By: Jamie Reysen

Few things make me happier than a new Bassnectar release, but I was particularly impressed with the range on Wildstyle, which dropped Oct. 19. While Timestretch—released earlier this year—caters to dance parties everywhere, Wildstyle exhibits a greater range of emotion and fits a broader array of moods.

I’m going to skip all the dubstep/sub-bass/trip hop terminology in favor of a more legitimate description of Wildstyle: it can’t be bound to genre. It’s an experience.

Tina Malia’s entrancing vocals over heavy bass and twinkling beats evoke imagery of a woman imprisoned within a tower, located in an intangible world. Though we can’t reach her, she tugs at our heartstrings through song. “Underwater,” off Wildstyle, is a Bassnectar-style fairytale.

“Falling,” featuring Paper Machete, is one of the most intriguing tracks Bassnectar has produced thus far. The vocalist’s voice is captivating as he whines over a simple and sad guitar melody. When the bass drops, the infusion of its heaviness further heightens the song’s achy intensity. It’s musical poetry for the heartbroken or hurting—at least in the electronic music community.

At the other end of the emotional spectrum is “Hot Right Now.” The fun Amp Live remix features vocals from multiple hip-hop artists, and the diversity of voices really amplifies the song’s personality. I can picture the dance-floor frenzy that will ensue when Bassnectar drops this track at his upcoming shows.

“The 808 Track,” featuring Mighty High Coup, crept up on me and into my dancing feet through a slow and sassy synth beat layered over drums, bass and a vocal sample from Mr. SOS.

“Encore” is the sort of powerhouse song that fans have come to expect when Bassnectar and ill.Gates collaborate. Their past work reflects a certain artistic synergy, and “Encore” is no different.

The giggling baby returns to end Wildstyle. “Fun With Synthesizers” is essentially the foundation of “Window Seat” off of Cozza Frenzy. I used to play “Window Seat” nonstop just to hear the way Bassnectar toyed with that sample.

Both “Fun With Synthesizers” and bonus track “Fun With Backwards” turn the smallest of everyday sounds into music. Not enough artists today bother to do that.

The bonus track is just one perk of buying Wildstyle on Bassnectar’s official site. The Wildstyle Deluxe bundle— which includes an instant download, CD, bonus track, t-shirt, poster, and three stickers—is available online for $33 at bassnectar.net.