Shades

Shades is the collaboration between Alix Perez and Eprom, bringing two different routes through bass music into one project. Perez came from drum and bass and Eprom from American beat music; together, they found room in halftime for the production detail of one and the rhythmic freedom of the other.

They first crossed paths at Northern Bass in New Zealand, then met again while working on Foreign Beggars’ Modus EP at Red Bull Studios in Los Angeles. Further sessions led to the self-titled Shades EP on Alpha Pup and a partnership that continued beyond that first release.

Their own explanation of halftime is useful: hip-hop is as important to the sound as drum and bass. Slower grooves gave them space to build rhythms outside the regular momentum of full-tempo D&B. Perez has singled out Chiron as a track that marked the beginning of their shared project.

The albums In Praise of Darkness in 2018 and From a Vein in 2022 expanded that work. Much of the latter came together in London and Portland during 2019 and 2020, with MC GQ and The Gaslamp Killer among its guests. They conceived it as a continuous record, encouraging listeners to hear it from beginning to end.