MUST DIE! Gives "World Unknown" the Hard Dance Treatment

MUST DIE! stopped by to discuss his journey in hard dance and give everyone an early listen to his remix for PhaseOne and ERRA’s “World Unknown.”

MUST DIE! has been tinkering with the sounds of hard dance for years, taking on the challenge of learning a different approach to producing music. This new journey has seen him delve head-on into the harder styles, manifesting itself in tons of new records that encapsulate the chaotic but masterfully controlled energy of hard dance.

From sneaking in hard dance tracks on his latest album to playing EDC Las Vegas as HIVEMIND, MUST DIE! has proved to be fully engrossed in the harder styles in his project. “After needing to re-learn music production for a completely different genre, I was able to re-learn my home genre. I have improved back to a quality that makes writing fun again,” he shared. “People love to say veteran artists have fallen off, but feeling inspired in a vacuum can be hard. I needed to step away and come back eager to learn.”

This renewed passion has resulted in a fresh remix of “World Unknown” by PhaseOne and ERRA, due out on Sounds of Mayhem Recordings. Recalling how this remix came to be, MUST DIE! shared that it started with a phone call and a nonchalant question. “I recall being asked to pick the song I liked most on the album, so I did,” he said. This remix was the logical next step, as he was still learning how to produce in the harder styles.

Keeping the essence of the original record alive with the unforgettable vocals, MUST DIE! added his flair with rolling basslines and melodic elements. Then, he brings raw kickdrums to the forefront to keep listeners on their toes with no idea what’s coming next. The final drop emphasizes drifting screeches that are the signatures of rawstyle. Of course, MUST DIE! also showcases his knowledge of European hard dance with aggressive kick switches and epic kick rolls.

Flipping a bass record on its head into hard dance is not easy. The two genres are starkly different as “in dubstep, artists tend to aim for cohesion and a slight bump up in sub-bass and high-frequency volume for the drop,” MUST DIE! shared. “In hardstyle particularly, the drums are mixed very quietly around your main kicks as it gives them the impression of being much larger than they are.” Sound design aside, MUST DIE! has found enjoyment by “leaning into dance music as a zeitgeist and not worrying about reinventing the wheel every time [he opens] a synthesizer.”

I absolutely believe that freeing myself from the standard MUST DIE! format helped me rediscover what I find so fun about making music as MUST DIE! I am only happy when I am learning and challenging myself. I love bass music deeply, although it’s true I felt stifled stuck and stagnant for a long time… I needed to step away and come back eager to learn.
MUST DIE!

Get an exclusive listen to MUST DIE!’s remix of “World Unknown” on SoundCloud, and stay tuned for the full release tomorrow!