Show notes: https://beyondthebasspodcast.com/episodes/au5

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 ...