PhaseOne is an Australian producer-guitarist-songwriter notoriously known for inaugurating a genre-blending soundscape of “metal meets electronic”. Exposing headbangers to mosh pit-inducing tracks such as “Welcome to Mayhem”, began phase one of his legacy alongside every performance as he conducts as a “symphony of filth."
Thrashing eardrums and breaking necks isn’t enough for this heavy-hitting juggernaut as he recently launched Sounds of Mayhem Records and debuted his latest EP, Beyond Oblivion. Before PhaseOne’s special B2B set with Cyclops at Excision presents Basstrack, I, Mary Mason, on the behalf of iHeartRaves explored the development during this stage PhaseOne will supersede.
iHeartRaves: Thank you so much for your time! Your album, Transcendency illustrated your ability to genre-blend from rap featuring Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in, “Ultima” to classical in the dark, instrumental track “Cadence - Interlude”. Genre-blending seems like second nature to you, what is your biggest production tip to aspiring genre-blending DJs?
PhaseOne: For me, I came from a rock/metal background before I knew what EDM was. I think it flows so naturally in my music because I’m just combining my 2 fav genres. Blending genres is def a solid way of giving yourself a signature sound, and these days thats extremely important, I’d definitely recommend exploring that as an upcoming artists but make sure you know the style very well because a lot of times it can come off super cheesy.
iHR: Your latest EP, Beyond Oblivion was released this August and it has nothing but positive feedback from fans. Does this album contain a storyline or narrative adding to the PhaseOne lore?
PO: Not so much a story but more a statement. The previous EP I did this year was a full metal EDM crossover project and was a very personal endeavor for me, so Beyond Oblivion was more of a reminder to the fans that I still make heavy dubstep.
iHR: You recently shared an Instagram video of you experimenting with an acoustic cover of your single, “Eyes Wide Shut”. It’s striking to experience the duality of the song in its forms of symphonic filth and contrasting harmony. With Excision presents Basstrack on the rise, would you ever consider performing a live acoustic version of one of your singles? Or, releasing an official acoustic version of any track in your discography?
PO: In theory I’d love to but I’m definitely not a studio vocalist, I can kind of get away with it for fun but in no way could i pull that off confidentiality haha
iHR: Your fans in Arizona are hyped to experience the Beyond Oblivion tour because many saw you last at Goldrush Festival 2021. Explain your favorite moment that has happened so far during the Beyond Oblivion tour.
PO: AZ crowds are always so fun! I’ve never had a bad show here. So far this tour has been nothing but rowdy and I’m excited to see AZ’s reaction on the lager basstrack scale.
iHR: Congratulations on the debut of your record label, Sounds of Mayhem Records! You’ve explained SOM Records as a home for experimental and rock/metal-inspired EDM. As a listener, I perceive the record label as a conduit to create more experimental music for those that adore your sound. Are you inspired to curate a SOM Records stage takeover at a festival?
PO: Yes 100%, the label is early days now but we’re off to a solid start! Long term label shows and stage takeovers are definitely on the cards!
iHR: In your words, how do the similarities between metal and dubstep intersect for you? How is it extremely natural for you to fuse the two genres together to make your distinguished sound?
PO: Coming from a metal background, I was always the engineer in my bands and would engineer my friends bands too. Once I heard dubstep I immediately could hear the correlation between the two aggressive styles of music. When it comes to blending the two I made it my goal to be the one to do it the most tasteful. Ever since the beginning of dubstep people always would say that “dubstep is just the new metal”, even Skrillex did a record with Korn (it sucked but the idea was there). It took me years of trial and error to try and perfect the blend, but I think I’m now at a place where my music incorporates both styles pretty accurately and tastefully.
iHR: If you were to experiment with a genre that is way out of your production style such as nu disco, techno, acid house, etc. which genre would it be and why?
PO: I’d probably try techno. I like dark music and i think techno is one genre i might be able to make something cool out of (if i tried)
iHR: I revisit my favorite music albums when I want to appreciate the narrative or sonic storyline and re-learn the wisdom it once showed me. What are your favorite albums (or songs) that provide wisdom for you?
PO: My music taste is very different to what I make. Mostly on my time off, I listen to old music (70’s, 80’s, 90’s classics) for nostalgia. But I also love listening to complicated music and trying to understand it - generally progressive rock & metal, where it's super musical and hard to keep track of with constantly changing time signatures/keys etc.
A perfect example (and one of my fav musical pieces) is from a 90’s band called liquid tension experiment, they have a song called ‘when the water breaks’ and it's a 17-minute musical journey. No vocals, just straight musical complexity.
iHR: Dubstep, riddim, and even metal are misconstrued as emotionless music when many would argue that’s incorrect. What emotions or feelings do you like to transmute in your music?
PO: There is definitely a time and a place for bass music and 90% of the time it's meant for the club, it's supposed to be a thing for live purely coz of the energy it emits. You’d never catch me listening to dubstep in my car lol. But yes, it is full of emotion, heavy stuff specifically is full of so much energy, you can see it at shows how much it makes people pumped and hyped, there’s also hints of aggression in there as it is such heavy music. And on the flip side there are songs full of emotion (more on the melodic sing-song vibe).
