In the wake of Monstercat artist Julian ‘Slushii’ Scanlan getting a stunning Hades skin in Hi-Rez Studios’ SMITE, we caught up with the budding electronic artist to chat all things gaming.
When it comes to video games, we all love a cool-looking skin. When it comes to SMITE, there’s a whole host of amazing skins to choose from, but the Monstercat Battle Pass really took cosmetics to a new level.
One of the artists featured is electronic musician, Slushii, whose new single Valhalla was the promotional campaign’s piece de la resistance.
In order to get some insight into the method behind the neon-colored madness, Dexerto caught up with the star to chat about gaming, SMITE and the anti-bullying message behind Valhalla’s music video.
Not only does Slushii’s single ‘Valhalla’ look cool, but it has an amazing underlying message.
From Tetris to SMITE
From the outset, Slushii’s collaboration with Hi-Rez’s iconic MOBA had fans on the edge of their seats, but it turns out even the man himself was excited to become a part of gaming history.
“I’ve been gaming for as long as I can remember,” he told Dexerto. “Gaming culture is as big in my life as music is. Exploring worlds, being creative, there’s so much crossover.
“I love Tetris and Apex Legends. I’ve been playing a lot of games on Switch lately, which I take with me everywhere. It’s perfect for long plane trips while on tour.”
This interest in gaming made SMITE the perfect opportunity for him. “When discussing the opportunity with Monstercat, I knew I had the perfect song for SMITE – Valhalla. I had already titled it before working with them, so it’s almost like the universe was sending a sign to work with them.”
And boy are we thankful for those subliminal messages, otherwise we wouldn’t have that absolutely insane Hades skin in-game.
Hailing from the fires of hell, Slushii’s Hades skin is here to start the party.
Slushii Hades: A SMITE skin to knock ’em dead
While many would choose the likes of Zeus or Odin as their character of choice, Slushii clearly prefers to live life on the edge. With Hades being his God of choice, the neo-futuristic design of the Slushii Hades skin is a joy for cyberpunk-style fans everywhere.
“I had to have the most epic character of course!” he exclaims, noting that “I even got to work with their devs to ‘trick out’ the Hades character and really make it feel like I was in the game.”
“I wanted to seamlessly combine the badass elements of the SMITE Gods with the look and feel of my Slushii brand. Something that SMITE hardcore players would appreciate as part of the game, but was still distinctly me.”
This electronic-inspired skin just screams Slushii. With its bright colors and underground feel, it’s pretty clear that the devs slayed the game with this one!
But what about Valhalla?
With soaring, anthemic sounds and a beat drop so monstrous it would made the King of Hell himself crack a smile, Valhalla exudes power and triumph. Alongside this grandiose, though, the music video (as seen above) has a clear anti-bullying message.
“I’m pretty ‘different’ myself and have experienced bullying and negative attitudes my entire life,” he confesses. “Gaming and the community around gaming has always been a positive and supportive outlet for me, so it was incredible to be able to create something meaningful like this, and I hope it resonates with others who feel ‘different.’”
With previous experience showing off his musical prowess in titles like Fortnite and Rocket League, much of Slushii’s success harkens back to the gaming community he’s so involved with. As the world continues to be marred with restrictions, the 24-year-old sees virtual musical experiences as the way forward.
“I think we’ve only scratched the surface of music integrations into gaming,” he states. “AR, NFTs, and meta-verse stuff is where things are going to get really interesting. Once the music industry figures out how to take full advantage of audio NFTs things could get wild.”
For our favorite Monstercat artist, the sky isn’t the limit.
From the picturesque vistas of Fortnite, to the Battleground of the Gods, Slushii has cemented himself as one of the first artists to truly blend his musical creativity with his passion for gaming.
As the lines between gaming and the professional music industry continue to blur, we can’t wait to see which title he chooses to conquer next.