Fade To Mind

Ezra Rubin, better known as Kingdom, is undoubtedly one of the most trill producers in global club music today. His bass-heavy, darkNdirty beats combined with his deft handling of samples make for some of the most forward-thinking and unforgettable dance tracks in recent history. It seems inevitable that he’d apply his taste to something bigger, and that’s just what he’s done with his new label Fade To Mind.

According to Rubin, the name refers to "music and experiences that make you transition to deeper or altered mind-states. For example NGUZUNGUZUs music, or 420", a description which made me say "noice" out loud. An American cousin to the equally-impressive Night Slugs (and also featuring art by NS founder Bok Bok) the diverse roster reads like a journey into every important playlist from the last two years: NGUZUNGUZU, Fatima Al Qadiri, Total Freedom, DJ Mike Q, and Cedaa, as well as rising artists like Clicks&Whistles. While all this output sounds different, it all explores various mediums of club sounds, from hardstyle and bounce to droned-out Kuwait techno.

If you’re in NYC, Thursday will be the club debut for the label, featuring a blowout hosted by DIS Magazine and including most of the label acts as well as Venus X and $hayne from the cult underground party GHE20 G0TH1K. Let this be a signal to 2011: FTM will be dominating your ears very soon.

Published June 21, 2011.