In this special trip Beyond the Booth, Moon Lvnding reached out to the artists on We Are Deadbeats Vol. 7, the new 17-track compilation album released by Zeds Dead’s label, Deadbeats, on August 21. Celebrating its tenth anniversary in style, Deadbeats brings together familiar faces and a range of debutants producing music with dubstep, halftime, experimental bass, trip-hop, and hip-hop influences. By focusing on the breadth of Deadbeats’ sound, it cultivates a wide-reaching compilation that showcases the label’s diverse talent.
We asked each artist 1) to tell us about the evolution of their song with Deadbeats and 2) which other artist/song on the album caught their attention. Take a trip with us Beyond the Booth to learn about each artist and read what they had to say.
OVEREAZY
AYCH & OVEREAZY — “9mm”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) It started out as a simple beat that we wanted to try something new and fun for us! Then it came together very quickly once we got our bassline down.”
2) “Can’t stop me.” Emrys is another artist I’ve watched grown alongside, and it’s so cool to get to have a Deadbeats debut together with him on We Are Deadbeats Vol. 7!
Industry Plants
Industry Plants & Dr. Mad — “RAH”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) Deadbeats has been a goal of ours as long as we can remember and we specifically wrote this one with the label in mind. With both ourselves and Dr. Mad being Toronto-based, this one just means a little bit more to us. We pitched this track to the label in the earliest days of our project with hardly any releases under our belt, and our belief this song could land on Deadbeats played a large part in naming our project, because we figured if we came out of the gate with a label like this, the accusations may start flying.
2) An easy one is Smoakland and Mystic Methods – “Mystic Smoak.” We’re also bringing a tune heavily influenced by Two Step UKG and it’s dope to hear some diversity in bass music on the comp, especially from artists this side of the pond.
Dr. Mad
Industry Plants & Dr. Mad — “RAH”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) When Industry Plants and I first started talking about a collaboration, they had sent me another beat that was supposed to be our one. Days later, they sent me the instrumental for “RAH” and immediately it became our first choice! I wrote and recorded the song, and we ran with it from there. Mod Club on College [Toronto venue] had its first taste of the record with a live performance and we turned the place out!
2) I was feeling all of them, that Blurrd Vzn joint goes stupid hard!
rSUN
rSUN & Floret Loret — “Mind”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) Floret Loret and I were working on a few different songs and this was one of the songs that came together pretty quickly. It was one that I had started a few months prior to us working on it and I was excited to have Floret Loret jump on the song. I really love the way our sounds blended together in both drops.
Poni
Poni — “All Alone”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) I started “All Alone” years ago, honestly. It began as an attempt to make some kind of intricate rock-infused dubstep banger haha… but after sitting on it for a while, uninspired, I scrapped everything but the intro and went in a completely different direction. I decided to keep it simple, drawing inspiration from artists like Zeds Dead, YDG, and Dennett. The vocals came so easily after that. Lyrically, I wrote about a time in my life many years ago when I felt abandoned by everyone, including myself, and really just didn’t want to try anymore… It unexpectedly ended up being a more emotional and deeply personal track, despite its slightly upbeat feel. I think even the drop, although energetic and vibey, has this sense of sadness behind it. I’m so happy and grateful that Deadbeats picked it up because I couldn’t imagine this track anywhere else.
2) I really liked “Rhythm” by Baclash! Such a clean track. Every aspect of the song just felt like it complemented each other, and the vocal really brought it all together. Such a vibe. Baclash is also just such a talented producer and hard worker. So much respect for him.
PapaJay
PapaJay — “Bring Me Back”
1) I actually wrote “Bring Me Back” at a time when I was feeling very lost. It’s really emotional while still having that retro-futuristic feel, blending nostalgic sounds with modern bass music. Deadbeats has inspired me for years, so having a song that means this much to me find its home there feels incredibly full circle.
2) Emrys! I’ve been listening to his tracks for about a year and I will say, he is making some of the best bass music of this new generation. Don’t sleep, he’s up next!
Baclash
Baclash — “Rhythm”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) I wrote the main idea for this song in like one sitting. Which is crazy cause its always the tracks that come together so quickly that people resonate with. I’ve been wanting to release with Deadbeats for years now, and I am super pumped that this is what I get to start with. It’s been the perfect way to cap off this summer, and I’m extremely grateful for the Zeds Dead boys and the whole Deadbeats team.
2) The big standout for me has been the En:vy track. I really like that one. It’s one of those tracks you hear, and you go, “dank I wish I made that.” It’s always super cool to see a more melodic bass track get featured on the comp.
Blurrd Vzn
Blurrd Vzn — “PARTY ROCKER”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) It was a song we made maybe a year or two ago and thought nothing of it. Then when we started playing it live and seeing the crowds’ reactions, we knew we were on to something. Then bigger artists started playing it in their sets, which let us know we gotta put this one out.
2) En:vy for sure, been a fan of his production for a while, he’s just constantly putting out bangers. Also gotta include Nikita, the Wicked, Froidy, dbts [Die By The Sword], and rSUN.
En:vy
En:vy — “Want U”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) I wanted to combine garagey drums with more emotional, feel-good chords, which was already a little outside my usual comfort zone. Once I heard the vocal, everything just came together and gave the track its identity. Stepping outside of what I normally make is what made the whole process so interesting for me.
2) Definitely Bluff’s tune [“Hold On”]. The triplet groove is so strong and gives the whole track this really gangster feel — it immediately caught my attention and just has so much attitude.
Hydraulix
Photo Credit: @caitlindenisephotography
Hydraulix & Mary Droppinz — “RiGHT TiME”
5th release on Deadbeats
1) I had this project sitting on my hard drive for some time. Unsure what to do with it, how to fully get it done. Always knew it was cool, just still needed some extra flavour. When Alyssa [Mary Droppinz] hit me up this tune came to mind straight away. She’s someone who is really pushing the multi-genre vibes. And once I sent her the project, she really helped elevate it and everything felt right.
2) I really liked the Blurrd Vzn song. It’s got such a fun energy about it but you can also tell it would translate to a big system really well. Those boys are the homies and always smash it.
Mystic Methods
Smoakland & Mystic Methods — “MYSTIC SMOAK”
1st release on Deadbeats
1) Bob ask Harry: “wanna song?”
Harry say: “yeah, we song.”
Our manager gave them a rug.
Rest was history.
2) Froidy! His stuff rips fr
Big thanks to all the contributors for this Beyond the Booth and all the teams behind the scenes making it happen. Whether you’re still waiting for your first listen to We Are Deadbeats Vol. 7, or you’ve been benging the album all weekend, I hope these first-hand testimonials from the artists bringing you the bass gave you new insight into the work of art from Deadbeats. Enjoy!
