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We catch up with electronic dance sensation and one of SA’s top exports “Haezer” about his new EP “The Wrong Kid Died’ and his upcoming European tour:
Since the release of your EP “The Wrong Kid Died” in August what have fans reactions been like?
It’s been great… I thought my fans would need some time to warm up to the EP, but right from the first preview to the teasers and then finally the release the response has been very good. I guess people are just excited to hear something new.
You have mentioned that the EP was very different from anything that you had done before. Explain why you decided to change things up and what would you say is the biggest difference?
It happened very naturally. As an artist you’re always looking for new inspiration and different sounds and also listening to different genres than what you make. I pretty much locked myself in my studio for two months and just made music. I didn’t try and make it sound like anything specific and didn’t limit myself to just making the dirtiest beats I can think of. If a pretty melody came to mind like in ‘Stars’ I just went with it and just kept on working on the tracks until I felt they were finished. All I knew was that I wanted to create an EP that’s a step up in production to my older works and I wanted it to stand out from the rest of the trash electro releases. Diversity and texture was also very important for me.
You worked with artists like Tumi (Tumi and the Volume), Francois van Coke and Hunter Kennedy of Fokofpolisiekar, Mike Zietsman of PH FAT and Evil Boy from Die Antwoord. How did you choose who you wanted to work with and why?
I didn’t have to think too much about who will feature. As I was producing the tracks, I would just come up with a vocal idea and then I spent two weeks thinking who’s voice would fit the idea… I know all the artists, except for Tumi. I don’t really know Tumi, but I’ve wanted to work with him for some time now. I had ideas in place for each track vocally and those artists just seemed to fit that idea. The only track I didn’t expect to come out the way it did was ‘Melody feat Mike Zietsman’ …Mike was a true champion on this one. I gave him the track and he just went on his own feeling. He was very nervous I that was gonna hate what he did. When I heard his first draft, I was like “Fucking awesome. Love it. Done”
Which artist surprised you the most and was the most influential to work with?
Definitely Tumi. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing when he sent me the vocal track. He wrote the lyrics in twenty minutes and then did one take! I mean one take, that’s unheard of. I then thought I’d have to do a lot of editing and shifting to get the vocals spot on. I didn’t have to touch it. He is a true inspiration for professionalism. He maybe doesn’t answer his emails or phone for that matter, but when it gets to the creative and performance side he is brilliant.
How would you describe you new EP “The Wrong Kid Died”?
It’s definitely a body of work that works as a whole and not just 6 bangers slapped together on one EP. I spent a long time deciding which tracks will make it to the EP and the arrangement of songs was also very important for the flow of the EP. It’s alternative dance music that’s heavily bass influenced. It’s a musical cocktail consisting of melodies, controlled noise and rhythms.
Off dim mak’s website: “This EP features iconic South African vocalists Tumi (Tumi and the Volume), Circe, Francois van Coke and Hunter Kennedy of Fokofpolisiekar, Mike Zietsman of PH FAT and Evil Boy most noted for his collaborations with Die Antwoord. The Wrong Kid Died steps away from overly distorted synths and giving spotlight to clean heavy bass rhythms combined with varied synth melodies and a return to vocal collaborations”.
Listen to the teaser from the “The Wrong Kid Died’ EP:
Next week you leave for 2 months on your Europe “The Wrong Kid Died” tour. What can party goers expect from your shows?
My sets differ from other DJ’s in my genre in the sense that I work my set around my own material and not the other way around. I have a very specific sound and not many DJ’s play my songs and understandably so. It’s so different from your usual trash electro or nu electro. And I think that’s why my sets get a good response. It’s unusual, but still highly energetic and you don’t hear anyone else playing the tracks. I also do a lot of mash-ups and re-edits of my own tracks so the crowd experience a fresh and more upbeat version of what’s on the E.P.
What are you expecting from the tour?
Lots and lots of travelling and partying. Good food, good memories, good parties and another personal challenge for me to make every gig my best.
Any highlight venues that stand out for you on the tour?
Definitely KOKO in London with one of my idol, SebastiAn. He is a very big inspiration for me and it’s a real honour to be playing with him in such an iconic club in London.
Where in the world would you most like to play?
I can’t wait to play in America. It almost feels like I know America, because of all the cities and settings used in blockbuster movies. It’s gonna be weird going there next year and seeing the familiar places I’ve always just seen in movies. Also the music industry is booming in America, just because America is so freaking big! There are so many venues and cities to play, you can literally do a year tour there before you feel you’ve truly broken into the market there.
Describe the perfect setting while you’re playing on of your sets?
I love playing at outdoor festivals. My favourite so far was Emmaboda Festival in Sweden. It was in the forest away from the busyness of the city. Even though you’re surrounded by chaos, you can still appreciate the beauty around you!
What’s next for Haezer?
I have another single coming out in November on Birth Records named ‘Two Face’. It’s probably my most ‘out there’ track I’ve made with a very atmospheric feel to it. I’m always producing and am already busy with two new skeleton tracks. I’m touring ‘The Wrong Kid Died’ in Europe from next week till mid November and then doing a coastal tour here in South Africa with Redbull for the whole of December. In February I’m back to Australia and after that I’m hopefully touring North and South America and Asia.
