ZEDS DEAD - INTO THE ABYSS FEAT. REZZ

Toronto producers Zeds Dead take us into the depths with some deep Bass Music, with a little help from Rezz, on "Into The Abyss".

ZEDS DEAD - INTO THE ABYSS FEAT. REZZ

The bottom of the ocean must be an otherworldly place. On one hand, it's cold, dark, silent, and incredibly oppressive, with metric tons of gravitational force pushing down upon you. On the other, strange forms of life dwell there, drawing sustenance from thermal vents. Creatures that will never see the light of day glow with their own luminescence while others are transparent as snow globes. It's like an alien planet, full  of all manner of indescribable life. Partially because we just don't know what's down there.

This blankness serves as imagination fuel for the 1989 sci-fi classic The Abyss, in which deep sea scientists investigate strange phenomena, which turns out to be traces of an advanced alien race making the bottom of the ocean their home. Rather than being a source of oppressive dread, The Abyss conjures the bottom of the ocean as a place of mystery and miracles, a source of wonder, imagination, and hope.

On "Into The Abyss," the production duo Zeds Dead re-imagine this eerie inky blackness as a place of wonders, chock full of colorful neon-lit tropical fish, jellyfish floating like spiral nebulae. Perhaps an alien race also makes these depths their home, as evidenced by the glowing laser-like synths of Zeds Dead.

"Into The Abyss" is a fine example of latter-day dubstep, with the ponderous weight of sub-bass pushing down like the weight of water. Whereas mid-period dubstep relied on builds and breaks to generate their frisson, "Into The Abyss" is content to roll and float along, self-contained and blissed-out, like a drowning diver succumbing to Nitrogen narcosis. It's destined to transform dancefloors into dreamy, floating, otherworldly landscapes, with its smooth beats, meditative bass, and exquisitely detailed sound-design.

Fans have been waiting for "Into The Abyss" since it was first teased last March during some of Zeds Deads' performances. It's been more than worth the wait for us here at We Are: The Guard. We'd wait three times as long to hear innovative producers bringing some much-needed imagination and vitality to Bass Music.

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.