PsyDub Hypnosis: Inside Quanta’s Enchanting “Elements”

Diving into a pool of otherworldly sensations, classic dub rhythms and twisted soundscapes, Shanti Planti artist Quanta’s sixth studio release, Elements, demonstrates that the mushrooming realm of psychedelic bass contains a myriad of hidden dimensions still ripe for sonic exploration. A churning cauldron of organic effects, swirling artifacts and grounding beats, the collection infuses the addictive tempo and timeless instrumentation of future dub with a collage of energy-aligning sounds to create a surrealistic environment brimming with mystery and wonder.

Opening with the dreamy sounds of “Emulate,” which quickly lays on a juicy array of liquidy textures, spinning energy fragments and crisp percussion, the collection offers six hypnotizing tracks that fill the dark silence with light, each in its own way.

“Wide Eyed” evokes an otherworldly sensation of wandering through the depths of an alien forest and hearing the familiar sounds of humanity calling from the mist-lined fringes of the tree line. Balancing the realms of shadowy psybass and dreamy dub, the track beckons one down the sonic rabbit hole with an irresistible play of biosynthetic textures and samples that enhances the enchanting strangeness of the collection.

Touching on both cerebral and physical, the alluring instrumentation of “Make It Sow” serves up a panorama of deep bass valleys, percussive hilltops and energetic highlands that reminds one of the mystical influences at play in psychedelic downtempo. With artfully placed stringwork popping in and out of landscape, the track features just the right amount of ethereal edge to keep one’s mind in rhythm as its intoxicating root beats wash over the scenery.

Classic dub elements come to the surface full-bore in the LubDub remix of Quanta’s 2012 track “Uprising.” A fine example of where past and future find harmony within psydub, the track opens the portal to a massive soundspace where instrumental, vocal and synthetic components dance unrestrained in downbeat harmony.

Pulling a track from side project AkAshA Experience, Quanta introduces a faster tempo to the collection with “Cup of Dreams.” A techy twist on the same dub rhythms propelling both sound projects, the track features an array of energy twists and psyglitch effects engineered for movement and psychosomatic effect.

Appearing with another glorious “Re-Stomp,” Tribone lends his signature swamp-stomp intensity to AkAshA Experience’s psybient-dub track “Liquid Grip.” Taking a soundscape already dripping with psychedelic textures and delicate whispers from beyond the veil, Tribone’s reimagining pulls one into a haunting downtempo realm before making a rapid departure into a crunchy and radical maelstrom of full-bodied, technical beats. A crescendo to the collection, Tribone’s inclusion displays the transformative and versatile potential of modern remix culture.

Advancing the strange and often preternatural overtones of psychedelic bass, Quanta’s Elements offers a hypnotizing glimpse into the imaginative realms of sound influencing today’s most explorative musical visionaries. Filling rich instrumental atmospheres with a synesthesia of corporeal sensations and abstract wonders, each piece elegantly lays textural harmony over the void which binds us all, bringing light to the darkness and movement to the silence in a poignant display of sonic philosophy.

Download Quanta’s Elements on Bandcamp:
https://quanta-dub.bandcamp.com/album/elements

Quanta on Facebook
Quanta on Soundcloud

ShantiPlanti.com

Returning to the states this summer, Quanta’s supernatural twists on psychedelia can be experienced firsthand at Colorado’s cutting-edge summer electronica festival, Sonic Bloom 2016, alongside Tipper, Govinda, Whitebear, AkAshA Experience, Deya Dova, Templo, Living Light and a swath of other pioneering psybass producers from around the globe.

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