We were huge Ekali fans for years, so you can imagine our excitement to see the producer's long-awaited return to the spotlight. That recent ascent has taken many forms: brand new music (“Angel Fire” is a banger), his first headlining tour in years, and now perhaps the Vancouver artist's biggest venture – a fledgling label, Awakening Records. What started as a series of mixtapes has evolved into a full-fledged record label, in which the outlet's first collection now awaits us. With an impressive 23 tracks, the double album boasts some of the most exciting, forward-thinking dance music you'll hear all year from up-and-comers such as BROKN, Virus Mafia, Oddly Godly, Dabow and CURE97. few.
As you'll hear below, the first half of the project boasts a more bass-influenced, war-ready influence, while the following B-section features moody, experimental sounds. This masterfully curated collection is not only a blast to listen to, but also pays homage to Ekali's heritage while setting the stage for a new era of boundary-pushing sonic exploration and creativity. During a year where bass music is poised to reach new cultural heights, Awakening Records is already making a big contribution to the scene and we're excited to see where things go next. In the meantime, stream the collection via Spotify and be sure to read what Ekali himself has to say about this massive label release.
Awakening Compilation 1 | Drift
“Taking Awakening from a mixtape to a label and providing a platform for younger artists has been a dream of mine for nearly a decade. In 2023 I decided to take a leap of faith and start curating an album for this purpose, which eventually manifested as 'Awakening Compilation 01'. The goal was to create records from the underground scene's most promising young artists, regardless of genre, and present a large-format body of work that plays seamlessly back and forth and takes listeners on a journey through many musical styles and moods. This diverse representation is a value that lies at the core of Awakening as a whole. It was an incredible experience to get to know the stories of the dozens of artists involved in this project and to learn that in many cases my own music had previously been a catalyst for them to start production. It really feels like a full-circle moment for me and I'm honored to present this 23-track album to the world and represent some of the most talented people in the electronic music scene.”
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LISTEN: Ekali's Awakening Records Unleashes Insanely Stacked 23-Track Label Compilation
