This week we interviewed Haezer, a name that has been featured on the blog a few times already and that you all know and love. Haezer, originates from South Africa and has been producing some killer tunes for a while now but I’m sure no further introductions are needed in his case. He is also one of the two guest judges of the Metalectro Vol.02 competition and we are certainly very happy and proud to have him on board for this. With “I.IO.II” and a few live dates being on the way, I thought this would be a good time to try to get hold of him and find out what else he is planning for the near future. So…
01. Hi! Would you mind introducing Haezer?
Hi! I’m a trash/electro producer from Cape Town, South Africa.
02. You grabbed our attention since the very beginning with your track “Dominator”. Would you say that was one of your trademark tracks that helped you define the Haezer sound and style?
To be honest i think my trademark sound was established with remixes like Boomzers “WTF” and F.O.O.L’s “We’re Not French” and i think “Anarchy” set the bar for the genre i’m making…
03. What are your influences/music background and what or who might have played a role in shaping the Haezer sound and style?
I grew up on punk, folk, rock ‘n roll and a bit of hardcore. I then got hooked on heavy bass. So naturally i stared listening to hip hop, drum and bass and breaks. When Electro came out the albums that inspired me was SebastiAn’s “Ross Ross Ross”, Boys Noize’s “Oi Oi Oi” and Justice’s “Cross”.
04. Speaking about influences, I will assume you’ve had your share of rock/metal music in the past. Did you ever play in a band?
Nope. I never played in a band and have absolutely no musical training…
05. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far and what would your most embarrassing moment be? Related to music always…
Embarrasing was probably when i stage dived in Wollongong Australia and the crowd was so fucking strong they literally threw me back onto the dj booth but straight onto my laptop. i had to aim to miss my laptop and totally wiped out over the table.
I think the most important achievement for me is that i found my own unique sound that people can recognize in the first minute of any track i’ve made. Career wise playing my first big European festival (Beatpatrol) and touring Australia as co-headliner with Gtronic.
06. Do you prefer working only with computers/sequencers or do you get your hands dirty playing and recording instruments? Do you use samples and what’s your opinion on sampling and copyright?
I don’t use samples regularly. I’ve used maybe 5 samples in total… one being a kickdrum i stole off an 80’s hip hop vinyl and the other 4 little sound bits from old vinyls.
As far as sampling is concerned i’m a big fan of bootlegs and i feel that as long as you don’t recognize the sample out of context of the original. I don’t record much acoustic instruments but i use my Little Phatty Moog and Blofeld in most of my tracks.
07. If your studio was on fire what would be the first thing to save?
Definitely my laptop.
08. You have been coming up with quite a few original tracks and a number of remixes. Do you prefer working on one more than the other and if yes, why?
Yes. I prefer working on originals. Remixes are cool for a break from making originals. I enjoy originals more, because it’s the creative process of creating something new and specific to what i have in my head that inspires me and excites me.
09. You have collaborated with a few artists, with Circe being a regular one. How did this collaboration begin and should we expect any more tracks featuring Circe anytime soon?
Yes. There will be more collabs with Circe, because i just love her voice and it’s very easy working with her as we know each other very well.
The first collab was “Who The Fuck is HAEZER” and it worked because we have similar taste in dark lyrics and we’re both very easy going in the production process. “Who the fuck is HAEZER” was recorded in a small spare room in my house at the time on a very cheap mic and no controlled acoustics… I remember cutting her dog barking in the background out of the mix instead of taking another take, because her delivery was just so perfect.
10. What are the best and worst things about working with Circe?
Hehe, i think i’ve answered the best part. The worst… tough one, cause we always saw eye to eye. I guess the worst thing at the moment is that she’s in America and i’m in South Africa and any direction i give her is over skype and it’s hard to convey exactly what you want over skype instead of sitting with the artist you’re collabing with and just chatting it over face to face.
11. Who would you dream of collaborating with?
Angus Young on guitar from ACDC. Dave Grohl on vocals from Foo Fighters or Tom Waits on vocals…
12. What do you think about today’s mainstream music and what did you mean by “Commercial Music Is Dead”?
What i meant was that it’s dead to me. It’s pretty obvious that it’s not dead as in not successful. It’s called mainstream cause it’s successful and accessible. I wrote that song after driving in my car and hearing songs with lyrics like ‘to school for cool’ and that fucking Black Eyed Peas track with the 90s references. It literally sounded like BEP sat and threw up 3 different tracks and just clonked them into one track and 30mins later the track was done and one week later it’s a number one hit on our local radio station 5fm… That’s what i meant with dead. It has lost all soul and is so generic that you could use a generic formula to write a radio hit single. And most of these artists don’t write their own music. They pay producers and writers millions of dollars and they just go record a half assed attempt at singing and auto tune the shit out of it.
I get a lot of slack for saying this, but it’s just my opinion. I’m not saying ALL mainstream artists are slackers. I’m just pressing the point that mainstream music, very generally speaking, has lost its soul and for most of the artists on that scale it’s a business more than a passion.
13. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?
I live off my music. I make close to nothing with sales. I earn my money through gigs. I make music because there’s nothing i love more than creating kick ass tracks.
14. You’ve been touring and playing quite a few shows the last few months, any interesting on-stage or back-stage stories to share with us? Who is your favorite artist to share the stage with?
I’ve become good friends with Pelussje and so i’m looking forward to playing with them again. My ultimate line up would be me, Pelussje, Gtronic, Cyberpunkers, Saint Pauli and Tom Deluxx.
15. “I.IO.II”, that seems like a date to me and a really close one as well… What should we expect on that date? Give the readers something new, something to look forward to…
I don’t want to reveal too much…
1. It’s a gift from me to my fans.
2. It’s not a gig date.
3. It’s not the “Monkey” release.
4. Australia have been waiting for this for a loooong time.
16. What other plans do you have for 2011? (live shows, releases, videos, remixes, etc)
I’m working very hard on my next EP. A music video is in the works for a remix i did for Lark, don’t know when it’s coming out exactly (before the end of the year). I’m touring Europe in November (Germany, Hungary, Holland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and possibly UK) and then Paris for New Years.
17. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?
I’ve been listening to a lot of old school hip hop like “A Tribe Called Quest” lately and also a compilation cd a friend of mine from Australia (PhDj) made called “We mix, You dance”. On the electro front i’ve been listening to You Killing Me, Drivepilot, Pelussje and also getting into a breaks artist duo called Beatman and Ludmilla.
18. What do you like to do when not in the studio producing music?
I dig hanging out with friends braaiing(barbecue) or going on a outdoor mission out of the city. I’m also a total movie addict and love missioning to wine farms.
19. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?
It’s a superb blog with good taste and good source for new shit coming out…
20. Something else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?
Nope. i think that about covers it. Maybe mention i’m not helluva active on my Myspace and rarely check my soundcloud inbox. So questions, requests or bookings should rather email my manager Dominique (dom@griet.co.za)