Beyond The Bass | Podcast in RSS.com

Beyond The Bass

Beyond The Bass

di Jacob Malamed

Kaptain: Achievement, Anxiety, and Learning to Feel

Kaptain (Stephen Kaplan) opens up about the deeper story behind his path — from growing up in a high-achieving New Jersey environment where self-worth became tied to accomplishment, to using academics, productivity, and certainty as a way to cope with anxiety and instability at home. He talks about being shaped by pressure, his parents’ divorce, and the belief that success meant being valuable, even as music was quietly becoming the thing that touched him in a more profound way than anything else. From there, the episode traces how electronic music, rave culture, and producing gave him a new sense of feeling, freedom, and belonging — even while he continued down the more conventional path of engineering, tech, and stability. What emerges is not just the story of an artist balancing a career, fatherhood, and music, but of someone slowly unlearning the need to solve himself through achievement and instead learning to sit with emotion, self-worth, and love in a deeper way. Link to live performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhWmJJjrIco Follow Kaptain: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkaptain/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaptainmusic Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kaptainmusic

Fraxure: Chasing the Dream Without Losing Himself

Fraxure (Peter Fithian) opens up about the emotional throughline behind his path — from growing up in Boulder. CO as a deeply sensitive kid with a strong bond to his family, to early heartbreak, feeling like an outsider, and falling in love with dubstep before he ever believed he could make it himself. He talks about being drawn to music as something that felt personal and different, teaching himself production from scratch, and the years of grinding through loneliness, breakups, college, and dead-end career paths while trying to keep the dream alive on the side. Then the turning point: after finally getting real momentum — shows, management, traction online, and the first taste of the dream — the pressure started to twist the project into something that no longer felt true. He breaks down what it was like to compromise his sound, lose touch with why he started, walk away from the structure that was pushing him there, and then make the decision to bet on a body of work that actually meant something to him. What comes through is a story about sensitivity, persistence, and the uncomfortable but necessary process of finding your way back to yourself. Follow Fraxure: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraxuresound_ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fraxureaudio Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fraxureaudio

Au5: Pressure, Pain, and Trusting His Intuition

Au5 (Austin Collins) opens up about the deeper story behind his path — from being an intensely sensitive only child whose early identity was shaped by performance, validation, and pressure to be exceptional, to finding refuge in sound long before he had the words for what he was feeling. He talks about discovering music through the Casio SK-1, hiding his love for dance music, using production as both escape and expression, and how isolation, depression, and not feeling safe to be fully seen shaped the way he learned to create. From there, the episode traces the turning points that changed everything: leaving college as music started taking off, the profound creative bond and loss of his collaborator Fractal, the long struggle between outside expectations and inner truth, and the slow shift toward trusting his own intuition in both art and life. What emerges is not just the story of a technically brilliant producer, but of someone learning that the music only works when it comes from what is most real — and that honoring that truth may be the deepest alignment he has. Follow Au5: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/au5_official/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@au5_official Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/au5

DRKR/Stryer: Leaving Success Behind to Start Over

DRKR (Michael Stryer) opens up about the real story behind his evolution — from growing up as an only child in the Bay Area, obsessed with sports, hustle, and big goals, to discovering EDM in college and falling hard for the sense of community, energy, and possibility it gave him. He talks about independence, pressure, learning to outwork his limits, and the early years of grinding through school, jobs, and late nights until music finally started to move. Then the turning point: after building real momentum as Stryer — major labels, big shows, Lost Lands, Red Rocks, and a growing fanbase — something stopped feeling right. The music that was once authentic started to feel like a job, while the house sound he was making in private felt exciting, unfamiliar, and alive again. He breaks down the internal conflict of walking away from a project that was already working, starting over without guaranteed support, and choosing the sound that actually felt like him. Follow DRKR: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drkrsounds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drkrsounds Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/drkrsounds

Twopercent: When Music Became the Only Path Forward

Twopercent (Elie Tentori) opens up about the deeper story behind his path — from growing up in a creative environment and struggling socially, to finding an early sense of peace, identity, and expression through art and music. He talks about social anxiety, not fitting the usual mold, and how creativity became the place he felt most like himself. Then the turning point: college starts falling apart, his mom is diagnosed with cancer, and he moves back home into his parents’ garage during one of the lowest periods of his life. What follows is the shift that changed everything — using music as both escape and direction, taking content and growth seriously, and slowly building real momentum through consistency, mentorship, and belief that this could actually become his life. Follow Twopercent: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/twopercent_music Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/twopercentmusic Get tickets to his headline show in Denver 4/30: https://etix.com/ticket/p/34746087

Laranyx/Sara Benyo: Shedding An Identity That Wasn’t Hers

Laranyx (Sara Benyo) breaks down the real story behind her rebirth — from growing up in rural Kentucky in a deeply musical household, to carrying an early sense of calling, fear, and anxiety that showed up almost as soon as she entered school. She traces the identity friction that followed her for years: rejection and bullying, searching for belonging, and eventually finding a surprising kind of “church” in dance music — a space that felt closer to unconditional acceptance than the culture she came from. Then the turning point: a brutal stretch of personal events that pushed her into rock bottom, where approval stopped mattering because she felt she’d lost everything. From that collapse — including a terrifying LA living situation she describes as spiritual warfare — she returns to a safe place, goes inward, and has the meditation moment that locks in the name and identity: Laranyx — the protector, the warrior, the next chapter. Follow Laranyx: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/laranyxmusic/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@laranyxofficial Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/laranyxofficial

Ozztin: Redefining Discipline, From the Marines to Music & Sobriety

Ozztin opens up about the discipline that shaped him, from his time in the Marines to the obsessive grind of teaching himself music production during overnight shifts, and how that same drive later pushed him into addiction. We trace the arc from humiliation and rigid hierarchy to creative breakthrough, including Subtronics’ advice to “make 400 songs” that led to his first major moment on a Lost Lands stage. He shares the moment sobriety became unavoidable, the fear of losing his edge without substances, and what it’s taken to rebuild his creative process sober. Follow Ozztin: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ozztinmusic/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@ozztinmusic Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/ozztinmusic

Tezarakt: Forgiveness and the Philosophy of Now

Tezarakt discusses the "philosophy of now" and how he navigated a childhood marked by family secrets and the trauma of abandonment. We explore his journey from wanting to be a professional scooter rider to having his brain chemistry rewired at a Subtronics show, which sparked a relentless commitment to music production. This conversation covers the reality of being a creative, the power of forgiveness through plant medicine, and the importance of staying present when life feels like a wave of peaks and valleys. Follow Tezarakt: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tezarakt Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@tezaraktofficial Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/tezaraktmusic

Nikademis: Taming the Demons of Chronic Illness

Nikademis opens up about the silent battle that defined his youth: a grueling journey through chronic illness that began in high school. We sit down to discuss the reality of being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, his lungs collapsing on several occasions, and the trauma of multiple surgeries. We talk about how he used those moments of isolation to answer a calling in music, and how those experiences shaped the duality of light and dark that he now represents through his brand. This conversation covers the full arc of turning a physical struggle into a clear sense of purpose. Follow Nikademis: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nikademismusic/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nikademismusic Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/nikademismusic

BLOSSM: Addiction, Recovery, and a Second Chance

BLOSSM opens up about his journey through addiction, the moment everything collapsed, and the long road back to himself, including his experience with plant medicine. We talk honestly about losing control, confronting the reality of his choices, and the recovery process that followed — including the 12-step program that helped him rebuild his life and stay sober for years. This conversation traces the full arc and highlights the grounded clarity he now carries as an artist and human. Follow BLOSSM: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/blossmwithme/ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@blossmwithme Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/blossmwithme

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