R.I.P. Purple Bastard 2009-2019

*****

Purple Bastard is a boundary-pushing producer, DJ, and sonic sculptor whose work maps the emotional terrain between decay and beauty. Rooted in Houston’s experimental hip hop underground but shaped by the intensity of Los Angeles’ leftfield beat scene, his music lives in the grey zones—between digital and analog, structured and improvised, brutal and sublime.

Born and raised in Houston, Purple Bastard came of age surrounded by the DNA of chopped & screwed music, gangster rap, and the humid heaviness of Southern rhythm. But even early on, he was carving out his own path. While other beatmakers were chasing polished perfection, he leaned into imperfection—intentionally muddying his mixes, pushing compressors to their limits, and letting hiss and hum become part of the language.

In the early 2010s, he became a vital force in Houston’s indie hip hop and beat scenes—not just as a performer, but as a community builder. His weekly #RemixWednesday series showcased his wide-ranging ear and deep crate knowledge, transforming familiar tracks into warped, slow-dripping reinventions. These remixes became a calling card: unpredictable, sometimes confrontational, always immersive.

But it was the Turnin’ Headz Showcase that marked a deeper commitment. Co-founded and curated by Purple Bastard, Turnin’ Headz became one of the few spaces in Houston where experimental producers, underground emcees, and genre-defying acts could test boundaries in a live setting. The showcases were raw, DIY, and intentionally off-kilter—acts might follow each other with no genre continuity, forcing both performers and audiences out of their comfort zones. More than a showcase, Turnin’ Headz was an incubator for weird, honest sound in a city often dominated by mainstream aesthetics.

In the mid-2010s, Purple Bastard moved to Los Angeles—a city whose beat scene had long served as a testing ground for sonic innovators. It didn’t take long for him to make an impact. He won the very first Beat Cinema Beat Battle, immediately earning recognition among LA’s elite experimental producers. He went on to collaborate with the influential Team Supreme collective, known for their rapid-fire beat cyphers and uncompromising creativity.

While based in LA, he performed regularly at underground venues, art spaces, and warehouse events, often blurring the line between set and installation. His sound—equal parts noise collage, ambient haze, and sub-heavy abstraction—found a home in a community that valued risk. That energy culminated in a cross-border performance at NRML Festival in Tijuana, where he brought his signature grime, glitch, and groove to an international audience.

The LA period deepened his aesthetic. He began incorporating modular synths, field recordings, and long-form ambient techniques. But no matter how far he strayed into abstraction, Houston’s imprint remained: distorted 808s, hypnotic swing, and that unmistakable Southern pacing, stretched out like heat on pavement.

After several years in Los Angeles, Purple Bastard returned to Houston—not to replicate his past, but to reengage from a new vantage point. His more recent work feels less like a beat tape and more like a sculpture garden of ideas. Tracks bleed into each other. Samples don’t just loop—they decay, disintegrate, re-emerge warped. He’s equally comfortable building entire sets from found sound as he is crushing trap drums under layers of distortion.

Still committed to community, he continues mentoring younger artists, producing for off-center rappers, and championing spaces where unconventional sounds can breathe. His influence on Houston’s experimental wing is undeniable—many of the city’s new generation of beatmakers cite him not only as an inspiration but as an architect of the very scene that gave them permission to get weird.

Purple Bastard’s discography includes Short Cuts, SYRUP, Down & Out HTX, and dozens of singles, remixes, and self-released experiments that exist outside of traditional platforms. You won’t always find his work on Spotify, but if you know where to look—Bandcamp, dusty SoundCloud folders, USB drives passed hand to hand—you’ll find gold: gritty, heartfelt transmissions from an artist who doesn’t just bend genre—he burns the edges.

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