Evol Intent back on the radar

Drum and bass trio returns with a new EP titled Under the Radar.

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  • Courtesy of Evol Intent



Production/DJ trio Evol Intent has been steppin’ in and out of the ATL for over a decade, dropping neuro smashers, techy gnashers, and heavy drums lacerated with hip-hop shards. If a lot of that sounds like nonsense jargon, you’re obviously not a connoisseur of skullfucking drum ‘n’ bass.

And that’s okay; some people think cucumbers taste better pickled. But if you are going to catch up on one of electronic music’s more aggressive genres, hit up any major digital store for Evol Intent’s recently released seven-track EP, Under the Radar, and you’ll get a pounding entry into where synapses and subwoofers get shredded.


The group — Michael/Gigantor, AJ/Enemy (a.k.a. Treasure Fingers), and Nick/Knick (a.k.a. Bro Safari) — is physically split among L.A., Atlanta, and Austin, and is equally divergent aesthetically, with secondary projects in shoegazer rock, disco house, and trap music. They collaborate, as many now do, by trading project files remotely. Even though they run separate sessions, however, the end result merges layers of surgical precision and low-frequency punishment.

Despite infusing the EP with sub-Reddit injokes and contorted dystopian sci-fi/horrorcore samples, EVLNTNT (if you’re into that whole brevity thing) does not lack for melody. Under the Radar packs in detuning synths, dissident microedits, ragga twitches, and moments of half-time “drumstep” tempo alongside more introspective swatches. A lot of variety is generated from the distending, submerging, and verbalizing of Xfer Records’ new Serum synth (for which Gigantor programmed patches).

Gigantor also credits Audeze LCD-XC headphones as one of his key mixdown tools. I tell you this because I have personal experience with this planar-magnetic headphones company, and outside of a club, you haven’t heard low end ripple your scalp as viscerally and decisively. Audeze and EVLNTNT share a few traits: highly resolving soundstages, full-throttle textures, and deep connections to the heavy bass music community. Want more proof tracks you cook up with Audeze could be hot shit? See Gigantor’s star turn here: #mixanywhere. And this endorsement serves as a logical transition to sharing news of EVLNTNT’s remix contest.

Visit the group’s website and you can download stems from the song “Middle of the Night” to remix. Upload your take on it to Soundcloud by Feb. 1 and you might win your own Audeze LCD-2 Fazor headphones (valued at $995), as well as a copy of Serum or other prizes. Or slap on some camo cargo pants, a black wifebeater, a fresh New Era brim, drop $6.99 on iTunes for Under the Radar and spend a night stomping the yard and chewing your own face off. Evol Intent has also been actively giving away much of the group’s back catalogue on its Soundcloud account, but toss a little change at your “local” artists, bros.