Chime

Just weeks after celebrating a decade of Chime, producer/DJ Freya Goldfinch made the shocking announcement that she would be stepping away from the Colour Bass scene she helped establish, in pursuit of a new sound inspired by the roots of Dubstep in their home country, the UK. In a video entitled “A New Era of Chime,” Freya didn’t simply hang up her hat; she literally set it on fire. Set to the audio of “No Turning Back” (along with 20 other forthcoming tracks), the video sent fans a message: things were never going to be the same again. “After spending 10 years working in the space Dubstep has become and disregarding my own needs, attempting to climb towards its ‘top,’ whatever that means, I’m ready for something different, grounded in realism,” she said. “I’m ready to leave behind much of what I’ve built and start fresh, in a different place.” Ever-fascinated by music’s in-betweens, Chime is creating a bridge from the minimal, sub-driven vibe of Dubstep’s UK origins to her more colourful take on the genre: a hybrid of darkness and light, classic and modern. Rebuilding from the underground sounds like a tall order, but if anyone can do it, it’s the person who put a new generation of listeners onto twinkly, melodic bass music through her Rushdown imprint and helped to kickstart the careers of artists like Cyclops, Dr. Ushūu, Ace Aura, Skybreak, Paper Skies, Sharks and Papa Khan in the process.