Although music enthusiasts tend to think of New Orleans as the stomping ground for young musicians creating blues, soul, jazz, and rap music, another music genre is making waves in the Crescent City. EDM, the abbreviation for electronic dance music, is making inroads in the local music scene.
Also known as bass house, techno, riddim, dubstep and trance, EDM was created in London, in the early 2000s. The genre relies heavily on programmed drums and heavy bass lines with a pulsating beat that encourages the listener to spontaneously dance and mosh alongside other bass music lovers. According to statista.com, EDM has become the seventh most widely consumed music genre in United States popular culture, falling slightly behind country. EDM producers and DJs have become some of the most popular musicians to be booked at major music festivals in the U.S., like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Coachella. Some contemporary music festivals, including Electric Daisy Carnival, Lost Lands and Ultra Music Festival, have tailored to EDM musicians exclusively due to the genre’s rising popularity.
In the EDM scene of New Orleans, two collaborating artists in particular have become increasingly popular in live shows and on social media. The heavy dubstep duo Go Pnik, pronounced (Gop-nik), is comprised of Sean and Colby. They have become heavy hitters in the global spectrum of bass music with tracks like “The Rail,” “World Destruction” and “True Hero,” which have accumulated thousands of plays on digital streaming platforms. In turn this has led to multiple show and festival invitations. This pair or artists has played alongside other well-known DJs, including Modestep, Wooli, Riot Ten, and Space Laces.
Go Pnik’s live shows are full of adrenaline. The heavy bass drops and fast switch-ups force the audience to sway their heads back and forth to the beat of the tune. Today, Go Pnik is a part of both Subsidia and Buygore record labels, who feature the duo is group projects while also promoting their single releases and tour announcements. They were previously listed on BUKU Festival’s 2020 and 2021 lineups, both of which were canceled due to the pandemic.
In an interview with Sean, I asked some general questions about the music business of dubstep, how Go Pnik began, and how New Orleans’ culture has affected the duo’s musical inspiration. Sean explained that growing up in the city created an appeal to rock and electronic dance music when he was a kid, and this intensified more as he encountered street performers.
“The entertainment in New Orleans is unique, and so is it’s music. The melting-pot like culture was eye-opening as a kid,” Sean said. He has been writing music since high school. “Local festivals like Voodoo Fest in City Park inspired me to learn how to produce my own tracks.”
Sean adds that Go Pnik is a derogatory term in his original homeland of the Ukraine. “It refers to lower-class folk who are stereotypically wearing Adidas clothing in the streets,” he said. He added, “I created the duo because I have trouble interacting with the crowd and being personable before and after shows with fans. I knew this aspect of the business was vital, so I searched for a partner and Colby was the perfect fit.”
Two of Sean’s favorite EDM influences are Excision (the owner of Subsidia Records) and Figure (a well-known DJ from Evansville, Indiana). “Figure did a lot more than make crazy bass tracks, he provided an entertainment package deal. His performances are more than shows, they are entire experiences, which I loved.”
Sean says the electronic dance music scene in New Orleans has changed in recent years. “In 2016, New Orleans had dubstep shows every week, but it felt rather difficult to get booked and be noticed as an upcoming artist. Nowadays, the scene is more inviting to younger musicians still developing a buzz. Also, becoming friends with headlining artists online and in the green room before shows has become easier which helps the locals immensely. For emerging DJs in the EDM scene, he recommends “become familiar with the process of creating music and releasing originals. It’s vital to learn music production while also learning DJ skills for live shows.”
