Get excited bassheads because today Wednesday we have something extra special for you. We got the amazing opportunity to sit down with the west coast bass music veteran Intellitard as he makes the switch to his new alias, Secret Recipe. Not only the that, but we are also premiering the very last Intellitard track to be hitting Soundcloud, as well as another brand new song off of Secret Recipe’s new album! So if you fancy yourself a bass music fan I highly suggest you stick around for this one.
Intelliard, known to his friends as Benji, has been making his glitchy, weird, thugged out bass music for about 5 years. His sound is one of those responsible for helping to create the genre that is taking on so many incredible new forms as the scene moves forward. That’s why we were so excited to do this article about this new alias, and we can bet more than a few of you feel the same way. Below, you can check out our in depth interview about all of that and more, but first take a listen to the very last Intellitard track, as well as a a brand new track from Secret Recipe’s new album.
This first track, “Tongue Tricks” just screams Intellitard. The arpegiating synths, the squishy, glitched out vocals and sound samples all working together to make for a wonderfully tripped out cruise through the west side. This final track is a perfect representation of the style we’ve come to know and love. Definitely grab this one for the archives. 
This Secret Recipe tune “Latenight Sour Patch,” on the other hand, is definitely a bit more nuanced. No wild arpeggiations permeate this one. Instead, it’s a weird, dark, robotically squished and oddly familiar jaunt through a much more refined and simplified style of Benji’s bass music. If this track is any indication of what we have too look forward to with this new alias, then we can’t wait for more. Check it out below, and don’t forget to check out our interview below that!
Interview
What was behind this shift to a new alias?
“Well, let me start by saying I’ve been going by Intellitard for almost 5 years now, and I was a lot younger when I chose to attach that to my DJ career. To be blunt, the tard in my name is pretty offensive and definitely not politically correct; and I don’t really feel the need to offend with my art. I also just feel like it’s time to move onto something more serious; a name that reflects the more evolved music that I’m making now. I’ve been releasing music as Intellitard since my music sounded terrible and I had no idea what I’m doing. I still have no idea what I’m doing but I like to think my music sounds a lot better than it used to. I’m incredibly excited to have this Secret Recipe be a project where I’m genuinely stoked on everything I’m putting out; and I think the response I’ve gotten since I started posting the new tunes a couple of weeks ago definitely reflects that this has been a worthwhile decision for me. Hopefully that clears things up for anyone who’s been wondering.
What elements if any can we expect to stick around from your previous project?
“Many of the core elements are still there, particularly in terms of sound design. There’s still a ton of sparkles, arps, gliding saw-waves, wubs, and squelches, and everything I’m making is still plenty weird, maybe even more so. I like to think that the most major difference with the new Secret Recipe music is that the music is simply a better, more complex & polished evolution of the sound that I’ve been going for. This new Secret Recipe music is more complicated and intricate, while also being more minimal and melodic all at once.”
What artists do you find yourself looking too for inspiration with these new tracks?
“I’m glad you asked that. I’d say the biggest influences to the music I’ve been making as Secret Recipe are S∆LO (R.I.P Max), Clozee, Joker, Thriftworks, and Perkulat0r. I’m also a pretty big Tipper fan, just like everyone else, but I feel like the aforementioned come out a lot in the sounds you’re gonna be hearing from me for the next little while.”
In your opinion, what is it that makes West Coast Bass music so irresistible to the larger EDM population?
“Well, if we’re just generally talking about the awesome bass music that comes from the West Coast, I’d say it just has to do with how many people are here and how much goes on in our scene. People get so much music here that they become jaded on everything, which pushes artists to constantly creating newer, weirder, and more interesting sounds. But as far as that classic West Coast Bass Music sound, it’s hard to say much besides who doesn’t love tripped out purple gangster vibes?”
What would you like to see more of as the scene moves forward?
“I would like to see more creativity as well as more attention paid to artists carving out their own unique and original sound vs. a bunch of producers and thereby a bunch of their followers jumping on a single current trend and I’ll try to do the same thing the best they can. I’d like to hear more producers pulling bits and pieces from the elements of all genres and tying that together in a way that doesn’t truly sound like anything but themselves. I’d also like to see more of this in the sets I see live. I want to hear a lot more variety and diversity and a lot less simple ratchet trap. On that note, I want to hear more dynamics and live sets too. Not everything has to be banger banger banger banger. I’d like to hear more epic transitions from melodic soundscapes to heavy, dripping wet panty droppers. I’m really picky.”
What can we look forward to from Secret Recipe in the near future?
“All sorts of fun things are lined up right now. I’ll be releasing my debut full-length album, “The Cookbook”, on Dec 3rd. I’ll be playing a release party on Dec 4th at the New Parish in Oakland with my Wormhole crew alongside Hecka, Tsuruda, and some TBA very special guests. I’ll also be opening up for Bluetech and Lusine in SF a week or so after that, and I’m now working with the Street Ritual agency so a lot more bookings are in the works for early next year. In the meantime, you can look out for remixes for Pockitz (of Love and Light), BedroomTrax, and the Electricado remix contest, as well as collabs with Pleasure, Spoken Bird, and a whole lot more. In addition the cookbook, I have releases lined up with upcoming Thaz Dope, Street Ritual, and Chillage Records compilations and a whole lot more in the works. Stay tuned.”
