Genre-blending producer/DJ Gromo wants to take listeners on a journey.
The New York-based artist – who’s studied at NYU’s prestigious Clive Davis Institute, traveled the world playing Ultra events in Miami, Europe, and throughout Asia, and collaborated with artists such as pop singer Rhea Raj and producer/singer-songwriter HUSH – has crafted a sprawling electronic sound informed by a diverse passion for all different kinds of art.
As an infant, Gromo was adopted from Guatemala before being raised in New York City where his family introduced him to an eclectic library of music. This early music education helped him cultivate a varied musical taste, but his artistic evolution was just beginning. Gromo’s subsequent loves for hard rock and heavy metal bands such as AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot and System of a Down; gritty 90s New York hip-hop such as Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan; dubstep legends like Skrillex; and genre films solidified in him the desire to translate visceral emotions and narratives in his production.
Now, Gromo is gearing up to release his ‘The Vortex’ EP – a five-track package that pays homage to horror and science fiction movies, pushes the producer’s sound into new sonic terrain, and tells a deeply personal story.
Gromo battled with mental health struggles during the creation of this project, and wanted this new music to be an escape for others to help heal themselves within, while still reflecting his true artistic identity. As a result, he’s crafted an immersive, cinematic, genre-traversing EP filled with deep emotional resonance.
Listeners can get their first taste of ‘The Vortex’ with the EP’s self-titled lead single – an epic, mesmerizing cut inspired by the films of David Cronenberg. Combining analog synths (specifically the Moog Sub 37 and Moog Grandmother) with sci-fi sonic textures and elements of hip-hop, dubstep, and drum n’ bass, “The Vortex” displays Gromo’s endlessly versatile production skillset.
“The Vortex” kicks off with ethereal synth pads before bringing in twinkly, extra-terrestrial synth arpeggios and a metallic pluck melody. Next, the track infuses its mix with a bouncy hip-hop drum beat and an angelic vocal, slowly building before dropping into its propulsive, trunk-rattling drum n’ bass beat and bruising, distorted dubstep bass wubs, inspired by the metal guitar riffs he grew up listening to.
Then the track brings back its central, sweetly melodic vocal refrain before fading out – an acute, lavish tone-setter for an EP that promises to deliver even more unpredictable bangers in the coming months.