[INTERVIEW] Gl0bal Shares His Debut LP 'Judgement Day', the Meaning Behind His Project, + More

Spreading his one-of-a-kind exotic sound across electronic music, Canadian artist Gl0bal, also known as Mickhel Patterson, has become a lead member of the bass community. This experimental DJ and producer is known for his ability to melt trap, bass, dubstep, drill, and other genres together. 2019 was major breakout year for Gl0bal as he debuted on Flux Pavilion's label, Circus Records, with his Insomnia EP. Since then, Gl0bal has racked up more than three million streams on Spotify alone. Gl0bal's newest venture is his debut album, Judgement Day. He has linked up with iEDM had the chance to discuss with GI0balin regards to the cutting-edge soundscapes of this compilation and his overall project.

Check out iEDM’s exclusive interview with Gl0bal and his debut LP Judgement Day below.

iEDM: What is the story behind coming up with the name Gl0bal? What does it mean to you and how does it reflect your identity as an artist?

Gl0bal: That’s a good question, Gl0bal actually came up from my initials in a weird way - my initials in my family are MAP. I always moved around as a kid and interacted in a variety of different circles so I thought something to do with travel and being diverse would make sense. DJ maps sucked so I came up with Gl0bal instead. The name is super broad so I can really blend as many genres as I want which is important to me.

iEDM: You have been known to fuse trap, bass, dubstep, and other genres together. What advice or techniques would you give to upcoming producers who want to strengthen their skills in blending genres? 

Gl0bal: My advice to any upcoming producer would be to really find the sounds or style of music that you like and don’t be afraid to give your own take on that sound. If you find that you’re enjoying making that style remember you’re writing music because you enjoy the creative process. The moment you put yourself in a box I think you'll end up limiting yourself. 

iEDM: What was the hardest challenge you faced when cultivating your signature style and how did you overcome it?

Gl0bal: The hardest challenge for me was hearing how my sound “did not fit”. My first gut reaction was to change but at the end of the day, I’m not looking to fit in. I’m trying to be the best Gl0bal I can be and as long as I’m happy with the end product that’s good for me, which ultimately had fans loving it. 

iEDM: How did you create the echoing and light drumming sequence in the opening of your 2022 single “Demon Hours”? Why do you think it complements Big Jest’s vocals so smoothly?

Gl0bal: A lot of my sounds are very cinematic and I’ve downloaded gigs and gigs of horror/movie sequences which I love to play around with. A lot of those creepy vocals were a mix of me combining a few different choir vocals I resampled and the drums I created based on my love for the drill sound.

Someone like Big Jest needs a decent amount of room to do his thing so I didn’t want to keep the intro too busy and allow him to help me bring up the energy. 

iEDM: What inspired the bass-fueled drop in “Demon Hours”? Which production methods did you use to switch things up and keep listeners on their toes?

Gl0bal: “Demon Hours” is really a product of my weird brain. I knew I wanted to create a drill record that has a heavy trap drop. The record started out as a pure drill record with no drop or build-up, and I had a find a way to mash them together which is where you hear the switch-up during the build into the drop. The tough part actually was convincing a rapper to trust me because this type of style hasn’t been done before so a rapper hearing it for the first time would be put off by it. Luckily Big Jest heard what I was going for right away and delivered as expected.

iEDM: Why do you think so many of your tracks are a good fit for Excision’s SUBSIDIA imprint? In your opinion, what is the overall vibe of the label?

Gl0bal: Excision loves a lot of my downtown trap and I think what he enjoys about my music in particular is how “weird” it is. Tons of Excision fans love that wobbly weird wonky music and the overall vibe of the label, in my opinion, is freedom. As an upcoming artist if you have a solid sound regardless of the “style” there’s a high chance you’d fit on Subsidia. 

iEDM: What did it mean to you to be nominated for Western Canada’s Electronic Artist of the Year in 2022? What effect did this recognition have on your self-confidence and pride behind Gl0bal?

Gl0bal: It was awesome to receive that nomination because it was further confirmation that I am going in the right direction. Most artists would admit that this ride is extremely up and down mentally and to have a nomination like this was pretty cool. 

iEDM: How did you make the buildups in your new single “Pain”? Why is it so important to increase a song’s energy before the drop and how were you able to tie the buildups in “Pain” into the drops?

Gl0bal: Like most of my songs, my focus for “Pain” was to create the most cinematic high-energy experience. So I asked Armanni to start rapping during the hook as if he was in pain as we built up the song and I would take care of the rest. On my end, my focus was to keep it mysterious but high energy at the same time. So I added a pretty cool pluck synth which sort of sounds like a flute to give it that “creepy” vibe. My focus for the build-up was to have my drums & risers sound like someone was getting ready to run into a wall.

iEDM: What were some of the highlights when working with Armanni Reign on “Pain”? What sparked this collab and the idea for the name of the track?

Gl0bal: Working with Armanni was awesome. He's always been super supportive of my music and I reached out to him and mentioned that I had an idea for a track called “Pain”. The moment I sent him the demo of an idea I had he already had his verse written out it was ridiculous. 

The name of the track was inspired by the album as I wanted to write a story about someone who goes through a life-changing event that would ultimately change them for the better. “Pain” is essentially chapter two of that story where the character starts to feel hurt for the first time and realizes the only way through this hurt is to fight past it. 

iEDM: “Demon Hours” and “Pain” are both off your debut album, Judgement Day. How do these tracks embrace the overarching theme of Judgement Day? What can you share in regards to this highly anticipated LP?

Gl0bal: “Demon Hours” is actually the final chapter of the Judgement Day story. At the end of the story, the main character is given the opportunity to save someone. Before this person is able to save someone they have to go into this dark “tough” persona and prepare to fight. 

Judgement Day will be exciting for a lot of fans because they will be able to listen to a full project from start and finish and essentially listen to a story as the theme of redemption develops across the album.

iEDM: You have started off 2023 red hot. What future shows, projects, or anything else would you like to hint at for your fans to look forward to?

Gl0bal: For 2023, have two pretty large official remixes I am going to release and I’m in the process of finishing two very different EP projects, one of which is another chapter in the Insomnia series. For shows, I’m in talks with promoters at the moment and working on booking tons of dates in cities I’ve never performed in, so I’m looking forward to that!

Photos courtesy of Gl0bal

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