Deep within the underground of futuristic energy and power, is an artist who knows no boundaries within the spectrum. A spirit whose abilities have taken him down an endless path of success and fulfillment. Creating pieces unlike any other while separating his vision from the rest. Yes, we’re talking about non-other than Cerdin. A name you’ll definitely want to remember if you haven’t already.
Diving deep into his discography lies countless gems with much more to come. Harnessing the power of sound and frequency, his highly skilled techniques have guided him through different portals of possibilities. With dark and powerful sound design mixed with unpredictable arrangements, this artist is full of surprises with many tricks up his sleeve. Always delivering something new with his experimental creativity. Tackling multiple genres while still adding his own unique flare to the equation. Not to mention he’s an absolute genius in his own graphic design. Capturing the essence of any track or vision perfectly to the core. Making him a force to be reckoned with.
From remixes of artists such as Juelz, Flume, and even The Weeknd, to releasing a ton of beautiful original work, Cerdin’s ability to adapt is nothing but inspiring and uplifting. Combing crisp sound design with endless amounts of colorful tones, there’s no telling what other grand techniques he has in store. And now, we dive even deeper with his own special guest mix and interview!
First off, thank you for taking the time for this interview! How’ve you been doing recently?
Thank you for having me! I’ve been well, time’s been flying so the fact that it’s September is horrifying to me…but things are good. I’m adjusting to a new job in my design field, and feeling really inspired musically. Lots of fun creative stuff in the works in both a visual and audio sense. Work-life balance is coming together nicely…for the first time in my life!
What can listeners expect while listening to this mix?
This mix was a bit of a wild process. I’m 3 years into the Cerdin project and I’ve realized I have so much fun expanding my taste and producer skills, so this mix is a bit of a combination of a lot of genres and styles I’m feeling. I’d say this mix is kind of a bit of a glimpse into me finding my groove as an artist. There’s a ton of IDs from me and some friends, plus a loooot of tracks that really speak to me. I hope the vibe translates to y’all!
Being based in Canada, are there any special memories you can look back on that have really inspired your work today?
I’d say a lot of my time spent living in Vancouver in 2014 was when I took production more seriously. I was able to be a part of this wonderful collective at the time called Chapel Sound where I met people like Wsuptiger, WhichNancy, Shaunic, Juelz, and Tails. I was writing a lot of James Blake-esque stuff around then and it was cool to be surrounded by a lot of more beat-focused artists. I think that environment really expanded my palette for what kind of music I was consuming and making, especially with that being a really key time in the SoundCloud producer era.
In 2019 I started gravitating back towards dance music under my current moniker, and I’m really happy I did, cause though I still write a lot of RnB and pop, it’s so liberating sitting down and letting myself make non-verbal, instrumental music that speaks for itself. I’ve been working closely with a lot of friends lately and to see someone else’s vision is always something I’m growing and learning from.
Metrics are always such a strange thing to me, cause we’ve just been conditioned to feel like big numbers are an accomplishment, but even 2,000 people is massive…and I’m grateful for each person who’s keeping up with my sound and my journey. It means a lot.
Congratulations on hitting over 2k on SoundCloud! That must be such a wonderful feeling. Are there any plans in terms of another EP or potential album in the works?
Thank you! I honestly had such a blasé approach to this project when it started. I just wanted to get back into EDM and develop my sound and write cool stuff without any expectations. It’s been really crazy to see a community and fan base grow over time. Metrics are always such a strange thing to me, cause we’ve just been conditioned to feel like big numbers are an accomplishment, but even 2,000 people is massive…and I’m grateful for each person who’s keeping up with my sound and my journey. It means a lot.
I hope to put out an EP soon. I wanna drop a few more singles first, and hopefully establish a label relationship, then roll out a body of work properly. I’m not in a big rush, I’m just having fun seeing where this whole project goes for right now! I definitely have big plans though.
When and how did your music production journey start? Are there any other creatives within your family tree as well?
I started playing guitar at a young age, I grew up a big rock/metal head and an equally big rap fan, so instrumentation to me came first through guitar, then discovering Garageband was a massive turning point. I saw it as like “I can make a whole song by myself? Holy shit.” My family really loves music. My brother Ian is a musician as well, and he’s an incredible singer/songwriter. My sister, mum, dad, and I have a very similar taste in music too so we’re always bonding over our classics or top 5 artists, etc.
Remixes are not a threat to artist ownership and it’s a shame they’re still seen as such.
You’ve remixed so many incredible artists along the way, who would you love to remix in the future?
Thank you! Remixes are such a really cool way to interpret someone else’s sound and express yourself. I have beef with the industry for the way they treat remixes, for example how Meek Mill’s team did Knxledge, but that’s a bigger thinkpiece I won’t crowd this interview with. There needs to be a big change upstairs I’ll say that at least. Remixes are not a threat to artist ownership and it’s a shame they’re still seen as such.
I would love to work with less EDM-oriented musicians. I’d love to remix Code Orange, Caroline Polachek, Phoebe Bridgers, or someone like Brian Eno. I feel like I could explore a lot more of an experimental/musique concrète side with the right starting point from one of those four. If we’re talking in the scene though my magnum opus would definitely be an official remix for Justice. I don’t know, there’s a lot of people I’d love to remix. THAT’S A HARD QUESTION!
You’ve done stellar graphic design work for not only yourself but for other visions as well. Have you always been dabbling in that form of art or is it a newly formed skill?
I’ve been on a lot of creative paths. I started doing design in like high school when me and my friends would take photos and then photoshop cool stuff out of them, and from there just making artwork for basement shows and SoundCloud mixtapes and stuff. I’m pretty self-taught with graphic design for the most part, and it’s a fun field because you’re never done learning. I love working with other artists, it brings me so much joy feeling like I’m able to bring someone’s vision to life. I’m grateful for the trust people have in me to be able to do that too.
Shoutout to Rossy specifically. She was one of the first to hit me up for artwork and I am eternally grateful for how much I’ve learned working with her, the friendship we’ve developed, and how much we’ve pushed each other to really create some beautiful pieces.
Sometimes I’ll design artwork just trying stuff out and it ends up inspiring me to open my DAW and try and write something to it, almost like scoring a film.
Does your graphic design play a big role when it comes to creating your music?
More or less yeah, I think when I’m writing something, I’m sort of thinking about what environment or world it would exist in, and what that would look like. Sometimes I’ll design artwork just trying stuff out and it ends up inspiring me to open my DAW and try and write something to it, almost like scoring a film.
‘Frequency Operations Vol. 1’ was a stellar and energetic mix, what was your favorite part when creating that experience?
I kind of accidentally started a mix doing that haha. I was writing the opening ID and realized The Hills by The Weeknd sounded really good overtop, and then instead of another drop, I wanted to hear what it sounded like in a mix, so I threw another track after the second build-up, and then I just started building a mix. It quickly became more of a showcase of the one thing that’s important to me in music; community. I’m very thankful to the people who lent their IDs for that as well. So many insane tracks in that thing from wickedly talented artists.
My favourite part was calling on friends to do some radio drops. I wanted each person to either satirically or seriously talk about music and what it means to them, and I’m happy it came together how it did with so many wonderful folks sharing their voice throughout it. I love that mix, and there’s 100% another one on the way before year’s end.
Favorite movie/show soundtracks?
Oh lordy, y’all are asking the big questions eh? I have categories in my brain for this kind of thing. In terms of cinematics, anything by Ben Salisbury is top-tier. Annihilation’s soundtrack is a masterpiece. In terms of various artist soundtracks, definitely Space Jam, and The OC. Classics in both of those albums.
I plan to make music until I die for sure.
Where do you see the Cerdin project in the next few years?
I have big plans as an artist, and I plan to make music until I die for sure. So (hopefully under the Cerdin project) I’d like to attend writing camps or contribute to some pop or rap co-prods. I want to release more than just electronic with this project and really showcase my chops as a musician, but that will come in time and with the right people. I’d like to see some out-of-town shows.
I DJ primarily in the city I live in right now, and fingers crossed I can get a visa situation sorted and tour the states. I have a lot of energy to bring with my show and unique sound combinations and genre blends in my sets, and I’d like to share the Cerdin live experience on a bigger scale. Oh yeah also actually putting out more music lol…I’m sitting on a lot of half-finished heat that I should probably look to finish and release if I want any of the above to happen properly.
Any final words on what’s next for you?
I have some more releases coming towards the end of the year, stuff I’m really proud of. There’s a collab coming with a dear friend that I’m extremely excited for. I guess what’s next is just pushing the sound, pushing the vision, and seeing where I can take this project cause it really just feels like the beginning as cliche as that sounds. I’m open to seeing where the tides take me.
Also I just want to say thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak with you. FUXWITHIT is such an important part of the community and has served as a huge inspiration to a lot of what I do. You’re an essential publication and label to so many of us, and I look forward to chatting with you again soon. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the mix! – Harri
Tracklist:
- Cerdin – ID
- Ivoryghost – Ether
- G Jones – Arbiter’s Theme (Cerdin Remix)
- Waka Flocka Flame – Hard In The Paint (Cerdin Remix) [Unreleased]
- Jon Casey & Oddly Godly – Lotus
- Stormzy – Wiley Flow
- EPROM – Pineapple (G Jones Remix)
- Losco & ONHELL – Carnal
- Hamdi – Skanka
- Sir Spyro – Topper Top ft. Teddy Bruckshot (Disaffected Bootleg)
- BLVDE RUNNER – PROTOKOL
- Cerdin – ID
- Shades Alix Perez Eprom feat MC GQ – Immortals
- Cerdin – ID
- Fred Again – Jungle (Joel Cruz Remix) [Super Speed Edit]
- Cerdin x Squired – ID
- Ivy Lab x Drake – Orange Talk (Cerdin Mashup) [Unreleased]
- latesleeper – Bushwa
- TYLR & Mahsiv – Madness
- Cerdin – CrushonU
- Metrodome – Superfucked
- Saka – Artemis
- Gesaffelstein – Hellifornia (Cerdin ‘Helliphonkia’ Tribute) [Unreleased]
- Mr. Carmack – Croydon
- Baauer – Depop Damaga
- Cerdin – ID
- KACYY – OKAY! (ZCR FLIP)
- HELLBOUND! – NOISE
- tearsofmine – One Time
- Ashnikko – Daisy (Reach & Jaydon Remix)
- Cerdin – ID
- Cerdin – ID
- Ivy Lab – Kai Tech (Cerdin ‘Klub Tech’ Edit) [Unreleased]
- Cerdin – ID
- EPROM & G Jones – On My Mind (Cerdin Remix)
- Cerdin – ID
- Yoofee – Seek & Move x Dave – Verdansk
- Cerdin – ID
- Overmono – So U Kno (Visev Remix) [Unreleased]
