Zander and Isenberg’s “Forge” Is a Cinematic Journey Through Inescapable Low-End

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Toronto’s Zander and Dallas’ Isenberg are about to drop an epic two-track release on Stranger’s ever-rising label, Tons & Tons. Both artists play around in the low-end, experimenting with their own takes on bass music. However, these tracks bring them together to build their sounds to the next level. And while A-side “Dusted” is a solid heavy-hitter, it’s the flip-side cut, “Forge,” where they really take us on a journey.

“We are really happy to have finally created what we feel is a middle ground for each of our sounds,” they told us. “We sought out to make something more cinematic than our past projects, so we drew inspiration from a samurai battle scene in a Japanese film to mold a track around the idea of forging a sword that builds and drops into a battle. Out of the fire, ‘Forge’ was born.”

The title seems only fitting for a piece so cinematic in scope. If soundtrack tech house were a genre, this would be a prime example. Lying on a bed of driving, four-on-the-floor beats are rich synth layers of epic melodies, bursting foley-level sound effects, and tense dynamic crescendos that crash away into moody drops. There are as many big-energy moments as there are hushed interludes. While this track is certainly enjoyable in any format, like they say of certain films, hearing this over a large system has to be the truest way to experience “Forge.” It’s an excellent pairing and an excellent release.

Available February 26 via Tons & Tons.

Buy Zander & Isenberg’s Dusted EP here.