“In its original form, the latest offering from Vancouver label Specials Worldwide has all the ingredients of classic Miami bass: pulsating snares, blistering sub-bass and an unapologetically dirty hook ("I'mma put it in your face") that stays in your head for days. Already a certified heater on its own, "Elastic" gets turbocharged, Energizer Bunny-style, by New York club wizard MoMA Ready. He fires up the tempo and lays on heavy-hitting kicks and snares that land somewhere between hardcore techno, ballroom and juke. It's raw, rowdy and riotous in the best way.”

"Swallowed By A Snake" from Vancouver's Phost, AKA ZDBT, doesn't start out all that strange. Sure, the main melodic lead—a simple blip—kind of lags behind everything else, but it's not that unusual. Groove along for a bit and then a house-inspired hat-snare pattern comes in, throwing everything off its axis. It's like listening to a techno track stuck leaning at a 45 degree angle. The melodies expand into sinuous, strange things, exotic and vaguely psychedelic—like a bad trip that you can still enjoy, appreciating it for all its weirdness and abrasiveness. All of this unspools over nine minutes, only getting stranger, the kind of tune you'd want to play out in almost full to really creep out a dance floor.”

"You know when someone has been in your energetic zone for a while and then suddenly they appear and you’re like, how did we not know each other until now? That’s kinda what’s happened with CVLT Nation and the exceptional producer ZDBT. We first heard his music on the Dreamcastmoe album that topped our avant grade list for 2022, but we didn’t explore his music further even though we had that record on repeat (and still do). Then ZDBT drifted a bit closer into our sphere of awareness through this and that and all of a sudden we were listening to his record Evening Star and it was a wrap. His experimental production style includes techno, EBM, electronic R&B, hip hop, house, and dub, just to name a few of the genres that ZDBT has incorporated into his musical expression. I was watching his recent live performance with TRS of their song “Nowhere to Hide” off the record and I’m pretty sure we’ve found a kindred musical spirit. Evening Star came out in December 2022 via Specials Worldwide — stream it or buy it below — and we missed tf out, because this is a record that’s versatile and showcases a musical genius that definitely should have been on one of our 2022 EOY lists! Here’s hoping for a 2023 record so we can rectify that. Right now, check out ZDBT’s record Evening Star as well as some music videos and live cuts…"