Deebs

RA Rating: 4/5

Will Diebel is from Toronto, and given his idiosyncratic take on hip-hop, it would be easy to file him under the same category as his compatriot Ryan Hemsworth, whatever that might be. His music is less concerned with mainstream rap, however, and it moves with a grand sense of scale rather than Hemsworth's sense of humour. Awry (self-released on cassette) is Deebs' debut EP, showing off a restless sound with a theatricality all its own.

Deebs' music also has an emotional core that sets it apart from the rave tendencies of his contemporaries. "At Sea, Sea Siq" has the kind of oversized bassline and rattling drums that make a trap banger, but the emphasis here is on spaciousness, with metallic sound effects slinking through the crevices in the rhythm. Based off the same cavernous boom-bap, "BBFF" winds its sickly lead line through a lumbering beat, while "Elevate"'s sonorous sample does pirouettes around a skeletal, Neptunes-style foundation.

"Lady Killer" softens the blow with woodwind sounds and a vocal from Mars, but the melody line decays in a strange cadence behind her—a touch that makes the whole song suddenly unstable. "Years," meanwhile, is as epic as they come, but there are little percussive fills hidden in the reverb-doused folds. The cassette winds down with the introspective "Finally Home." In the context of this record that means shuddering metal and choral vocals, because even at his most tender, Deebs can't prevent his music from sounding huge. - Resident Advisor

Toronto-based producer deebs is dropping his second EP Songs 4 U By Me later this month, and in anticipation has decided to share with us the first track off the album. “At Last” is the premiere track off the forthcoming three-track EP. It’s a dreamy, intricate piece with driving melodies and a haunting riff.

Deebs, or William Diebel, started producing in 2008, but was initially partial to the bouncy electro that was being put out at the time. He even admits to having an extensive Crookers playlist. “It’s kind of funny looking back but I remember it sounding so fresh to me at the time,” he lamented via email. “They were basically my introduction into the world of producing club music and DJing in general.” Moving on from Crookers, deebs began gravitating towards the weirder side of things, eventually discovering Pelican Fly's first EP by label owner, Richelle.

“Pelican Fly kind of changed the way I thought about club music and DJing for a while,” he explained. “I definitely became less concerned with making people dance at 130 BPM. “

Deebs found a way to balance elements of his early love—bouncy electro—with the weird, intricate rhythms and melodies of his later musical discoveries. The result has given deebs his own distinctive sound, and has caught the ears of other Toronto producers. Ryan Hemsworth had deebs appear as his special guest act at his inaugural “Secret Sound Showcase” at this past NXNE. “I like putting together really fun, danceable DJ sets, but I have a weirder live show that I’ve been working on for some time. It’s nice to have these different outlets for performance.” - THUMP

Toronto-based producer Deebs is set to drop a helping of new material in September, and has decided to pass along the slow-brewing "Wake Forever" to give a better idea of what to expect from the budding talent's next outing. A track that has served as the opener for Deebs' recent live performances, "Wake Forever" presents a heavenly procession of re-pitched vocals, which stutter and pulse atop outstretched sub-bass notes and a dense procession of skittering half-time rhythms. Topped off by a subtle bell melody, "Wake Forever" is a patient production, and one which leaves the Canadian talent plenty of room to go just about anywhere on his forthcoming record. - XLR8R