We were delighted to have the opportunity to catch up with WEKS to discuss the inspiration behind his latest EP, his approach to sound design, as well as the goodies that he’s got stocked up in the arsenal to reveal in the coming year.

Be sure to check out the full interview and tracklist below!

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You’ve recently transitioned into a fantastic hybrid-freeform sound, what initially sparked this transition in styles?

Honestly, I feel like this element of my style has always existed, as we’ve moved through 2018 the more minimal approach has sort come to the forefront in terms of popularity so I’ve honestly just become more and more comfortable exploring that dimension of my style, and I love it. I’m an 808 kid man, this minimal style just promotes that booming bass and I love it.

How does this pivot reflect on the time and diligence that has gone into perfecting your craft over the course of your career?

I think this is just an expression of the elements of my style I’ve become most proud of. All of my recent work I’ve tried to sort of show off my production abilities and techniques and I think that shows. I know that my music sounds different from other peoples and that’s on purpose, I want my mixing techniques and style to stand out. I want each element of every track to pop out to the listener as high grade. This has sort of worked against my creativity in some ways as I’ve gotten away from the more melodic elements of my style to focus on the production filth, but this summer I’m bringing the hype and I’m bringing back that melodic vibe.

Walk me through the process for sourcing the sounds for your FUXWITHIT premiere ‘Tembo’ specifically, as well as the entire Terp Sauce EP as a whole. Did you craft each aspect by hand, or were there certain aspects taken from your previous releases or tools/packs that are available to the general public?

Most every sound I used in this EP was of my own creation in either serum or massive with various levels of processing. I think only one of the lead sounds started with a sample from a TYNAN pack. Actually fuckin shouts out TYNAN, he turned me on to using frequency shifters in sound design and I use them in literally everything it’s absolutely my go to for sound design. Also shouts out YOOKiE all the dope shit I learned about sub basses and 808s I learned from Anthony. I synthesized all the basses in the EP myself and I actually made a lot of the drums too, I don’t really do that as much anymore actually simply because i can get the desired result through more skillful EQing than I previously was capable of. A lot of the sounds I used i didn’t make specifically for the EP, a good chunk were patches that I’d made previously and just processed differently or used differently. A lot of my serum and massive patches are multi-faceted and can be easily modulated to produce widely varying dimensions to the sound.

Terp Sauce has been received extremely well by the community and seems to be climbing higher on the charts each day. How do you aim to capitalize on this momentum throughout the rest of the year?

I’ve set some goals for myself as far as who I’m looking to release with and what I want to have on my resume come 2020, but I think what I’m most excited about is exploring the new sides and aspects of creativity that I can incorporate into my style. I think the ID after Tembo in this mix is a good taste of what direction I’m moving in.

If Terp Sauce were constructed as a ride at an amusement park and you were in charge of designing the course, what sort of thrill are we looking at here?

Well it starts with a dab lol then it’s a nice ride through a garden until the bottom falls out and you spend the rest of the ride in a fuckin cavern with the sounds ping-ponging and reverbing off the wall, and every now and then the track will drop beneath a waterfall and you’ll get soaked lol. And the ride attendant will hook you up with blunts the whole time (I moved to Maine so I can say that).

What do you have in store for us today with this guest mix?

10 unreleased tunes from me, a great barometer of where I’m headed this year. Some IDs from some homies, particularly my bois RaidBoss, we collabed on a track that dropped with MMXVAC. Shout out MMXVAC for backing me, that I didn’t think fit the vibe here but I have some tunes of theirs in here because we’re bois and really believe in each other’s projects. The mix as a whole I think is a perfect indicator of where my sound is headed this summer, I’m hunting down a particular sound and I think it’s really going to resonate. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

WEKS & L3THO – ID
Tokey. – High Breed (Allen Mock Flip)
Computa – Sensory Overload (WEKS Remix)
WEKS – ID
Brainrack – I’m Like
Trolley Snatcha – Big Belly
LAXX – The Limit
WEKS – ID
w/ RaidBoss – ID
WEKS – ID
WEKS – Heat Wave
RaidBoss – THNKN BOUT U
AVANCE & HEIMANU – ID
HYDRAULIX – Flatline
WHIPPED CREAM – Blood (GAWM Remix)
TYNAN & Kompany – Extraterrestrial (WEKS Remix)
Nitti Gritti – Crack (WEKS Remix)
Kompany – Firewall
WEKS – Burners
WEKS – ID
WEKS – Tembo
WEKS – ID
AVANCE & Loca – REVENGE
Lil Windex – FMU (WEKS Remix)
TripzyLeary – H3110 (WEKS Remix)
MineSweepa – Flex Like Ouu Flip
Moore Kismet – ID
WEKS – ID
Gladez – Pull Up (WEKS Edit)
WEKS – Like Drugs ft. Blakmag

The post Guest Mix + Interview – WEKS appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

Transitioning from a more trap-based foundation, Terp Sauce embraces a more minimalistic approach, which encompasses the rigorous production of WEKS earlier releases, while painting a more vivid picture sonically through freeform experimentation and dazzling ingenuity utilizing subs to provide a potent kick within each track.

The first opportunity to catch up with the ambitious young producer, following the release of ‘Tembo’ granted an opportunity to dissect the artistic drive and passion that has allowed WEKS to accumulate such talent and momentum while remaining craftily hidden within the endless folds of producers on SoundCloud as he plotted his inevitable conquest.

This production-heavy focus and tremendous improvement in sound design are thoroughly depicted over the course of the EP. Incisive synths and unconventional fills provide an insatiable intro to ‘Burners’, which WEKS contrasts expertly with a warp-like build which heaves the track into a cascade of reverberating bass. While, ‘Heat Wave’ provides more of a slow, gradual burn as a tribal ensemble of drums build steady, mesmerizing energy which melts into a melody of heavenly vacillating synths.

Navigating a daunting change of pace with veteran expertise, WEKS has settled comfortably into his new style and is quickly gaining momentum as the breadth of his production talent continues to unfold.

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The post Robust Flavor in WEKS ‘Terp Sauce’ EP appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

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.

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The post PREMIERE: Elaborate Production and Astounding Depth in WEKS Latest ‘Tembo’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.