PhaseOne has crafted one of the more stylistically and sonically diverse bass EPs that I’ve heard in a long while. We’ve got heavy dubstep, drum n bass, glitch hop, metalstep and more on Touching The Stars.
The first track alone, “Initiate,” transitions from dubstep to house to glitch hop in keeping with the same synths and bassline. It’s a fucking wonderful demonstration of how to find versatility in a single track and make an EP sound closer to an album. “Touching The Stars” reminds me of Flux Pavilion’s “Mountains and Molehills” for some reason, though of course the drum n bass intro completely sets it apart. Without a featured artist listed, I can only assume that it’s PhaseOne’s own voice, in which case, major props. The lyrics are pretty fantastic, too, considering I never usually pay attention to them on first listen, “We were one / We are two / I see us touching the stars / Tonight.” 
My favorite track, “Six Feet Under,” we premiered on the 5th and the little touches of metal power chords and double bass pedals in the build up are such a beautiful touch. For bass music, especially dubstep and drum n bass, which can take so much influence from metal and harder styles of rock, this track embraces it and molds it into its very fabric to incredible effect. Once again, the track shows a great transition from the hard melodic dubstep to drum n bass in the latter half. PhaseOne is obviously going all out, leaving nothing to convention. The final track features the vocal prowess of Aloma Steele and PhaseOne accordingly brings the energy down for a bit. “Burdens” is a melodic glitch hop tune that builds off of Aloma’s vocals and the harsh discordant bass synths, while the lead pads take you on a very special journey.
This is a release that every bass lover should keep in the library at all times. It’s got anything you might want to show a fellow bass lover and keep your attention at the same time. Grab the EP on iTunes now!
