Justin Kwon has new EP out today that will carve out a new household name in future bass and experimental trap music. Once an audio engineer who worked with Whethan, Kwon has been working on his own material almost exclusively through remixes throughout the last two years. But starting this year, he has released a new EP titled Collections of his own original songs.
The seven track EP explores a range of mood through tight, technical production and liberal experimentation. Fans of the label Moving Castle may have caught on early to Kwon from hearing the lead single “Smith”; a collaboration that brings in label head Manila Killa and bass artist Ramzoid. This future bass track is an uplifting attention grabber from the vocals loudly whispering “I cannot lose you,” over and over again. The drums come in pounding in harmony with the melodic synths. It’s a tease into the the kind of energy this EP wants to paint.
The rest of the EP is filled with solo Kwon work with “Ju81y” taking listeners on a trippy, glittery journey in trap music. From incredible sidechain compressions to ending with a melancholic piano melody, it shows the meditative nature that this EP wants to share with listeners. Other songs on the EP like “Reality,” “770 Twin,” and “I(my Head)n” emulate this type of vibe. 
But some of these songs end up breaking the genres that one might typically associate with their sounds. The aforementioned “770 Twin” explores a Flume-esque synth-chord progression with layered warped-vocals; all the ingredients of a great future bass track. But then Kwon creates static distortion and a massive bass to create this all encompassing trap banger. The tempo changes but the earlier vocals return to create this future bass-trap Frankenstein monster. This kind of ambition pays off several times during the EP like on “Oceanside” and “Smith”.
For a debut EP, this is as good as it gets. Kwon took a big risk making is own form of bass music, and succeeded. His passion and convictions are on full display which is why it’s not a shock why Manila Killa and the Moving Castle family took a chance with Kwon.
Make sure to check out the new Collections EP from Kwon out now!
