Recap, Reflection, & exciting update
Last week I played my first hour-long all-originals set at Wabi Sabi Collective’s monthly bass event at Deep End. While I could have done an all-originals set a long time ago, it wasn’t until last year that I built up a body of work I feel good about playing out. Regardless, it’s a milestone for me, and I’m grateful to Wabi Sabi and all who came out for supporting underground bass / multi-genre music. Keep an eye on my instagram where I’ll share videos of my set.
Story time :3
I remember when my friend Malakai (The Rust Music artist & cofounder) asked me about my goals— This was back in 2019 at a music production workshop he taught at COSM with Cloudchord he had invited me to attend— “Do you want to be able to play an hour of your own music?” he asked. “Yeah, eventually,” I replied. At the time, the notion of even just finishing an hour’s worth of music that I would feel confident enough to play out felt like standing at the foot of a mountain…
Honestly, I didn’t expect that mountain to take 5 years for me to climb. Life doesn’t always go how you plan (global pandemics, etc), but I try not to dwell or get down on myself, especially now that I’m making rapid progress with my music compared to years past.
Exciting update 👀
Speaking of which… I submitted my November mix to Bass Coast festival in BC, Canada, and just found out I made it to the final round of artists being considered out of nearly 1,000(!!!) who applied. Whether or not I’m chosen, it feels incredibly validating to have made it this far! Suffice it to say:
New Music: Brass (Bastion ‘Liquid DnB’ Remix)
I’m really proud of how this unofficial remix of Ethiopian electronic artist Mikael Seifu turned out. Friend and fellow NYC selector Mark McNulty put it best - "This would be a good one to really space people out during a late night or early morning set somewhere outdoors." Warms my heart to know he probably will get to do that, and so could you— It’s free to download on Bandcamp. This is the first dnb remix I’ve ever shared, and I have another coming soon…
New Mix: Club Bastion 1 (MPH, Cesco, Frazer Ray, HARDLINE)
I’ve launched a new DJ mix series in which I’ll feature various styles and vibes I like to play out. Club Bastion 1 is mostly breakbeat, 2step/garage, dubstep, and some very fast house - enjoy!
Miami is calling 🏖️
I will be attending a few days of Miami Music Week for my first time March 21st-23rd. Lmk if you’ll be there or have any tips / recommendations! I’m sure the music will be cool and all, but I’m kinda more excited for beaches & warmth
Event Radar - March 2024
I don’t know when my next set will be, but here are a few events to put on your radar:
Sun, March 10: Tenorless Presents: Hypnotic Theatre (Asheville, NC)
If I lived anywhere near North Carolina, I would be attending this, no question.
Wed, March 13: Dugout Radio @ Mood Ring (Brooklyn)
support your local dnb/jungle collective!
March 19-24: Miami Music Week
Anyone else going?
March 30: SUBTLE SIGNS X SOUNDZ ORGANIC PRESENTS: CUT RUGS + STARFOX (PROVIDENCE RI)
New England fam, don’t sleep!
Tech-Forward (sales edition): Lead-Gen platforms
When I’m not making music, I lead biz dev at CMYK, a full-service creative agency in Brooklyn. We make award-winning custom websites, video, animation, and graphic design for a wide range of companies in— Okay I’ll spare you the sales pitch, but if your business is looking for creative support on any marketing initiatives, feel free to hit me up on LinkedIn - always happy to chat.
Lately for work I’ve been researching database platforms, campaign sequencing tools, etc to support our outbound lead generation. Having sat through a dozen or so calls with sales reps, I figured I’d share the final round of tools that I’m considering— Let me know if you use any of these or if you think there’s another one I need to consider:
Quickmail for Multi-channel campaign sequencing (with a focus on email)
Lemlist for Linkedin-focused multi-channel sequencing
Taplio for AI-assisted LinkedIn growth, lead generation, and engagement
Rocket Reach for huge, high quality lead database
Music Makers Dungeon
Plugin of the month: Ozone 10
I currently mix/master my own tracks and was primarily using Fab Filter plugins in my matering chain— FF plugins are amazing, but Ozone 10 really helped to give my forthcoming tracks that final extra bit of shine that i struggled to achieve without it. I’m sure Ozone 11 is cool too, but I’ve been using 10 and the AI-powered modules are pretty sweet.
Unless you’re a beginner who just wants to temp master your demos for soundcloud or submitting, I would NOT rely on Ozone 10 by itself for mastering; I actually don’t really like and hardly even use Maximizer (the limiter module), as it seems to color/distort the sound too much— I know that may be surprising, as limiting is the final stage of mastering, but I mainly just use Ozone’s EQ and dynamics modules and leave the limiting to good ole Fab Filter Pro-L2.
Thanks
for reading, and I’ll catch you next month! I promise never to spam <3
-Bastion