SHADES release their must listen, experimental bass LP, ‘In Praise of Darkness’

by: Chris Stack Jul 16, 2018

The group formed by Alix Perez and Eprom, SHADES, has officially released their debut album, In Praise of Darkness, off Zeds Dead‘s Deadbeats label. It’s a work of bass idiosyncrasies and familiar rhythms that anyone attending Lost Lands will adore. Bass music has revamped itself from the mainstream, 140 BPM dubstep to an exploration of sub bass harmonies at lower speeds so bassheads can take time to appreciate each big, weird sound.

SHADES is helping push that narrative forward, and nobody knows this more than DC and Hooks running their own imprint. This album is for those interested in unique sound design and chilled out rhythms.

The lead single, “Therenody” sets the sonic tone for the rest of the LP. Filtered bass sounds sound like an electronic, non-oiled up, metalic monster coming up from the depths of the ocean. Notes of Alon Mor’s “The Midelar” are sprinkled throughout the intro.

“Faultline,” “The Saga,” and “Geryon” combines old-school hip-hop beats with experimental bass around the 85 BPM, of which Rezz recently said on Twitter is her favorite new to produce at.

“Guillotine” is percussive fun with a lot of weird sounds with a reggae vibe on the scattered vocals.

“Alarma” features Killa P as the only vocal feature on the album, giving listeners some UK Grime on top of all the bass grime.

“Nullifier” is almost like a palate cleanser, bathing the listener in a harmonic static atop sub bass crescendo. The next four singles continue to melt sounds through filter dynamics and hip-hop rhythms.

“Back and Forth” proceeds and ends as the final act of an elegant play. Rightfully so.

Perez is from the UK and Eprom is from the US. They began creating music together four years ago. Since then, they’ve released four EPs. Their previous EP was Night of the Dreadless Angel released last year. In Praise of Darkness has been supported by the likes of The Glitch Mob, Porter Robinson, and G Jones on social media.

SHADES LP IS OUT NOW! bump this on repeat! their best work hands down imho. if you fuck with my music and aren’t familiar w eprom & alix perez check this out rn. absolutely elegant, masterful work
💀 IN PRAISE OF DARKNESS 💀https://t.co/aw1ABgcpoo

— G JONES (@gjonesbass) July 13, 2018

also @eprombeats is one of the most influential living electronic musicians but you probably already knew that

— porter robinson (@porterrobinson) July 15, 2018