Introduction
The darkness is calling you – begging you to turn from the bright and colorful world of EDM and into it’s back rooms; the hidden corners; the dim-lit hallways and crawl spaces of electronic music that can just as powerfully evoke your emotions, but from an entirely different angle. We want to introduce you to a different side of our personalities, one that you may very well be in tune with, you just don’t know it yet.
We’re sharing with you 7 of our darkest-kept secrets; the artists who have wrenched their jagged sounds into the heart of our existence, leaving it there to remain and fester through the haunting season. So tread lightly – the dark arts are nothing to underestimate, and your eternal soul may just be what is sacrificed. But you also might find, as we have, that the darkness is exactly where you want to be.
7. Miguel Bastida
Take a journey down into the darkest hours of the Barcelona club scene with Miguel Bastida. This Spanish producer has a pure talent for the dark arts of techno and tech house, with a loyal following of artists including Richie Hawtin, Umek, and more. Learning ourselves about this artist through one of our favorite techno and tech house podcasts, Operandi Radio, Miguel’s sound is crave-worthy and worth the indulgence.
Techno is a difficult genre to perfect; a repetitive style of music has to hook the listener in at first bite. In this case, Miguel gives us no choice but to be pulled under his heavy spell, and oh, how it tantalizes our ear-waves. Also boasting a label Be One Records which is now hosted on Beatport, Miguel Bastida is quickly rising as an underground techno lord and deserves all the praise he can get.
6. Moody Good
This may come as no surprise to those who are into the heaviest of bass genres. Moody Good, a London/Chicago native with a truckload of bass in tow, is ever-amazing dance music listeners with the heavy-handed productions like his latest EP eight months ago. Most recently, Moody Good took on Yogi featuring Pusha T, taking the hip hop original from pretty bad-ass to full-blown BAMF status. This remix comes in just in time for all things dark and heavy taking form, and let’s face it: Fall doesn’t mean we turn down anything but ill-worthy tunes. Keep Moody Good and all of OWSLA on your radar this haunted season, and if you’re new to Moody Good, let us welcome you with Burial.
Catch Moody Good at Foundation Nightclub on November 10th!
5. LoftyLows
While LoftyLows likes to take an incognito approach of artistry, one thing is certain: The music does all the speaking for itself. Dishing out rainy day heartbreak sounds and supreme chill-out session material, LoftyLows is an artist to watch for in this particular melodramatic style. Raw to the core with emotion, LoftyLows’ remixes have made their way into the Soundcloud streams, including our favorite Lykke Li remix, as well as quite a few fall-ready originals.
If you like what you hear then keep a close eye – especially since we’ve seen hints of an EP in the near future. “Find the Highs in the Lows” is the one and only mantra behind LoftyLows’ musical mentality, and who says Cloud 9 isn’t grey and misty? This may just be the perfect fall-in-the-Northwest element.
4. Etnik
A producer who takes us into some of the darkest underground corners of techno and house is Etnik. After his last EP Neon Daze was a thrilling success, we simply had no choice but to vote Etnik as one of our top artists to watch for in 2014. Later than we would have liked, Etnik finally came to deliver new music, a 4-track EP entitledUnclassified, all in perfect timing for the darkening fall season. His sounds reminds us of a 4am warehouse rave (or what we dream it is, at least) complete with slicing, cutting samples, sexy whispering voices and echoes leaving us craving nightfall and the opportune moment to listen.
Below is his latest set for Hard Fest’s Mixtape Series, one that brings us to our knees praying to the music gods (and the dark lords) for an Etnik debut in Seattle very soon..
3. Marilyn Manson
No stranger to the dark side is it’s demon spawn Marilyn Manson. After last year’s performance at Showbox Sodo completely grossed out and amazed show-goers all at the same time, he’s since only been seen in the latest seasons of Sons Of Anarchy as a tatted-up gang member-turned-prisoner. But now, the ghost-white demon of our younger years is back with a new purging of music, and an album set for early 2015. The first release from the upcoming album, Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge, is a catchier, dare we say bubbly Marilyn track with some hinting at a similarity to a creepier David Bowie.
While this may not be your favorite taste in music, there is no denying the powerful connection between dark rock and electronic dance music. Perfect examples: Nine Inch Nails, The Glitch Mob, Pendulum, and plenty more. Cross your fingers the album is something frighteningly awesome.
2. Scissorhands
This track is so fresh, it’s not even out yet… Boise-native Scissorhands has a knack for dropping the most haunted of bass hits right around Hallow’s Eve – perfect for that Halloween party playlist you’ve been itching to create for a few weeks now. Scissorhands uses an intricate blend of spooky sounds, creepy voice samples and the filthiest of bass lines to create ghostly scores fit for the next big horror film.
Taking inspiration from Danny Elfman, the musical score-meister of The Nightmare Before Christmas and other Tim Burton films, Scissorhands creates his music to be a full-on listener experience; it’s hard not to envision being lost in the creepiest haunted house you’ve ever set foot in, hearts pounding and all. You can purchase this track on November 4th via Beatport, but we’ve heard that October 28th may have a free-download option on his Soundcloud (*hint hint*), just in time for your Hallow’s Eve festivities. You’re welcome.
1. Movement
We first experienced the Australian band Movement live in action while attending our favorite dark heiress, BANKS, last week at Showbox Market. While we knew there would be nothing in comparison to her goddess-like presence, Movement blew the sold-out crowd completely away in a whole new direction. The edgy, slow-pulsing of the live band’s performance mixed with the soulful vocals took our minds and ears to an entirely new level of intensity. Complete with electric guitar solos in their original track, Ivory, Movement is a contagious, highly-addicting act that is perfect for cruising, chilling, and maybe even sexy romancing. Yes, we went there. Dig into Movement and say goodbye to your soul as it once was, forever.
SPECIAL THANK YOU
