Ipswich’s alternative music scene is about to get heavier, with emerging artist R-10 preparing to launch his first full-length album after more than two years of writing, producing and experimenting with his distinctive blend of electronic bass music and metal.
The artist, whose name is Rio and performs under the R-10 moniker, joined West Bremer Radio’s Get Your Arts Into Gear ahead of the release of Low Life, describing the album as the culmination of years spent developing his sound.
“It’s been a bit of a long time coming, to say the least — at least two-plus years in the making,” R-10 said.
“It’s the first full-length project I’ve released, so I’m really excited for it.”
Bass music meets metal
Putting R-10’s music into one genre isn’t particularly easy.
His own description is “bass music meets metal”, combining the heavy electronic sounds commonly heard in clubs and festivals with elements drawn from metal and other darker musical styles.
R-10 pointed to artists including Skrillex as an influence on the electronic side, while Massive Attack and Portishead helped inspire some of the darker undertones of his work.
He also draws inspiration from composer and producer Mick Gordon and modern metal bands including Bring Me the Horizon.
“Combining it with other heavy genres like metal, it’s been done before, but I’m just trying to put my own spin on it,” he said.
Rather than sticking to one influence, Low Life has become something of a musical love letter to the different sounds and artists that have shaped R10’s development.
“A lot of the tracks have been kind of taken as inspiration from a bunch of different places,” he said.
R-10 said the bass music scene had a different profile depending on where listeners were located.
While the genre could have a significant festival presence in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, he described Australia’s scene as sitting somewhere between mainstream and underground.
However, he said its local following had grown rapidly during the past five years.
Ipswich venues including Banshees Bar and Artspace had also provided opportunities for heavier and alternative styles of music to find an audience.
Free Ipswich launch for ‘Low Life’
R-10 will officially celebrate the album with a free launch event at Wild Time Farm Cafe, located behind the former Dancing Bean site in Ipswich Central.
The event begins at 7pm on Wednesday, with no admission charge.
Rather than staging a formal concert-style launch, R-10 described the night as a relaxed opportunity for people to get together and hear the new album.
“Completely free entry for anyone who just happens to roll by,” he said.
“It’ll just be kind of a chill hangout, listen to the album.”
Collaborations stretch beyond Australia
Low Life also represents one of R-10’s most collaborative projects.
The album includes artists from Australia and overseas, drawing on musical connections he has developed since first beginning to produce music.
Among them is a collaboration involving fellow artist Damien Johnson, whose work with R-10 has already received airplay through West Bremer Radio’s Sounds of the City.
Another recent collaborator is Mitch, who performs as Hostile Architect, bringing a grittier industrial sound to the project.
R-10 has also worked with producers and rappers from the United States, including artists with connections to the “nerd rap” scene, where songs can draw inspiration from video games, television programs, movies and other existing fictional worlds.
Those collaborations allowed him to introduce further lyrical and musical variety across the album.
A lockdown hobby that stuck
R-10’s musical journey began around the start of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic left people spending considerably more time at home.
He found himself listening to more music than ever and eventually decided to try producing it himself.
“I was just listening to music of all kinds, kind of more than I ever had at that point,” he said.
“I was just thinking, ‘Yeah, why not? I can give it a go.’”
Unlike some of the other interests he experimented with during that period, music stuck.
Around five or six years later, that experimentation has developed into his first full-length album.
‘Skin and Bones’ pushes the boundaries
While picking a favourite song from an album can be difficult, R-10 said his current choice was Skin and Bones, the album’s opening track.
The song features Turkish singer Mia Lenker and gave R-10 an opportunity to push his genre-blending approach further.
“I tried to kind of push the envelope a little bit as far as how much I could get away with fusing two vastly different genres together,” he said.
“But it’s got some of my favourite writing that I’ve done.”
He also praised Lenker’s contribution to the track, saying he was particularly excited for audiences to finally hear it.
Album heading to streaming services
For those unable to attend the Ipswich launch, Low Life will also be released online under the R-10 name.
R-10 said the album would be available across major streaming platforms, Bandcamp and YouTube, with the possibility of limited physical releases being explored for the future.
Further live performances are also being considered, including a potential appearance around Ipswich CBD and Banshees later in the year, although those plans were yet to be confirmed.
R-10 said he hoped to pursue more performance opportunities heading into 2027.
After more than two years of putting Low Life together, Wednesday night’s launch will mark a significant milestone for the Ipswich artist — and introduce local audiences to an emerging sound built on heavy bass, metal and a willingness to experiment.
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