Let mau5trap newcomer i_o take you deep into the underground on ‘House of God’ EP

A few people remain at this point who haven’t yet heard the name i_o. The burgeoning mau5trap favorite, who also goes by Garrett Lockhart, has had an astounding year playing for large crowds at Ultra and EDC Las Vegas. In 2019 alone, he’s worked with Jauz, Tommy Trash, and released a budding remix of Above & Beyond’s “Alchemy.” His genre-crossing style, which blends industrial techno, tech-house, and the deep, spacey vibes of bass, is a wildly original one that is indubitably all his own.

Following an earlier release of his Death By Techno EP, i_o returns to mau5trap with his aptly-titled House of God EP. Chocked full of four industrial-tinged cuts that amount to over 20 minutes of listening time, the project is full of pulsating energy from beginning to end. The first two tracks, “Possession” and “House of God,” are high tempo floor heaters that fully embrace i_o’s aesthetic of “techno demon.” Then, i_o calms the mood with the haunting progressive-leaning track, “Ghost In The Machine,” where he explores slower progressions and soothing vocal samples.

Finally, listeners are dropped off into cyberspace with the previously released Raito-assisted track, “Come With Me,” where the pair take us full circle back into deep techno-induced beats and computerized vocal chops. The entire EP is a journey of precision that not only calls on i_o’s signature underground vibes but ventures towards an infusion of spacey, entrancing elements along the way.