KILBOURNE

The Brooklyn-based producer and DJ with a prolific output in the harder, faster and more extreme underbelly of electronic music, Kilbourne shares her latest work - an offering that doubles as her debut on Los Angeles-based imprint Evar Records. SEISMIC explores the idea of "becoming," showcasing the value of speed, identity and transcendental bliss through an experimental lens entirely Kilbourne's own.

The four-track collection features a hard-earned collaboration with the legendary DJ Producer, whose work has been instrumental to both Kilbourne's approach and the hardcore scene at large, and a joint track with Buzzi, a fellow Brooklyn-based producer who shares her dedication to experimenting in the faster, harder techno realm. On SEISMIC, Kilbourne balances the dramatic beauty and brutality of hardcore, bringing gentler melodies into her production style as not an aberration, but rather a necessary aspect of heavy music. 

"Part of its force is drawn from its beauty," Kilbourne shared in a statement, detailing more about her creative process while crafting SEISMIC. "It is less common to see a record that has tracks both at 130 and 230 bpm, and I’m hyped to let go of self- and scene-imposed limits on what music belongs where. The many sub-subcultural niches we have carved out for ourselves are important, but I also want to write and listen to music that holds value both in and outside the confines of its genre."

With an intention to contribute to a mass shift in consciousness toward an expanded and expansive definition of rave music and what that could look like, Kilbourne's SEISMIC aims to show how heavy music and euphoria are not incompatible, but rather inform one another. Building on this conceptually has been at the center of Kilbourne's work, as further evidenced by 2020's Pain Becomes Pleasure (Nekro Records), 2020's Pillsurfer (Casual Gabberz Records), 2019's NJ Terror (Industrial Strength Records), 2018's Evnika EP (Meta4 Records) and throughout her collaborative projects, thundering mixes and frequent appearances on Toxic Sickness, RinseFM and The Lot Radio.

A self-described slow burner, "Gore Tex" slowly builds in intensity, balancing a mix of old school sounding kick drums with synths and breaks that reflect a fresh approach. Drawing influence from the DJ Producer (and the efficacy of the Gore Tex fabric itself), "Gore Tex" brings Kilbourne's love of breaks-infused hardcore to the surface.

With a vocal sample that leaves it up to interpretation for the listener ("I made you" vs. "I need you"), "Tinsel Teeth" plays with the release of the kick, doubling as a nod to older hardcore releases such as those perfected by hardcore veteran Marc Acardipane. Inspired by Dino Buzzati's cartoon work, as well as some of her favorite horror film scores, Kilbourne's "Tinsel Teeth" captures drama and dread with an authority that has since become her signature.

Written alongside DJ Producer, a collaboration that marks a full-circle moment for Kilbourne personally, this track takes its time to build, offering a masterclass in breaking and rewriting the rules of hardcore. "Seismic Cross" spans six minutes, navigating different textures and intensities with extreme care and unfiltered emotion.

Reveling in the delight that only fast-moving, harder techno can bring, Kilbourne and Buzzi (ALKHEMY, The Black Hole, Terminator Records) complement one another in the best way possible on "Sicker Than Your Average," riding a groove designed for 4AM dance floor elation. Rounding out the EP, the collaborative track lets speed and harmony coexist as one, reinforcing Kilbourne's innate interest in exploring rave as a literal and abstract concept, one where reaching a point of shared euphoria is heartbreakingly beautiful.