogs for the inspiration and the great poutine, big thanks to 12th Planet for showing love to the tune as usual! Much love to NSD: Black Label for pushing the underground music boundaries every day and thank you Bassrush for this cool write-up!
Yakz: Shout out Dirty Dogs, shout out to everyone that supports our music—love you all—and shout SVDDEN DEATH cause he’s a bitch.
Codd Dubz: Shout out to Yakz and IVORY, Dave and Billy from Dirty Dogs, Bassrush and everyone at Never Say Die: Black Label!