By Zack Halisky
If you’ve never heard of, let alone dipped your toes into the Utah electronic scene, it can be a bit daunting to know where to jump in. Without a designated space like Velour for the scene to gather, it’s a bit harder to get a pulse on who’s making waves in the community. Lucky for you, we’ve got your cheat sheet right here of ten producers from Utah to help you get started on the who’s-who of the local electronic scene.
Gaszia
Formerly 1/2 of duo X&G, Gaszia (pictured at the top of the article) has been pushing the envelope of underground sound in electronic music for well over a decade. His tracks draw upon stylistic influences everywhere from the pulsating groove of Jersey Club to sample-heavy UK Breaks to subbass-laden Balie-funk. Not only does Gaszia have a healthy catalogue of originals, but also a vast collection of remixes and edits, many of which are obtainable in online spaces such as Bandcamp. If you have watched any live sets from popular online collectives such as Boiler Room or Lot Radio, there is a good chance you have heard at least one track by Gaszia. Follow on Instagram.
dobi
Dobi’s work started appearing on compilation albums released by FORM, an online creative network, around 2019. Since then, he has released a string of originals and remixes on San Holo’s Bitbird imprint. Songs such as “try!” (with N33T) and “playwright” (with han.irl<3) juxtapose pop-punk guitars with electro-pop vocals and drum processing in a way similar to names such as brakence or underscores. Dobi’s live appearances in Utah have been limited to just two dates, one at Kilby Court back in 2021 and a performance with fellow producer CMTEN at The Beehive last year. Follow on Instagram.
Keenan Matthias
Since settling in SLC over the past few years (by way of CA and AZ), Keenan Matthias has reinvented his sound; exchanging trap and drum n bass-infused projects for more of the garage and dubstep flavor found burgeoning overseas as of late. Keenan’s releases have steadily flowed from some of the most forward-thinking labels in dance music, such as Tabula Rasa and Sable Valley. Sampling oldskool drum breaks while maintaining beautiful chord progressions is just the name of the game when it comes to tracks like “Closer To.” Follow on Instagram.
Kenetic Kannibalz
While Kenetic Kannibalz may be one of Utah’s more elusive producers, his sound is anything but. The masked entity has been steadily churning out tracks since 2022 and has since landed support from some of the biggest EDM-heavyweights in the bass music scene, such as Excision, Wooli, and SVDDEN DEATH. Kannibalz’s sound lies in the most sonically aggressive corner of electronic music, filled with chaotically distorted basslines and godzilla-sized drums. From local bass nights in SLC to some of the largest dubstep music festivals in the U.S., Kenetic Kannibalz’s music is moving with incredible momentum.
AUXO
Drum n Bass. Trap. Dubstep. Jungle. Any and all of these genres could be used to explain the Salt Lake/St. George based electronic duo AUXO. With their debut album AUXILIARY premiering last year, AUXO gave listeners an eclectic 13-song blend, all the while maintaining their signature energy. Ben and Austin have channeled this energy into their live sets as well, making their mark at shows curated by RRRRRecords, Lost and Found, ETA45MINS, and other local underground collectives. Follow Ben and Austin on Instagram.
Miah Summers
Miah Summers navigates through stylistic shifts across each of his last five LPs with ease. Melancholic pianos and introspective vocal samples are in accompaniment with pulsing drum loops on his latest release, Year of the Rabbit — an episodic collection of songs all written for different versions of Miah’s self. Summers’ dedication to his craft is manifest in each release, fine-tuning the sonics achieved from heavily processing and layering instruments across the board. Follow on Instagram.
jives
Jives’ release artwork often captures serene moments in nature, a rightful setting to listen to his blissful downtempo work. Evolving from clean cut lo-fi tunes into richly textured beat tapes, jives has continually refined the beatmaking process to the point of developing an entirely new lush atmosphere with each release. While occasionally writing pieces like “love you/need you” with slightly quicker tempos and dancier drums, jives’ intent never seems to deviate from the one-word purpose written in his Bandcamp bio – to heal. Follow on Instagram.
Ringg Theory
When he’s not playing industrial drum grooves live with acts such as Good Grim, Seth Ringgers creates an alternate universe full of neuro drum-n-bass pieces accompanied by stunning 3D renders. Drawing on inspiration from monumental acts in the electronic industry such as Noisia and Posij, Ringg Theory stretches synths and basslines into unimaginable dimensions. While many producers rely on drum sample-packs for their percussion, Seth records his own drum breaks and carefully engineers them to fit the needs of his own craft, whatever the tempo. Follow on Instagram.
HALISKI
Zack Halisky (shameless self-plug) draws influence from niche sources such as 2000’s videogame soundtracks (see Metro Showdown) while still paying heavy homage to the classic dance scenes of UK-Garage and French House. After producing under monikers such as Zatch and Sauce Packet (with Alec Viera), Zack finally landed on the HALISKI alias last year with his debut EP release, Radio BiG. As one of the members of local collective Lost and Found, Zack aims to incorporate elements of different electronic subcultures into his music the same way he has done in DJ sets over the years. Follow on Instagram.
PRYVYD
Also a key member of the Lost and Found crew, Ian Gonzalez aka PRYVYD dives into the record bin for samples to tweak and manipulate on tracks such as “Underground” and “clubtool777.” PRYVYD doesn’t discriminate between genres in his track selection during DJ sets either, venturing from footwork to hardgroove techno to jersey club. Ian’s recent collaborative project with fellow Utah producer SPRIT entitled Dread Occasion unleashed a continuous LP of live-recorded raw, industrial techno. Follow on Instagram.
And this is just scratching the surface! We didn’t even get to TurntableTyson, Cogz, GANKY, bartchie, fora.slc, SPRIT, Terminal, PLEXØS, DUM BOY STICKY, Netsylph, CHILD OF GOD, Sootah, and so many others that make this scene so much bigger than people realize. Be sure to give everyone a follow on socials and listen to all the awesome electronic music Utah has to offer!