HEISS reaches new heights with The Tragic Miracle EP
As far as bass-oriented music goes, the possibilities are endless. The most talented of bass producers are able to create so many styles within the genre with the same expertise as those who stick to and have perfected one singular style. What’s great about the growing bass music world is the fact that we are able to hear so many different sounds and styles coming out from it.
Frank Heiss, who composes under the moniker HEISS, is one of those producers. Having produced music under multiple aliases since the early 90s, his synthesis chops have become increasingly stronger with every release the Transcendent Tunes head honcho demonstrates his proficiency marvelously with his most recent EP, The Tragic Miracle. Leading fans into the collection is a brilliant piece from Oliver Locke, who gives the audience a sense of what's to come.
The release begins with the title track, “Tragic Miracle,” giving you some nice and heavy sounds to get you in the listening mood. What’s interesting is that it sounds as if a dubstep producer created a scratch sample track that turntablists use, with an A.D.D. like sampling of a plethora of sounds from all over the place every few beats and bars. With random vocal samples, grimey bass risers and a random double time shake up, it doesn’t exactly follow the standard structure you expect in electronic music, but its experimental nature really alludes to Heiss’ creative prowess.
Heiss’ style of varied sampling continues on in “Drive Thru Divinity.” This gritty glitch-hop is smothered in solid, robotic bass tones, complemented by some interesting higher end synths and background flute sampling. Much of this song has some really good dubstep like bass wobbles dancing around throughout it, as well as having a strong organic synthesizer essence to it.
Heiss keeps the tempo moving along rapidly with “Hollow Victory,” a solid bass tune with a strong similarity to that of Zebbler Encanti Experience’s music. Though the low-end is still strong, it’s great to hear how the bass lines and glitchy undertone stays simple while the high-end tones are all over the place and crazy. It’s cool to hear some old school sound sampling and production styling on the last half of the song, from some of the high-end 808 samples to the distorted, heavily reverbed kick drums. Its as if Kraftwerk made more uptempo music with heavier bass.
“Sure, Not” gets us back into some of his transcendent stuff that we have grown accustomed to hearing from Heiss. It is a hard psychedelic bass root to it, but with simple sound design that really pops.
The best way to describe “Communion With Fear” is epic. It incorporates a ton of what we heard from the last four songs and mashes it into a killer EP closer. The vocal scratch samples are perfect and the synth growls are just phenomenal. The production chemistry between Heiss and Colorado producer Sonic Geometry is truly magnificent. Sonic Geometry’s colossal guitar licks matched with Heiss’s synth composition skills creates a two-minute sonic assault that will leave you wanting more.
Frank Heiss really has a lot going for him with The Tragic Miracle. The former breakbeat alchemist turned bass music shaman genuinely put his whole being into the production of this EP and it turned out stellar.
