The New Zealand bass scene has been on fire as of late. Earlier this year we had mixes from some of the country’s best up-and-comers: t1r and Troy Kete. Today we can add another to the list, as ASHEZ comes through with a heavy new mix. For those unfamiliar, ASHEZ has been burning up the scene with a slew of fire originals. His most recent collaboration was the standout title single from Acrillics’ Alive EP. Prior to that he caught our attention with the TroyBoi inspired ‘Snakes & Ladders’ and the brain-rattling ‘shake’. Given he’s a Focus Five alumni, it was only a matter of time before we caught up with ASHEZ for a guest mix and interview. Bump this mix below and grab the free download.
What’s your favorite thing about New Zealand? Were you born there?
Yep I was born in Auckland, New Zealand. I grew up in Muriwai which is a beach on the West coast of Auckland. My favorite thing would have to be the landscape and coastline. The beaches are beautiful and, being a surfer, it’s perfect because I can drive from coast to coast in a an hour or so. That’s also cool because it means that you can watch the sunrise in the East and then drive to the West coast and watch it set on the same day.
How did you get into making music?
I’ve loved music since I was little. My mum is very musical and got me into playing guitar at a young age. I had an amazing music teacher all through high school who really helped motivate me and I started playing in bands and recording songs. Near the end of high school I started getting into electronic music and wanted to start producing so I did a 6 month electronic music production course which gave me the basics I needed to know. Since then I’ve been producing every day and learning through tutorials and friends as I go.
there’s a lot of hype in the NZ bass scene right now, and I think part of it is that we’re seeing so many artists doing really well internationally…
The New Zealand bass scene seems to be on fire right now. What’s driving it?
I think there’s a lot of hype in the NZ bass scene right now, and I think part of it is that we’re seeing so many artists doing really well internationally. It’s crazy, I’m staying in Portland, Oregon right now and the last 3 shows I went to had New Zealand artists as headliners (Quix, Montell2099, and Truth). I think because of these artists and many others being so successful lately it is really motivating all the smaller artists and giving them reason to keep building and doing what they are doing.
Can you talk a little bit about the producer community there? It seems like a pretty supportive and tight knit group.
It’s super supportive in NZ, a lot of the producers know each other, work and collaborate together to help each other grow as a community. Whenever I release a track or see a friend release one, I know it’s going to get so much support from everyone and it really makes a difference.
Your recent release ‘Snakes & Ladders ‘ features vocals from your sister. What was it like working together?
It was so much fun working on this track, especially because I’ve been living in the states for the last 5 months and I hadn’t seen my sister since I’d left. She came to visit for 2 weeks and we wrote the song together in that time. It was hilarious working with her and we are definitely going to be writing more together when I get back to NZ.
Are you guys close? And if so, have you always been?
Yeah we’ve always been super close and have always done music together, usually with me playing guitar and her singing. She’s 3 years younger than me but acts more as an older sister, especially now since she’s recently been accepted into the Air Force. It has been pretty cool being able to take her to festivals and bass shows as she’s got older too, and to see her get into bass music.
What’s exciting you in the music world these days?
I’m super excited at where bass music is heading these days, there’s so many artists coming out with new sounds that I’ve never heard before and it’s so creative and different, which is constantly inspiring me to be as creative and unique as I can.
Haha it would probably have to be when this chick came up to me and goes ‘play something we can actually dance to’ and so I literally played the exact same beat/tempo but threw some Post Malone vocals over the top and they loved it.
I’ve seen you post a few statuses about getting requests while DJing. What’s the worst request you’ve ever received? Are there any artists/songs that you’ll always say yes to when requested?
Haha it would probably have to be when this chick came up to me and goes “play something we can actually dance to” and so I literally played the exact same beat/tempo but threw some Post Malone vocals over the top and they loved it, which is ridiculous because the music didn’t change at all. There are so many artists I’ll say yes to, but if they are local then it’s a definite.
What do you have in store in terms of upcoming releases?
I have a bunch of new music coming! There’s a track coming out with Edekit on Below the Surface which we are stoked about, as well as a track with Lundn coming out on Bass Music Network some time in Nov/Dec. I am currently working on a bunch of collaborations with different artists such as Troy Kete, Saka, tingles, XAV, and Polyte. On top of that I have a few singles that are ready and waiting to find a label to be released on.
If you could do any one thing in 2019 what would it be?
My goal for next year is to get a release on Phuture Collective, I’ve been following that label for so long and so many inspiring artists have released with them so it would be dope to get one of my own tracks on there.
My goal when putting this mix together was to be heavy but also trip you out.
Tell us about the mix. What was your goal in putting it together?
My goal when putting this mix together was to be heavy but also trip you out. I added a lot of space in some parts with almost no beat but just noises to leave you guessing what’s coming. I wanted to add in some local New Zealand talent, as well as some producer friends of mine over here in the states. Most of the music in here is pretty underground, with even a couple of unreleased tracks sprinkled in from myself and some friends.
Tracklist
Of The Trees – Everglade March
AZTEK – Ragga House
ASHEZ & Masaru – The Upside Down
Montell2099 x LOUD – Blvnk
thook – Shock
Runnit – bus my gun.
thook – Hesitations
ASHEZ & Troy Kete – Kazoo
ASHEZ – Snakes & Ladders Ft. Katie Ashworth
G-REX & TOP $HELF – Exodus
B-Dos – Form
ASHEZ & Edekit – Sold (Unreleased)
ASHEZ & LUNDN – Elevate (Unreleased)
G-REX – Rift
G-REX & Dubloadz – Leviathan
AZTEK – Conch
AZTEK – hello los ángeles
Pigeon Hole – Dodge Ball (CharlestheFirst Remix)
Troy Kete & Fowl Language – KIDZ (Unreleased)
DREAMER – KATANA (ft. ARONA)
ASHEZ & tingles – shake
Holly & thook – Crash
FLY – Zinc
Fryar & Brightside – Hieroglyph
Pigeon Hole – Front Row
frq ncy – smoke n biscuits
AZTEK – A Means to Destroy.
Saka – Demon Eater
ASHEZ – Baiji
Acrillics – Alive Feat. Ashez & Maddie.
