n retrospect, it may have been counterintuitive to request an interview from an anonymous Producer/DJ as big as Tripp St, but I did it anyway. It quickly became clear that there would be no sit down interview where sly curveball questions could be sprinkled into casual conversation. My questions about how he began his career at the top of festival lineups while also landing a spot on Clozee's 2020 Neon Jungle remix album would go unanswered. The Tripp St. team made it clear there would be no questions about Tripp St.'s identity but allowed us to ask him a few questions over email.

When I first heard Tripp St's debut mix and album, I was instantly intrigued. After Bassnectar and Space Jesus got rightfully canceled, main stage dubstep never really sat well with me. It could have been the heavy partying that is usually associated with main stage dubstep but the sound felt tainted by these ugly predators. Tripp St.'s creative flow, diverse sound, and ingenuity showed me that uptempo bass music can still be fun.

Then my mind began to reel, I really wanted to figure out who Tripp St. was. With songs like The Dojo, I thought it was Tipper (I’ve always had a fantasy of finding a secret Dave project but it's basically a pipe dream). Then after listening to songs like Livin and I Am Back, I thought it was Pretty Lights (although DVS announced his comeback). But wait! There are also many downtempo Tripp St songs like Increase and This Is Me that make his identity hard to tie down. The several conflicting theories on reddit don't help.

I realized that trying to find Tripp St's identity was a rabbit hole I didn't want to go down but the question remained about how he gained so much notoriety in the bass scene in such a small time frame. Tripp St's career began in the pandemic and his debut set was a headliner at the Summereyes Digital Festival in July 2020 alongside Truth, ILL.Gates, Chee, Mersiv and more. That same lineup had straight up legends in the bass scene such as Vinja, Goopsteppa, Toadface and many more. They're names were all the the way down at the bottom of the flier.

Tripp St.'s first release, which was the Clozee remix, soon followed and then it was announced that he would be going on tour with Clozee in March 2021. Have you ever heard of an artist that started their career on so many high notes with only one mix released? It's almost as if the entire bass music industry was supporting Tripp. St's career. Let's remember kids, it's called the "music industry" for a reason and according to an April 2023 report, the EDM industry was evaluated at 11.3 billion dollars. My worst nightmare would be the big wigs profiting from our weekend getaways sponsoring their own anonymous artist to lower their talent buying costs. This would also be a way for condemned producers to make some money ghost producing but this is why people call me paranoid.

This is all conjecture but the same thing is happening with Cool Customer, except he's not anonymous. His debut set was at Secret Dreams in 2022 and now he's headlining Cervantes in Denver... It seems odd to me but this exponential rate of fame could just be the new wave of the music industry.

We sent a few questions to Tripp St. before his headline show at the Cascade Festival Pre-Party at The Get Down in Portland, Oregon and this is what he had to say.

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PA: What's your favorite thing about being an anonymous Producer/DJ?

Tripp St.: Being anonymous allows me to stay private in my personal life while also getting to live the life of an artist. I get to go into the crowd without being recognized and just be a fan. I never want to lose that.

‍PA: What's your reasoning behind it?

Tripp St.: I think that in this era of social media, being an artist sometimes is all about your looks, followers, and all that stuff. The Mask to me is my "anti" movement against that idea. The mask just adds interest to the music I’m making and the music is what this is all about.

PA: Any downsides?

Tripp St.: Not really honestly - it definitely has made my journey easier on me in fact. I think it would be harder being more public.

PA: When did Tripp St. start?‍

Tripp St.: My project started the same week the pandemic started and I didn’t even know if I was going to play on a stage ever again. The anonymous thing was an idea based off that situation, but I'm so glad we decided to continue with the anonymity even after the pandemic

PA: What artists are impressing you nowadays?

Tripp St.: The Sponges are making some of my favorite house music right now. I listen to them often. Maxfield is one of my favorite artists out there. He’s been working on a new album that’s going to be amazing. Some amazing artists that I think more people need to hear are: Chez, Alejo, Mikayli, Comisar, Bread Winner, Miilk, lster, Walk_ill, Kuhlin, and Smokestax

PA: How did you develop the Tripp St. sound?

Tripp St.: I'm a fan of good music regardless of the genre. My mom was always putting me on to good music as a kid and she’s the reason why I’ve remixed so many classic records. Im really grateful not to be boxed in to a particular genre. I just want to do what I like and have fun with it.

‍PA: What is the future for Tripp St.?

Tripp St.: I have an EP coming out on SSKWAN on July 13th, called "The Rose". The title is inspired by Tupac’s poem 'The Rose that Grew From Concrete.' It's something inspirational that holds a lot of meaning to me, and I think about his words a lot when I’m trying to accomplish something, including this EP. After that, I have a brand new full length album coming out on Odyzey late this summer. I can't say much more right now, but I am really looking forward to giving the fans Album #3

After reading his answers, I realized Tripp St.'s decision to be anonymous was a way to focus our attention on the music. He opened the show in Portland with his new Led Zeppelin remix, which is a testament to the inventiveness that Tripp St. is bringing to the scene right now. He was supported by an energetic Josh Teed and local Merricat Black. During the show, Tripp St.'s interesting situation dawned on me. He's playing to audiences all around the country that have definitely heard his music before but never seen him live. He's meeting his fanbase everywhere he goes because anyone who has their pulse on the bass music scene should have heard of Tripp St. Check out his new Gallery of Sound EP and be on the look out for his multiple upcoming releases including a collab album with Maxfield.

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