erthboy 's approach is bass, because that’s his element. Still known to many of the OGs under his former name ANK, he has been part of the Audiotool community for an impressive 15 years. During this time, he has consistently brightened our days with punchy beats and gritty basslines while steadily refining his signature sound. It’s definitely time to dedicate a proper feature to him and take a closer look at his journey. At the latest since his placement at Audiotool Day 25, one thing has been clear: he’s not here to play games.

Interview

About: Eric AKA erthboy :

I'm Eric. Just a guy haha. I'm from St. George Utah: a half hour from Zion National Park, and two hours from Las Vegas. Growing up, there was absolutely NO music scene in St. George, however recently a few local artists have started putting on some pretty frequent bass and techno shows.

I got put onto Audiotool through my love of "those techno songs" from the Need For Speed games by artists like Pendulum, The Bloody Beetroots, and Digitalism. I was like 12 and I wanted to make those kind of songs so had my dad buy this software called Magix Music Maker 16 and I quickly learned I couldn't do much with it. Later, I was browsing apps on the Chrome App Store (when it was first introduced circa 2011) and found Audiotool there of all places! My first account was called erictheo47 but I could never get my account verified so I made ANOTHER account pretty quickly which has been named "ET-47", "BassKite", "ANK" (many variations and stylizations of that one), and now finally erthboy.

I cycle through being intrigued by many styles of electronic music as they come and go, but I'll love bass music always and forever. Some of my favorite electronic artists that influence my style most (outside of Audiotool) are Must Die!, Nitepunk, Acyan, Jawns, Animadrop, and Habstrakt. On the non-electronic side of things, some of my favorite artists are Wild Nothing, Triathalon, and other artists in the indie/dream/alt-rock vein — for those who'd like to know.

Describe the style of music you produce

I produce distorted bass music. I like hearing how low frequencies interplay with higher harmonics. I like to catch a vibe and stick with it too, but sometimes I don't know where to take it (hence, my 40+ tracks that are like 30 seconds long). My music used to be much more melodic than it is now, which I sometimes lament, but I like designing sounds and coming up with fresh things that I haven't really heard before, and I think of melodies and themes as ideas to support the "meat" of a track (which is the drop tbh lol).

What is your musical background and when did you start making music?

I've played drums since about the same time that I started producing music and I played in my high school's Jazz band. I also grew up singing in choirs and smaller performing groups, haha. I started producing music around the time I was 12.

How long have you been using Audiotool, and how did you discover it?

I've been using Audiotool for roughly 15 years. Found it on the Chrome App Store in 2011.

What is your favorite Audiotool device and why?

My favorite Audiotool device is lowkey the note splitter. It is SOOO nice to control multiple devices with one note track. It makes creating complex sounds with lots of layers SO simple and I use a lot of those types of sounds in my tracks.

What is your favourite trick in AT/What technique do you always use?

My favorite trick is probably fm from oscillator b with the heisenberg. Its the foundation of almost all of my sounds. Close second is HUGE compressor on the master haha.

Have you ever had a writer's block? If so, how did you deal with it and what do you recommend to your colleagues

Bro, idk of anybody who has had worse writer's block on this site lol jkjk (shoutout to all of audiotool's talented and dedicated producers). I have literally dissapeared from making music for years at a time though, haha. I personally deal with it by just moving on and finding another hobby for a bit. Inspiration will hit when it hits.

Plus, I've always kept making music in the realm of fun/hobby/decompression. I don't intend to push deadlines or try and profit from it, so it keeps things stress free when I can't come up with anything inspiring. I know not many people look at it that way, so I apologize for not having more universal advice on this topic.

What has helped you the most on Audiotool to improve and widen your musical horizon?

I learned pretty late (oopsie) that you can learn plenty of things from tutorials for other plugins or daws that can be applied to Audiotool. I spent a long time in my life mistakenly being an Audiotool isolationist. Once I opened up to the broader world of producing music I feel like my sound and style really took off.

What do you like most about Audiotool? Is there anything you would like to suggest?

I like the familiarity, the sample library, the versatility of the devices and signal routing mechanics, the community, and—at this point—the nostalgia of using Audiotool. I'd suggest this to you, the reader. Start taking Audiotool seriously if you are not. You can achieve almost any sound and style with Audiotool with enough practice/experimentation and that is WILD for a free, web-based daw.

Your message to the community:

Thank you for all of your support through the years. I love having this place to retreat to, where I feel at home, where I feel free to experiment, where I don't feel the pressure of pleasing listeners who don't know the ins and outs of being a creator. Thank you, community. And thank you, Audiotool team for such a life-changing platform.

Music / Social Media Links:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/erthbound

Edition Audiotool: erthboy

Track #1:

Echoes of Pulse by Head Trauma Romance and Sub4sax

HTR and Sub4sax dropped this track right at a time when I was fully in my UKG era lol. The clean mix and nice vocals made it one of the only songs from Audiotool I've ever downloaded and put into a playlist on Spotify to listen to outside of Audiotool.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/yphnrriggk3/]]

Track #2:

Outpost 7 by eratekk

If I'm not mistaken, eratekk and I have been Audiotool buddies for a little while, so HUGE shout out to him. This track was one that I heard after coming back from a little hiatus of my own and it just reminded me of what cool things can be accomplished with Audiotool, and it has been a huge inspiration to me.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/zah8ls1nv00j/]]

Track #3:

Homeless by Foster

This may as well have been a track by Burial himself when I heard it back in 2013. I was completely inspired by the deep dubstep and dark garage roots of this track (even if it wasn't that exact style). I listened to it on repeat for months because I couldn't get enough of its beauty and depth.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/homeless/]]

Track #4:

ah002 by Alex Hoffman

Alex Hoffman is a HUGE inspiration to me (btw, idk what other alt accounts my boy has had/currently has, so let me know). These tracks (this one, for example) just capture such a good vibe and they're some that I've repeatedly come back to listen to over the last few years. He's the one who inspired me to start my own ERTH### track naming scheme, haha.

[[EMBED: ah002 ]

Track #5:

THE WORST by root °

This track needs no recognition (because it was colossal when it released) but it sure deserves it. Such a slick flow (especially to the ears of a breakbeat boy like myself). I'm pretty sure this is the alt account of a very talented recognized artist but idk if I ever found out who it actually was so if that's common knowledge, feel free to insert credit in the comments haha.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/ua7qf7z7q/]]

Track #6:

Runner's High by erthboy

Runner's High is what I wish all of my tracks could be (beside the fact that there's not too much interesting sound design in this track). I feel like it's a track that manifested itself in front of me as I worked on it, it was so inspiring to me. I love its energy, the melodies still move me each time I listen to it, I'm still a breakbeat fiend even though I don't make too many breakbeat tracks, and the reasons I love this track just go on and on.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/3xnj589j/]]

Full Album

Edition Audiotool: erthboy

• a-records

3

10 hours ago

1		Echoes of Pulse Head Trauma Romance Sub4sax	Head Trauma Romance Sub4sax	852
2		Outpost 7 eratekk	eratekk	268
3		Homeless Foster	Foster	1078
4		ah002 Alex Hoffman	Alex Hoffman	268
5		THE WORST root °	root °	3124
6		Runner's High erthboy	erthboy	1324