DJ Muggs, the hip-hop producer (platinum albums with Cypress Hill, House of Pain’s smash “Jump Around”—plus a dozen stellar albums of collaborations in the Vs. series, as Soul Assassins and otherwise), the globetrotting hip-hop club DJ (spinning 100+ dates annually) and the experimental recording artist (2003 genre-defying album Dust). Take a breath and get ready for a new chapter in the Muggs story—and forget everything you thought you knew.

With Bass For Your Face (Ultra Music), the Los Angeles producer turns his considerable hard-won skills and discerning ear to dubstep, glitch, dub electronics in 12 original tracks featuring rising stars of hip-hop, a grime legend, a hip-hop god—but also an unknown Finnish singer discovered on SoundCloud. It’s not a typical hip-hop album, or a dubstep collection for that matter. It’s a 21st century hip-hop album built on futuristic dubstep production technique featuring rappers and vocalists operating on the leading edge of the underground. It’s safe to say it could only exist in 2013.

Bass For Your Face is a return to the underground for DJ Muggs, who hopes to connect old school beat fanatics with the raw fundamentals of drum sounds and electronic basslines. “What I tried to do was make this kind of record that real hip hop heads that aren’t really into dubstep would like, and show them the similarities that I found in some of the early dubstep stuff. The stark beats, dark minimalistic shit reminded me of the early hip-hop stuff, the T La Rock stuff, the early Mantronix productions—just kicks, snares and 808s. When I’m hearing that, it’s the same to me – it’s got the same spirit, that underground spirit.”

This is out now on Ultra Records, via iTunes.