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This December, two prominent electronic acts will collide, with Australian DJ and producer What So Not and visionary Dutch artist Buunshin primed to release a brand new collaborative EP The Quiet That Hurts on Friday 5 December. Previously releasing their single Threads last month, this week the pair also have released a luminous new single Dancing In The Leaves featuring Lucy Lucy.
Percolating with driving beats alongside airy soundscapes and the gossamer vocals of Lucy Lucy, Dancing In The Leaves showcases the strengths of both What So Not and Buunshin’s artistry, serving both as a vulnerable exploration into the soul as well as a whimsical immersion into a momentary ethereal universe.
Opening with Threads featuring renowned American singer-songwriter and composer Maiah Manser, The Quiet That Hurts EP is undeniably a short yet sharply sweet full-bodied journey in avant-garde sounds and blissful delivery, with the EP growing from its opening track into quiet rumination and lush, ambient urgency via Tragic, featuring Ukrainian singer vocalist Alina Pash, pulsing with emotion alongside a high-octane foundation. From here, the EP dives into a hypnotic yet propulsive flow state (Dancing In The Leaves feat. Lucy Lucy), before oozing into bewitching melodics balanced between moments of instrumental sparsity and animated drum and bass (The One feat. Aiko), and, ultimately, closing out with sprawling soundscapes fused with narcotic beats and unbridled serenity juxtaposed against emphatic and raw lyricism delivered by Mara Necia.
A deeply vulnerable and sonically dazzling collection of songs, The Quiet That Hurts effortlessly wields wizardry with wisdom; a fact that also lends itself to What So Not’s own personal experiences during the making of the EP, as he explains, “Partway through the creative process, I flew to China and stayed in a temple with Shaolin Monks, training Kung Fu. It was an intense physical & mental experience & upon my return to regular life, I found myself asking “Where do ‘ideas’ come from? How do you create something that has never been done before? What is the source of all creation?”
“I came up with this concept of the ‘Void’,” What So Not continues, “the negative space you must enter to draw down ideas from the universe in their purist form. A type of meditation or ‘flow state’, absent of the noise of the world. ‘Threads’ quite literally become the theme of this concept. The mania of our internal dialog, holding us back from manifesting our greatest dreams and ideas. The tempo rising arpeggiation, a pressure point of energy as we attempt to break though the ego barrier & the magnificent payoff on the other side.
“Speaking with Ferry [Mellegersis – Buunshin] on this topic became the foundation of the EP and the meaning behind ‘The Quiet That Hurts’. Filling our lives with unnecessary noise, placing our attention and energy into things that don’t serve us, all in an attempt to run away from that confronting silence… but the truth is that is where the answers lay.”
Emerging in the 2010s, What So Not has evolved into an in-demand artist across the globe, renowned for his innovation and signature style that blends bass, trap and melodic hues into a unique and unforgettable package. Releasing his debut album Not All the Beautiful Things in 2018, What So Not resoundingly showcased his versatility and revolutionary prowess, with tracks like Be OK Again featuring Daniel Johns and Goh featuring Skrillex building formidable momentum that would ultimately lead to a 2022 sophomore album Anomaly. A genre-less and relentlessly experimental artist, What So Not has spent his career collaborating with the likes of Skrillex, RL Grime, Killer Mike and Toto, with his releases and potent live performance effortlessly translating over to the stage including at Coachella and Lollapalooza, headline shows in Europe, North America as well as on home soil, and also cultivating over 1.3 billion streams and counting worldwide in the process.
Born in the Dutch bass music scene, Buunshin, aka Ferry Mellegersis, catapulted from the underground to the world stage in seemingly the blink of an eye. From snagging a #1 D&B hit on Beatport for his first ever release through to releasing music on some of the biggest dance music labels within the space of three years, Buunshin’s astonishing trajectory is also lined with the fact that this self-made artist flourishes in breaking the rules, fluctuating BPMs, blurring genres and crafting songs with a cutting-edge flair that has seen him garner both respect and support from Skrillex through to Flume, Apashe and NOISIA, with the latter tapping Buunshin as their successor when calling it a day. Having toured the world, including performances at Printworks, Lowlands, Rampage, Fabric and more, Buunshin has also ticked off regular performances in New Zealand, Australia and closer to home in Europe, while continuing to sharpen his sharp yet deeply nostalgic stylings.
Following the release of their upcoming new EP, What So Not and Buunshin will perform on Friday 28 December at Perth’s Ice Cream Factory, with What So Not hosting a huge lineup to bring the heat for some summer sun. Headlined by What So Not launching his brand new 4MYSANITY project, the exclusive event will also feature ARIA Award-winning duo Hermitude, UK star Charlotte Plank as well as Buunshin primed to take you on a sonic journey.
Dancing In The Leaves is out now.
The Quiet That Hurts EP is due out Friday 5 December and available to presave now.
