Brooklyn-based artist Significant Other made his debut on SP:EC in June 2018 and since then his release schedule has been sporadic. The follow-up record was released late last year on Well Street Records and now he makes his welcomed return on Oscilla Sound with ‘Club Aura’ EP. Having been instantly drawn to his murky and weighty bass-driven soundscape, his third release opens with a light-hearted title track which the press release describes as ‘wave-inspired ambience’ whilst the rest of the record pays homage to one of Significant Other’s key influences – soundsystem culture. With ‘Club Aura’ out now, Significant Other talks through some of the key tracks that have inspired him over the years and whilst we may never know when the next record is to be released, be sure to check his mixes on his Soundcloud channel here in the meantime.
Bruce – I’m Alright Mate
This track came out right around the time I was starting to try and make music. In classic Bruce fashion, the stylistic use of both silence, and noise, is present throughout. I think this was the first track that made me think about creating music from the starting point of designing how it will affect the listener in a club; beginning with the eventual effect of the sounds used rather than the open-ended experimentation/trial and error method of building a track with no vision of how it will sound at the start.
Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People
A classic. I’m a big Manson fan, and I think perhaps some of that has seeped into my production. In ‘The Beautiful People’, despite the power cords and noisy rage that sits on top of them, the drums are so groovy. They have a triplet feel (despite being in common time) but at the same time this kind of sloppy marching vibe – so sick. I realized early on that I found writing anything in classic 4/4 was quite tricky for me, and when looping back for inspiration on drum patterns, this groove always comes to mind. I love stuff that’s heavy on the toms, and feels like it simultaneously wasn’t first and foremost created for dance, but would go off in the club.
Simo Cell – Obi 1
Simo is probably responsible for making me fall in love with the frequency shifter in Ableton. ‘Obi 1’ is a track that was sort of a basis for the pallet I wanted to emulate when I first started making music. Eerie frequencies, chuggy drums and delays all over the place – love it.
Babe Roots – Jah Nu Dread Ft. Stephanie Wright
Got really into Babe Roots this year, I love playing their stuff pitched way down.
Ben Vince – Trinity
Beautiful and melancholic – everything by Ben Vince is so lovely, but ‘Trinity’ really evokes something special for me.
Chevel – Beaviane
Chevel has always been a big inspiration for me – hard to pick one track. ‘Beaviane’ from his Mistry record is a favorite though; the drums have so much character, the first hit layered with the bass gives the whole track this sick scrappy vibe – a swing that really slaps you.
Uwalmassa – Untitled 02
Drum heaven.
Pessimist – Balaclava
First Pessimist record I ever bought, totally renewed my love of drum and bass.
LOFT – funemployed
The first time I heard this track was the day after it got released. Akanbi came round for a mix and was like yo, you have to hear this. We sat in my room and listened to it start to finish on my monitors. One of those pure moments where you get to lose your mind over a track for the first time with a mate. Shouts to Aya!
Roel A. Garcia & Frankie Chan – The Killer’s Death
Soundtrack to night time bus journeys in Brooklyn.
‘Club Aura’ by Significant Other is out now via Oscilla Sound – buy here.