ISOKNOCK, the collaborative duo between modern electronic music pioneers ISOxo and Knock2, are redefining the parameters of their genre. After meeting at the San Diego County Fair as young teenagers (while performing at the same local stage), the San Diego-natives struck an immediate connection, forming a bond defined by a shared desire to shake-up the foundations of dance music. The two producers have nurtured their ISOxo and Knock2 projects while fortifying their collaborative identity through the ISOKNOCK moniker. As they’ve ascended as individuals – playing packed-out renegade shows, performing at major international music festivals, and collaborating with icons such as Skrillex and RL Grime – they’ve also run through multiple iterations of ISOKNOCK. Starting as a SoundCloud guest mix in 2019, the duo project has recently culminated with four consecutive sold out shows at the Shrine Auditorium last fall, their Sahara Tent-closing set at this year’s Coachella, as well as two sold out sets at Seattle’s WAMU Theater and Brooklyn’s Under The K Bridge in May.
Today, ISOKNOCK maintain that unceasing momentum with their new single ‘SMACK TALK,’ the duo’s first official track together since 2019’s “RADIAL” and a collaboration with trap innovator RL Grime. It’s a fitting team-up for the milestone release, as RL Grime has been an ardent champion of the two artists for years, having released ‘“’RADIAL’”’ on his Sable Valley imprint, taken them on Sable Valley tours, featured ISOxo on his 2023 album, and gone b2b with Knock2 for a festival-highlight set at this year’s Ultra Music Festival. Listen to ‘SMACK TALK’ here.
Kicking off with harrowing hymnal chants, ‘SMACK TALK‘ slowly builds with orchestral percussion elements and extra-terrestrial sound design. The track then transitions into a blazing, rage beat-inspired synth chord progression – a heart-pumping section complemented by a bed of distortion and futuristic, arpeggiated synth melodies. The song then begins another build, combining an infectious vocal sample with propulsive rhythms before dropping into hardstyle kickdrums that quickly give way to the song’s monstrous trap beat.
