Boxplot - Here & Now LP [Liquicity Records]

Welcome to my eigth album write-up! I apologize in advance for the wall of text that is about to follow. Scroll down for a TL;DR on the LP.

Background

Even if you're well-versed in mathmatics, chances are that you don't know everything there is to know about the artist in our spotlight today. So sit back, allow yourself to relax and let the waterfall of information that I have gathered about Boxplot wash over you.

Killer Instincts

Our protagonist today is quarter-life crisis experiencing producer Ian Sheldon from Poughkeepsie in New York, currently living in Duxbury, Massachusetts (in the Boston area). Some might also know him as the long-lost half-filipino brother of Justin Hawkes. We're not here to talk about how uncanny their facial similarities are or how I honestly actually thought they were related when I saw them together on stage at Liquicity Festival 2019, no, I want to take you way further back into Ian's history.

Like 12 years ago back. So when he was about 14. Oh boy.

You see, in 2010 Ian's new YouTube channel was born: KillerBab1es. Not only was it a haven for all the best videos about the channel owner nuking his epic fortresses in GMod, it was also the place for electric guitar/bass covers of tracks by the likes of Muse, Electric Six and Rise Against. Just a little bit under a year later, the killer babies put on their producer helmet and became the DJ Killer we all know and love today. At first he went into the Dubstep route, with Release the Hounds being the first track still publicly available, but since his YouTube comment feedback demanded he should make "a better drop", "make beat fast" and also "make ur beats faster" he decided to try out his hands at DnB. Okay I made that last part up, but those are some actual real quotes and it was just too good of an image in my head to not share it. Okay, now the real story: He just started Highschool and, to make an amazing first impression, he tried showing his (admittedly not very great) Dubstep tracks to the cooler older kids. As you could expect from teenagers, they gave some very... uhm, let's say honest feedback. As a result, Ian decided to quit Dubstep and pursue DnB forever and ever from then on. School times are weird.

Inspired by uploads on the YouTube promo channel Panda Drum & Bass, which made him realise that his beloved Australian rock band singing about holding your colours or something was actually producing DnB, he came back stronger than ever with hits like I am Bored!. A few months and probably a couple hundred sessions of Team Fortress 2 later, he rebranded himself once more to Ubercharged, but that didn't last very long either. A "proper" name was in order. So, since he liked math, he opened up a website cataloguing all the best math terms and went through them one by one. The first one that was still available on SoundCloud? Boxplot. I couldn't have thought of a better origin story if I tried.

All You Need Is Smiles

Even though he had already found his forever-name, he was still trying to find a sound that was specifically his. For instance, on his first few signed releases in 2012, including the SCP-087-B and Hi, My Name Is Boxxy double singles, he was even trying his hands at Neurofunk of all things. Since collaborating with the likes of Deathnoise and releasing on ClusterFuck Records wasn't quite for him, he would continue exploring until he finally arrived at something that anyone who knows any modern Boxplot tracks would recognize as his sound: Fast-paced uplifting liquid-dancefloor!

The first example of this shift in sound was his Journey EP on the now-defunct DNBR Records way back in 2013. Together with his mate Mega Flare, he created a sound that managed to combine his bass-playing skills with quick-firing breaks, 8-bit-y sounds and chopped up vocal melodies, resulting in an honestly unique approach to the Netsky type of DnB™️ that was popular at the time. It was 2015 that was the biggest year for him yet though. After a soothing roller Walking Away From A Raincloud on the Unsung Heroes compilation and a very Japanese remix for Shanic's Leap Year Gal, he returned full-force with one of his biggest tunes, even to this day: Escape with the Clouds on Liquid Tones. There was just something about the way Ian chopped up the Paramore vocals that struck a chord with people, including none other than Liquicity's label owner! Not only did the dutch label that I'm constantly showing off in my flair premiere the track on their YouTube channel, said label owner also directly messaged him to tell him that he absolutely adored the track and would have easily released it on their label too if he just sent it over a little earlier. Whoops. Next tune it is, then.

However, right in the middle of all this hype, right when he was working on the next few tracks that could have ended up on Liquicity the absolute worst thing for a producer happened: His hard drive died. Without the means to pay for a hard drive rescue mission, he was right back at square one. Box one, if you will. I could just skip ahead to when he got 100% back on his feet a few years later, but I'd much rather take this opportunity to talk about a very fun side project of his first.

He's got a real bad Case of the Tetra

Remember Mega Flare from like two paragraphs ago? Well, turns out that those first two collaborations were the start of a long-lasting collaborative partnership! While that certainly pointed them into the right direction, it was their DnB bootleg of the atmospheric 8-bit tune Anamanaguchi - Triangle that really pushed them to pursue something more. In fact, they had so much fun working together that they sat down to create a whole 'nother project exploring this video game-y aesthetic of electronic music more in-depth than ever before: Tetracase! Later joined by Selerac, also known as Elevation, they began their journey with their Begin EP, on which they explored not just the chip-tune DnB subsubsubgenre, but also gave the old Disco a spin.

Their unique take on the genre and explorations in the realms of Future Funk, Breaks and Jersey Club, which I swear are all actual genres, can not only be found in their solo EPs, but also in their collabo with Smooth McGroove and remixes of classic Sonic and Pokemon tunes, ultimately leading them to play at places like Magfest or the Mega Man-a-thon. Sure, games like Forza Horizon or Rocket League show time and time again that DnB and gaming is just a great combo all-around, but I don't think there's another artist that is as involved with the actual gaming community as these three are.

Back to the main A-(box)-Plot now though. Alternative chapter ending pun: Tetra-case closed.

The Mountainside

Where were we? Ah yes, his hard drive died.

Well, when it happened Ian didn't really know what to do with himself. Understandably. He was thinking of rebranding himself one last time to Florae, to avoid being sandwiched between school math tutorials on YouTube and Google, but was talked out of it by legendary Estonian duo Indivision, whom he was working on a collaboration with at the time. When the incident happened he was also in the middle of working on a rather big solo tune, but the only thing he had left from it was a .wav file. That didn't stop him though. After two years of pure grind, he arose like a phoenix from the ashes with the self-released nearly 8 minute long journey My Non-Existant Friend, Alice. As if that wasn't enough of a statement of intent, another few months later also saw the release of his Tramontane EP on none other than Liquicity. What an EP that one was. If you weren't convinced about his musical talents before, this was the EP that would change your mind. The amount of emotions he conveyed through the song writing and atmospheres combined with the sheer beauty of the melodies was just staggering. Still is, and will never change. Truly a timeless EP in my eyes.

What followed was one of my favourites of his: Sunroad with his actual for-real brother Justin Hawkes on the third edition of the Galaxy Of Dreams compilation in 2018. Just a few weeks after that, he also became an even more full-fledged member of the Liquicity family by playing his first set at the yearly Liquicity Summerfestival! If you think hey, that's not that much for one year, I would probably say you're right, but the explanation for this relatively chill part of his career was right around the corner that was 2019: Not only was he working on the excellent VIP of his first big hit, Escape With The Clouds, he was also knee-deep into his concept EP Alice, which was built on top of the lore started in his aforementioned return single about his imaginary friend. After Tramontane it was almost kind of expected, but together with fellow US producer Ownglow and German powerhouse Voicians he crafted yet another amazing emotional experience that will probably/hopefully occupy space in my head for the rest of my life.

Somehow he managed to just keep on going with this memorable tune streak too, with the ever-present In The Cold with The Outsiders and his stellar remix of Idun Nicole's Lost Without You, both of which haven't left my On Repeat playlist since they were released way back in 2020. Around this time Ian also started streaming his legendary Monday Mixdown sessions, something that had become a part of my regular weekly routine for quite some time, until it was sadly scaled down when things began to open back up again. However, the pandemic wasn't just an opportunity for him to mix a bit more, it was also the early beginning of The Album Phase™️! After quietly working away at it for quite some time, he unveiled the plans with a completely blank social media slate at the start of 2022. Which basically brings us to the current day, to Here & Now.

You'd think with a name as "simple" as Boxplot, I would come up with a ton of great puns, but somehow these are the only ones on my list:

out of the box(plot)
(box)plotting against someone

I know, I'm sad about it too.

Resources

Track Breakdown

Congrats, you've made it to the Track Breakdown!

1. Human Again

Ever since the album was announced, I always wondered how Ian was going to adapt to the longer format. Was he going to surpass the emotional masterpieces of Tramontane et al. and if so, how?

Well, just one track into my album listening session I already kind of got my answer with the 11-minute album opener Human Again. Yes, you read that right. While Boxplot has never shied away from longer track runtimes, with My Non-Existent Friend, Alice being nearly 8 minutes long, 11 minutes is still extremely out of the ordinary. Trust me though, it is absolutely worth your time. Every single second.

We start off this mini-EP journey with a calm sea-side atmosphere, complete with seagulls, wind blowing in our hair and ocean waves crashing against the shores. Not too long after, we take a deep breath and (literally) dive right into the sound of the album. In our underwater world, we are audience to a wonderful melancholic symphony of a gorgeous piano, various uniquely rhythmic drums and synths on top building itself up further and further, from its actually underwater-sounding, heavily reverberated beginnings to this insanely intricate arrangement of instruments we get towards the end. However, that's just the first "drop". Step by step, most parts of the instrumental fade out, from the drums to the synth melody, until we're right back to the seagulls and the waves.

We're now around 5 minutes into the track. If you hadn't noticed that you're listening to a Boxplot track by this point, the return of Ian's signature romantic voice note in this breakdown will make everything click in your head. As with previous iterations of this trope that I will never get enough of, the content of said voice note is just so so so sweet and lovely that it's hard not to get lost in this story of two lovers who have had a really rough week and are trying to make everything go back to normal again. After the voice note is over, the instrumental is still very filtered and washed out, putting a heavy emphasis on this deeply heavy kick that's pounding like the heart of the person, who just listened to this recording of their significant other.

Soon enough, however, another set of incredible vocals combined with a more traditional drum & bass rhythm is coming closer and closer. The repetition and physical auditory movement of the "I'm forever falling" line feels like an emotion that's dying to get out, but that the protagonist hasn't quite accepted yet and even tries to suppress. Like a real strong but suppressed emotion though, it doesn't take long until it simply bursts out, here symbolised by the now-clear vocal belting out the additional context of "...without YOU", followed by the instrumental crashing right back in with a 4x4 buildup increasing the energy to levels I didn't know were possible. Not only is the vocalist singing his heart out, letting all pent up emotions free in the process, in between all of this Ian also added drum fills pushing things even further up. All of this culminates in a bass guitar driven DnB drop that is just the perfect release for this incredible buildup. You simply feel Human Again.

Just wow, man. This whole track is honestly, with zero exaggeration, perfection. Literally nothing else comes close. Not one moment of this, might I remind you, eleven minute long track feels wasted, every single part builds upon the last one. The emotions I have been subjected to here are out of this world. Thanks to all the little intricacies of Ian's production that I mentioned above, I get immersed so much that I feel like I'm an actual part of this track's story and can't help but tear up. Can an album be a masterpiece after only one track? Apparently so.

2. Always Here, My Dear

Okay, let's calm down a little again. How about some classic Boxplot goodness next? You like that? Perfect! Because that's exactly what we get on Always Here, My Dear. Not only is Ian giving us punchy, fast-paced drums with a lot of catchy uplifting, almost chip-tune-y synth melodies, he's also once again using the vocal sample to his full advantage, creating one hell of a satisfying composition in the process. Especially the little tingly melodies going from left to right and back again are just pure ear candy. For the second drop he even throws in a little half-time portion, before putting the pedal to the full-time metal one last time. If the intro tune was about an emotional breaking point of a relationship, this one feels like they made it through the troubles in one piece and are just enjoying life together again. Even after all this turmoil, they're always here for each other. Very very lovely!

3. Open Arms (feat. Audioscribe)

For the third track on our little adventure Boxplot joined forces with Salt Lake City based dnb enjoyer Audioscribe. A collaboration I welcome with Open Arms. I'll see myself out. Right from the start we have two opposing kinds of melodies playing off of each other, a wonderful melancholic piano and something a little more out there that sounds like a reversed guitar on top of Ian jamming out in the background, but that might just be my ears being weird. We are back to the shores of Human Again, watching the sunset while the waves are crashing one after the other. However, this time it's about enjoying temporary things while they last. Even if the sun is going to set in a few minutes, let's not stress out about that right now. Even if one of us two needs to fly back the next morning, let's just enjoy ourselves for now. In the drop this convergence of things that are quite different, but still work together brilliantly, is further explored by matching up the aforementioned beautiful piano with a continuously running loop of quick Future Bass-y wubs. Definitely more calm than its predecessors so far, but enchanting nonetheless.

4. Why Try

Speaking of more calm, next up we've got the most soothing track of the year so far: Why Try! It's really stormy outside and you know what means: Put on your comfiest jammies and get yourself some hot chocolate, it's time to cuddle up below a ton of blankets. Why Try is the perfect representation of that exact feeling. Not only because it features literal samples of rain hitting against the window with a heavy thunderstorm in the background, which are just the absolute best, but also because of the lovely lo-fi (lo-fi-vely?) processing on the vocal, the minimalistic drums, the ethereal synths and of course the sheer warmth of the bass. It's like a blanket for your soul. It's not this huge festival banger that will get everyone jumping, it's just this perfect little track that I wanna listen to again and again when I feel like relaxing a little. While I already enjoyed it quite a lot the first time I heard it, after like 50 listens I believe I can confidently say that I love it now. We have now reached maximum chill.

5. Interlude (Reset)

Alright, let's recalibrate ourselves before we go back to the bangers. Just sit back and enjoy this swift yet delightful atmospheric ride. I'll be back in a second.

6. Heartstrings (feat. Feint)

A second has passed aaand we're back baby! As promised we're back with a bang too, with Ian and Liquicity OG Feint pulling on our Heartstrings with this sheer beauty of a track. Right from the beginning the main melody slowly but surely emerges from the shadows, but before it really hits the duo introduces a whole lot of other elements overlapping each other in a sort of organised chaos, strung (hehe) along by a neat little drum loop keeping the listener on their toes. Soon enough however, we fade out and suddenly a glorious piano emerges on top of the quite break-heavy but very muted drums, with the signature Boxplot electric guitar being responsible for some lovely background atmosphere.

What starts as a very softly played loop seemingly synced to the background drums quickly transforms into the amazing main melody, going from forte in the buildup to fortississimo in the drop. Not just the melody hits you right into your heart though, the drums and most especially the snare (oh, that snare) are crazy punchy and will get anyone bouncing in no time. The guitars that were still lurking in the background before are now a full part of the composition, not just as an integral part of the bass during most of the drop, but also as a melody switchup sandwiched in between, right in the spotlight.

Halfway through the track we're also witness to the first Boxplot-type anime style breakdown of the album! Or in other words: all the different kinds of guitars are now working together with those vigorously hard-hitting drums to smack you right in your face a few times, waking up even the sleepiest of people. Right in time for the second drop with a perfectly timed slight delay. Absolute banger that still retains the emotionality that is so prevalent in Boxplot's and Feint's music.

7. Only Us

This is it. The tune that people have waited the longest for. Well, at least before it was released as a single a few months ago, but just bear with me for a bit, will ya? Nearly three years after being teased in the aftermovie for Liquicity Festival 2019, Only Us is finally released! Instead of an instrumental version like the one used back then however, it now features the amazing Reija Lee on vocal duty, making this one of the only vocal track on the whole album! Depending on if you count Human Again's vocals, I guess. Anyway! Of course the track doesn't just have Reija's powerful vocal performance to offer to the listener, with some of the finest 2010s Dancefloor inspired sound design Ian has made sure that the instrumental packs a punch as well. However, my favourite moment of this one has got to be the signature Boxplot vocal choppage in the last part of both drops, that Escape With The Clouds style of melody is just so damn satisfying. We're definitely in the bangers phase of the album right now.

8. I Think I Think Too Much

Next up we've got the most relatable track title of the album: I Think I Think Too Much. Of course, this isn't just some random quote, this obviously references this 2013 Harry Styles tweet. Investigative journalism accomplished. Okay my detective skills aside, the actual reference is his November 2019 post discussing stress, his relationship with social media and how all of that has been affecting his mental health. Just like in Why Try, we open to an indoors setting, with the rain pouring down, albeit less heavily this time, and the later emerging main melody playing with a sort of old-timey tape recording filter put on it. The drums seem powerful, but still sound like they're coming from the above neighbour's apartment. Seems like they got a whole band practicing up there, because soon enough, an electric guitar is joining in on the fun. A satisfying drum fill smoothly teleports us from downstairs right into the middle of the action and everything becomes clear. What sounded like noise from further away becomes a gorgeous symphony composed of beautiful synth melodies and shredding guitars, combined with intense drums and effortlessly flowing cheerful Dancefloor beats pushing you to move to the uplifting rhythms.

We slide right back down where we were before. Wait, this isn't the first time this has happened. However, this time it's different. Or at least... it feels different. After those magical words have been uttered, which Ian also used to open the album promo phase with on New Years by the way, we jump right back into the chaos and enjoy the second coming of this wonderful drop. Even though the structure and composition is quite similar, thanks to the added context of the vocal it does feel different. Sometimes we just need to let go of our expectations, stop overthinking things in our little distant inner chamber and just enjoy what is right in front of us.

9. Speaking In Tongues (feat. Amaryllis)

We've already gotten to the last collaboration of the album: Speaking In Tongues with none other than the amazing Amaryllis! Not only has she been an ambassador for the old-school Dancefloor sound way up above in Norway for years, she's also the artist behind the incredible artworks of the album and its singles, a web developer and just a designer in general. Not going to lie, I'm quite pumped to see new music from her, especially on Liquicity! As you might imagine from this intro, and from the fact that I'm talking about a Boxplot album here, we're in for quite an uplifting treat. The melodies all gotta go extremely fast, we're treated to a dangerously catchy high-pitched chopped up vocal melody that walks the fine line of realistic-sounding and completely artificially created, the snares cut through it all to give us that little extra smack to keep us dancing, it's all just so damn fun! We even get a little bit of half-time for the second drop, before the duo takes us back to the warp speed we were used to. If anyone misses old/classic Liquicity sounds, give this one a listen, you won't regret it.

10. Interlude (Resolve)

Alright guys, one last stop. Put on your most soothing cassette tape, and close your eyes for a little bit. We are on the home stretch now.

11. Leaving

Sadly, it's now time to leave. The train station is busy, the conductors or whatever the people with those whistles are called already signaled to close the doors, the plane is arriving. The metaphor is slightly mixed, but you definitely get which feeling Ian is trying to convey. Luckily, soon enough the instrumental seems to want to make clear that this about the happy kind of leaving. You're leaving home to meet up with someone you love, you're leaving home to go on that trip you always wanted to take or the festival you always wanted to visit. Of course it's all a bit scary, but the closer you get the more hype you become and once you're there you're having so much fun! You dance, you cry, you are enjoying life.

However, your time there is limited. Thoughts about having to leave soon creep up inside of you, but you push them to the side and try to make the most out of the little time you have together, right up until when you arrive back at the train station. You had so many more things to say, so many more dances to dance, so many more hugs to give. But the train is leaving.

That's the feeling this track's composition evokes in me at least. Fittingly, it's also one of the last tracks of the LP. There's only so many more tracks to listen to before we arrive at the end and this beautiful journey is over. Let's cherish the last few moments, shall we?

12. Welcome Home

One track left. We're back to where we started, the seagulls, the waves, even though it's only been an hour or so it's already kind of nostalgic. Welcome Home. This time it's different though. Sure, we're sad that our time abroad is over and we are back home again. However, our heart is still so full from all the happy memories we made along the way that we are confident that we'll be okay. We're still a little less energetic than we were before, we are still moving at half speed, but our general outlook is positive. The melodies in our head are still beautiful, whether they're coming from a piano, the signature electric guitar or one of the many dreamy synths.

It isn't until we gaze upon the sunset on our way back home that we start getting our energy back. Our inner voice is becoming encouraging. It's only a few months until we meet back up again anyway. We got plenty of other things planned, even if it has to be across one or two oceans. The planning has already started, plane tickets are bought, your already slightly positive facial expression turns into one of your widest smiles ever.

We fade out of our cathartic full-time drop back to the aforementioned shores, rounding this album off with a perfect loop.

Conclusion

Man, what an album.

He has already proven it countless of times before, but Boxplot has shown it once more that he is just absolutely untouchable when it comes to emotional storytelling, especially in this format. Sure, there's other tracks that go for the emotional hook, but absolutely no one does it as consistently perfect as he does. Not only can I just perfectly imagine a ton of emotional storylines in my head for literally every track on here, so many tunes on this magnificient album also manage to completely immerse me in these worlds he has created with his production. The fact that he managed to cause all of this emotional turmoil in me with barely any vocals makes it even more impressive to me. I'm always up for emotional music and this is the right album for exactly that. I still can't get over the god damn intro track.

It's not just a great album to cry to though, there's also just so much fun to be had on here! He really took that early 2010s Netsky-ish Dancefloor energy and made it completely his own. I know he's done that for quite a while now, but he really seems to have perfected it on this album. Everything is punchier, with even higher energy and a neverending supply of emotions.

It's quite hard to choose favourites here, because the album is just so consistently good, but I'm still going to attempt it: First up Human Again (obviously), due to the fact that I haven't felt emotions like that in quite some time and especially not in a DnB track, then Why Try, because I still haven't gotten enough of that auditory blanket on my soul, and lastly Only Us, for the sheer energy it is emitting in its production and also because I love that vocal chopping action way too much.

In short: World-class emotional storytelling, wrapped into the absolute most fun kind of classic Dancefloor, with fantastic production all the way through. Very very strong contender for album of the year for me.