Following the departure last year of Snareface, The Flying Skulls' Jeff Wareham (J.Tonal) enlisted the help of keyboardist Jacob Hernandez, a.k.a. Esau, to tie together a collection of original tracks, remixes, and collaborations celebrating the scope and history of the bass-laden sonic revolution of the past couple of years that began in pockets of the Bay Area and L.A. and exploded outwards. The result is West Coast Bass, a 10-track history lesson out today on 1320 Records. Inspired greatly by glitch-hop, dubstep, downtempo, and 90's R&B, WCB details the shifting sounds that have defined a whole new generation of producers. The Skulls have been Bay Area fixtures, with J. Tonal producing and locally promoting in San Francisco for nearly a decade. Sharing bills and compilations with some of the biggest acts of the day (most notably Bassnectar, Prefuse 73, The Glitch Mob, and more), the act has the perspective necessary to examine the changing musical environment with their latest effort.

The opening track, "Beats by the Pound," has a distinctly early-90's Dr. Dre feel. Audio Angel introduces the featured players, which include the U.K.'s Mudmowth and licks from livetronica superstars Lotus. Funky, and delectably old-school, the bouncy opener sets the stage for an album which runs the gamut from rip-roaring bass blasts to sharply dressed downtempo that lets well-place wobbles ripple out into space without stepping on each others' toes. Those who may have been dwelling underneath large rocks for the past few years might use this album as a Zagat-style guide to the beautiful landscape that is West Coast Bass.

Purchase West Coast Bass on 1320 Records.