Tsuruda‘s latest Deathwish EP is the embodiment of what the artist represents: versatility, inventiveness, and swagger. Through the four-track journey, the artist displays his mastery of various genres, ranging from light, upbeat melodies to gritty, bass-filled undertones. Tsuruda’s skills have never been in question, but the Deathwish EP further solidifies him among the elite.
To celebrate the release, we had the pleasure of catching up with him for a brief interview, where we spoke about his recent trip down under, remixing Noisia, streaming on Twitch, and more. In addition, the veteran has blessed us with a mix tailor-made for the FUXWITHIT audience, featuring dope originals and edits from the man himself as well as a couple of tunes from some of his friends. A Carmack and Tsuruda ID, a Losco and Asau ID, and so many more unreleased gems… this is a mix you won’t want to miss. Dive in below.
Welcome, Tsuruda, and thanks for this dope mix! What vibe were you going for when putting this together? What’s the best setting for listening?
To be honest I lost loads of my DJ selection when my last laptop got murked by orange soda (haha woops). A lot of the tracks in the mix are just my own. Fresh bounces off my studio PC… oh and a few tracks from some friends that I was able to grab off my Dropbox etc. Defs gotta slap in the whip or while brushing teeth.
There definitely was a different energy down under.
You were recently down under, correct? How was that experience?
Yes mainly in Auckland. It was dope AF. Needed that time away for sure.
Are the crowds different in Australia/NZ compared to North America? If so, how?
Hmmm… yes I suppose..? Everyone seems so happy and genuine down there. But also North American crowds vary greatly by region, venue etc. There definitely was a different energy down under but it’s hard to put into words. It was positive though.
Congrats on your latest Deathwish EP on Deadbeats. You rap on ‘Pillz,’ right? Is that your first time rapping on a Tsuruda track? Any more of that planned in the future?
Yes to both of those questions.
You’ve rapped on cousin litt tracks though. Will you ever revive that project?
Yes cousin litt is my main focus lately. Still doing Tsuruda stuff but I’m really trying to switch it up and drop several cousin litt projects and just see what happens. Definitely a different lane music wise.
You also released a dope remix for Noisia and Prolix’s ‘Asteroids’ recently. How did that track come together? How did it feel when you were asked to remix those legends?
Got back from Auckland late January and the Noisia team was asking if I had messed with the stems yet. I hadn’t but decided one night to start throwing the bass samples over a drum loop I was working on. It was immediately clear that I had something. Kind of got lucky an was able to knock the majority of the song out in a few hours. It was dope.
You’ve been quite active on Twitch lately. When and why did you first get into streaming?
COVID lockdowns were the catalyst to my Twitch career (lol). A lot of music folks got into it in those odd times. Just something to do.
How does streaming impact your production process?
I’m a bit camera shy. And too self-conscious when I produce in front of others. Twitch has been helping me get over these two personal issues but also it defs impedes my production process. I often find I get that “deer in the headlight” energy and overcoming those nerves is always a challenge. It’s oddly fun though.
Maybe I just gotta prove some things to myself.
You recently tweeted “I’m capable of so much more than I’ve done so far. gotta work 10x harder. smarter.” Can you elaborate on this?
Honestly I wasn’t that deep. Just gotta try and be the best person I can be.
Many would say that you’ve done a ton to prove yourself. What makes you think you need to do more?
Maybe I just gotta prove some things to myself. But also… cousin litt. Sh*t needs to come out.
Any final thoughts?
Just wanna say thanks to the Deadbeats team for giving this EP a home. Ya’ll are the best f’real f’real.
Tracklist:
Jaw Jam – The Truth
Tsuruda – Pills
Tsuruda – ID (baby keem flip)
Losco and Asau – ID
Tsuruda – don’t f*cking lose this
Carmack x Tsuruda – ID
Tsuruda – ID
Nik P – ID
Tsuruda – Migi
Tsuruda – Deathwish
Tsuruda – HERO
Tsuruda – ID
Tsuruda – JPEG 152
Asau – ID
Tsuruda -ID
Tsuruda – cardi yo
Chrome Republic – Gunslinger
Tsuruda – Out Of Pocket
Tsuruda – Out Here
Tsuruda – Running Shit
Asau – ID
Diplo – Biggie Bounce (Losco edit)
Dr. Derg x Gangus – Hypnotize
Cousin Litt – ID
Dabow x Herzeloyde – What’s Up
