Bassrush

Striking an irresistible balance between the warmth of vintage computer sounds, the attitude of beat-driven, hip-hop instrumental roots, the aggressive, grittiness of analog synthesizers and the dark, unapologetic power of dubstep, Portland’s EPROM has managed to build and inhabit a powerful sonic space all his own. EPROM’s pace-making, highly nurtured and equally unique musical output continues to turn heads with its 808-centered, future-facing personality that boasts the perfect marriage of subtle, minimalist soundscapes and raw, crunchy sound design.

Whether he’s demonstrating his wicked mastery over the art of sound manipulation, punchy bass and glitchy, spaced-out synths through all original productions or concocting ground shaking, game-changing dancefloor detonators through his side project, Shades, with drum & bass heavyweight Alix Perez, EPROM’s impeccably fresh style always permeates through and leaves fans and artists alike incredibly inspired. With a style as original and exciting as EPROM’s, we had to pick his brain to see which tracks from 2016 influences the man behind some of today’s freshest bass music.

Machinedrum ft. Kevin Hussein “Dos Puertas” (Alix Perez Remix)
“My partner in crime Alix Perez smashing out the remix duty on this one. He flipped what was a really happy kind of tune into something much darker while retaining a lot of the original flavor.”

Alix Perez “Tempest”
“We’ve been playing this every SHADES set [and it] always gets the crowd hype on a different kind of head-nod flex. Alix is a master of bass and synth sound design.”

DJ Taye ft. DJ Manny “Burnin Ya Boa”
“Just a beautiful example of straight ahead juke done right, from the classic hip-hop slanted side of juke.”

DJ Rashad x DJ Spinn x Taso “AM Track” (Salva Remix)
“Salva pays tribute to Rashad and to his Chi roots in this remix. He resists the temptation to overproduce and instead delivers a fantastic slice of new-school dancefloor soul.”

Shades “Gravediggin”
“Made the bassline on the modular synth, made the gnarly effects on the Octatrack, and Alix smashed out the beat on the computer. This one has been doing damage on forward-thinking dancefloors.”

EPROM “Pineapple”
“A clip of some forthcoming destruction from yours truly.”

G Jones “Pull Up”
“G Jones and I have been collabing on a couple new tunes. This kid is a beast in the studio and this track is no exception. Love the last drop where he loops dotted eight note bass sounds over what in other hands would be a straightforward drop. Full of creatively ingenious manipulations of rhythm.”

Tsuruda “Foreign Money”
“A very funky and vibed out number from one of the most promising up-and-coming producers on the West Coast beat scene.”

Mr. Carmack “Dimepiece”
“Probably my favorite straight ahead trap tune of the last year, full of musicality and enough sick change-ups to keep the dancefloor moving.”

Ivy Lab “Spooky Dub”
“Been caning this every SHADES set; works really well despite (or perhaps because of) its utter wonkiness and lack of traditional beat structure.”