First-team, All-New Hampshire, Wes Haffner, more affectionately known by his production alias WEKS, is a sterling example of creative perseverance. The earliest rungs of his career paint a tale of minimal, trap allure, utilizing daring sections of blaring subs to build unbridled energy amid tantalizing melodies and captivating drums as depicted in ‘Terp Boi’.
However, listening through WEKS catalog of releases depicts effortless diligence and evolution in both production techniques, as well as an inherent shift towards a more experimental, freeform style. Leveraging his past experience advantageously, Haffner has vigorously broadened the scope of his style, tying in components from the earliest stages of his career coupled with newly discovered production techniques to foster this new artistic direction.
“‘Tembo’ itself is comprised entirely of sounds I’ve used in previous tunes, I wrote the first draft for it in about six hours so I wasn’t actually creating any new sounds for it, just pulling from the stuff I already had and changing it significantly. And while this track is a big move in another direction for me, the fact that I used those familiar sounds gives it a cohesiveness with the rest of my catalog. I have a lot of unreleased more melodic music that I made before my production skills were developed enough to attempt true bass music, and the chord progression in ‘Tembo’ is sort of a testament to that stage the second transition has a Moog layer in it that’s like 100% me, circa 2015. I feel like on the outside this tune listens like a new direction for me, but I feel like it’s the closest I’ve come to truly express my vision as an artist,” he shares regarding his impressive evolution as an artist.
Propelled by the momentum of his new creative vigor, ‘Tembo’ presents a seamless transition of styles that encapsulates the production-heavy focus of WEKS earlier appeal, while illustrating a distinct evolution in style as a tribute to his unremitting work ethic. With an entire siege of releases prepped and ready to roll out, 2019 is shaping up to be a triumphant year of accomplishments for the promising New Hampshire-native.
“This track pays homage to my early days as a producer with the chord progression and its simplicity and the plodding feel to the build. The drops are really a true show of where I want WEKS to go in the future: big crushing kick, heavy 808s, and subs, really bass-centric shit that stops people in their tracks. Expect that heavy heavy bass from me more regularly, no matter what the tune the sub is going to crush,” he assures.
