Track of the Week: Bromad… PS2 Nostalgia, Chinese Restaurant Raves, and the Death of “Drop-to-Drop” Mixing

Blending the aesthetics of retro video games with heavy 808s, Perth-based Trap producer Bromad is demanding that DJs let their sets breathe.

Stefan McRoberts, the producer and DJ known as Bromad, has been honing his craft for 16 years. Originally from Kilmarnock, Scotland, he moved to Perth at the age of 11 and has been a regular staple in the local bass music scene since late 2022.

When asked to describe his sonic signature, he paints a highly specific, nostalgic picture: “My sound is what would happen if a Playstation 2 and an 808 Drum Machine had a baby”.

We sat down with Bromad to discuss his intense preparation methods, throwing a sold-out rave inside a Chinese restaurant, and his heavy new Trap release.

🎮 Building the PS2 Sound

Bromad’s sound has evolved significantly over the years. In the past, his tracks drew heavily from pop influences, resulting in future bass and R&B records like his collab ‘Either Way’. However, since he started playing regular live shows in 2022, he has fully embraced that Trap music is where he makes his absolute best work, leaning into a more “DJ friendly” structure.

A massive chunk of his creative inspiration comes directly from video games. “It’s an artform that brings such an immersive and interactive approach to storytelling,” he explains. “I always make my best work when I’ve just finished a game I’ve really enjoyed”.

He pairs this with a unique production approach, currently experimenting with running recorded vocals through Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig. “I think the sound of a vocal being thrashed through a ‘guitar amp’ gives it such a unique sound and such a warm tone and character,” he notes.

🛑 The “ADHD” Mixing Epidemic

As a self-proclaimed “serial set prepper,” Bromad meticulously plans his live shows. He crate-digs, arranges his tracks by BPM and key, and uses rekordbox to flawlessly bridge the gaps… only freestyling if he feels he is losing the crowd.

Because of this dedication to the craft, he has a major hot take regarding a current trend in the global scene.

“A trend that needs to die is this ‘drop to drop to drop’ style of mixing,” he states. “It’s so ADHD coded. The whole reason a song has a ‘build up’ is because what you’re building up is anticipation and suspense and the only way you can let your audience feel that anticipation is by pacing your sets more and letting the songs breathe.”. He warns that constantly mixing drop-to-drop ruins the audience’s chance to process what they’ve just heard, causing the set to get boring incredibly fast.

🥟 Boiling the Chinese Restaurant

That understanding of pacing and crowd control led to his absolute favourite gig to date: throwing a multi-genre rave at Billy Lee’s Chinese Restaurant in mid-2023.

Filling out the entire upstairs floor shoulder-to-shoulder, the energy was unmatched. “It put the ‘boil’ in Boiler Room,” he recalls. “That crowd was absolutely nuts, every single drop that played I was genuinely worried we were gunna fall through the floor. Plus how many DJs get to say they played a sold out rave in a Chinese Restaurant?”.

🔊 Track of the Week: RAIZE EM UP! (feat. Wesley Black)

Our Track of the Week is Bromad’s brand new Trap anthem, RAIZE EM UP!.

The hardest part of the process was getting the vocals to sit exactly right in the mix, but after nailing Wesley Black’s vocal chain, the track finally crossed the finish line. Defying expectations, the massive brass instruments in the track aren’t Splice samples. Bromad built them from scratch using NI Kontakt. Combined with a Serum 2 drop and his signature Guitar Rig 7 vocal distortion, it’s a verified weapon.

⚡ Bromad Quickfire

🔌 Pass the Aux

We ask every feature guest to answer a question left by the previous interviewee.

Incoming Question from IKIGAI:

“What was the biggest mistake/accident that you’ve made?”

Bromad:

“Leaving the spiral effect on the mixer on for half of the drop without realising was a very quick way to humble myself. Oops.”

Outgoing Question for the Next DJ:

“If the DJ playing after you was your mortal enemy, what would you do to the decks before they play to try and trip them up?”

Listen to the track on Spotify

Follow Bromad: [Instagram Link]