Undefined Beats: A Close-Up On Detroit’s Own Gosh Pith

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A blend of psychedelic, spell-binding beats and hypnotizing vocals, the Detroit duo of Gosh Pith is expanding their own self-proclaimed genre with each mesmeric release. Performing at the Masonic Temple’s Grizmas this Saturday with Griz, Odesza and Will Sessions, open-minded vibers from all over metro Detroit will gather to witness the eccentric sound of Gosh Pith, an act that is on the verge of taking flight.

Made up of duo Josh Smith and Josh Freed, the two have roots that go back to 1999 when they met on a camping trip in Ontario. The two linked up again in 2009, and they’ve been dropping beats together ever since.

“We made rap music. Deep underground stuff. Josh [Smith] has always written songs though, and I’ve always been into all sorts of music production,” Freed said. “Before we knew it we had sort of transitioned into the music we make today.”

The uniquely on-point sound of Gosh Pith they self-define as “cosmic trap.”

“We call it cosmic trap because there’s no real good name for it. The trap – well, the streets have been good to us,” Smith said. “It’s like the white part of an orange between the orange and the peel,” hence, where the name of the bad derives from.

Gosh Pith released two new songs recently. The nationally acclaimed “Waves” with its inimitable vocals and smooth beats (we’ve embedded the video below), along with “Smoke Bellow,” that the two define as a “calmed down raver’s anthem” that serves as an entrancing lure emitting nothing but pure ecstasy.

“It’s like we wear J’s and gold chains, and we meditate and we listen to hip hop and also hits from blues and classic pop songs, and then we put it in a blender and put a bunch of whiskey in it,” Smith said. They cite influences by other performers like Rae Sremmurd, Yellowman, and Peter Green.

The studio, set up in their home in Detroit, serves as the think tank and hangout for the two and their crew where they spend nearly every day together. “We’ve always lived together since we linked up. It allows us to just be on the same page mentally and just make music,” Freed said.

Gosh Pith definitely has some more great stuff in the works, and are stoked to be invited to perform with Griz. The two used to make tunes with him back around 2009 – 2010 at Michigan State University before he started touring, but this will be their first live performance with Griz and the rest of the legendary lineup.

Looking ahead they say we can anticipate a new song soon, which is a collaboration with 777Tez who is also from Detroit, along with an EP to be released in 2015. The duo is also psyched to have 20 shows booked around the midwest for a tour in the next coming months, with shows ranging from Brooklyn to a house party in Marquette in the thick of winter.

With all of the upcoming and epic productions that Gosh Pith has coming up, the hype is by no means about to die down. Check out their Soundcloud page here.

1 comment
  • Love these guys!! Really looking forward to seeing them and the whole grizmas production on Saturday ! #doitfordetroit

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