Written By: Sam Wolloch
Hey there #MoonLandingFam, welcome back to another low down on a fresh hot, err COLD, artist on the rise in this latest edition of Who Are Ya?!
With Halloween festivities in full swing, today’s artist feature focuses on the handsomely-dressed EDM midtempo producer SNOWMASS. Self-described as an actual 639 years young arctic snowmass, he looks a lot more like a combination of Frosty the Snowman and Jack Skellington. But don’t let that facade fool you, as SNOWMASS music is a dark and grimy hybrid of heavy bass music with relatable lyrics and danceable beats.
I first came across the anonymous SNOWMASS this past June at one of Brooklyn’s hottest nightclubs, Schimanski, where he opened for heavy-hitters 13 and Svdden Death. Immediately impressed with his poise and production, he got me moving to his music and I soon found myself amongst the early adopters tearing it up on the dance floor.
SNOWMASS kept the energy up through his entire set and left me curious to learn more. When I saw this producer back on the Schimanski lineup, this time for Knife Party’s Lost Souls tour November 2nd, I decided to dig a little deeper by going straight to the source.
SNOWMASS has been writing music since he was a young Arctic snowball, just 13 years old. In his high school days, he played in a cover band of his favorite group, Rage Against the Machine, and has played in other bands since. Amazingly this fine lump of snow can play guitar, piano, bass, and drums, yet SNOWMASS has been focused on EDM for the last four years, swapping the instruments for a beefy desktop, Ableton software, and a slew of creative producer plugins. With the advance in mixing technology though, he attests “…mixing is at least half the battle… You learn your plugins, and you become an engineer, not just a music producer.”
SNOWMASS credits Deadmau5’s landmark hit “Strobe” as the tune that inspired his passion for EDM production way back when. In turn, Skrillex started touring with Deadmau5 and led him on a deep dive into the heavier dubstep sound. A quick listen to the tracks on the SNOWMASS soundcloud page definitely left me looking for more, with his dubstep track “Duffle Bag” among my favorites. He has posted some sweet lyrically driven melodic tunes like “Crossfire”, and an official remix for Nervo’s “Habit.” And for a preview of what’s to come on his next EP, check out his newest track “KRYOTRON.”
SNOWMASS identifies Bassnectar as his all time favorite EDM producer, citing his super clean mixes and his confidence to experiment with different sounds and styles. These days though, the Arctic artist prefers listening to his contemporaries for inspiration to create the insane bass noises we’ve come to know and love, like “The Future” collaborator Synymata, LVWZ, KYB, and Slooze just to name a few. SNOWMASS is also quick to point out just how meaningful EDM is: “music’s always been one of the only things that makes me actually feel something, and all I want to do is pass that on to as many people as possible via my own work.”
Although clearly comfortable in a range of genres, SNOWMASS is now concentrating his efforts on a specific sound: “I bounced around for the past couple years, which was fun, but never allowed me to fully develop my sound. I’ve spent the last six months on a midtempo EP, which is what I’m fully committed to now.” In fact, SNOWMASS is so devoted to creating new music for his EP, with an eye on the spring and summer festival scene of 2020, he has cut back on his live performances in 2019 to make the time. That being said, all the more reason to head out to Schimanski on November 2nd to hear him play on Knife Party’s Lost Souls tour. You won’t regret it!
Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite here.
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