BREAK ROOM is a hub for bass music fans to escape the monotony of the world through unruly, boundary-pushing trap, hardwave, and experimental bass music
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Insomniac is launching its newest imprint from the Insomniac Music Group umbrella, BREAK ROOM, a hub for bass music fans to escape the monotony of the world through unruly, boundary-pushing trap, hardwave, and experimental bass music.
The inaugural single comes at the hands of LA-based producer Hex Cougar, a trailblazing force of nature known for blending beauty with a beastly edge. He’s pouncing on the collab tip with genre-blurring talent VARI, the Tulsa-grown producer known for his impeccable sound design that fused harsh, glitchy textures with cinematic melodies.
Their new collab “Ultra” is a striking hardwave offering tethered to a moody, single-line vocal hook that is pitched up and distorted above frenetic drum lines, futuristic melodic ripples, bombastic low-end, and raucous synth leads that veer and pan in every direction. It’s the first track off his Hex Cougar’s forthcoming EP on the label. Hex has enjoyed continued support from RL Grime, Alison Wonderland, Illenium, Diplo, Skrillex, Porter Robinson, DJ Snake, The Chainsmokers, and Jauz. He recently issued his 16-track ‘Alter/Ego Volume III’ compilation released via his own label by the same name.
“VARI sent me the original idea for this track in 2023 & I was immediately hooked by the chords/melodies, which gave me a nostalgic, almost Nero sort of vibe. I reworked the drop to give it a heavier, anthemic feel and decided to layer a breakbeat drum loop behind the main trap drums to give it a feeling of flow and constant movement. After sending the track back and forth a few more times, I think we finished the main body of the track in only a couple of weeks. The whole process flowed easily and felt natural, and it’s probably one of my favorite tracks to date. It’s loud, euphoric, aggressive, and kind of symbolizes me falling back in love with heavy electronic music after a long period of feeling like I had maybe outgrown the genre,” Hex Cougar says.
VARI adds, “Hex had reached out to start a track, as he was working on a new EP. Once we found the initial demo I had, he took it and turned the energy up to 11. After going back and forth, I think the track perfectly walks the line between heavy/glitchy beats and the melodic/ethereal aesthetic we’re both known for.”
Hex Cougar, VARI – ‘Ultra’ is out now via Break Room.
