Album Review: Butternut Bass

From the creative gardens of Floyd Pepper comes another batch of electronic curiosities and wonders. Under his stage name Cashek (pronounced “cash-eek”, reportedly), he’s now unloaded his follow-up EP to 2024’s Whakamanawa. When not creating new music, Cashek has been composing Waiata for other musicians, as well as performing acclaimed sets at festivals like AUM, Earth Beat and Kiwiburn. His records are said to carry “emotive textures, juicy basslines, and lush soundscapes”, so Muzic net’s Steve S. headed down to the veggie grove to see what this fresh-grown batch is all about.

Dubstep beats. Sub drops. And… Tui sounds?? One can already see why Cashek had made such an impression at Kiwiburn and AUM. Setting the tone of the eight-track EP nice and bold, the rhythmic groove, the electronic effects and mysterious-sounding samples appear to highlight what’s ahead. And boy do the beats pound hard. Each wobbly synth “verse” is cleverly capped with a delightful ruru/morepork call, a classic, rural New Zealand sound. What a fantastic way to really stamp a “Made in Aotearoa” on his work.

Speaking of dubstep, there’s plenty of deep grooves and mysterious sound effects to be had. Tracks like Atatū, Dub Dream, Down For You all bear this style that Cashek has come to call his own.

Atatū, the Te Reo Māori word for “after sunrise”, brings forth more delicateness and ambience, as one would imagine an ethereal and serene dawn would look; Dub Dream carries some psychedelia-inducing speech samples, woven in with dark, oily synth bounces; Down For You evokes a dark urban tone, with experimental and reverberating effects, plus a couple of hilarious “Wilhelm Scream” samples snuck in.

Cashek seems to pride himself on adding flair to his fare of dubstep, breaking free of any genre-specific confines that dictate what one can and can’t do. And it makes for an exciting listening experience!

For those more inclined towards the faster-paced and high-energy, be sure to drop by the mighty drum & bass track Pouākai. Named after the Haast’s Eagle, and a ginormous predatory eagle in Māori mythology, this track could move and dominate a crowd effortlessly. Swooping effects and chattering echoes certainly give off vibes of an avian species in flight, weaving and diving.

Most tracks on Butternut Bass clock in well under three minutes. With the dynamics exhibited on some of the pieces, it felt a shame to cut them so short, just when things were starting to sound terrific. In this day and age, where TikTok and Instagram Reels dominate many peoples’ exposure to music and media, succinctness and brevity are key. You need to get to the point without any waffling or build-up. However, as this is an EP and not a collection of YouTube Shorts, one really wishes some of these tracks were longer. Allowing the pieces to breathe and adding a passage or two extra to further the momentum may serve them well – And keep people dancing a bit longer.

On the other hand, I’m used to hearing 7-minute unedited cuts of many releases, so maybe I’m the one who’s behind the times!

All up, Butternut Bass sounds like something Floyd has crafted in his apartment largely for him and his mate’s enjoyment; something to chuck on and have a rave to on weekends. The experimentation and energy heard here certainly channels the aspirations I once had: To create down-to-earth electronic music that moves my friends and acquaintances. And then if it happens to get people moving at a festival, it’d be a great bonus.

And I certainly hope Cashek continues to move friends, acquaintances, festival-goers, whānau and fans alike for a long while to come. Care, thought and aroha have clearly gone into this latest project, and deserves every single listener’s attention.

Cashek will be playing his release party in Napier on 6 June alongside DIJY, Lunaya and Fera Flow. Once you’ve gotten Butternut Bass in your cranium, grab a ticket, go see the show and have a boogie, or follow him for the latest updates and releases.