An inquisitive experimental bass duo emerging from Tokyo, HERBALISTEK have quickly garnered immense recognition for their avant-garde production techniques and diverse auditory profile. Rigorously cultivating their ascent, the duo first infiltrated the scene with a deviant self-released single ‘Laced’ and have tactfully unfolded their expertise since, with an outlandish flip of HEKLER & Gladez ‘404’ and an eccentric remix of the ATLien’s ‘Exile’. The prodigious Japanese dyad foreshadows an inevitable conquest in anticipation of a debut EP with the release of their latest single ‘The Hypersonic Effect‘, which is certain to leave an irrevocable imprint on the trap genre.
It was a pleasure to catch up with the duo to discuss the ulterior benefits of producing and performing as a duo, the influence living in Japan and abroad has left on their style, and to get a brief glimpse of what is yet to come this year. Be sure to check out the full interview as well as the latest FUXWITHIT Guest Mix welcoming HERBALISTEK below!
Do either of you have a formal background with instruments or production or is the bulk of your skill set self-taught?
We both played guitar up until around high school and listened to tons and tons of music but as for production, we are both self-taught, and still learning new things every day.
In what ways has growing up and living in Japan influenced your style or taste in music?
We are Japanese but both lived in different countries before moving back to Japan around 8-9 years ago, so we were able to experience the Japanese scene from an international standard. Before electronic music we were both into genres like hip-hop and metal, which might have not been the case if we had been born and raised here. That being said coming to Japan after living elsewhere gave us musical inspirations and ideas we would never have had. We feel we are trying to find a balance using the various inspirations we get by being in Japan, (ex. the atmosphere, people, locations, animes) and at the same time staying true to our roots of living in different countries. A multicultural inspired mindset, to put it simply.
What does the electronic music scene look like in Tokyo from the standpoint of a producer?
There are a countless number of DJs in Tokyo but in recent years we are starting to see a new wave of young producers emerging, which is amazing. Of course, there could be a lot of improvements, such as giving recognition and attention to underground producers or just producers in general. We feel producers are a bit buried because the music scene here is set in stone, and many events and clubs already have their lineup of DJs, and producers do not always get booked solely for their music.
Bass music is still not very popular when compared to genres like big room, or house. When we look at the US; for example, there are events like B&L, Space Yacht that are giving young SoundCloud producers a chance and in Tokyo there are not many opportunities like so, so being an upcoming producer in Tokyo is quite daunting… but also an opportunity!
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of producing and performing as a duo?
A lot of our music is a team effort, one of us usually comes up with a creative idea, and works on sound design, while the other will come up with the groove and driving aspects of the track and the mixing. Producing as a duo is a lot of fun because we both come up with ridiculous ideas that we would never have thought of on our own, and then that idea will become even crazier when we pass projects to each other. One thing that we think makes Herbalistek as a duo is, we both play a vital part in each song, DJ set, and mix. Making the most out of our respective strong points is definitely something we are proud of.
Our goal is to wow listeners by always giving them a sound that is new to their ears
Which aspect of creating an original track do you typically spend the most time and attention on?
Usually the idea, and the originality. We never wanna make a track that “sounds like so and so,” which is something that just happens when there are so many talented producers out there putting out such inspirational and original stuff. So whenever we sit down to work on a track, we always make sure the idea is original and authentic and also if the track fits our style/direction. Our goal is to wow listeners by always giving them a sound that is new to their ears but also shows its “Herbalisteks” sound. In other words, we want our original works to be weird but recognizable, in a good way.
Since the turn of the year, you’ve transitioned into a great flow of original releases. How would you compare and contrast the creative approach when sitting down to a new remix as opposed to an original track?
We always try to pick a track we feel we can make a good remix out of. We love working on originals and we make more originals than remixes. So when we do eventually decide to remix a track we try to find a track that can match our style. We always think about the original version of the track, and take a step back and think does our remix speak, stay true to the original? We don’t want to create a remix that has nothing to do with the original, so our creative approach is: stay true to the original style of the track, and our twist to it. We are actually working on a Peekaboo remix which will be out next month too, excited for everyone to hear it.
Tell me a little bit about the process of working with ‘Exile’ by the ATLiens, what was the vision behind the remix and in what ways has it affected your trajectory as artists?
We have been fans of the ATLiens for a while as artists. Their direction in their music is always consistent and their dark yet moveable and unique sound design inspired us to take a shot at remixing one of their songs. We loved “Exile” since it gave us this dark, epic vibe and we thought our percs, and basses would fit perfectly on it. We’re glad many people liked it, and it definitely inspired us to make more of that style, so more of that coming soon too.
Every track we make has its own story and we like to think all of our tracks are connected through a story that is told through our mixes and DJ sets
What do we have to look forward to in this guest mix as well as the remainder of 2019?
One thing we always value is our sets/mixes. We are inspired by the consistent groove and unique world of techno and tech house. We hope this mix draws the listener in and takes them on a journey.
In our sets, we try to tell a story, so that each song makes sense and there’s a reason why every song is in the order we put it. Every track we make has its own story and we like to think all of our tracks are connected through a story that is told through our mixes and DJ sets. In this mix, we showcase our tracks from our upcoming EP and a bunch of other unreleased tracks from us and our friends.
We are planning to release an EP soon, along with some new remixes, originals, and some crazy collabs!
Tracklist:
HERBALISTEK – ID
EPROM & ZEKE BEATS – Humanoid 2.0
Allen Mock & Elex – ID
HERBALISTEK – Placebo
Juelz – Sabotage
Toadface – Awake
TYNAN & Shanghai Doom – Flatline
HERBALISTEK & Veepot – ID
Shanghai Doom – Interdimensional Funk
YOOKiE x sakuraburst – Subs x Glass River (HERBALISTEK Edit)
PROKO & Ethan Glass – Akuma
Vide & milano – Broke
HERBALISTEK – The Hypersonic Effect
G JONES & EPROM – Hysteria (HERBALISTEK ‘The End’ Edit)
Oski x Allen Mock x HERBALISTEK – ID
HERBALISTEK & Allen Mock – ID
Sidewalk boy & Susp3c – F
Deez & Mr. Brightside – Hypernova
Maru – ID
Humorme – EWWW
Shanghai Doom & leet – Instability
ATLiens – Exile (HERBALISTEK Remix)
UZ – Cavern (UNKWN Remix)
Allen Mock & HERBALISTEK – ID
AVANCE & blanke – Disturbed
Shadient – Cyclone
Awoltalk – ID
Duke & Jones – Rust
ZEKE BEATS & Dirty Audio – Mind
HERBALISTEK – ID
Revazz – Radar
G JONES – Help! I Can’t Find My Way Out
Shanghai Doom – Neuralyzer
Bro Safari & UFO! – ET Finger
HERBALISTEK – ID
