Hairitage has been making waves in the bass scene as of late due to his unmatched versatility through the various facades of the enveloping genre. From the heavy Bad Fellas EP on Downlink’s Uplink Audio to the more recent ‘The Movement’ that is infiltrating trap sets and mixes across the world, the Oregon-based producer has been riding a tidal wave of momentum and is showing no signs of slowing down soon. Today, Hairitage joins the esteemed Never Say Die with the Triumph EP, looking to further solidify his rapid rise to the top.
Keeping up with the theme of versatility, Hairitage unleashes four tracks that all stand well on their own. The project’s title track features an alluring introduction before a quick switch to dubstep madness is sure to send any listener into a headbanging frenzy. ’40 Cal’ alongside Rico Act follows, where the producer uses the ever-present vocalist as a bridge into pure insanity highlighted by thumping, menacing bass, upping the intensity from the first track. The latter half of the Triumph EP is a welcome change from the opening, as a wonky, freeform approach with a hint of trap is present in ‘Illegal Parties’ and ‘Diamond Chain,’ and listeners are highly recommended to stick around until the very end for a gnarly surprise.
We were blessed with the opportunity to catch up with Hairitage to discuss everything from his early production days, to signing an EP on Never Say Die, to the secrets to his glorious beard. Don’t miss the Triumph EP and accompanying interview below!
Your history on SoundCloud dates back to late 2016 but we have a feeling you’ve been making music for longer. Do you have any formal music training?
I started around 12/13 playing bass guitar, and I had an incredible instructor who took me through the basics and got me started. I’m 27 now so I’ve had quite a lot of time to figure things out.
When did you start producing? What got you into bass music and who were your early inspirations?
I started producing around 2011-2012. I was a metalhead up until someone showed me Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, then all of my time went to figuring out how to make this stuff. I found Zomboy, Feed Me, Flux Pavilion, Doctor P, and many more. So many insane musical ideas I’d never been shown before! It wasn’t long before I was googling “how to Skrillex” and going down the rabbit hole of production.
It seems as though you’ve only been making (or at least releasing) heavier bass music for about a year. What prompted the change to more aggressive music?
I’ve been making heavier music the whole time, just none of it ever reached the spotlight until recently. I had a much easier time making other genres to a level I was happy with, but if you dig deep enough I’m sure you can find some good old garbage from 5+ years ago!
Does your approach to making a dubstep track differ from making a trap or future bass track? Do you have a set process when songwriting or is every case different?
Dubstep is a LOT more sound design intensive and calls for a lot more processing and pushing a track to its limit. It takes me a lot longer to get something I’m happy with that fits with the status quo because the process is a little counter-intuitive.
With every song I write, I’m starting with drums, creating a hook, filling in percussion/FX elements to create energy, and repeat.
Stand out, but fit in.
Congratulations on your first Never Say Die project! How long has the Triumph EP been in the works? How did the signing to the esteemed label come about?
Thank you! The Triumph EP has really been worked on over the past 6 months for 3 of the songs. ’40 Cal’ with Rico Act has gone through probably a couple of years of refining to figure it out. I think I wrote an entire song around his vocals 3 or 4 times before I ended up with something we were both happy with.
The label interest started randomly on Twitter! I had been sending out my demos, ‘Beef With Me’ and ‘The Movement’ were getting a ton of support, and SKisM actually reached out to me online to see what else I was working on, and expressed interest in an EP. I spent a lot of time over the next few months putting together the many projects I had going to create an EP that I thought would be a good fit; stand out, but fit in.
A true showcase of your various styles and sounds, the Triumph EP is one of the most diverse projects released on Never Say Die in a long time. Did you purposely select these four tracks to tell a different story with each?
I absolutely did! I can’t sit through a full DJ set or album that doesn’t give me some variety, and I certainly can’t sit and write the same genre over and over. The Triumph EP is truly an example of the kind of musical experience I want to have, and I’m so glad I can provide that to my listeners.
Write on shit, master on gold.
2020 is already looking stacked for you in terms of shows. Does touring impact your productivity? What are your favourite and least favourite parts about being on the road?
Travelling definitely takes its toll on production. It’s very hard to get a level of quality out of just headphones and a laptop (or in my case a Microsoft surface pro..) but when you start getting used to your equipment they really don’t become as much of a problem. Just do the fun creative work on the road, and then make time to mix/master at home on all your fancy gear. That’s how a lot of professionals recommend production anyway. Write on shit, master on gold.
We know the Triumph EP must be a massive check off the bucket list, but anything else you’d like to accomplish or are working toward in 2020?
It is! This year, I’ve landed a festival out of the country, Ilesoniq in Montreal, which was another huge milestone!
Right now I’m focused on getting more and more projects complete, I’ve got some INCREDIBLE collaborations coming with some other rising artists, and established ones. The rest of the year is going to be building my brand, releasing more and more work and hopefully by 2021 we are just too busy to function with shows and festivals!
Also, I’m on the fresh meat list for Lost Lands this year, so fingers crossed!!
Do you take pride in having one of the best beards in the game? What’s your beard routine?
This is the main thing I’m proud of in life. The routine is beard oil, beard cream, beard hold. Every day. This shit gets expensive! Especially when you leave $100 of product at the hotel…
