People can say whatever the hell they want about Brostep, but they got nothing on Future Bass. Subsidia, Excision’s EDM label, dropped their fourth installment of a melodic bass series that continues to one-up itself. Subsidia aims to promote a plethora of signed DJ’s through these mixes, with 19 names for instance on Subsidia Dawn Vol. 4 alone.
For those that don’t know, melodic bass, or Future Bass/Future Garage, is a split-off genre of Dubstep that represents an upbeat return to the roots. When Brostep got angry and edgy, Future Bass became serene and emotional. Subsidia also runs two other series, Dusk and Night, designated for Experimental and Heavy Bass.
The bass drops and melodies of Subsidia Dawn Vol. 4 are still grand in aspect, though they are considerably uplifting and reassuring. There’s a ton of bangers, too, further showing that even the “calmer” descendent of Dubstep is not necessarily calm. The album itself kicks off like any other Subsidia volume, with a collab track featuring Excision himself. Broken Pieces with Dion Timmer and vocalist Monika Santucci sets the mood for an amazing collection of passionate tracks. Here’s a couple RMR favorites.
CHENDA, Veronica Bravo – Just Be Honest
Each verse in this track is a chance for Veronica Bravo to show off her amazing voice. Just Be Honest is a straightforward love tragedy about legitimacy, and the track itself is a valkyrie of sound. Opening with guitar and piano as the focal point, the song does shift quite quickly to an electronic landscape, and the vibe it promotes is very uplifting.
CHENDA garnered a multi-million stream reputation within these last two years, getting support from TrapNation, MrSuicideSheep, and tons of other labels and curators. He makes a goal out of bringing people up out of negative emotions and circumstances through music. Both he and Veronica Bravo are from Australia. And if you like Veronica’s voice, make a note to check out her three-piece, Indigo Hearts.
N3WPORT, Meggie York – End Of Us
Okay, full disclosure, you’re gonna hear a lot of breakup/relationship songs on Subsidia Dawn Vol. 4. It’s not a “Subsidia” thing as much as it is a Future/Melodic Bass thing; because being emotional is almost a necessity for the level of passion these artists cultivate. End Of Us by N3WPORT and Meggie York is another one of these tracks.
This song plays with low-pass filters a lot, giving the feeling that the bass drops are big enough to explode with a shockwave. It’s not an angry explosion though, it’s more of a blast of love and vibes. The primary melodic instrument in the drops sounds like an electric guitar layered with supporting effects and synthesizers. It’s a clean, clear sound that still punches with all of its might.
AVELLO – Take Me Back
Slow-starting, climbing up to a precipice, Take Me Back is a bit hard-hitting compared to the other tracks on Subsidia Dawn Vol. 4. There’s no vocalist on this, as AVELLO uses heavily modified vocal samples in place of one. They compliment the wavy, lumbering, glitchy first bass drop on the track, which is later complemented rather aggressively by the second one.
Nothing prepares you for the ominous “system malfunction” at the end of Take Me Back. The buildup to the final drop mimics a glitchy, somewhat corny error in the song. The vocal samples dissolve and the expected bass drop falls out into this so-called malfunction. It eventually breaks into a badass drop though, hanging low and swinging like a pendulum in the void of space. Killer vibes from AVELLO for sure and we look forward to his next project.
You can also catch Take Me Back on our EDM Fresh Drops playlist, which is linked below.
raiin – Come Back Home
The serene nature of Future Bass sits exceptionally well with Subsidia. Because this label punches out such consistent and orderly volumes of specific sub-genres, they could easily become trendsetters in the near future. raiin’s Come Back Home uses beautiful and inventive sounds hindered only by the two-step of Garage music.
The vocals in this track sound amazing. Very glitchy, and lagging, layered with harmonies and vocoder-like effects. Come Back Home matches raiin’s already established melancholy yet extravagant sound. He’s got a lot to show his listeners, and if you stuck around this far into Subsidia Dawn Vol. 4 then you are both a real G and fortunate to meet this LA-based DJ’s vibe.
Check out Subsidia Dawn Vol. 4 on streaming services
Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon Music | YouTube
