Jonathan Ortiz
In a new album, bass producer and adept violinist Josh Teed takes us around the world and into the deep recesses of consciousness. “Emergent,” out today, comprises 8 tracks of culturally-infused sounds tripped out via Teed’s unique mastery of bass and electronic production. With the help of a handful very notable collaborations, “Emergent” stands out as one of the most refreshing projects out of 2020 to date.
We’ll go through a selection of our favorite tracks below, but this is an album we don’t think you should miss out on. So go on and press that little play button right down there, sit back, and soak it all in.
Out of all our favorite songs on the album, the title track stands out the most. Teed’s violin in “Emergent” is somber and expressive, and the structure of the rest of the track arises feelings of wonder and wanderlust. We also just really love the heavy wobbles that drop about a minute into the track.
Next up, “Sidewinder” really got us in the groove. A collab with SISKA, this track hits heavy and stays heavy throughout, just how we like it. Graceful sitar notes float above rippling bass wave forms, carrying us forward into an assault of deep-digging synth and bass melodies. According to Teed, the collaborations on this EP consisted of himself starting the track, the other artist finishing it off, and Teed going in one last time to add some personal touches. We can really taste both Teed and SISKA’s personal stylings in this one.
“Shifting Sands” is the project’s already released single and has already received a lot of praise and attention. It’s all for good reason, as this track is a perfect balance between banger and atmospheric worldly elements. One of the comments on the Soundcloud link read, “This is what plays when u ask for extra white sauce on lamb over rice,” and now we can’t stop thinking about a halal cart that blasts Teed’s bass music all day. We’d eat there on the daily.
One last track we’d like to call your attention to is “Apogee,” featuring Denver’s NotLo. This one is all-banger, all day. It travels from sections of mind-baffling melodic measures to more percussive statements and deep-end digs. It keeps your attention engaged around every corner, and carries an overarching cinematic flavoring throughout. It’s like an Indiana Jones movie was fed through a fax machine and the resulting sound was chopped and sampled by Teed.
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All in all, “Emergent” impresses us in its size and scope. Teed’s proficiency at the violin, guitar, and other instruments gives this project a one-of-a-kind personality, and the collabs carry that personality into even more undefinable territory. There’s so much time left in 2020, but we’re already adding this one to our list of this year’s favorites.