KETHER

Back in 2008, KETHER was the collaborative project of pioneering West Coast producers Tim Hauser (Ruff Hauser) and Stephan Jacobs. Emerging from the Los Angeles underground electronic music scene, the duo developed many of their early roots performing at legendary events like Space Island, where they helped shape a new wave of forward-thinking bass music. Together they wrote, produced and crafted immersive soundscapes that blurred the line between the organic and the electronic. Built with a combination of analog hardware and digital tools, KETHER developed a distinctive live sound that was as atmospheric as it was forward-thinking. Jacobs and Hauser described their approach as an exploration of "intermingling melodic and sub-sonic frequencies," creating expansive sonic spaces designed to immerse listeners on both an emotional and cerebral level. KETHER carved out a genre of its own, seamlessly blending elements of minimal, dubstep, IDM, breaks, and glitch into a sound that helped define an era of West Coast bass music. Over the years, Tim and Stephan naturally shifted their focus to new creative projects, but their friendship and collaboration have remained as strong as ever. Today they work together almost daily as co-founders of MIDI Lab, continuing to push the boundaries of music technology. While KETHER has been on hiatus, the project still holds a special place in both of their hearts and could always return for the right nostalgic moment.