Modal Nodes (@modalnodes.mp3) have built early momentum in bass music through a project that feels unusually defined for how new it still is. The masked duo has already been mentioned by Subtronics as a rising act to watch, created custom visuals used during his sold-out Red Rocks headline show, and released their Alone EP through INFEKT’s Port Zero imprint.
Their collaboration with INFEKT on “INFECTED,” along with international bookings at Rampage in Belgium and Northern Invasion in Montreal, points to a project moving quickly without feeling thrown together.
That matters because anonymity in electronic music can easily become a shortcut, especially when the visual identity gets more attention than the music production behind it. Modal Nodes feel different because the mask, visuals, rollout, and sound design all seem to be part of the same system.
With “Destiny” and “Jawa Dub,” the duo continues building around a clear bass-focused identity, using heavy sound design and tightly controlled presentation to create something that can travel across both online communities and live stages.
In the interview below, Modal Nodes talk about AI, speed, and the pressure artists feel when finished ideas can appear faster than ever. Their answers are blunt: AI can generate a full EP concept in minutes, but that does not mean the result will be worth caring about.
Instead, they point back to direction, creative limitation, and steady progression, arguing that artists are better served by protecting the larger vision than by treating music like a race they might lose.
Interview With Modal Nodes
Since AI entered the creative conversation, how has the pressure around speed and output changed for artists?
We do not think it has changed anything, honestly. You can generate a whole EP concept within minutes using AI, but it is going to suck, and so many artists will recognize that.
Music, to a lot of people, is a passion and something they want to feel proud of. Artists recognize that AI will not get you there.
When polished ideas can appear as fast as they do, how should artists think about the value of time spent in the studio?
The value of time in the studio should be determined by what you achieve.
Art made fast or slow is still art, and sometimes things just come along quickly depending on what you are working on, the problems you face in that project, and how you go about overcoming them.
In a faster creative culture, what should artists protect first: attention, taste, patience, or direction?
Personally, artists should protect direction. Within the realm of social media today, you do not need to have a direction anymore, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
But direction should be protected. Having a creative vision for the whole project and letting that guide the type of music you end up making can lead to some really cool things.
What helps producers stay grounded when every tool is built to speed things up?
Creative limitation. All of our material is made within Reason Rack, and it has allowed us to create some incredible sounds that you otherwise would not be able to make in anything else.
Using it does come with its caveats, and overcoming those problems has helped us achieve the sound we have today.
Faster access to ideas sounds great, but why can it also make artists feel behind? Do you think this pressure is justified or warranted?
The pressure that artists feel is justified 100%, but we do not think that comes from AI or anything like that.
Making music is not an easy thing to do, and it is really easy to feel like you are behind. In reality, there is no race. There is no seat at the table or slot you might miss out on because you did not do something fast enough.
When you keep progressing, opportunities will open themselves up to you, and that will come naturally through progression.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
