Like most of my releases up to this point, I initially started Forager over a year before its release. According to a backup project file, I started it on November 2, 2022 (The day that FTX began to collapse, funny enough) - At the time, I was temporarily living in LA and working remotely for a web3 gaming project based in Saigon, Vietnam, that would soon let me go by the end of that month. It was a volatile period of my life for more personal reasons as well. None of this has anything to do with Forager, though- I can't say I drew inspiration from that chaos since I was actually focused on finishing my downtempo album Relics. Forager was probably just a demo I made on a whim, that really took shape in the Spring of this year. I just find that^ context interesting, looking back on it a year later... Stylistically, Bonobo was a primary reference in the making of Forager, especially the song "Bambro Koyo Ganda." CloZee is another artist who was more inspiring to me when I was focused on world bass music, but Forager is proof that her influence persists even as I've pivoted to more club-focused styles this year, as it's built around a kalimba loop from one of her sample packs. So not only does Forager perfectly encapsulate my stylistic evolution by combining a 4-to-the-floor groove with a broken beat and a bass lead in the final drop, it also represents a shift in how* I produce music-- By embracing the art of sampling and rejecting the notion that I need to synthesize or program every sound and loop myself. This shift has unlocked an extraordinary amount of productivity and has helped me create my best songs yet that are still authentic to the Bastion sound. However, I did create the bass lead and wrote the strings and bass line as well. Another combo of old and new techniques, blending seamlessly into a Bastion original. Forager is also special because it is the first track I'm minting on Sound.xyz! Which is very exciting. I firmly believe in the potential for web3 to help "re-price" music (the most undervalued art form today, relative to its impact on people and our society), hopefully making its creation a more reliable source of income for talented, professional musicians and artists in the years to come. By supporting this release, you are helping to make that future a reality. Thank you. ~ Bastion