by Your go-to music discovery column is back with its 83rd installment. Our latest edition of Focus Five features a mysterious producer who caught our eye on Upscale, an incredible liquid DnB standout, a young wave producer, a Kiwi artist who has been drifting on and off our radar for years, and an artist who appears to have exploded out of nowhere. Get familiar with all five now.
Artifact Generator
Upscale just celebrated its 12th anniversary, and with it came the impressive UPSCALE DOZENTH YEAR compilation. The usual suspects on the label such as Hudson Lee and Frequent, Echo Map and Tom Finster, and niko scheme and voljum all had great collaborations featured in the collection, but the biggest surprise to me came from two names that I hadn’t heard of before: Artifact Generator and O-Prime Delta. While the latter actually has two songs in the compilation, I chose to feature the former for this issue simply due to alphabetical order. ‘Shaneenis’ totally caught me off guard when I listened for the first time because I am a sucker for that nostalgic glitch-hop/electro sound. Executed with a modern twist that then transitions to a more dubstep-leaning vibe, ‘Shaneenis’ embodies what brought me to love bass music all while capturing what still makes it entertaining 15+ years later. After listening to the track on repeat for way longer than I’d like to admit, I realized I had to know more about Artifact Generator, and unfortunately there isn’t that much out there (not even a press pic). While his SoundCloud discography goes back to 2018, his catalog is relatively brief, but experimentation lies at the core of his sound. Here’s to hoping we get more Artifact Generator on Upscale soon!
-SC
Gabriella Bongo
Summer calls for liquid Drum&Bass and Gabriella Bongo is here to become your new favourite dealer. Stocking up on the likes of Rudimental, Hybrid Minds, and Chase & Status, the 20-year-old songwriter, producer, and DJ from South London has made her debut on the scene with a string of luscious starters over the past 365 days. From Unsettled Rhythms, Gabriella’s debut EP to ‘Breathe’, her last single passing through collaborations with Dogger and Degs, her growing catalogue is a celebration of the soulful and introspective side of Drum&Bass. A vibrant and fine-grained sound that blends orchestral elements with tight liquid grooves and shines brighter than ever when paired with the right singer. Like in the case of ‘Spacesuite’, released on Degs’ second album, which instantly became my new obsession. It is therefore no surprise that Gabriella is the latest signee of Hospital Records.
– AA
Sylphera
Hailing from Spain, Sylphera‘s gorgeous and melodic touch will have you lost in a pure stasis. At only 15 years old, he’s proving himself to be a force to be reckoned with! Blessing the wave scene through crisp and jaw-dropping production. Creating tunes to drift around the tightest of corners in your environment. The way he’s able to beautifully craft such vast and heart-wrenching spaces will have you blown away. It’s easy to say he’s been working day and night to harness these incredible abilities throughout his life. Always delivering the latest and the greatest. From choosing the perfect vocals to add to his creations, to executing ideas in a fashionable sense, there’s no stopping this artist from soaring above and beyond to his personal goals. His most recent remixes of Naits, The Weeknd, and even Juice WRLD prove just how much he’s evolved and wants to contribute to the scene in a memorable state. Those hard-hitting bass lines, crazy drums, and magnificent melodic sound design can truly rip through space and time. We’re stoked to hear what’s next for him!
-JD
Yancey
New Zealand-based producer and DJ Yancey has been on our radar for years. The fact that he hasn’t been featured in Focus Five until now is shocking (I had to search our archives to be sure). He first landed on our radar back in 2021 with his QGR debut ‘Shaolin Noon’ alongside Golden Child & jojas. The track is a snappy trap anthem utilizing a distorted world sample, bouncey percussion, and healthy knock. After a few years, I had lost sight of his work, that is until his remix of Yizzy’s ‘Blue Freestyle’ popped up. UK Rap and 140 dubstep are the perfect combination, and Yancey proves it yet again with this fire flip. The grittiness of the bars is matched by the filthy basslines. Yancey lets the raps take center stage for the majority of the track before unloading a fierce instrumental finale. Most recently, the producer opted to take on Griselda’s Westside Gunn with ‘TALK TO ‘EM WESTSIDE’. Hypnotic melodies swirl around chunky drums and bumping low end, creating a dark yet destructive backdrop that perfectly fits under Westside Gunn’s violent bars. If you like to hear rap and bass music collide as much as I do, you need to be listening to Yancey.
-C
zoey808
With only seven tracks on SoundCloud (and even fewer on Spotify), zoey808 seemingly emerged from the ether putting the pedal to the metal. Despite what the SoundCloud tags might lead you to believe, these tracks are not your run-of-the-mill “Dance & EDM” music. This producer is pulling no punches with a collection of certified bass HEATERS. Short discography aside, zoey808 even snagged a slot playing Electric Forest this year alongside bbno$, resulting in what I can only describe as a tremendously silly and upbeat set. Is this some well-established producer’s side project/alias? Is this a newcomer to the scene with some crazy raw talent? I wish I knew the answer, but either way, I’m here for it. Give us more zoey808 in 2025, please and thank you!
-BG
Written by Alessio, Braden, Colin, John, and Steph
