Massachusetts based American producer Jade Cicada has seen a wealth of success come his way, both with his solo project, and as one of half of the Wonky Llama duo. He’s taken a prolonged hiatus from releasing music under Jade Cicada in recent years, with the projects last release dropping around 2019, though this changed on New Years day as he dropped an unexpected long player, titled ‘Pressure Gamut’. The records marks the first Jade Cicada album since 2017’s ‘Brood VII’,
and comes via the same label, Swarm Audio. At 10 tracks and just 35 minutes in length, it’s not the most expansive body of work, but what it lacks in duration, it more than makes up for in terms of sonic clarity. Combining an aural palette of bass, dubstep, breaks, and neurofunk, among other genres, the album supplies a steady flow of strong and punchy drum hits, enormous modulated basslines, and rich percussive spills which are heavily soaked in delay, reverb, and filters. Between the fierce intensity of the modulated climaxes, tracks like ‘AcidTripAdvisor’, ‘So Long’, and ‘Wrapped In Echoes’ provide a relatively downtempo soundscape which use filtered synth pads, softened pluck melodies, and more traditional bass rhythms to keep you locked in. All in it’s an incredibly well produced album, and will really come down to whether or not you’re a fan of bass music in regards to if it’s your cup of tea or not.
Where to start:
Bamboozled: Heavily modulated synth bass and snappy drum hits
Morsels: Deep, driving rhythms meet dense lead synths
So Long: Uplifting super saws and echoing pluck melodies
Previous from Jade Cicada:
Brood VII LP (2017, Swarm Audio)
Little Creatures EP (2019, Swarm Audio)
If you like this then check out:
Tipper – Marble Hunting LP (2022, Tippermusic)
Freddy Todd – Nineteen Ninety LP (2022, Freddy Todd Music)
Jade Cicada – Pressure Gamut LP is out now on Swarm Audio.