SHDWS is the next artist earning the highly coveted Wax Motif cosign by way of a devious and rugged bass house single named ‘Vixen’. Based out of the Bay Area, SHDWS has quickly made his ascent out from obscurity to become one of the most buzzing artists holding it down in the bassline department. His name has been stuck on the tips of the tongues of almost every looked-to tastemaker within the bass house lane, having locked props from key players such as AC Slater, Malaa, Chris Lake, Jack Beats, and Wax Motif. The last name on that list has, in fact, been very vocal about getting in his corner. He’s touted the NorCal producer’s talents on numerous occasions in his weekly Bassline Boss series, hosted on Twitch, in which he allots three hours for his peers to crank out the nastiest bits on the fly. Wax then proceeds to critique the work with his keen and thoughtful insight. SHDWS was one of the strongest contenders on the fun, friendly competition recently, paving the way for a proper release on the Divided Souls imprint.
“Vixen” is the result of one of those loose Twitch production seshes, taking its final form as an ill-natured temptress of a bass house tune. It has all of the trappings of a SHDWS slapper, looming in the darkness with its stripped-down but carefully calculated elements. Slowly emerging from a shuffling percussive backdrop, the heavy-duty four-on-the-floor number quickly exerts its dominance through a potent mixture of murky chords, sinister keys and some bellowing womp callbacks. The voice of a female protagonist comes into play, exuding unfaltering confidence in the looped remarks “don’t need a man // don’t check the price.” She’s a total badass, and it shows. SHDWS keeps the attitude in check via ego-squashing basslines, modulating lines, clean drum fills, clever ka-ching samples, and an unequivocally hard demeanor. “Vixen” is both fierce and fiery, backed up by an aggressive groove that’ll pummel through anyone or anything standing in its path.
“This began as an idea I submitted on one of Wax’s production streams “Bassline Boss” and quickly shaped into my debut release on Divided Souls,” says SHDWS. ‘Went for a heavy but clean and minimal vibe and I’m really happy with how it turned out! We’ve got a lot more in the works, stay locked.”
The record found its way into the hands of Zeds Dead, who threw it some shine in one of their recent episodes of Deadbeats Radio. It’s only a matter of time before “Vixen” starts creeping into livestreams and radio shows the world over. As SHDWS continues to stamp out dark and minimal grooves with maximal character, expect to hear his name pop up around every corner.
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