Friday July 31: the Dutch artist previously known as Astreaux – an alias with a sizeable and very active discography on significant and respected labels such as High Tea, Fokuz, Celsius and Skybass – took a huge dive into the deepest pools of planet next level…
Meet Overcode.
Same hunger and passion as his former alias but now with much more clarity on what he wants to make, how he wants to sound and where he wants to take it.
“It has been a big leap with a lot of unknowns,” exclaims Overcode (or Gregor to his nearest and dearest) “Doing a rebrand is something that has been on my mind for 3+ years now.”
The challenge was covid. While Astreaux was always meant to be an eclectic project that celebrates the full bass spectrum, during the lockdown years his liquid took off and he naturally leaned into it.
“After corona ended, the first Astreaux bookings were coming in which was really fun. But after a while the realisation set in that I wanted to play to more heavier side of drum and bass.”
After several attempts at re-aligning Astreaux with his original open-armed vision, Gregor felt a full change was a much more appropriate move and Overcode became the realisation of that realisation.
He’s kicking off with an EP entitled Displaced and – as you’d expect from years of plotting, planning and experimenting – it’s quite the statement of intent. Four tracks heavy, it ranges from sleek, futuristic, percussive contemporary techno influenced dnb (Aggravate) to epic theatrical modern neuro (Displaced) and that’s the dnb. Elsewhere we’re treated classic tear-out breakbeat mayhem (Catharsis) and bittersweet garage mutations (Void)
“This EP is the full story from the realisation of feeling out of place as an artist to breaking free from the expectations I have set up for myself in the past,” he explains. “It’s the musical styles that I have made but never got to release because it did not fit the Astreaux project. I’ve always been making this type of music in the background while running the Astreaux. I just never found a good way to put this stuff out.”
Perhaps this is why it feels so natural in its execution. There’s a tangible energy to the release that buzzes with fresh energy but hits with years of production experience. The perfect storm to launch a new alias and an endearing sense of variety and surprise.
“This is a trend I want to keep pushing!” Gregor exclaims. “Overcode is about breaking expectations and exploration. I have always loved the heavier side of bass music but I have often found that the more heavier you go, the less musical it gets. Even though I understand that you’ll often have to sacrifice something when going for certain styles, I don’t think musicality and heaviness are something that are mutually exclusive.”
With a strong reputation for great liquid and a clear skill as hitting hard with heavier bass music, it seems Overcode is the perfect balance of where Gregor wants to be. Pay attention and see what he does next.
Displaced is out now : Support it on Bandcamp
Support Overcode on Soundcloud / Instagram
