Montreal bass producer borne returns to NIGHTMODE with “Ignite,” an explosive new collaboration with award-winning South African singer-songwriter Tasha Baxter. Out August 21, the heavyweight single combines 140 dubstep, house, and contemporary club influences with cinematic songwriting, positioning borne for another major step forward ahead of his forthcoming EP later this year.
Built around tension, atmosphere, and explosive sound design, “Ignite” opens with heartbeat-like percussion and ominous piano notes before Tasha Baxter’s delicate falsetto enters the mix. Her silky vocals create an intimate sense of anticipation, setting the stage for the track’s dramatic transformation.
That restraint doesn’t last long. As the production erupts, borne unleashes a barrage of searing synths, cavernous bass, metallic textures, gritty oscillators, and pitch-shifting sound design. Four-on-the-floor house rhythms collide with 140 dubstep weight, while baile-inspired percussion adds another rhythmic layer to the track’s increasingly chaotic energy.
The result is a record that feels simultaneously cinematic and physical, moving from atmospheric stillness into a full-scale bass assault without losing the emotional thread established by Baxter’s vocal.
“‘Ignite’ came to be after a long sound design session. After that session, I immediately got to work on an idea which later became this track,” borne explains. “Then, when finalizing the production, I was looking for a vocalist, which is where Tasha came in.”
For Tasha Baxter, the collaboration offered an opportunity to explore the emotional tension already embedded within borne’s production.
“There’s something really special about finding collaborators who speak the same emotional language and resonate on the same frequency,” she says. “borne has this incredible ability to create tension and space in his production, which gave me room to tell the story I heard inside the music.”
Baxter describes “Ignite” as a song about embracing transformation rather than resisting it, adding that she became an immediate fan after discovering more of borne’s work. The collaboration also marks her debut on NIGHTMODE, a label she praises for its distinctive aesthetic, creative direction, and forward-thinking approach to electronic music.
The new single follows borne’s March NIGHTMODE release “Can I,” which has surpassed 325,000 streams while earning coverage from Iggy Magazine, Music You Wanna Listen To, Affinity Ascension, Find Your Sounds, and Festivales Y Musica Electronica. The producer has also received radio support from artists including Zeds Dead, Kx5, Thys, Don Diablo, and Fedde le Grand.
His growing presence on the dancefloor has been reinforced by support from Casey Club, REMNANT.exe, Phrva, Flava D, and Good Times Ahead, while recent festival appearances at Nocturnal Valley and FVDED in the Park have further expanded his live profile.
borne has also continued to build an increasingly diverse collaborative catalog, working alongside Peekaboo, Taiki Nulight, WINK, and Scruffizer, while receiving co-signs from influential artists including Fred again.., Overmono, salute, and Four Tet.
The producer is now preparing for another major live moment later this year, joining Nitepunk for a highly anticipated back-to-back set at the closing party of ISOxo and Knock2’s second annual niteharts festival at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego this October. The event will feature a stacked lineup including DJ Snake, Hamdi, RL Grime, Porter Robinson, Frost Children, underscores, LYNY, ISOKNOCK, and more.
For Baxter, “Ignite” adds another notable collaboration to an already impressive catalog. Her vocals have previously appeared alongside artists including Flux Pavilion, Camo & Krooked, Dion Timmer, and Feed Me, giving her a natural connection to the heavier and more experimental side of electronic music.
Now, “Ignite” brings those worlds together. borne’s intricate sound design provides the track’s destructive force, while Baxter’s vocal performance gives it a human center. Together, they create a record that balances melodic vulnerability with uncompromising bass pressure.
“‘Ignite’ is about trusting the fire instead of fearing it, because sometimes the things that transform us are the very things we try to avoid,” Baxter explains.
Arriving as a preview of borne’s upcoming EP, “Ignite” finds the Montreal producer continuing to push beyond conventional genre boundaries while strengthening his position within the global bass music scene. It’s a collaboration built around contrast — delicate vocals against crushing low end, cinematic tension against club-ready impact — and another indication of where borne’s sound is headed next.