If you’ve been wondering where Nerd Rage has disappeared to lately, don’t worry – he’s right here with a brand new project with Sluggo called Bass Cadets. Their debut EP as a duo just dropped last week and it’s absolutely heavy as fuck, as it should be.
In celebration of the EP release and the new bass duo going on tour, I shot over some questions for them to answer. Check it out below.
How did you first discover dubstep? How did you first get involved in producing dubstep?
Nerd Rage: One day I was driving with a friend and he played a couple songs for me that really struck a chord. They were Chase & Status – Eastern Jam and SPL – Bullet Of Truth. I was completely hooked after that and began experimenting with production.
The day I really got involved was after a Borgore show in 2010 – I was driving home listening to SKiSM’s ‘Rise Of The Idiots’ and got pumped to try and create a bootleg remix. Afterward, I decided to send it over to him that night, he replied immediately and happened to love it, sent me the official stems and the rest is history.
Sluggo: Back in 2004, I was making Drum & Bass with a bunch of friends and just so heard a mix from bay area Dj Juju around 2006 or so. This mix was full of some original bangers and we were hooked. So naturally the transition from abrasive DnB to abrasive Dubstep was just part of the plan I suppose. Had my first Dubstep release in 2007 and the rest is pretty much history.
Sluggo, how did you meet Devin and decide to collaborate?
Sluggo: I was out touring at the time and Tampa Bay was one of my go to cities. I randomly went out to a club in Ybor with some friends and Nerd Rage was there playing some tunes. Somehow we kinda clicked and I asked him if he wanted to work….Next day he came thru to the old RITM studio where I was staying at and we just talked and kinda started the ideas for future collaborations.
Nerd Rage, it seems like you’ve been out of the scene for a little bit, though please correct me if I’m wrong, How does it feel to be debuting a brand new alias with Sluggo?
Nerd Rage: Yeah I stepped back last year after leaving my residency at POUND in Tampa and thought it would be nice to try something new. Nick (Sluggo) and I had already been talking about working together again for some time. One day something clicked and we decided to do nothing but spend a year writing an albums worth of new music for this new project concept…
And that’s what we did! We made one last Sluggo and Nerd Rage collab, “Up In Arms,” toured it, and during that time made sure everything we did from there on went into Bass Cadets.
What’s the angle, what are you going for with this project that you think can be different?
Nerd Rage: Well we’ve always really enjoyed working together, but never really played a lot of shows together. By combining into this new project it gives us the opportunity for a fresh image and fresh sound upgrade. We are placing no restrictions on genre or tempo and paying more attention to detail than ever before. We’re making all flavors in the best quality we possibly can.
This also allows us to collab with other artists without having the appearance of too many names on the track. Playing shows together now also allows for better crowd interaction, more energy, presence, and an all-around better performance for the fans.
Sluggo: Well, I think we really wanted to kinda bring two names and combine into one like Devin was saying. This allows us to work with people and pretty much focus a lot of the energy into Insane Hybrid style bass music. The image and the sound is something completely different than the past and are excited to get our music out there and into our fans ears.
How has the response to the EP been so far?
Nerd Rage: Really good I think! Everyone really seems to enjoy it and we’ve had a ton of positive feedback from peers and fans alike!
Sluggo: So far the response is great! These are some super melodic-heavy bass tunes sure to get everyone head banging, and I can’t wait to show what we have been working on the last few months.
When can we see Bass Cadets on tour?
Nerd Rage: This summer and fall with Helicopter Showdown for The Invasion Tour! I’m actually in the airport right now on my way to our first gig as Bass Cadets! CONTROL San Francisco at Ruby Skye, and I couldn’t be more excited!!!
Sluggo: At this moment we are booking and currently locking down dates for our Summer/Fall (INVASION TOUR w/ Helicopter Showdown). I’m sitting in the airport as well about to leave for San Francisco tonight for our Debut BASS CADETS Show at the Ruby Skye. We want to see you all out there supporting and can’t wait to hit the road!
