“The Dizziness” is not just the title of the newest track off Dutch bass boss Posij’s new label OKAY, but also an accurate descriptor of what many fans may be feeling upon listening to said new track. Snappy, ravey and, most importantly, set to 125-ish BPM, “The Dizziness” is a marriage of early Eurotechno and Florida-inspired breakbeats what will have Posij fans checking the artist tag more than once.
Even more astonishing is the fact that “The Dizziness” isn’t the only non -bass track Posij has released this year on OKAY. The minimalist, funky and, yes, chipper-sounding deep house “Get Along” was quietly released in late February. Knock us over with a dang feather! Once you get over the shock of this being freaking Posij, however, the perfectly executed compositional skill that Poij is known for does start to come out in these tracks. With clean af snares, goovy, bleepy keys and tight yet minimal ambient sound design, listeners will find themselves vibing to this tune even if it’s not their usual tempo or bass dB level.
Fans who are still wondering about the switch from 174/87 from one of Noisia‘s favorite bassmongers needn’t worry, according to Posji as he explained the reason for and evolution of OKAY to YEDM recently:
About four years back I started a party named ‘OKAY’ in my hometown in a bar called Subsonic…I wanted to have a party where you could play D&B, house, hip hop, whatever genre. As long as it’s mixed well, anything can land well on a crowd. I always loved that the party was named ‘OKAY’, it suits my humor and it’s not a cool word, like, hey come to “bulldozer 5000’ it’s hard as fuckkkk. I wanted it to be funny, but still be a seriously good party. Now it’s turned into a label, where I can drop my non drum & bass music. I love playing sets around 125 bpm.
Good a reason as any to start a new label, and it makes sense considering Posij has always had a penchant for different styles and tempos, unconventional composition and humor in music writing. Apparently, despite YEDM’s being late to the party, putting his diversity out there is already paying off as well.
At first I thought I would have to release this music by myself so I could show people I’m capable of it, but I also sent around some demos and landed “Airwolf Six” on Mau5trap and “Fifteen Minutes’” (with Tzar) on Bitbird, and there is more to come! My output on OKAY has now become my quirky/funny/bodymovin rhythms around 125 bpm that don’t really fit in anywhere else but that I love!
Seems the proving ground of OKAY has already proven itself for Posij. Now that we’re up to date, our YEDM premiere today is the afore-mentioned “The Dizziness,” out this Friday, Mar 21. It’s a track that’s a bit heavier than “Get Along” and conjures early rave vibes but with clean, modern snappiness. Think a mash-up of early Prodigy and Chemical Brothers with a dash of Kraftwerk. It sounds massively complex but Posij makes it seem oh so simple because of course he does.
So the tempos and basslines may have changed on these new tracks from Posij but the substance of what he’s about certainly hasn’t. In the meantime, he’s already reaching a broader audience and setting a new bar for quality in the 125/house/breaks realm. You can’t go wrong with that, really, so bass and house fans alike should start looking to this label for, to quote Jamie French, “an OKAY time.”
“The Dizziness” drops Friday, May 21 on Posij’s OKAY imprint. Pre-order here. To check out all the various and sundry genres and styles Posij has covered thus far and into the future, his Beatport page is still pretty OKAY too.