Psychedelic bass debutant Fractal Code has dropped his very first EP, Psychotrophic. At the time of writing, our reviewer seems to have gotten kidnapped by cyan-skinned aliens, and it appears that this album is their means of making negotiations. We’re definitely happy with the terms they’re laying down.
The introductory track, appropriately labeled “Intro,” gives us a small snippet of what we’re in for. Best described as the feeling of being in a room full of aliens who are all pulling a practical joke on you, the extraterrestrial vocoder and strange synths are sure to entrance listeners.
“Psychotrophic,” the titular track, keeps the ball rolling. The beginning feels like a lo-fi exploration of the moon with only cybernetic praying mantises for company. What follows is a conga line of supremely weird synths trickling into our ears alongside an impactful percussion pattern. Vocoders don’t hold back either; we’re pretty sure this was an attempt of communication from the Martians, and it’s a supremely interesting conversation.
“Dry Mouth Solution” throws a curveball for the listeners, which is a very impressive feat given the tunes we’ve encountered thus far. We are first asked the question, “Do you remember peanut butter Ritz crackers?” before a one-way conversation about the snack ensues alongside a fast-paced, Bassnectar-esque trip, with sounds as bizarre as the question that started us off.
We then move on to “Floopy Frogs.” As intergalactic whispers swarm our eardrums, synth droplets fall on top of our skulls… or is that the saliva of hungry space centipedes from Saturn?
“Ginseng & Honey” is our final stop on this cross-dimensional journey. Beginning with a final-boss vocoder, a heavy bass drum and shiny synth blips, it soon morphs into a steady-paced, high-energy stroll through Fractal Code’s arsenal, and his loadout is dazzling.
“I’ve been wanting to get into producing music for the past couple years but I just haven’t had the time or funds to do so until now,” says Cody Martin, the brain behind Fractal Code. “My inspiration comes from my love of wonky underground bass music, the sounds we hear in our everyday lives and the beautiful festival community in the Maritimes.”
“Huge shout out to all the bassheads across the Maritimes for supporting the growing scene! I’ll see you all on the dance floor sometime!”
Psychotrophic will be available as of February 23rd, 2019. You can catch his EP release party at The Capital Complex.