Jay Robinson Hits All the Right Pressure Points on Low-Set Slapper “The Return”

When Night Bass is the name in question, game changers are always on the menu. The Los Angeles–based imprint has not only spent the last few years serving up the absolute finest in the house, bassline, tech house, and UKG underground scenes, but they have also done their due diligence to keep those subsections of dance music on a path toward never-ending progression.

Jay Robinson has been running with the crew since the starting line, having beefed up their catalog with five separate EPs showcasing his signature slant on the bass-skewed side of house. Number six just showed up on the NB shelves, and without question, it shows the UK producer operating in his prime.

“‘The Return’ is basically a reference to simplicity often being the best thing in a track,” Jay Robinson tells Insomniac of the four-tracker’s titular offering. “That bassline isn’t 6,000 waveforms battling in Serum; it’s just a sawtooth wave. There’s nothing wrong with complex sounds; it’s just that sometimes, all you need is a groove and a simple waveform.”

Robinson makes a solid point there, backing up his words with a low-set slapper that doesn’t need to throw the kitchen sink at you in order to get heads knocking. Instead, he lets a weighty saw synth take the spotlight, using its jagged teeth to tear through punchy drum programming, gassed-up vocal samples, dismal padlines, and enough low-end pressure to make the whole place pop. Jay Robinson uses less to make you want more, and that’s just the beauty of his craftiness as a true don of bass house.

Available May 4 via Night Bass.

Buy Jay Robinson’s The Return EP here.

Follow Jay Robinson on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
Follow Night Bass on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud