South African producer Jon Casey has been a FUXWITHIT favourite since we stumbled upon his collaborative project It Hz with Chee. In the past year he’s proven his talent as a solo artist time and time again, beginning with his incredible Rockerfeller EP and then consistently releasing some of the most forward-thinking trap and bass music at a breakneck pace (he’s released 5 songs in the past month). Whether it’s hard hitting trap, experimental bass, or halftime heaters, Casey never misses the mark. He was one of our 17 Producers You Should Be Listening to in 2017 and 2018 has only strengthened his staying power. With his star on the rise we are honoured to present you with an exclusive mix from the talented producer. With a slew of IDs from Casey plus a ton of his producer homies, this is an absolute must listen. Stream the mix and be sure to check out our interview below to get to know Jon Casey. You can also download the mix here.
Can you tell us a little bit about the mix? How did you go about selecting tracks and putting it together?
So! I wanted accumulate a bunch of well known songs and intertwine them with songs I find very underrated along with exclusives from me and many friends. I love having my mixes progress upwards (in BPM) so that you just feel yourself getting more and more hype, consciously or subconsciously. I have a lot of my own music, both released and unreleased, just to let people know Jon Casey isn’t sleeping, just got college, lol.
Is it similar to what your DJ sets sound like?
Very similar. Depending on the event, this mix represents most of the shows I play BUT I do play a lot of chilled sets quite often, i.e. Kaytranada, Pomo, Sam Gellaitry etc. I love playing house too. Being a South African, house is embedded into your love for music.
You recently played your first festival. Can you tell us about the experience? Any highlights?
Summary: INSANE! Lots of mud. It was really fun, the most people I’ve played in front of and they were a very receptive crowd. Nervous beforehand, got over the nerves, crushed it. Me and my best friend (the hype man of the crowd) were in gowns so that set us apart from many other people/artists. Someone saw me in gym the other day and he was like, “oh yeah you’re that guy who DJ’d in a gown”. Also, met many cool local artists.
the Drum & Bass/Dubstep/Trap Community are very inclusive of different music and people. They’re a lovely crowd of people that are growing <3
The bass scene seems to be bubbling up in South Africa. Can you talk about how things are looking locally?
We’re slowly moving forward. The kingpins of electronic music are still Bass House and Techno which can overshadow other genres that are trying to thrive which is disappointing to see. Gqom is another genre of music that is exploding beautifully and taking SA by storm (if you haven’t heard of it before, go to 10:27 in my mix, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it). On the other hand, the Drum & Bass/Dubstep/Trap Community are very inclusive of different music and people. They’re a lovely crowd of people that are growing <3
What’s one thing you wish people outside of South Africa knew about the country or the people?
We are the definition of hospitable and make amazing food and you should definitely come visit when you can, at least you’ll know one guy here, and he’s the right guy to know ;)
yes, we do have plans on releasing It Hz. tings in the near future.
You and Chee have both been seeing serious success independently. Will you be reconnecting for any new music as It Hz.?
We have been working on a few tracks here and there, we just both need to sit down (Skype or something since mans is in America now, proud of you booboo) and curate an EP maybe? But yes, we do have plans on releasing It Hz. tings in the near future.
You posted a poll in your Facebook group asking fans what genres they wanted to see you produce. How do you decide what genres you want to explore when making tracks? Have any genres been dominating your interest lately?
So, I seriously get sidetracked by all amazing music which is good and bad because I’m like “ooh, I wanna make this, and OH, I wanna make this”. So halftime will remain an integral part of my music exploration, as well as trap, but on the other hand, there are times where a guy just wants to explore with other sounds, which is healthy I would think, but yeah, I can be pretty hard on myself in that regard. I’ll literally have a beat in my head before I produce and whether it’s 110bpm trap or 88bpm halftime, I promise myself to just get out into a concrete structure and take it from there.
No lie though, when I feel overwhelmed with all that at times, I just take a good ol’ nap.
You’ve been putting out a ton of music on the regular. Are you a super efficient producer or do you just spend all your time making music?
I’d say I’m efficient in the sense that I have to juggle a college with an insane workload, push shows to get more exposure and also push music on at least a monthly basis (which is tbh, my main focus a lot of the time). No lie though, when I feel overwhelmed with all that at times, I just take a good ol’ nap.
What do you like doing when you’re not making music?
Hanging out with squad, watching Netflix, playing FIFA or just grabbing a drink and chicken wings at the nearest diner.
What’s on the horizon for Jon Casey in 2018? (new releases, projects, life goals)
Release wise, soon I’ve got some independent releases coming up, an EP on Flexout Audio, Trap Party and Swisted Releases and a bunch of collabs. As an artist, I’m currently trying to just push as much content as consistently as possible and play as many shows as I can so that when I’m finished with my Degree (Psychology) this year, my music can be a strong enough platform for me to travel the country and get an international booking agency and show the rest of the world who Jon Casey is.
Tracklist
1. wev & PEEKABOO – u don’t know me
2. Mr. Carmack – Faults w/ Fatman Scoop Acapella
3. NOAHPLAUSE – Runnin’ (Ray Volpe Remix)
4. Dabow – Bomb
5. A$AP Ferg – New Level (Remix)
6. Annie (f.k.a Inimicvs) – Broke w/ DILIP
7. Jon Casey – AYDAFEX FLOW
8. Jon Casey & JETSET – Chainsaw
9. Athletixx – PNTHR
10. Haezer – ID
11. Medasin & X&G – The Zoo (feat. Josh Pan)
12. Wax Motif & Neoteric – Go Deep (Astronomar Remix) (Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See Acapella)
13. Moonchild Sanelly – Thirsty (feat. Rude Boyz)
14. KRANE & B. Lewis – PCP feat. Nick Row (Rickyxsan Remix)
15. MineSweepa – FLEX LIKE OUU FLIP
16. Haezer – Ded Haus (Jon Casey Remix)
17. Adiidas – Lake Tahoe
18. L*o*J – Skanda
19. ELEX & Woodpile – ID
20. A$AP Ferg – East Coast
21. Inimicvs & sui.luj – Fatigue
22. Dabow – ID
23. ID & Jon Casey – ID
24. Ekali – Babylon feat. Denzel Curry (josh pan & X&G Remix)
25. Boombox Cartel & Quix – Widdit (Dabow Remix)
26. Carnage & Lil Pump – i SHYNE
27. Jon Casey – ID
28. Untitld & Jon Casey – K9
29. Jon Casey – Ruminate (feat. EXPLORE)
30. Jon Casey – Get Right (feat. Abrax Phaeton)
31. Jon Casey – ID
32. Future – Mask Off
33. Sumthin Sumthin – Bloom
34. ATLiens & Woolymammoth – SIGIL
35. ID & ID – ID
36. ID & Jon Casey & ID – ID
37. Jon Casey – ID
38. Holly & DILIP – Submerge
39. L*o*J & Milan – Throwed
40. LOWEN & ELEX – ID
41. SVBER – ID
42. Skrillex & Rick Ross – Purple Lamborghini
43. no doz – ID
44. UZ & Stooki Sound – Bang feat. Foreign Beggars (Sfam Remix)
45. Habstrakt – Clowns (Hydraulix & Oski Remix)
46. Virtual Riot – Shindeiru
47. Jon Casey – The Fallacy (Gucci Mane ‘Is You Rollin’ Acapella)
