They say success is not about luck, connections or even money. It is the discipline to outwork everyone around you—a principle that Ray Volpe has long been tied to.
The byproduct is Legend of Volpetronhis new EP, out now via disciple. The record of the invention effectively poured fuel on the cooking career of Volpe, who was named after EDM.comof Class of 2022 earlier this year. It’s a stunning showcase of his generational production talents, stretching far beyond the limits of his breakout hit, “Laserbeam.”
“It sounds cheesy, but it means everything to me! It’s a moment in time that I’ll remember years from now,” Volpe said. EDM.com on his new EP. “I really wanted to mash everything I love about music into one body of work.”
Legend of Volpetron a microcosm not only of Volpe’s tireless grind, but also of his tenacity. If anyone exemplifies the “hard work pays off” mantra, it’s Volpe, who says he experienced a crisis of recognition in his struggles to find success in navigating the tortuous world of EDM.
“It’s definitely been a long road — 2019 was a low point for my career and soon after for my mental health,” Volpe recalled. “I felt that everyone was against this project and that I would never succeed under ‘Ray Volpe.’ That hurts a lot. Especially since it’s not just an alias—it’s my real name. It’s my core. I can’t help but feel hopeless at certain points.”
“But I knew that if I just sat down and pushed myself, then I could break out of the mold and change everyone’s mind,” Volpe continued. “And that is possible for anyone. Believe in yourself and agree with everything you do. Be open to feedback and have moments of reflection.”
And while the EP was a big moment for Volpe, it also moonlights as a prediction for a bright future in bass music.
Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, dubstep has become stagnant. Set in a 2022 landscape devoid of innovation, the genre needs new pathfinders. Volpe steps into that role with Legend of VolpetronA tour de force with enough versatility and vision to resuscitate a beloved cog in the EDM wheel.
“I want to be one of the faces of ‘you can do more than one type of music and be successful,’ as I know it can be very scary as an artist to feel like you have to stick to one thing ,” Volpe continued. “Before ‘Laserbeam’ for example, my biggest song was melodic! And the first heavy one, etc.”
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He got to the point where there was a “Screechy Song,” which started Legend of Volpetron with a cinematic rave lead that culminates in a screeching dubstep drop. Volpe takes his innovative production approach to the song’s dreamlike coda, where spacey synths float over syncopated percussive elements before he brings the arrangement home. there is another dubstep sequence.
Volpe then followed with “Elbow Grease,” a collab with the fellow dubstep trailblazer Soltan, whose Middle Eastern influences run through Volpe’s powerful sound design. sum 41 drummer Frank Zummo appears on the following “Afterlife (I’ll Dream of You),” a euphoric Wave track with a punk twist.
Then came”Laser beam“which needs no introduction as it continues to rain hell on the world’s biggest raves and electronic music festivals. And that was by design, according to Volpe. Changing poetry about his successful hit, he said he owes a debt of gratitude to some elite artists who helped break it.
“I’d like to say it’s the hard work of producing and just trying to make cool music, but really it all comes down to the strength of the track and the live playability and viral aspects,” Volpe explained. “In terms of energy, it feels fast moving even at the same tempo as 90% of dubstep adds more energy to any room you hear it in. oops to keep things going.”
“The live play-outs though absolutely elevate this song to the next level,” he continued. “I have so many friends to thank for making this possible for me—especially Excision and ILLENIUM. If they hadn’t started it with their high production sets to actually use the lasers, it wouldn’t have happened. I’m grateful for them. I’ll never forget hearing X drop it at the Thunderdome in person for the first time. Then the TikToks and Reels started flooding in.”
“I knew at that point that this song was different,” rejoices Volpe, who says he gives himself a pat on the back for conceptualizing the song’s epic pre-drop vocal, which doubles as a starter pistol for the most epic laser barrages. Festival goers have seen it.
Volpe tied a bow Legend of Volpetron with the incandescent “Growing Wild,” a searing swan song featuring Myah Marie. Serenaded by the green pads, Marie reflects candidly about the simmering feelings that come with finding someone who accepts your flaws. Volpe ignites the emotive nature of the song with his crescendoing drop, which is undermined by interpolating fierce dubstep wobbles.
You can stream Legend of Volpetron HERE.
FOLLOWING RAY VOLPE:
Facebook: facebook.com/rayvolpemusic
Twitter: twitter.com/rayvolpe
Instagram: instagram.com/rayvolpe
Spotify: spoti.fi/3dqG1WH