All You Need is BASS

HYHT: In Absentia S/T EP featuring Shamik & DJ Grasp the Erro

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To find proof that postmodern drum and bass exists check out In Absentia – the second EP resulting in a collaboration between Shamik, producer, MC and beat boxer, and producer and DJ Grasp the Erro. The two Canadian artists met in 2010 at the Victoria Electronic Music Festival and have been collaborating ever since. Recently, they released four tracks that would describe their year-long journey into the deep exploration of downtempo experimental ambient music.

The majestic and cinematic sounds of deep-rolling drum and bass, mixed with a spectrum of instruments and atmospheric sounds, creates a dark and lonely story in songs like “Ego Death”, and “Actualize”. The yin-yang highs and lows in each song brings you to a mesmerizing anticipation of the next precisely placed beat. Deathly and dark, the structure of the compositions is comparable to sounds from former New Orleans’ electronic music act Telefon Tel Aviv or Scotland’s Boards of Canada.

In Absentia web

Talking with Shamik about the album, he revealed,

“We hope that it reaches people that don’t always listen to drum and bass. We wanted to break some barriers. We are really proud of the last song, ‘Sunlight Through the Window’, because we didn’t follow any rules. ”

Well done and well produced, In Absentia is progressive and illustrates just where the future of Drum and Bass may be headed. Trusting heavily in their abilities and friendship has paid off for the duo who have successfully created a spiritual EP that has set the bar for transformative music.

“Music has definitely been spiritual for us and you gotta just follow it”

The whole EP is streaming and available for free on SoundCloud.

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Carolyn Russell

Carolyn Yates was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. She has lived most of her life in a variety of communities in Ontario and Alberta. A graduate of the Technical Communication degree program at Mount Royal University, she is a music article writer. Carolyn writes about her experiences as a music lover, female anarchist, sex object, and facetious business woman. Carolyn currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. She's lovely tell your mudder.

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