Mixing UK bass & beats with Buddhism, FreQ Nasty is back
Mixing UK bass & beats with Buddhism, FreQ Nasty is back in NZ
Kiwi expat and UK Electronic music pioneer FreQ Nasty plays what could loosely be called UK Bass Music. There's a good chance you'll hear Dub and reggae-infused breakbeat, UK 2-step, jungle, electronic dancehall, bassline, grime, and broken beat mixed seamlessly when he's on the decks. His multi-genre sets sometimes see the genres he‘s known for flipped into half-time or double-time blending his own new and classic productions with other producers choice cuts into a high energy party vibe that pushes the boundaries of sound and genre. But it’s his side projects that might bring more insight into the 2019 FreQ Nasty and his wider interests.
This summer, he teaches workshops at several festivals on 'Music & Meditation'. Exploring the parallels between the ecstatic states of the Buddhist meditational path and the ecstatic states found with music on the dancefloor. Darin uses his many years as a yoga and meditation practitioner and teacher, and a music producer and DJ to inform a discussion on why music feels so good to us and how we can use it to supercharge our meditation practice, how we can use meditation to supercharge our enjoyment of music, and how both of those things can bring us to happier more connected states of mind outside of the club or festival in everyday life.
The Dub Kirtan All Stars project was formed by FreQ and good friend David Starfire to fuse underground dance music with Yoga Kirtan, the call and response chants of Indian devotional traditions. They are a live band and DJ collective that brings these two experiences together tearing down the boundaries between bleeding edge technology and ancient spiritual techniques. On this tour, FreQ will be playing a set of original DKAS material from their last album and EP alongside material from the forthcoming DKAS EP to be released in February 2019.
Also founder of the ‘Human Exploratorium’, a collective of music producers, physiologists, meditators, coders, psychologists, and neuroscientists committed to unlocking and sharing the power of sound and music for the betterment of humanity. They collaborate with future-forward oriented organizations and event producers around the world to create transformational music-based multisensory experiences that inspire optimal human states including mindfulness, creativity, focus, flow, and human connection. Their work with New Zealand Festival and USA/SyFy channel has been extremely well received, and their highly anticipated retreat at the world-renowned Esalen Institute in California begins 29th March 2019.
His next release,a low slung, bass-heavy electronic dancehall track, is slated for Jan 21st 2019 on Martin Luther King day and features a sample of the great man himself.
A new Dub Kirtan All Stars EP will be released in Feb 2019, and a new FreQ Nasty Ep will be coming in April 2019.
For more about FreQ Nasty and projects:
https://soundcloud.com/freqnasty
https://soundcloud.com/dub-kirtan
New Zealand
Dec 31 - Rhythm and Alps Festival, Lake Wanaka (FreQ Nasty set)
Jan 1 - Aum Festival NYE, Auckland (FreQ Nasty, Dub Kirtan All Stars sets + 'Music and Meditation' workshop)
Jan 5 - Waiheke Island Vibes, Waiheke (FreQ Nasty (FreQ Nasty set)
Jan 11 - Ponies Festival - Takaka Bay (FreQ Nasty (FreQ Nasty set)
Jan 12 . - Coro Fest, Coromandel peninsula (FreQ Nasty + 'Music and Meditation' workshop)
Jan 17 - Laundry ( with Dee Kline), Wellington (FreQ Nasty set)
Jan 18 - Soundsplash, Raglan (FreQ Nasty set)
Australia
Jan 25 - Sydney, Valve Bar (FreQ Nasty set)
Jan 26 - Perth, Dropzone (FreQ Nasty set)
Jan 27 - Hobart, Grand Poobah (FreQ Nasty set)