The vomitstep pioneer, Snails, has been unstoppable this year. From a headlining spot at this year's Lost Lands Festival to the creation of his new record label Slugz Music to a brand-new remix album for his debut full-length, The Shell, Snails fans have never been this excited.
We spoke with the bass music titan about this insane year and what's next. Brace yourselves, from the looks of it, Snails is only just getting started.
EDM.com: What experience do you try to create for your fans during your live performances?
Snails: I try to make them enter my world! I want them to experience something they never did before with all the music and visuals attached to the music. It's something really important for me since I've been working really hard to create that world around Snails.
Was there a specific moment in your life that made you certain that you were meant to be a musician?
I feel I didn't know until I really starting doing music and shows, I've been doing graphic design at school and always thought that was my path but as soon as I started working on songs and creating that whole world, I discovered that I could apply my graphic design skills to the music and create something totally new. All of that would be my own project and my own world so at this time I really realized that it would be something way bigger than I thought.
A couple years ago people would cry “dubstep/bass music is dead”. Now, it’s bigger than ever. What do you think helped the genre take back the throne?
I feel all the newer artists pushing the envelope and really trying to think outside of the box to create new styles really made a big difference. Same as for all the artists like Excision pushing the envelope of bass music to another level. Creating festivals and places dedicated to bass music and reuniting thousands of people really brought back that kind of music.
Where do you see bass music heading in the next couple of years? Any specific trends to keep an eye on?
I feel it's going to evolve into a place people don't know about yet. It will bring a new wave of music and style that's gonna push new artists to create different styles of music. That's definitely one thing about bass music, it's always in motion and that's the beauty of it. One day you think everything has been done, then the day after, a new artist comes up with a song that changes the game like SVDDEN DEATH or Kompany.
What inspired you to create your own label, Slugz Music?
For me, it's really to be able to put my vision into something where I have the ability to push the most I can. Working with so many amazing labels has shown me lots of great stuff that I want to apply to my work with the artists that Slugz Music is going to sign. I want to push bass music and the artists to make sure they can expand the most they can. As an artist, I want to give back to them and also make them feel happy about their release. They put so much effort into those songs and I want to make sure all of them get a proper release.
What do you want Slugz Music to do differently from other labels?
I want to work with the artists themselves to really develop their vision and their world through Slugz Music and my help. I'm looking to build a family with Slugz and have everybody really be unique in their own world. The goal is to push the envelope as much as we can, both musically and through their visions.
If you could collaborate with any artist from any point in time, who would it be?
Metallica and Slayer! My two favorite bands of all time and the ones that literally brought me into the bass music world.
The first half of 2018 has been great for Snails fans. What can fans expect for the rest of the year, any big plans in the works?
The biggest tour I've ever planned alongside my next EP! Also, the debut of my new production at my Red Rocks show on Oct 5th. I've been creating so much music and taking the time to make sure it's all perfect for my fans while also evolving my sound for them! I can't stop myself from sharing all of my music with my people.
Have you and Kill the Noise finally settled the “Kill the Snails v. Snoise debate?
Hahaha Snoise won! But me and Jake (Kill the Noise) made vests with Kill the Snails on them so we are going to keep it that way. Maybe a side project of that side project who knows?
Which producer has the best chance of beating you in a taco eating contest?
Nobody. I eat the most tacos out of everybody!
A special thank you to Snails for talking with me. You can check out his insane new remix album featuring Kill the Noise, Funtcase, Space Jesus, and more, below.
Like what you hear? Catch him all across North America on The Shell 2.0 Tour.