VICIOUS AUDIO 003: JOINT FORCES—GLIDETIME/PERSUASION

Joint Forces is a collective of bass fiends from New Zealand.  Comprised of Chewie, Mysterious D, and Soul Provider, the group came together from a shared love of the dark beats and heavy bass that once only drum and bass was able to provide. With releases in the hopper for Stupid Fly, Abducted Dubs, and Dub Frequency, the Joint Forces are making the rounds on the international stage with their grimey, techy sound that makes listeners nostalgic for the good old days of 160+ bpms.

 The boys’ remembrance of the gritty, tech step dnb is apparent in their productions, as metallic snares and dark, grinding basslines bounce back and forth in a dark ballet of bass. On Glidetime, lightly menacing synth stabs play up a dark rave feel before a couple of plodding, grinding basslines fight for bassbin supremacy. On Persuasion, the boys take a more contemporary approach, with a midrange bassline plugging along while a lightly squealing synth makes a play for today’s less patient listeners. Both dark, with a punchy production value, these two from Joint Forces are sure to hit home with dubstep fans with a bit more refined taste.


Joint Forces - Glidetime (Clip) Out Now!!

VICIOUS AUDIO 001: TRIAGE—COMORBID/PLAY DEAD

The production trio known as Triage is comprised of the combined talents of Liar, Debt, and Seth Norman.  As a group, the trio’s gone from one-to-watch status to internationally known in just a few short years.  Coming off a huge 2010 with digital releases on Rottun, Lime Dubs, Hollow Point, Onset Audio, Requiem, Trust in Music, Vicious Audio and Bombtraxx, Triage is set to take the world by storm in 2011 with a slew of releases in the hopper and an Austrailia/New Zealand tour planned for this spring.  With a who’s who of elite artists including Dieselboy, Excision, Datsik, Vaski, Antiserum, and 6Blocc supporting their tunes, the small-town Oregon trio is quickly becoming a major player in the global dubstep scene.

Longtime cohorts of label boss Kenny F, Triage was slated to kick off the Vicious Audio series with a two pack of their signature sound incorporating tightly coiled composition, intelligent sound design, and trend-setting production technique.  On Comorbid, Triage displays their interest in all things broken with a double-time dubstep/breakbeat assault.  Guttural epic sweeps open to a growling beast of a bass line while organic kicks and snares lead the way.  On the flip, Play Dead takes a more traditional route with a spaced out production style that allows the drums to breathe while a deep, rolling bass line keeps the stacks full.  Gritty and dark, with a dark sci-fi aesthetic, this two pack from Triage takes listeners to the darkest corners of the dance floor and beyond and begs the question, “When you die in space, can anybody hear you scream?”

Triage - Play Dead (Clip) Out Now!!

VICIOUS AUDIO 02: DUBTEK—FEVER

Kyle Schab, aka Dubtek, has been an instrumental player in bringing the dubstep sound to the Seattle underground for the last five years.  As part of the Shift Crew, Dubtek’s been pushing the dubstep sound since the mid ‘00’s, first as a producer and later as a DJ.  In each role, he’s seen critical and popular acclaim as his releases have been featured on a host of cutting edge dubstep labels including Shift Recordings, Trust in Music, Terminal Dusk, and Paradise Lost and has had his tunes supported by a who’s who of dubstep players including Triage, Droid Sector, Matta, and Boot.  In addition he’s become a Seattle fan favorite with an ear for the underground and a big bass sound, as he’s shared billing with a host of dubstep elite including N-Type, Caspa, 12th Planet, Babylon System, and SPL to name a few.

On his inaugural release for Vicious Audio Dubtek stays true to his roots, creating deep bass soundscapes with a heavy sound while managing to stay intelligent and away from anything that could be described as “bro”.  Fever plods along through the night, as light siren stabs and ghostly ambience create a sense of space between the kick-snare attacks and the beastly bass line.  On The Tenant, things start off harmlessly enough but get decidedly darker as a heavy, chugging bass line pounds along at a steady clip.  Both dark and heavy, with drops that fall like a ton of bricks, this release stays true to the original dubstep credo: let the drums and the bass do the talking and leave the fanfare and sirens to the electro jocks and their cool hair cuts.

Dubtek - Fever (Clip) Out Now!!

Shop Digi @ http://www.beatport.com/label/vicious-audio/16705