Stillwell brings us something that the American dance scene is severely lacking; good Psychedelic Trance. Until recently, Stillwell has produced mostly Techno, but now he brings us two skillfully crafted Psy tracks. Eschaton refers to the end of the present world, and I'm thinking that this marks a shift in the taste of American EDM lovers to take on something a little more conscious. And to the rest of the planet, you already know what's up.
Stillwell has been spinning Psytrance for years now, and slowly introducing it to parties where you wouldn't typically expect to hear it played. If you are unfamiliar with the genre, don't be fooled by the word "trance", because Psytrance has a distinctive, speedy sound (generally between 140 and 150 BPM) that tends to be faster than other forms of trance or techno music. Dubstep has made its breakthrough out of the underground in recent years, and now I think it's time to kick up the pace.
"I’ve been DJing and producing parties for 11 years now, though not until the last 3 have I really understood what it takes to really make it in the industry. My struggles have been the same as many starving artists; trying to make it from one gig to the next."
Stillwell has been playing out every weekend to new crowds, and introducing his unique style to parties that for the most part feature more mainstream genres of music. The tracks on Eschaton were produced solely on his laptop since he's been on the road so often lately. He calls San Diego home base but has found new fans in every city he plays:
"The EDM scene here in San Diego is mostly commercial nightclubs, and I do play them, but I like festivals and outdoor parties most. I find that energy that these events bring is more pure and that and the amount of people is usually far more than any local club can hold."
Because the genre is still new to a lot of the people he plays for, and since it is so high-energy, Stillwell often likes to play the after-hours set, or at least the last set of the night.
"Wherever I play Psy-trance I’m the only one doing it. When I first started there was definitely a bigger Psy scene up North in SF, but it's definitely died down a lot."
The first track on Eschaton, "Darkness Whispers", wastes no time getting the energy going and features Stillwell's characteristic deep dark sounds with rock guitar-esque chords. The song has a lot of depth and requires several listens to really get an understanding of the intricate sounds and changes. The second track, "Where'd That Come From?" still features the driving beat, but is a bit more uplifting with mystical soundscapes and other-worldly tones that come back to earth with some organic guitar plucking. Meticulously assembled, extremely danceable, and reminiscent of some older Infected Mushroom, these tracks are sure to slay dancefloors around the world…both in the club and under the stars.
Eschaton is now available from Stillwell's own label Zero Digital Records, in which he has partnered with several other artists in Southern California. You can catch him live at Spin Nightclub on May 27th in San Diego, The Dome on June 4th in Bakersfield, June 12th at 710 Club in San Diego, and Papas in Beer June 26th in Rosaritto MX.
-Pogoda
