Bassrush

Black Sun Empire continue to comb through the universe in search of the very best neuro- and tech-tinged drum & bass with their Blackout imprint serving as the launching ground for countless dancefloor assaults. From the golden years of classic neurofunk on through to the weaponized precision of contemporary futuristic dancefloor headcrushers, Blackout continues to revel in its role and reputation for championing the very best the genre has to offer.

Speaking of which, who better to fly the Blackout flag than the duo known as Neonlight who continue to push the envelope on their own expertly engineered sonic excursions into the darkside. While their jaw-dropping concept album, My Galactic Tale, served to solidify their status as heavyweight producers and storytellers, the duo has recently impressed with their turn towards their ARCOT project, an acronym which the crew tells us stands for “A Random Collection Of Tracks.”

As Neonlight tell us: “After our debut album My Galactic Tale, which was a concept album from start to finish, we thought it was time for something less complex. ARCOT, a random collection of tracks, is as the name says, just music we wrote in the last months we want to put out.”

Sci-fi aesthetics still reign supreme on their first release under the ARCOT flag as the recently released “Boom” and “Slap” on Blackout mashes up 8-bit nostalgia with a sinister and menacing stomp into brain-rattling territory (out now so lock yours in here). With Blackout preparing to unleash Neonlight’s “Triple B VIP” on their forthcoming Blackout Summer 2017 series—not to mention the nostalgia we’re still in the grips of as we remember Black Sun Empire and The Upbeats going back-to-back in the bassPOD at EDCLV—we thought we’d tap Neonlight for a summertime hit list of what they consider to be their Blackout Essentials for those looking for a little mid-summer kick. Check the selection followed by commentary on their Top Five cuts below.

Black Sun Empire “Arrakis” (Noisia Remix)
“The original by BSE was one of the most addictive tracks when it came out. To see Noisia on a remix was quite unbelievable. The build up and the drop are outstanding! It’s hard to capture the power of this one in words. BIG TUNE!”

Audio “Bag of Bones”
“When we heard this track for the first time we knew that it would change a lot of our own approach to writing a heavy drum & bass track. Its energy and production level is top notch. We were listening to this tune so many times…many, many times!”

Black Sun Empire & State of Mind “Unconscious”
“Game changer for both acts involved in this collaboration, in our opinion. We played this track a lot and still do! It is an honor to work with these guys.”

Neonlight & Wintermute “Influx”
“Making this track was great fun and we learned a lot once again to push our sound. We love to play this tune. It fits to nearly every track in this key so it’s the ultimate double drop weapon.”

Agressor Bunx “Tommy Gun”
“This track is just a banger. Drum & bass at it’s very best from two very talented guys!”