If you love filthy, disgusting, bass-filled robotic Dubstep, then you already know JPhelpz; even if you’ve never heard his name before. This young Illinois producer has been carving out a name for himself within the Dubstep community for years now and has only recently started to get kind of widespread the recognition he deserves. His masterfully filthy sound design has earned him the respect of such well known artists as Funtcase, 12th Planet, Cookie Monsta, Vaski, Protohype, Biome, Mantis and more. With releases on labels such as D-Jahsta’s Xenomorph Recordings, Abducted Records, Prime Audio, and now Datsik’s Firepower Records, Jphelpz is no stranger to the EDM network. In fact he’s been something of a secret weapon on the dance floor for names big and small for quite a while now, but that is rapidly starting to change. His most recent Ep, aptly named The Living Dead, was released yesterday on Firepower Records, and is already turning more than a few heads for very obvious reasons. Check out the review below.
The first track on the release is Summon The Dead, and it is the perfect way to start off the Ep. A smooth, creepy intro with punchy heavy metal kickdrums and beautifully designed instrumental synths lead us in, creating a palpable energy of evil and mayhem before kicking us into the filth of first drop. This track features a single, metallic, crunchy, and robotically evil synth that long time fans will recognize as classic JPhelpz. It is guaranteed to put a smile on any proper bassheads face.
The next track, Brains is a collab with Algoreythm. While it’s easily my least favorite track on the Ep, it is still wonderfully well designed. I’m very much a fan of the intro, those choir voices combined with the dark and sinister soundscape of strings and dark effects really grabbed my attention, but the synths, although well crafted, just don’t do it for me. That being said, this track will definitely appeal to the more hardcore Riddim crowd way more than the other three tracks, which helps give some diversity to the style of Dubstep presented in this Ep, making it essential to the package as a whole.
This track, Necromancer, is my personal favorite. The amount of filth on this track is unholy. A deliciously punchy piano starts us off, followed by a light, buzzing synth that builds into one of the filthiest drops I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in quite a long time. So many different sounds are used in this insanely fun and aggressive beast of a track, it’s hard to imagine how one even begins to construct something like this. This is definitely a tune we will be hearing in the DJ circuit for a very long time to come.
Finally, the Living Dead slaps us right in the face with a short, sweet, and epic harpsichord build up, followed by the pure madness of angry undead robots, rising saw synths, and cackling vocal samples. It pushes the border of too crazy, but doesn’t cross it, which in my opinion showcases just how well Jon knows his music and it’s place in the ever changing scene that is Dubstep today. It plays more to the crazier heads, but doesn’t lose it’s appeal to the hardocore fans of simpler, Riddim-like Dubstep. It’s excellent way to finish off this release.
Overall, this Ep is massive, and incredibly well produced. The track selection helps give diversity to the sound while maintaining a central theme of evil, dark, and dangerous. Every basshead worth their salt will find at least one track they can’t get enough of. If you love filthy Dubstep you definitely want to get your hands on this one. Grab it Here. If Dubstep is dead, JPhelpz just made it rise from the grave.
I recently had the chance to interview JPhelpz about his new Ep and his life as an artist. Check it out below!
Who first inspired you to start producing Dubstep?
Artists like Funtcase and Cookie Monsta were amongst the first Dubstep artists I had heard. Coming from a metal background, the aggressive and gritty styles of their music immediately attracted me and blew me away; I had never heard anything quite like it and wanted to give it a go.
What were your main inspirations for this Ep?
I wanted to create a themed EP that was very evil and dark sounding, so I ended up basing the songs around a necromancer/zombie theme. By using various zombie vocal samples and creating sinister, epic intros I think I was able to capture those vibes in this release. As far as my sound, Getter, Funtcase, Genetix, Trampa, and D-Jahsta are all artists I enjoy and I feel have greatly inspired my style.
Are there any artists you would really like to collab with in the future? If so why?
I’ve been wanting to collab with Getter for such a long time, but something always comes up! It’s definitely on my bucket list though. Funtcase is also an artist I’ve always dreamed of working with on a song, and we are in the midst of working on a project together – which is very exciting!
Describe your music in one sentence.
Music that makes you go mental.
What’s your favorite part of being an artist?
Getting to talk to all my fans in different parts of the world. It’s truly amazing to me. Getting to meet and hang out with some of my favorite artists is also a huge plus!
Name one VST you absolutely cannot live without.
A plugin called Maximus in FL Studio. It’s a really great multiband compressor and can glue sounds together very well.
How do you like to get over writers block?
The best way I’ve found is to take a break and do something completely different for a bit. If you distract your mind from the stresses of feeling forced to write music, you start to remember how fun it can be and ideas tend to start popping out again.
Is it harder for you to start or finish a track? Why?
Definitely harder to finish an idea for me. I have a ridiculous amount of 30-45 second projects saved, but taking those ideas and transforming them into a full song has always been the hardest point of production in my experience.
Whats the most important thing a Dubstep artist needs to do in order to stay relevant in the scene today?
Stay humble and be true to yourself. What I mean by that last bit is remember you that are an artist, free to create whatever you wish. You don’t have to stick to what’s popular or what is expected of you; most importantly don’t forget to have fun with it! That’s why all of us started producing music in the first place.
