SakkieFTW - Experiment 1.3.2.

Vancouver-based SakkieFTW is an EDM artist who is seemingly all over the board in terms of style and sub-genre. While he adheres officially to dubstep as his chosen medium, his first EP, Experiment 1.3.2., contains deep house, drum and bass and vintage techno. Moreover, the dubstep vein that runs through Sakkie’s work is a very loose interpretation of said sub-genre. Experiment 1.3.2. released last November and is part of a series of EPs he plans to post twice a year.

The title track was the first single from Experiment 1.3.2., and the corresponding video was posted on YouTube in April. Far from anything most would recognize as dubstep, “Experiment 1.3.2.” opens with what are clearly drum and bass build sequences. About one minute in, the track introduces SakkieFTW quite literally with a vocal track and reverb which says “Introducing Sakkie for the Win.” During and after this sample is an interesting analog funk bass track which is cut up over a sort of vintage hardcore (hardstyle) beat. The track then transitions into something barely recognizable as dubstep. The beat is of the same structure as dubstep, but it sounds very analog and could almost be the intro to a 90s metal track. The track then revolves back around to the original drum and bass intro before an abrupt end. Presumably, this track it meant to be what its lyrics say: an intro track to both the EP and to SakkieFTW. That said, it’s a bit jarring and doesn’t represent the artist’s true scope.



Second single/video “Spiral (ft. Kaeli McArter)”, on the other hand, is a study in unconventional beats and techniques and exposes Sakkie as a much more adept producer than “Experiment 1.3.2.” would lead listeners to believe. If SakkieFTW is assigning himself to dubstep, tracks like “Spiral” will definitely help to further the dubstep cause and show the versatility of this EDM sub-genre. The main beat in “Spiral” is what one might call a “reverse” dubstep beat, in that the syncopation in it seems sort of opposite the conventional dubstep structure. Under this heavy reverse dubstep is a techno straight beat which truly drives the song. It also contains some definite dubstep and techno synths, but the overall execution of the track seems much more creative than either of those styles.


Most importantly on spiral is the vocal track, performed by singer Kaeli McArter. McArter has a versatile yet definitively pop voice which, against all logic, seems to compliment the rest of the track quite well. Some critics and industry people have taken to calling this style of smushing together dubstep or industrial and pop “darkpop,” but in this case it could just be seen as a more poppy side of EDM. “Spiral” could stand alone without the vocals, but in SakkieFTW’s mind, the vocals seem to help the track feel complete. They also go along quite well with the shocker of a video.

Released last month on YouTube, the video for “Spiral” is an homage to The Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” in terms of the action and ending. Shot in South Africa by Sakkie’s friend Gareth Fradgely, there are no spoiler alerts here. It’s hard to talk about without giving something away, so click below to watch.



The rest of the album could be considered more definitively dubstep, and it’s some of the cleanest and most interesting released in recent years. “FGWTF” has quite a long hardstyle/house intro, but gets into some very grimy dub territory which would work well in both big room and underground dub club settings. “Frogstep” pushes the boundaries of dubstep once again and is punched up by teeth-grinding interludes of drum and bass. The EP’s closer “In Chains” is a metal-and-juke-influenced banger which also could cause listeners to grind down their incisors with astonishing speed.


SakkieFTW names dubstep artists like Skrillex and Zomboy as influences in his work, but if Experiment 1.3.2. is anything to go by, he’s already surpassed both of these tastemakers in both creativity and clean production. As a relative new face to EDM and dubstep, Sakkie has a lot of room to move and even change the quickly stalling sub-genre. He’s setting a new bar for dubstep, glitch and EDM as a whole, and it looks like he’s just in time.

Jun 21 2016