Heard It Here First

Of The Trees has rapidly become a massive fan-favorite amongst everyone in the bass world, especially here at HIHF. His discography and live performances are unparalleled, delivering an intrinsic commingling of grimy beats and tasteful organic sound design. During a vaunted performance, Of The Trees unveiled his collab, “Blue Mile,” with the genre-bending sound sculptor Barclay Crenshaw. On top of their jaw-dropping performances at Red Rocks, lucky fans who managed to score tickets were gifted a first-ever b2b at Colorados’s Gothic Theater.

On October 12th, Of The Trees hosted his first headlining performance at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater with Barclay Crenshaw as one of his prestigious supporting artists. 2023 has been a monumental year in the young artist’s career, with his Codex Natura tour beginning in late 2022. The tour included headlining performances at The Untz Festival, Mission Ballroom, and a two-night run at many fans’ bucket list venues, The Caverns. His label, Memory Palace Records, has been paving its path in the bass scene with its latest artist additions DMVU, Esseks, LYNY, and most recently, Barclay Crenshaw.

Denver-based producer Tyler Coombs, AKA Of The Trees, has a captivating ability for storytelling and imparting feelings through every work of art he constructs. Since discovering Harvest EP, I have felt a deep connection through his music. I found myself longing for more after listening to the entirety of his discography. Then, in 2021, he released his fan-favorite, Tanglewood. Every track was so fabulously orchestrated that I felt I had taken a mystical journey. When he unveiled The Tale of Elegos, the journey revealed its destination, Memory Palace. Through Memory Palace, Coombs has established an otherworldly realm for artists to release their music.

Barclay Crenshaw, AKA Claude Von Stroke, label head of the leading house label at the forefront of the scene, Dirty Bird, announced to fans that he is taking a hiatus from his house moniker to focus on his bass project. For those new to Crenshaw, his music fuses elements of trap, old-school hip-hop, and a unique take on experimental bass music that bridges the gap between new-school dubstep and UKG. Utilizing his birth name for his bass music alias, the Barclay Crenshaw project feels like an intimate view of his true self. 

“Blue Mile” follows the path of Of The Trees’ latest releases, “Muscaria” and “Everglade March VIP.”  Unlike those self-released tracks, Coombs teamed up with Barclay Crenshaw to collaborate on this grimy powerhouse on Memory Palace Records. “Blue Mile” has these two juggernauts’ signature styles written all over it. You can catch those hidden organic sounds Of The Trees is famous for paired with Crenshaw’s hard-hitting avant-garde bass lines. The addition of rapper Strategy’s incredible energy and lyricism takes this track over the top, delivering nonstop vocals that reign high over the syncopation between Coombs’ and Crenshaw’s dynamic production flair.

Personally, I love everything about this monumental collab. Let’s hope for more releases like this in the future from these two artists, as both Of The Trees and Barclay Crenshaw have a serious list of unreleased bangers tucked away in their arsenal.

What did you think about Of The Trees’ and Barclay Crenshaw’s collab “Blue Mile?” Let us know in the comments below! Also, be sure to check out this YouTube video Of The Trees posted of the moment he unveiled “Blue Mile” live at Red Rocks!

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