Leading the world of ambient space-rock is San Francisco based producer Scott Hansen, better known as Tycho. Seppa says he’s always been inspired by music that becomes part of one’s soul: “like actually part of who you are at a fundamental level, and if I can create that same experience for someone else than I’m very happy,” he told CE. It’s about the feelings it digs up, about presence, about turning inwards and seeing one’s self, and about embracing both catharsis and pain. Rather, for Seppa, music is about much more than attempting to put it into words. But Seppa challenges this label: “I’m not a huge fan of branding anything ‘Intelligent’ as I think it makes judgments on people who perhaps just don’t like it based on taste, and it also ignores the beauty of simple ideas which are often the hardest to realize.” Split is the perfect encapsulation of something we like to call “conscious bass music,” or music that is intelligent, mind-altering, meditative, amorphous, and makes you think.
That much is obvious from our exclusive interview with Seppa on the eve of his second full-length album release with Split. When he’s not making music, the Bristol-based producer enjoys reflecting on philosophy, spirituality, and life. Dangerous and demonic sounding on the surface, yet incredibly enlightened and intelligent beneath, he is also an extremely conscious individual himself.įrom growing up in the UK rave/dubstep scenes and going to school for music production to founding Slugwife alongside Kursa, Seppa has had quite a fulfilling career.
What does consciousness even sound like? Does the artists’ music itself sound conscious? Is it the artist’s musical aesthetic or simply their outlook on life? Or both? Seppa‘s dark line of experimental bass music is a great illustrator for this quandary. When thinking about what constitutes “conscious” music or who makes it, there’s a whirlwind of questions that arise. Without further ado, and in no particular order, we present CE‘s Top 25 spiritually-attuned artists who should be on everyone’s conscious music radar. Those who are uncomfortable with their own celebrity identity, yet understand that the influence associated with the notion of “celebrity” can have lasting, positive effects on the world. Yet, who simultaneously are repulsed at the idea of being the center of their own universe. Those who would rather build their own universe over seeking mass-scale commercial fame. These are the artists who weave messages of gratitude, love, peace, acceptance, and coexistence into the very fabric of their music. Those who use their power in service of leaving the world a better place than they found it. Those who enjoy power, influence, and status, and understand their place in the world as both necessary evils and ultimately corruptible forces. Thus, the focus here is on the producers woven from this ethical cloth. These are the consciously-attuned attuned who understand their ethical positioning and, yet, still grapple with their own power. Someone who, at the very least, has the conscience and ethical know-how to see when they are being one-sided or self-serving. So long as one seeks to use these privileges in service of others over the self, with balance and harmony. That is not to suggest there’s something wrong with desiring notoriety and financial gain. This is a blanket generalization, of course. Yet, there are still drones of “EDM” artists who feign for the commercial spotlight, who flock to the Big Three record labels, who overlook their voice and platform in search of wealth, fame, and status. That’s why, as the old proverb goes, “with great power comes great responsibility.” With popularity comes influence, and with influence comes the power to culturally shape the world. Our driving mission, therefore, is to provide a conscious way to consume “EDM.” Although electronic dance music has plateaued over the past few years, taking a backseat to hip-hop monetarily, the dance music genre still enjoys massive popularity across the globe. Here at Conscious Electronic, our goal since day one has been to deliver dance music content in a more ascendant direction.
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