Jakob VanHorssen, who goes by the name Subb Spaced is quickly rising to stardom in the Denver underground bass scene. Born in Grand Haven, Michigan, the 24-year-old producer bridges the gap between the mental and physical realms through psychedelic soundscapes and otherworldy bass. Inspired by real-life experiences, Subb Spaced sees music as a way to tell his story and express his feelings and emotions. While drawing influence from artists like Pretty Lights, Subb Spaced has found a way to create a sound that is uniquely his own.
Last Thursday, Subb Spaced just dropped the third installment of his Surgical System Mix series, which contained a whopping 15 unreleased tracks. The Daily Frequency caught up with him to discuss how he began producing, the current state of bass music, and a whole lot more!
Check out the full article below!
Thanks for coming out, man! How has your summer been? What have you been up to?
Of course! Thanks for having me! It’s been great! Was able to attend/play a good amount of shows and was able to get some Beautiful camping in around Colorado!
Take us back. What drove you to start producing? Do you come from a musical background?
What really drove me to dive into producing was a car accident I was in roughly seven years ago. I broke both my femurs and my tibia and fibea. I spent roughly 47 days in the hospital. 30 days was complete bed rest with 9 Surgeries resulting in 11 major procedures.
I do come from a musical background. I have five sisters that, in turn, put me in dance at the age of 3 – 13 was in choir roughly the same amount from church choirs to through most of my high school years. I was also blessed enough to go to an art school in my elementary years.
Is there any song, in particular, that got you into bass music?
It’s tough to say, my main inspiration is Pretty Lights, especially the live band. But overall, bass artist that honed me in, is a tough draw between Charles the First and Detox unit.
You describe music as a way to “decorate time with sonic waves of energy.” Is this something you really focus on while in the studio?
It is, I typically try to write music that tells a story for my own mental, personal narrative. Connecting the physical with the mental.
The way you blend dubstep and glitch-hop creates such an innovative sound. How do you find your inspiration for a track?
A lot is based on my mood, current state of life, what I would like to listen to, and what can bring my constantly running mind to peace. I typically like to mess around with the moog sub 37.
How do you see the current state of bass music, and where do you see it going?
There are so many different aspects of the music being released. We are in such a free-form, experimental way of production, where techniques are being formed, and there is no concrete way to do anything. That really there is no limit to what we are creating besides opening up new worlds and thought processes.
You teamed up with Nyquist to form Subb Theory. How did that come about?
So Nyquist and I are actually from the same hometown in Michigan and grew up with side-by-side friend groups. We saw pretty lights in Detroit. About a month later, I started production school at KMG in Boulder Co and told Nyquist about it, and he was right behind me.
You guys released an album in May titled Niflheim under Subb Theory. What was the inspiration behind the project?
The main inspiration for this album was the time of year in snowy colorado, our Scandinavian descent, and our Mythology class we had together my freshman year of high school and his sophomore year.
How would you say your solo project as Subb Spaced differs from Sub Theory?
Subb Spaced based on my time in the hospital, the time in my head, and overall my life experiences. Heavy focus on psychedelic soundscapes.
Subb Theory is two experiences and stories from our hometown coming together as one.
Aside from music, you seem to be a connoisseur of the outdoors. How much does nature affect your creativity?
It frees my mind and helps me connect to myself and my constantly running mind. I went on a road trip with my stepdad when I was 12 and ended up going to 47 states within one summer, which gave me the taste for traveling, and I have been addicted since. So I typically try to be outside as much as possible.
What can fans expect from you as 2021 comes to an end?
Shows, music, merchandise. Maybe have a little Subb Theory Ep in the works