E-Sassin has been a mainstay on the LA drum and bass scene for over 20 years now, first as a DJ with a unique, metal-influenced style and then as a producer who still kicks out some of the heaviest and darkest beats stateside or anywhere else.
Most recently, E-Sassin featured in a compilation for Mindocracy Records in 2018 and after a short hiatus he’s back making tracks with a new dual single due out tomorrow on Bad Syntax’s Abducted LTD imprint. The b-side is a remix of Bad Syntax’s “Darkness” which E-Sassin turned from a more modern, steppy neuro track to something truly dark and with lots of “funk” in the neurofunk.
E-Sassin’s original track “N.E.T.” is just a dark and snarling as the “Darkness” remix but he’s played around with form and syncopation much more here. Both the kick and the snare here are different than anything any artist is laying down at the moment and modern producers could take a seriously lesson on that canned yet snappy snare.
The techy bass synth moves in an interesting way around the track, sometimes in the foreground driving the track and sometimes faded into the background. The interplay between beat and synths here is unique and quite cohesive. Sound design-wise, “N.E.T.” is very much in the techstep/neuro wheelhouse, as E-Sassin fills almost all the background space with metallic, crunchy, grinding synth sounds which both compliment that main synth and sometimes overpower it.
As a whole composition, “N.E.T.” is bold, striking and new while maintaining the core of E-Sassin’s style that’s made him such a fascinating artist lo these 20 plus years. There’s a huge gap in D&B right now when it comes to style like this, so here’s hoping he doesn’t take another two year break before releasing more tracks.
“N.E.T.” and E-Sassin’s remix of “Destruction” drop tomorrow, Friday April 17 on Abducted LTD. Pre-order now on Beatport. The streaming versions are also out now on Spotify.