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Introducing Abelation: Rising bass act comes to the table with budding new four-track ‘Absolution’ EP

April 11, 2021

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Here at Conscious Electronic, we love all things bass — breakbeat, downtempo, left-field, experimental, dubstep in all its forms, you name it. As the underground bass movement has begun its full ascendancy in the US, we’ve been keeping a finger on the pulse of up-and-coming bass artists the country over. As such, CE’s Rising Bass Spotlight seeks to shine a light onto the rising producers who’re honing their craft, galvanizing their movements, and attuning eyes, ears, heads, and bodies into all things low end.

For anyone unfamiliar with the production work of Reese Downs’ mystical brainchild, Abelation, now is the time to start paying attention to this young musical prodigy in the making. From the ripe age of 13, Downs took an early interest in music. At 15, he was introduced to electronic music by his three older brothers. Nowadays, he’s cracked 20K followers on SoundCloud as all eyes are on the emerging bass music artist, which is why CE is featuring Downs in our Rising Bass Spotlight series.

Drawing inspiration from artists like Tsuruda and Dr.Derg, Abelation started to dig deep well beyond the conventional style of music. Armed with the knowledge of piano, basic sound theory, a Macbook pro, and a wild imagination, Downs began to create what feels like a journey into space. Presenting what some would call a “dub style bass with trap-influenced drums,” 2018 saw the successful release of his debut album, entitled Pulse, featuring collaborationss with Lost Dogz brothers Eazybaked and Milano.

Releasing for five years now on labels like Subtronics’ Cyclops Recordings and Insomniac’s Bassrush Records, Abelation now comes to the table with his four-track Absolution EP.

“This EP started off as an experiment. During the pandemic, I’ve improved my DJing and seriously leveled up my mixing and mastering. I feel like I’m experimenting again and going in a direction of sounds that I haven’t really used before.“
– Abelation

From the project’s opening title track, with its creeping synths, ominous soundscapes, and monstrous sampling, Abelation sets the tone of the EP immediately as dark, intense, and mystical.

Then comes “Kill Me,” a four-minute cut that takes listeners deeper into the horror-filled landscape. Complete with half-time measures, skittering tones, and intricately layered sound design, Abelation raises the stakes further into this dark world.

By the time “Mind Warp” hits, listeners might feel as if they’ve been dropped into a film score for a thriller movie of some sort. Nonetheless, Abelaton impresses with cleanly textured beat work, riddim breaks, and ever-consuming landscapes that frighten and delight.

Rounding out the EP is “Fuck Off,” a glitchy melodic-driven number to bring listeners to some sort of calm. Utilizing hilarious vocal samples, trap-driven beats, and unassuming synth work that feels fun and welcoming (despite the “Fuck off” samples), the 19-year-old takes listeners through the rise, climax, and fall of an all-out movie soundtrack.

Stream Abelation’s Absolution EP now.