In this edition of Folded Frequencies, we spotlight Andy Toomey’s bold prog-rock vision, exploring how channels of improvisation, collaboration, and genre-transcending risk coalesce into a cohesive artistic statement. As we follow Toomey’s path from Perseus Calling to his new EP Masterpiece, we tap into a deeper narrative: how creative courage can reshape sonic terrain. Let’s dive in.

🎧 Andy Toomey – Masterpiece EP

Jacksonville-based singer-songwriter Andy Toomey returns with Masterpiece, his 2025 follow-up to Perseus Calling. This time, he enlisted prog luminaries: drummer Zach Alford (sonic heavyweight behind Bowie, NIN, Psychedelic Furs) and Markus Reuter (Stick Men’s touch‑guitarist), submitting to a spontaneous, studio-first approach to songwriting  Recorded in one August weekend and mixed by Fabio Trentini, Masterpiece bursts with bold improvisational energy—infused with textures evoking Pink Floyd and Nine Inch Nails.

The improvisational chemistry among Toomey, Alford, and Reuter shines throughout the 5-song set, showcasing fearless cross‑genre ambition. The EP is a testament to creative spontaneity, harnessing raw emotion and off‑the‑cuff virtuosity to craft a deeply human prog-rock experience.

🎶 Shining 88 – Beat Killa (feat. Indigo Phoenyx)

Brooklyn’s rising collective Shining 88 team up with rapper Indigo Phoenyx for “Beat Killa,” the second single from Sergio Pt 2. The track fuses East Coast boom-bap with gritty lyricism, anchored by Phoenyx’s dynamic flow and sharp storytelling. Indigo, a rapper-journalist based in NYC, brings precise cadence and lived experience to the mic.

“Beat Killa” hones in on self‑actualization and resilience, echoing the defiant tone found throughout Phoenyx’s output—like the Forged in Fire project. Against Shining 88’s rugged, sample-heavy backdrop, her bars narrate a battle‑cry to rise above limitations—mirroring Toomey’s emotional grit in his own arena. The track’s raw energy makes it a sonic sibling to Masterpiece—both challenging norms and asserting creative authority.

🔥 DJ Krooked – Phantom of the Wax

DJ and producer DJ Krooked delivers a midnight ritual in Phantom of the Wax, a 9-track journey through subterranean beats, slowed-down breaks, and psych-rap/haze-soaked textures. Released June 6, 2025, on boutique CD (via DITCD.com) and across DSPs, the album channels crate-digging grit through collaborators Fam Ross, Audio Messiah, Daniel Son, and others.

Tracks like “Phantoms of the Wax” and “Trooper” contrast West Coast haze and East Coast aftermarket rap, grounding the feature in underground discovery. Krooked’s aesthetic—haunted, fragmented, autopsy‑sharp—parallels Toomey’s studio spontaneity and Phoenyx’s defiant lyricism. Phantom of the Wax concludes the narrative arc: vision-driven creativity that rejects polished overproduction in favor of sonic excavation.

Across these three releases, one mission pulses: artists reclaim space by burning convention. Toomey’s fearless improvisation, Shining 88 + Phoenyx’s cultural defiance, and DJ Krooked’s ritualistic underground ethos each stake territory. They’re separate worlds—prog-rock, boom-bap, psych-rap—but together, they define Folded Waffle’s core: raw culture, real urgency, and sonic truth. This is the crowd we build; this is where Folded Frequencies lives.