Hardstyle. Hard trap. Hardcore. Hard dance.

Extreme EDM rave genres are ready for the spotlight. With the help of captivating hard dance producers such as Lil Texas and Water Spirit, these high tempo, maximalist, and intoxicatingly abrasive electronic styles are starting to surface from the underground onto the fringes of the mainstream. And one of the scene’s brightest emerging stars, LA-native Blvckjesus, is shaping up to be a major reason why.

With a number of collabs and gleeful genre surprises in his discography, Blvckjesus has already proven to be as versatile, adaptable, and mind-enveloping a producer as any other. His combination of gripping, earth-shattering music and punk-inspired visual aesthetic (not to mention his otherworldly DJ sets) has created an artist persona that screams to the universe, rockstar. And considering EDC Las Vegas has booked him to play at their festival in October, it truly might not be long before the producer is playing the biggest dance stages in the world, bringing hard EDM up with him in the process.

Take his most recent single, “Squirt,” for example. The explosive track, which features Mikey Ceasar, smoothly blends hard trap, house, hardcore, and flashes of breakcore into one motion-inducing dance song. Or how about “Toxic,” a collaboration with Water Spirit. The in-your-face hardcore track will launch you into another dimension with its soul-pounding beat and massive, spell-binding synth chords. Still not convinced? What about “Sourin,” a song he made with close friend, collaborator, and fellow rising hard dance producer WSHNGTN. The track slowly builds an eerie atmosphere with faint horns and eerie synth textures. It then drops into one of the most absurd trap instrumentals you’ll find, using bruising kicks drums, dubstep bass riffs, and this heavily distorted, clanging vocal sample that on first listen made me think what the fuck am I listlening to.

But maybe you’re not that into EDM, let alone some of the most intense rave music that exists. Maybe you like indie, alternative rock music with an emo and pop-punk twist. Well, let me introduce you to the Ruin MY Life EP, a Blvckjesus project full of indie, alternative rock music with an emo and pop-punk twist. It’s not necessarily surprising that Blvckjesus has an eclectic music taste, but it’s certainly rare that an artist can shift to such a drastically different musical style and execute the sound with pitch-perfect ability. Don’t believe me? Listen to the title track, which features an excellent vocal performance from Ireadsouls. You can’t tell me that isn’t some of the catchiest, well-done pop-punk music going around right now.

If an artist does switch styles, they normally would release it under a different alias as a side-project. But not Blvckjesus. His entire genre-hopping discography falls under the same name, the same DSP profile--which is a statement in and of itself. This is who Blvckjesus is: a multi-faceted artist who’s going to do whatever the hell he wants, whether you like it or not, or whether you’re ready or not. Because he knows he’s ready--ready to share himself, his music, and his scene, with the whole goddamn world. Let’s hop on this journey with him.

Written By Noah Simon

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