Metronome #161: Dustycloud

Insomniac’s Metronome series features mixes from some of today’s fastest-rising electronic stars, as well as championed legends. It takes listeners deep across a wide range of genres, movements, cultures, producers, artists and sounds that make up the diverse world of electronic music.

The last time we heard from French house renegade Dustycloud, he was returning for his second collaboration for IN / ROTATION with Russian duo Volac, via their single “Bass Zone.” Volac sang his praises, claiming they’d wanted to do another collaboration for a long time, with both artists sharing the same knack for extremely bass-heavy grooves with a dash of G-house swag sprinkled in—though the main difference was the darker edge that Dustycloud brought to the studio.

“Volac are really great producers, with a sound that’s full of energy. I just tried to bring them over to the dark side a little,” the French-born Dustycloud said of the collab at the time.

Dustycloud definitely ranks among one of the ascending bass house producers at the moment, with his grittier take on the sound giving him the edge. With plenty to come over the next 12 months, we thought it the ideal time to grab him for a Metronome mix to take a glimpse at what lies beyond the cloud cover of this French phenom and hear him glide through his genre influences with tremendous ease.

What were the highlights of 2018 for you?
This is a difficult question to answer, because so many good things happened last year! My top three would be: getting my visa to play in the US, going on my first US tour with my homie Bijou, as well as playing all throughout Australia.

You’re a fairly fresh name to the dance music world, though you’ve made an impressive impact with your productions since 2016. Tell us about your journey so far.
All my life, I’ve loved music, and these past few years, I’ve dedicated my life to my craft. Once I started to take producing seriously, I started to see more people discovering my music, which led me to go even harder. The amount of support from fans across the world has been a huge inspiration for me, and I’m just really grateful to be able to share my music with them. I have an awesome management team out here, and we’re just getting started.

You hail from France. What’s the scene like there at the moment, especially in terms of what you’re doing musically?
I think my genre of music is getting more and more popular in France—it’s coming along slowly, but it’s coming. You’re starting to see more music festivals and more venues embrace the dance music revolution going on across the world.

Your style fits in nicely with the bass house sound that’s so dynamic at the moment, though there’s a darker touch in your productions. How would you describe your sound?
I don’t even know how to categorize the music I’ve been making, and in the end, it’s not really important. I like to play with techno drums; I like to use dubstep, trap, and drum & bass sounds to design my basslines. All of that together with a good house groove. It’s basically just a mix of everything I like.

What’s up next for Dustycloud?
Moving to the States in 2019. I have a lot of shows coming up. I’ve got upcoming releases on both Deadbeatz and Confession, and I’m also planning on launching some merch this year. Also, going to Australia in June for a tour with my new agency Poster Child!

Tell us a bit about the mix you’ve put together.
I really like this mix because there are a lot of different genres that I’m listening to and inspire me. I also played some old-school classic electro trash and drum & bass music; there is also a lot of music from my friends.

Dustycloud ‘Metronome’ Mix Track List: Dustycloud “Survive”
Wax Motif “Bunda”
Volac “Funky”
Badjokes “Cannibal Cop”
Dustycloud & Tony Romera “Fantasy”
Keeld “Stupid”
Dustycloud “Run”
Freefall “Selecta”
Billy Kenny & Wongo “My ppl”
Nick Monaco “Drama” (Will Clarke Remix)
Douglas Greed “When a Man Sing on a Track”
Raumakustik “Panther” (Format B Remix)
Djoko & Thalo Santana “Step the Fuck Back”
Stephan Hinz “Breakout”
Gesaffelstein “Aleph” (Drezo Remix)
Nukid “Stick Move”
Godamn “Kickers”
Damien n Drix “Hush Money”
Tony Romera “Oldskool”
Destructo ft. Busta Rhymes “Fucking Shit Up” (Micharl Sparks Flip)
Riot Ten “No Surrender” (Basstrick Remix)
Habstrakt “About You”
Brohug “Boss”
ID – ID
Loge21 “Flames”
Gtronic “Dance Machine”
Your Ol Lady “Triune”
Destroid “Funk Hole”
The Qemists “Stombox” (Spor Remix)