December 14, 2020 | Lucy O'Brien
By no surprise, Subtronics has yet to disappoint us with his first major drop from Cyclops Recordings. If you’ve been following the journey, you’d know that the three sectors of his compilation release called ‘BOOT CAMP’ are all wonderfully unique in their own ways. In addition to his own label launching, Subtronics, or Jesse Kardon, also headlined a 3-night Park ‘N Rave [Insomniac] show this weekend in San Bernardino, alongside a stacked lineup of all Cyclops Recordings members!
Let’s dive into the three branches of ‘BOOT CAMP’ and see what’s going down.
High Knees Headquarters
The ‘High Knees Headquarters’ compilation dropped on 12/8, which was a great pick me up for the beginning of our week!
The choppier, riddim style sounds engulf this playlist, and they all jive so well together. In particular, ‘Dissatisfied’ by Leotrix is one that stands out. The first minute of the track feels reassuring, soft, and welcoming, but as the intro progresses, we quickly realize Ethan isn’t here for rainbows and smiles. The second drop packs one of the biggest punches on the entire compilation that feels as though your sleep paralysis demon is (respectfully) running up on you.
Another tune that has been on repeat is Syzy’s ‘Poison Muffins’, which has a very traditional riddim sound that we all know and love. Syzy fits the ‘High Knees Headquarters’ aesthetic perfectly with the hip-hop/rap beat overlapping the crunchy, repetitive synthy sounds.
Psychedelic Division
‘Psychedelic Division’ dropped the next day on 12/9. This compilation leads the listener to a perfect – weird – deep breath after high jumping. My favorite track on the compilation is Smith.’s, ‘Swing’ because of the bubbly and wide-sounding bass paired with the iconic Savage song ‘Hips Swing’. It sends that tingly feeling down your spine that will force you to blast the track on your sexiest speaker.
Still, the equally psychedelic ‘Component-17’ by BLVNKSPVCE is a mesmerizing blend of digital sounds that make us feel like we’re jamming inside of a computer’s brain that’s hard at work.
Beep boop bing bong noises...ACTIVATED.
Heavy Artillery
Lastly, but certainly not least, is ‘Heavy Artillery’ that dropped on 12/10. This compilation is obviously the meatiest, filthiest, most traditionally “dubstep” sounding of the entire release.
Specifically, Nosphere’s ‘Gaussian Traveler’ packs a serious punch that makes headbanging and air-punching irresistible.
Nosphere proves he knows how to fit all of the necessary sounds into one track to be the most intimidating, adrenaline-pumping dubstep song we all crave to hear on a giant set of speakers.
To continue, Calcium’s ‘Deathwish’ is just another absolute heater that will burn a hole right through your existence. Calcium’s sound is incredibly refined, and this tune demonstrates how enormously tempting it is to wish for death.
You wanted heavy, right?
Jesse also gives us three brand new tracks of his own on each compilation! The long-awaited ‘Tractor Beam’ graces the ‘High Knees Headquarters’. ‘Point Breeze’ is a wonderful collaboration between him & Chee on ‘Psychedelic Division’. Finally, ‘Scream Saver VIP’ closes out ‘Heavy Artillery’, sealing ‘BOOT CAMP’ up and sending it out to all of the wide-ranged bass lovers.
One might call Jesse a genius for covering so many bass-es (lol) with the label’s first release.
Maybe that’s true.
Or maybe he simply gifted us all the serving platter of music we’ve craved while streaming festival events all year long. The same serving platter we’ve tried to recreate with those damn charcuterie boards we’ve all tried making this year.
Aaron Brooks Partnership
Can we also all just take a minute to appreciate the fact that Jesse teamed up with known – badass – painter, Aaron Brooks (abrooksart)? His art style seems to bring the entire label together. If you’ve followed Jesse on Instagram, then you are probably aware of his appreciation for Aaron’s artwork. This partnership really couldn’t be more fitting for the labels brand identity, if you will.
This tweet even hints at Aaron’s artwork being featured on the label’s new merch!
This first drop on Cyclops Recordings annihilated the scene, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we have our boots tied, seatbelts on, and weapons ready for whatever is coming alive from Subtronics’ mind!
If you haven't heard 'BOOT CAMP' yet, check it out on the Cyclops Recordings Soundcloud!
Keep up with Subtronics & Cylcops Recordings here!
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