Togeki Chats “Eldritch” Album, Musical Journey, Dubstep & More
Written by: Dan Warren
The North American 140/dubstep scene has been skyrocketing over the last several years. Incredible artists have been emerging and establishing themselves nationally, while underground promoters have leveled up their events to new heights with a big emphasis on sound system culture and taking it back to the roots. One artist that has risen through the ranks with his exceptional talent and eclectic taste, while also honoring the early days of dubstep, is Washington, D.C.-based Togeki.
The brilliance of Togeki as a producer, combined with his skill behind the decks, cannot be overstated. The energy he brings to each set leaves attendees wondering what just happened, seamlessly weaving through the sounds of 140/dubstep, drum & bass, and more. You might hear a cheeky double or two, or five, or many! No two Togeki sets are ever the same; through his tasteful range, exuberant stage presence, and technical abilities as a DJ, attendees are always in for a captivating, sonic thrill ride.
What started as a dream years ago has blossomed into a mesmerizing project that has landed Togeki on the radars of dubstep and underground bass music enthusiasts all across the country. The D.C. hitmaker has graced the decks of popular underground festivals, including Sound Haven, Big Dub, and Beyond Existence. He has supported heavy hitters such as Peekaboo, Caspa, Distinct Motive, Esseks, and many more, providing infectious energy to new and existing fans. Beyond his solo project, Togeki has also been making waves with his collab side project called Outhear (with fellow D.C. artist Shreztah). They have already come out swinging with big performances at Griz’s Seven Stars Music Festival as well as playing direct support for Taiki Nulight at Flash in D.C.
Togeki’s wide range of quality, original compositions have graced labels such as Aspire Higher, Qualia Records, Rewind140, Sweet Sounds Collective, and more. His limits know no bounds, showcasing all types of sounds and styles under the bass music umbrella. This is very evident in his bootleg series, including notable fan favorites such as Sean Paul’s “Get Busy”, Damian Marley’s “Welcome To Jamrock”, Mz Bratt’s “Selecta”, Bou’s “All U Gotta Do”, and more.
The last year especially has seen a lot of positive momentum in the form of new bookings and a strong cadence of quality releases. In November, this momentum led to a crowning achievement for Togeki in his journey as an artist: the release of his debut album, Eldritch. Eldritch is Togeki’s most impressive body of work to date. A genuine, precise snapshot of the Togeki project, this 12-track album features a wide assortment of sounds and styles that represent his interests and the level up in his production.
Diving in, the first half of Eldritch takes listeners on a sinister journey into Togeki’s world of dubstep. Dubstep holds a very special place in Togeki’s heart. The dark energy is felt with tracks like “Crucio”, “Birds of Prey”, and “10,000 Teeth”, allowing listeners to get absolutely lost in the dance. Togeki’s unique ability in creating this arena of bouncy wittiness, while staying true to the overall eerie themes, is quite astounding. The one and only collaboration on the album, “Rolled Up” featuring the lyricism of Mad Sam, is Togeki’s ode to grime culture and a perfect addition to Eldritch as a break from the more “traditional-sounding” dubstep.
When listeners arrive at the second half of Eldritch, they are introduced to a side of Togeki that they may have not been as familiar with previously. What we experience in the second half showcases Togeki’s production prowess and demonstrates his limitless creativity. You want fun 4x4? Togeki delivers with “IHTEWM”. You want gritty, headnod-inducing half time? Togeki serves it up with “Sublimation”. Drum and bass fans are also in for a real treat with two cutting-edge heaters in “Inanimate” and “Torture”. The outro track “Eulogy” is especially unique in providing a glimpse into Togeki’s ability to write meaningful melodies. It is an appropriate conclusion to this macabre-esque sonic journey.
Eldritch is a personal reflection that Togeki has graciously decided to share with us. It prepares us for the next frontier of the Togeki project, leaving us excited for what’s to come. On that note, Togeki courteously gave fans a glimpse into the future with his 2026 Unreleased Mix. This hour-long mix showcases nearly 30 brand new tracks that are begging to be played on the finest sound systems.
The Synapse had an opportunity to connect with Togeki and chat about his musical background and journey, his debut Eldritch album, dubstep, and more. Check out the full interview below! We hope you enjoy learning more about this rising talent! At the end of the interview, be sure to give Togeki a follow across his socials.
Thanks so much for taking some time to chat with us! I want to start with your debut album–congratulations on this massive milestone! Tell us a little bit about how the Eldritch LP came together. How long was this album in the works for?
Togeki: Thanks so much! The short answer is that I had been working towards this album for a very long time. Coming from a family of musicians, I always wanted to be a musician from a very young age. And with that, I feel like putting out a full body of music is a big milestone for any musician, so it was always a goal of mine to release an album. In terms of the tracks themselves, I remember finishing the initial demos for some of them upwards of two years ago.
Once I finally developed enough material that I was feeling confident enough to compile into a full body of work, I started planning out the release to ensure that it was coming out at the right time. This is definitely a statement piece for my project, an imprint in time.
That’s awesome you were able to execute on your vision! One thing I really like about the album is the diversity of styles. It’s cool how you broke it up into sections with the first half showcasing your dubstep side and the second half showcasing several other styles that fans may have not been as familiar with. With so many different styles and interests in your production, what gives you inspiration for each style when you go in to produce? Is it similar for each style or does it differentiate when you sit down to write?
Togeki: That’s a good question! I think a lot of it stems from my love for a wide range of sounds and styles. I played a lot of instruments growing up such as drums, guitar, trumpet, tuba, you name it. When I first heard electronic music in the third grade, I remember listening to Deadmau5 and Fatboy Slim and not even realizing I was listening to electronic music. I just really liked the sounds I was hearing. I was also really into metal, punk, jazz, and reggae. Having all of these different musical interests, combined with what I had learned playing different instruments, set me up to be creatively unencumbered.
When I first started getting professional bookings, I was playing a lot more diverse sets. Sets that included everything from 140/dubstep, drum & bass, halftime, UKG, and more. I still play those sets from time to time, but I’ve definitely honed in more on the 140/dubstep sound because at the end of the day, that’s what I personally gravitate towards the most. That being said, I can get bored pretty easily and feel the need to do different things. So sometimes I’ll find myself having produced a lot of dubstep, but then I’ll purposefully take a step back from that style and work on something different to keep it fresh and hit the reset button.
Inversely, there’s a term I use a lot in my creative philosophy and talking with my peers called “divine inspiration”. I feel like inspiration can come from anywhere like hearing/seeing something that someone else made, or having an impactful experience. But, divine inspiration is when you have an idea that comes from seemingly nowhere, and it allows you to create truly uninhibited. My creativity can come from either source. I may have moments in which I am methodically trying to write in a certain style or sound, and other times I find myself randomly creating whatever feels right in that moment.
Where does the album’s title come from? Tell us a little bit about Eldritch and how you landed on this name.
Togeki: I’m not a walking dictionary, but my interpretation of the definition of “Eldritch” is a general term for the darker, more macabre and ominous side of life. Anything that people could describe as creepy or view as mysterious is eldritch. I’ve always had a fascination with the eldritch ever since I was a kid. I have always loved the occult and horror movies and that sort of demonic imagery that you see in that type of art.
I think it kind of stems from my family’s religious background. I grew up in the Lutheran church, but I’ve never been a religious person. I consider myself a spiritual person, but I just remember growing up never really wanting to go to church with my parents. So I guess as a general protest to my parents for pushing their religion on me, I got into ghost shows and YouTube documentaries on demonology. And it wasn’t like I was actually trying to get into that type of stuff—I was just genuinely fascinated and curious about it.
To add on to this, I personally deal with some mental health struggles where my outlook on life isn’t always the brightest and sometimes it’s hard to feel positive or good about things. So sometimes I feel like my frame of mind can be described as eldritch. Eldritch as the title is pretty much a personal statement in addition to being a general vibe.
The one and only collab on the album featured the lyricism of Mad Sam. First off, I love this guy’s voice. He sounded great on the track “Rolled Up”. How did you meet Mad Sam and bring this collab to life for the album?
Togeki: It’s funny, when I first wrote this album, I didn’t want to have any collabs on there. However, grime has had a huge influence on my sound. So I decided I wanted to switch it up by throwing some grime on the album to take a breather from the dubstep and all.
I follow this one guy on Tik Tok and Instagram named DJ AG. He does these livestreams where he’s posted up on a busy street with his mobile DJ controller and he brings out all of these different MCs, singers, and artists in a talent show style performance. So one day when I was watching his livestream, I saw Mad Sam on there rapping over some sick drum & bass and I really liked his voice. I then started scrolling on Mad Sam’s page and loved his style and flow.
So I followed him, gave him a shout, and was like “Hey! I’ve got this beat. Would you want to collab on it?” and he said yes. He was very professional and we knocked it all out in a couple of weeks. Out to Mad Sam! I had a lot of fun working on this collab with him. It’s pretty cool how randomly scrolling on social media led to a collab that I’m really proud of. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about that track specifically.
This might be a difficult question to answer, but was there one song on the album that you were particularly stoked about? Like when you finished writing the songs and hearing the final product after the mixing and mastering, was there one song that really blew you away?
Togeki: Honestly, that is a very difficult question to answer haha. With this album, I wanted all of the material on there to highlight my best work. So, I was genuinely stoked on everything that ended up on the album. It truly felt like I was able to collect and put out my best work.
I make a lot of music. My work ethic is different from a lot of others. Typically, I work on music for two to four hours almost every day. And it can be anything, such as writing a new melody, writing a drum section, or having a sound design session. This results in me having upwards of like six to ten different WIPs going at any given time. I have a lot of songs that I personally do not think will ever get released, and that’s okay. Nowadays I really value quality over quantity, so I wanted to make sure everything on the album was “album-worthy” material. Just because I’ve made something doesn’t mean that the world has to hear it. I’m really just focused on putting out the best art possible. I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to that stuff.
If I absolutely had to give you an answer, I’d say the opener “Eldritch” is great. I’m also a big fan of “Blasphemy” and “IHTEWM” as well. “Torture” is also another one I was really stoked on. Even the closer “Eulogy” was another one I was excited about because it highlights a bit more of my melodic and emotional depth. But now you see what I mean when I say it’s difficult to highlight one track haha.
For the producers out there, what DAW do you use to produce? Tell us a little bit about how growing up with a family of musicians led to you diving into electronic music production.
Togeki: I use Logic to produce! I really like it because it was literally created for songwriters and musicians to record and produce. It’s different from something like Ableton, which is more for sound designers and production engineers to compose. So with my musical background, the Logic approach makes it much easier for someone like me. Personally, I like that the user interface of Logic is a lot more friendly and less daunting than other DAWs. Beyond that, I think Logic also has a lot of great features, such as its stock plugins for things like orchestras, pianos, and old school synthesizers. That being said, I don’t think producing on one DAW makes you better than artists that produce on other DAWs. You can create amazing stuff on any program. Logic is just my preference.
I remember when I was in elementary school opening up my mom’s MacBook, which had GarageBand on it, and experimenting with loops. Then in middle school, my old buddy Ethan got a starter two deck DJ controller, so I was going over to his house every weekend and ripping DJ sets all night. Eventually, my parents got me my own MacBook Air, and a while after that I got my own starter DJ decks. After messing around on GarageBand for sometime, I upgraded to Logic.
I was trying to make electronic music and dubstep, and I remember really struggling with the sound design and engineering aspect. At the time, there really weren't a lot of tutorials to learn from. Nowadays, there’s so much information out there on everything from sound design, composing, arranging, mixing, mastering, everything! But back then, it was a real challenge to find the resources to learn this stuff. I was sending tracks to artists like MVRDA and Nasko to get feedback / promote myself. I remember one time MVRDA just completely ripped one of my tracks apart haha. Admittedly though, it was garbage, haha.
While I was struggling to make dubstep, I remember making rap beats in high school and finding way more success doing that. The response from my peers was extremely positive, which I had never really experienced before. It was funny to me because these rap beats were really easy to make. So I just ran with that for a while. It felt good to receive that recognition from the people I was hanging out with.
Eventually, I dove back into dubstep because I was never really all that into the rap thing. By this time there were way more resources available online to learn some of the more advanced concepts I was missing before. So, I locked in and took the extra time necessary to learn all the ins and outs.
In terms of the dubstep side of your project, who are some artists that have inspired you when you sit down to write dubstep? Who are some other artists that you currently enjoy listening to? Let our readers know who they need to check out!
Togeki: As far as what’s exciting me right now, Mala’s label Deep Medi is always a favorite. In the past few months they’ve dropped some sick EPs by some of the main guys that I think are doing a great job at perpetuating proper 140/dubstep. Deep, Dark and Dangerous, DUPLOC, & Deep Heads are also a couple favorites of mine, properly pushing the sound. Some lesser known labels I’ve been digging lately would be imprints like LDH Records & Locus Sound. In terms of a few specific artists that I’m currently inspired by, Breathworkz, IDHS, Die By The Sword, Chef Boyarbeatz, Contra, Shreztah, Packet Loss, Kercha, Phosphr, and Wolf’d, just to name a few. All those guys are super sick and I love playing their stuff out. And then of course, I have to include Caspa and Distinct Motive. It’s so cool to see how they hold down the sound the way they do after all of these years, while also pushing the boundaries.
Something that’s been really cool as of late is having the opportunities to actually interact with some of these names that I really look up to and talk to them on a personal level. I have infinite gratitude and appreciation to those giving me these opportunities to perform with them and have shown such amazing support for my music.
I can imagine that! I would even say it is well earned. One thing that I think has separated you from a lot of artists is the fact that you are not only a great producer, but also an excellent DJ. Tell us a little bit about what DJing means to you and what goes through your mind when you’re performing in a live setting.
Togeki: Thank you so much for saying that! I’m really glad you mentioned the DJing side because there are few things in this world that give me as much joy as DJing does. I have been DJing for as long as I have, and as often as I do, because I genuinely love it so much. Anyone who has seen me DJ, whether that be one time or 20 times, knows what I do on stage.
I live for DJing and being able to curate a performance for people and just get lost in the dance. I think that’s something that’s really appreciated in the 140/dubstep scene more so than a lot of other bass music niches. Like when you see a Joe Nice set or all three Ternion Sound guys together—these acts that really get deep in the mix—it’s a totally different experience in my opinion.
It’s really nice to have new fans recognize me for my DJing. I’ve had people come up to me at shows or festivals and say, “I have always loved your production, but then I saw you DJ live and wow, I’m hooked!” And honestly, that’s exactly how I want people to feel after seeing me perform. I think my favorite way to listen to electronic music is via DJ sets. I can’t really listen to a single or a playlist like I can with DJ sets. That being said, you should still go check out my new album haha.
Anything else our readers should know about the album or your project in general?
Togeki: I just want to give a big thank you to anyone who has listened to or downloaded the album, as well as to The Synapse for giving me a platform to talk about it! I had been working on this for a long time and it was always a goal of mine to put out something more personal, so I’m glad to see it has been well-received. I also want to give a big shoutout to the many promoters and artists that have brought me out to play my music for new crowds and established fans. I’m just really grateful for all of the opportunities and support that’s coming my way, so seriously thank you all so much! If you ever see me around please come say hi! I love meeting and interacting with those who support what I do, and I’d love to get the chance to say thanks in person.