We believe the best way to get to know someone is by digging through their music collection. Today we get to know Acayn.
“After releasing my Ghost Town EP and getting support from Skrillex, RL Grime, Alison Wonderland, Subtronics and others, I’ve been diving deeper into what’s next for trap and bass music. .
It’s so cool to be thought of as “one to watch” by an outlet I’ve been listening to since I was 13. I’m honoured by that, but I’m also really excited to share my own artists to watch right now. I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and music has been my way of telling stories about the forgotten and abandoned places we leave behind. So getting the chance to shout out the artists who inspire me is an amazing opportunity. The artists below are all doing something I find refreshing—blending sound design with emotion, or just pushing the limits in their own lane” – Acayn
Control Freak
This song is the epitome of Control Freak’s intensity and compelling attitude.
From what I’ve seen and the few times we’ve interacted, he seems to eat, sleep, and breathe bass music. You can hear it in the way he twists classic sounds into something that feels like the cutting edge of bass right now. I first found him forever ago from his “La Rasaka” flip, but I really locked in after hearing the “Jade” flip. Since I’ve got a bunch of people I want to mention, I’m also gonna throw in a dream collab for each. For Control Freak, I’d love to see him collab with Eptic.
nikko
I have been in love with this song since I first heard it in his Deceiver Mix w/ vocals from ‘The God Hour’
Another insane wiz kid, super similar to Control Freak, and he just seems to know exactly how to place every sound to make things instantly catchy and familiar. I’m absolutely pumped that a Nikko x Control Freak track dropped on 06/14 (Friday). I’ve been repping every release since his Santigold remix. I’d love to see a Knock2 crossover too — I feel like that could actually happen.
Nitepunk
This song is so gnarly and is so impeccably crafted.
He’s already on a lot of people’s radar, especially with that Skrillex collab floating around now. But beyond how insanely unique and flashy his music is, it’s his brand and attitude that really inspire me. It was the singles leading up to his debut album that got me to pay attention, but once I understood his M.O., I’ve been fully locked in. I’ve said this a bunch in private, but I would kill to see him work with Denzel Curry.
JPKy
This song exemplifies his energy really well.
This kid has the most energy of anyone I’ve met. It shows not just in the sound of his music, but in the superhuman amount of tracks he cranks out — and they’re still consistently catchy and fun to listen to or throw in a set. I first found him through his collab with Nikko, WOW, but I’ve since gone back through his whole discography. I think a collab between him and KILLMATTER (who I also have a ton to say about) would be super sick.
Oddly Godly
This is a newer & more melodic track that I feel is underrated and shows off his cool percussive work.
Okay — the first artist on this list whose brand isn’t the color red. He’s an extremely underrated producer who’s kind of a wizard with insane drums and finding the weirdest ways to structure a track that somehow still feels totally natural. It makes his music super hard to click out of and really pulls you into his world-building. I found him through his collab with Jon Casey on SVS2, Lotus. Funny enough, him and MALIXE (who’s later in this list) would fit like a glove — but I also think Silcrow would be a really cool collaborator.
Akeos
This is a really incredibly produced D&B cut from her EP that varies a bunch of genres.
Starting out, there were only a few artists I kind of knew from the “riddim” scene who were still making waves across other areas of bass music. But none stood out more to me than Akeos — everything she made felt like it had the utmost care put into every single sound. I don’t even remember how I got into her music, but I think that kind of helps blur the genre lines for me. Nowadays, I don’t even really consider her part of that scene, because she’s made some top-tier Techno, UK Dubstep, and Trap. I’d love to see her collab with Knoir — I think that has a ton of potential.
MALIXE
This track went under the radar and is such a cool example of what makes MALIXE’s music so sick.
This man knows how to use distortion. I love his melodic writing, and similar to Oddly Godly, he’s really good at crafting tracks that keep you locked in the whole time. I discovered him through a remix contest IMANU hosted on his Patreon, one I actually participated in, and MALIXE ended up winning. Now, I’ve been lucky enough to have him out for my debut headline show in LA to play our upcoming collab, which I couldn’t be more excited to drop. I’d also love to see him collab with Borne. That would be a crazy combo.
eunki
This song to me really shows off what makes eunki’s music special.Eunki is one of my longest friendships in the music space. We met online through one of our mutual friends, Irish queer-pop icon Fearozzles. They’re from Korea, and I’m out here in Colorado, so despite half a decade of calls, chats, and working on music together, we only met in person for the first time this March in Toronto, of all places.
They’re insanely talented at making whatever style they set their mind to. We have a DnB alias together called Karraki, they’ve helped me on multiple tracks including “CONNOISSEUR” and “DUNSEITH” from the new EP, and they make ridiculously good 140 and Techno. On top of that, their hip-hop and pop production under their other aliases, fauxx and djbas, is wild.
Eunki is that one person I’d go to if I needed help making a weird sound or trying a new style. They’d know how to do it and could actually teach me. If I had infinite money, I’d immediately put Eunki in the studio with Bladee. I feel like they’d end up making the sad-enby anthem of a generation
