XI

XI is the alias of Christian Anderson, an up-and-coming Toronto, ON producer working in the same post-dubstep vein as fellow bass-steppers Joy Orbison, Pangaea and Ramadanman. "Gamma Rain," XI's tenth single since 2008, sees XI honing his style into a restrained blend of hip-hop tempos, chaos-pad synths and head-turning horn inflections. B-side "Medicate" slows down the tempo even further, injecting an undercurrent of rumbling bass into the proceedings. With a busy 2010 behind him and UK trendsetters like Fact Magazine picking him as a producer to watch, this young Torontonian, who infuses the city's long and underrepresented drum & bass history into his productions, is about to catch the same wave out of the T-Dot as Egyptrixx, Azari & III, and Art Department before him. Gamma Rain isn't jaw-dropping work just yet, but it bears all the indications of a talent with the potential to get there soon.