16 Producers Join Forces for Brostep Mega-Collab on Killed It! Recs

From Workshop to Lost Lands Opener

The track began as a collaborative production workshop ahead of Killed It! Recs' takeover of the Crater stage at Lost Lands, where it was originally conceived as the opening tune. BARELY ALIVE and Killed It! shared a video before the festival showing a house packed with producers working together on their laptops.

"Can We Call It Something Besides Brostep?" pairs the storied dubstep producer with Altair, Bizo, Edison Cole, elden, K1N, KING WORM, LOST FRIEND, Marcix, Phaceless, rickster, Sample Bandit, sapphi, Shming and Smiles Only for a massive collaboration.

Maximalist Sound Design and Genre History

The resulting track opens with a spoken-word homage to dubstep's history before unleashing a relentless barrage of modern brostep. Distinct bursts of snarling bass and warped electronic textures rapidly trade places, allowing the collaborators' individual production sensibilities to shine amidst the chaos.

Brostep's explosive synths and aggressive drops helped propel dubstep into mainstream American dance music culture during the early 2010s. While the broader bass music landscape has since diversified, Killed It! is making a concerted effort to preserve that sound while giving emerging artists room to reinterpret it.

Latest Chapter for Expanding Label

The release is another statement of intent from BARELY ALIVE's beloved imprint. After opening its doors to outside artists earlier this year, the label released its 18-track Killed It! Vol. 1 compilation in August, showcasing a new generation of producers carrying the genre forward.

"Can We Call It Something Besides Brostep?" is out now on streaming platforms.