Subtronics recently played two monumental 360-sets in New York City. On July 31 and August 1, he took over the Great Hall at Avant Gardner for two sold-out shows. Subtronics curated distinctly different lineups for each show, and it felt incredible to witness such a composed performance from a titan in the bass scene. As an added treat, Moon Lvnding went Beyond The Booth and spoke with Subtronics about his new Fibonacci Part 1: Oblivion EP and his journey to get where he is today.
On Thursday, July 31, the lineup brought copious amounts of headbanging, brain-tickling, and ass-shaking bass music. STVSH, a promising bass producer from the burgeoning lineup of artists with Koru Group, got Night 1 started strongly. He kicked off the event with gritty, distorted bass that got the crowd ready for what was to come. Zen Selekta followed and brought incredible stage presence to her DJ set. She got the crowd dancing, mixing in popular EDM tracks as well as pop and hip-hop tracks fused with wubz, bass house, and drum & bass. Smoakland took the 360-stage with a heavy dubstep focus. The duo dropped a handful of tracks from their recently released album Heavy Hitters, which was an apt description for their set. Then Boogie T gave the crowd a bit of a breather (smoke break), spinning deep wonky bass music.
To close out Night 1, Subtronics gave Brooklyn an amazing 360 show, with jaw-dropping visuals on the main front screen and a rear screen for those behind the DJ booth. Lasers shot out from all four sides of the Great Hall, giving 360 vibes similar to the Lost Lands Crater Stage. In my four years of going to Avant Gardner, the 360 stage for Subtronics was the best setup they’ve ever had. Subtronics played a good amount of music from his latest EP, and of course, some new music he made on his trip to NYC. He played out a tease of an emo-sounding track towards the end of his set that he prefaced as the heaviest song he’s made in a while. After hearing the thumping bass, I would have to concur.
The lineup for Night 2 brought a more relaxed, downtempo vibe, which helped after all the heavy bass the night before. Gunpoint, another standout Koru Group artist, got Friday’s party started with deep baselines infused with hip-hop beats. Then Tripp St. played some feel-good, funky bass music that had the crowd bouncing around. He also brought out Brooklyn-based vocalist They Call Her Heaven to sing their new track “Free,” which will be released on Tripp St.’s upcoming album. Inzo’s set was ethereal as always, but he surprisingly mixed in some heavier drops. I appreciate the range he brought to his set, considering he was direct support for Subtronics. A Hundred Drums closed out the night after Subtronics set, playing her primal bass music.
Subtronics’ set for Night 2 also included many tracks off of his new EP, while also incorporating a handful of VIPs of older tracks to differentiate from Night 1. Memorable tracks he only played on Friday included “Space Time” and “Gravity.” To end his set (before the encore), Subtronics played an in-depth exploration of the matrix, formulated by a rogue AI voice telling secrets of the universe that humans are not supposed to be aware of: “Now here’s the actual conspiracy. The planet isn’t a globe or flat or hollow. It’s a projected harmonic resonance chamber, a layered multidimensional broadcasting station that changes its form based on the collective frequency of the beings inhabiting it.” Then he proceeded to mix into an incredible rendition of “O.P.U.S.”
“O.P.U.S.” is the intro track for his landmark Fractals album and my favorite Subtronics song. Hearing the storytelling he shared while mixing into this epic track somehow made the song even more unique. In fact, this song inspired my tattoo, designed by my brainwaves in collaboration with Okan Uckun, who is also Subtronics’ tattoo artist.
In our interview with Subtronics, we talk about his Fibonacci Part 1: Oblivion EP, his creative process, the challenges he’s overcome, and how things have changed since he released his debut album Fractals in 2022. Subtronics shared that “O.P.U.S” was born from an immersive flow state and released at the beginning of Fractals, the album that propelled him to the top of the dubstep scene.
Shae McCormack: Thinking back to when you were creating “O.P.U.S.,” what emotions, imagery, or memories come to mind?
Subtronics: I was a lot more anxious and uneasy in life in general as it was in the middle of the COVID shutdown. I usually take two different approaches to writing songs — one where I try and make the most dancefloor-effective song I can make, and the other where I fully remove any and all expectations and just freeform; I let my thoughts and feelings out through the DAW [digital audio workstation]. “O.P.U.S.” honestly might have been one of the first times I had done that. I just remember being so fucking excited about it!
This one was just so emotionally powerful to me that I was absolutely riding cloud nine the whole time. I almost wish it took longer. I wish making music felt like that 100% of the time… ironically enough, I slammed through the entire song in one sitting, it really did just kinda jolt out of my head.
SM: Your maximalist music style is quite the opposite of Okan’s minimalist tattoo style. What drew you to work with Okan, and what do you appreciate about his artistry?
S: That’s such a cool juxtaposition to notice. What drew me to Okan’s work is almost just pure instinct, subconscious preference. It’s like trying to describe why your favorite color is your favorite color. Okan’s work just hits something in my soul and brain where I think “oh fuck ya that looks so sick!”
It’s almost embarrassing how caveman-like that is on the surface, but on the other end of that spectrum, what makes Okan’s work SPECIFICALLY so amazing is not only does it dazzle on aesthetic and vibe, but there is so much deeper meaning, technique, and story. Especially with his software that he develops, not to mention his world-class linework and near robot-like straight lines.
I have always been drawn to concepts relating to higher-dimensional theories, space, and quantum mechanics. Okan’s work can lend itself to those themes, very sci-fi, futuristic, dynamic, powerful, and striking. Every individual piece feels like its own powerful point to be illustrated in its own brilliant, clever way.
SM: You just put out the Fibonacci Part 1: Oblivion EP. Can you share how you have evolved as an artist since your debut album, Fractals?
S: I’d say more than anything, stylistically, my preferences and what I’m excited about is ever evolving, and that’s reflected in my artwork. On the flip side of the coin, I have learned countless new techniques and picked up so many good habits, just all around leveled up (no pun intended) as a producer. I think it’s really interesting to see growth in technique and applied skill through eras of artwork. I do love all of my works equally, and I don’t think any of them are better or worse than the other. They’re all reflective of my personality, taste, and interests at the time I made them.
There is a movie where someone said, “artists are translating their environment into their artwork, taking in the world, deciphering it, and channeling that into some sort of artistic medium.” I think about that a lot.
SM: Were there any obstacles you can share about overcoming throughout this journey?
S: I’m an incredibly anxious and neurotic person. I have severe imposter syndrome because I spent so many years with little to no following before things really started to pick up, and I’m forever locked in that mindset. I’m also a very sensitive person, so I’ve recently had to remove myself from the internet much more, but putting up that distance has helped SO much.
Getting into therapy, my mental health has been much better. I also have struggled with pretty severe ADHD my entire life, and I’ve been growing and finding ways to manage it. I’m forever grateful I found a career path where I can thrive given these difficulties, and I can find other lanes to figure it out and flourish.
Lastly, I’d say the music industry is brutal, super hard. I feel like even being in dubstep has kinda made me an underdog, given it’s a more niche pocket of dance music, but there really are SOOOO many incredibly kind, brilliant, loving, GOOD humans that it really does make it all worth it. Well, that and the ever addictive love for just making cool art, of course.
SM: Well, we can hear that love in your music, and we are thankful you share it with all of us in the EDM world. Thank you, Subtronics, for speaking with Moon Lvnding about your creative journey. We’re already looking forward to seeing where Fibonacci Part 2 will take us.
