Substrada has become one of the most interesting producers to come out of 2021 and he isn’t done yet! His creativity is seemingly boundless so it comes as no surprise to see the Belgian still making moves so deep into the year. He makes his debut on the impressive and underrated Dread Or Dead Records this week with ‘Whale Dance‘ EP, a four track odyssey that presents itself as Substrada‘s most eclectic set of tunes he’s released all year but still possessing the gnarliness that we’ve all come to expect. And not only do we have ‘Whale Dance‘ EP featuring as this week’s Weekly Buzz, I also have the pleasure of presenting the wonderfully eerie cut, ‘Grained‘.
Substrada‘s deep sea adventure begins with an immediate dive into open water for ‘Whale Dance‘. The thick, abyssal subs gurgle and churn under the sheer weight of the ocean and the rippling mids do their best to obscure our vision of the sacred whales that dance before us. The heavyweights of the sea are brilliantly illustrated by Substrada‘s subtle additions of ambient whale song, defining the track’s central theme and developing it into a memorable one.
Today’s premiere ‘Grained‘, depicts Substrada‘s more familiar sounds. The twisted chimes are eerie, the percussion sounds pissed off but most importantly, it retains the dominant pressure of the opening track as we remain submerged in the depth of the sub frequencies. The toughest track of the four arrives in the form of the hypnotically whirring basslines and fierce textures of ‘On The Run‘, before EKSTR hops on board with a remix of ‘Whale Dance‘. The fellow Belgian brings the EP to a close with an adventurous swim into darker, unexplored waters, revealing the vastness of the deep blue with a stripped back approach, whilst sending shockwaves to surface with explosive percussion and taking on unpredictable subterranean passages.
Substrada is responsible for many of my favourite tracks this year and it must be said that Dread Or Dread are responsible for some of my favourite releases too, so it’s safe to say that DOD009 is the perfect combo for a final odyssey of the year! Wait, what was that? Substrada still has more left in the tank before the years end? I’ll say no more, I’m going back to dance with the whales.
‘Whale Dance‘ EP is out 19/11/2021 and available to download here.
Check out Substrada on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Dread Or Dead Records on Soundcloud and Instagram.