Luna13: redefining what ‘brutal’ is in Bass music

“Bass music” is one broad definition. As Pitchfork writer Martin Clark suggested back in 2011, it is practically impossible to find univocal traits in such a variegated world. This lack of unity is a perfect soil for the development of creative and unconventional solutions. Luna 13, the up-and-coming Bass Music duo from West Hollywood, represents a great example of this. Their peculiar, controversial and brutal mixture of Bass Music and Death Metal is truly original and unheard. Their courage in crossing boundaries between genres that are commonly worlds apart led them to be one of the most talked about emerging acts in Los Angeles.

Luna13 – Lilith Bathory and Dr. Luna

It is no bed of roses, though, as Dr Luna, one half of the project, reveals. “Truth is, while Metal has let us in, the Bass music world isn’t ready yet,” he explains. Developed as a project that would fit the broad range of Doc Luna’s musical influences, Luna 13 considered themselves an Bass Music duo since the beginning.

While their Death Metal inspiration was a tribute to Dr Luna’s favorite bands, such as Possessed and Slayer, their original goal was to produce bass music, bringing their own vision and dark spirituality into a world which is commonly associated with parties and good times.

Their brutal performances, featuring blood drinking rituals and other graphic representations, more appreciated by the Metal world, seems to terrify the EDM crowd. On the other hand, Luna 13 clearly moves into the Bass music soil, researching a new heavy sound that goes beyond distorted guitars. In other words, the goal of Luna 13 is to bring Metal into Bass music, offering something truly different.

However, the word “brutal”, which typically describes their work, seems to scare the EDM world. For this reason, while they managed to inspire Metal fans and had excellent positioning in Metal charts, they are still struggling with Bass music venues. Luna13 is ahead of our times, but our hope is that the EDM industry will soon discover how diverse and intriguing this project is, opening its doors to something original and authentic.

Who said Bass music is just for parties? It can be brutal and dark too.“It’s not that we don’t use guitars because we don’t like them say Dr Luna, it is that we desire to create a whole new metal sound!”