Gila Strikes A Perfect Balance On His New Shed Skin Part 9 EP

In the past couple years, Denver producer Gila (formerly known as Gila Monsta) has made a name for himself with dark, downtempo instrumentals for rap act Gorgeous Children, and faded Gucci Mane remixes. In November, his track "Handz On A Hardbody" was featured on the newest XL Recordings compilation record XL Chapter VI, alongside tunes from Zomby, Kaytranada, Novelist, and Mumdance. "It's a total honor to be featured on the compilation," Gila told The FADER over email. "They're a world-class label that I'm excited to work with more in the future."

Today, Gila unveils his new EP, Shed Skin Part 9, a collection of instrumentals that re-contextualize Southern trap elements like deep 808 bass and stinging hats by placing them in new industrial atmospheres with Eastern influences. Throughout, he strikes a perfect balance between tough and delicate elements: "Pocketful of Vision" pairs chunky vocal samples with metal marimba plinks, while "Trench Summonings" layers chimes, crunchy synths, soothing ooo's, and clinking coin samples. "This music is the only remnant of my life's work after the untimely death of my hard drive," Gila told us. "I'm as proud to share it as I am eager to move on to the next project."

Stream Shed Skin Part 9 below, and catch him on Benji B's BBC Radio 1 show next week.