Haezer talks bass music and THAT dickbutt ‘Ded Haus’ teaser video
Haezer is without doubt one of SA’s finest music producers and has forged an impressive international career in the underground world of heavy bass music.
We have become slaves to our cellphones/social media and in my opinion struggle to ‘feel’ anything in music.”
Photo-Credit: Adriaan Louw
He has been a little quiet of late but that’s all about to change with a new EP called Ded Haus due out on 15th of September on Mahtrasher Records.
Aside from music he bought a well known club/groove bar in Long Street, Cape Town called Fiction with partners and he plays Grietfest 2017 this coming weekend as well as Rocking The Daisies in October and has a European tour scheduled thereafter.
We chatted the man with the bass face…
You have recently acquired Cape Town club Fiction with partners. Why did you decide to expand your resume to club owner? How has it been and do you find that running a club is easier coming from an artist’s background?
Haezer: I started my career at Fiction, so when the previous partner approached me to buy it, I just couldn’t resist. I saw it as a good business opportunity and have a lot of love for the club. It was really tough in the beginning, because I didn’t have much time for my music and had to put a lot of energy into the club, but as you get accustomed to the intricacies of running a club and building up a stellar management team, the workload gets less. There’s definitely advantages being an artist and owning the club, like understanding what the dancefloor needs and booking artists you believe in, but I had to learn a whole new set of skills. Running a club is not for the fainthearted, that’s for sure.
Tell us about your upcoming new EP, “Ded Haus”? The sound, release date, etc.
Haezer: The sound is uncompromisingly ‘HAEZER’. The release date is on my birthday, the 15th of September on Mahtrasher Records. If I had to categorize the sound I’d say a hybrid of electro, bass house and techno.
I love Grietfest because it’s run by electronic music lovers and they never compromise on the quality of production…”
The teaser video for “Ded Haus” has generated a buzz with its featuring of the meme “dickbutt”. It sheds light on your feeling that memes and social media status is taking away from music and the arts. Care to elaborate?
Haezer: I wanted to keep the interpretation open to the audience. I’ve received quite a bit slack for it, which is perfect. We have become slaves to our cellphones/social media and in my opinion 
struggle to ‘feel’ anything in music. Generic samples and stupid vocal references have become the norm. Your music means very little if your instagram is not pumping. Your facebook artist page means nothing if you’re not a meme generator. If people are hating on the artwork, i’m happy. At least they are feeling something. I just hope they genuinely feel something and are not just jumping on the pitchforking bandwagon. The other 50% who ‘gets’ the concept has shown genuine appreciation and I think we need more of that. Not more appreciation, just more genuine opinions and connection with music again.
You have a new side project, Embassy, which focuses on the techno/house realm of electronic music. What made you decide to dabble in the ‘lighter’ side of electronic music? I listened to some of your tracks and I must say its great hearing the hard-hitting Haezer sound applied to these fields.
Haezer: Thanks for the kind words. Embassy came about after touring Europe numerous times and enjoying the after-party culture and going to after hour techno parties. I’ve grown to love the simplicity and appreciation for the finer detail in techno and house music. My aim with Embassy is to marry house and techno and creating a sort of hybrid between the two.
Tell us about your upcoming gigs in South Africa, namely Grietfest 2017 and Rocking the Daisies. Why is Grietfest a MUST for fans of electronica?
Haezer: I love Grietfest because it’s run by electronic music lovers and they never compromise on the quality of production and with the new container yard venue, gives you this surreal experience. Rocking The Daisies is probably my favorite festival in Cape Town. It’s hard to pinpoint why. There’s just something about the layout and the energy in the crowd.
You have a European tour coming up in October. What countries are you most excited to play in? To be in? And why?
Haezer: I’m playing in Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I’m excited for Italy because I haven’t played there in a while. I’ll be staying mostly in Germany and have friends there so it’s always cool to hang out.
Photo-Credit: Zenneth Steyn
You have an electric stage presence when you perform. Is your stage persona different from your day-to-day person? What is your favourite part of performing?
Haezer: 100%. My stage persona is my alter-ego. I’m a introvert and have taught myself to be more open to interaction and meeting new people. On stage I lose any insecurity and just get lost in the music and the crowd’s energy.
I love being in the studio, alone, getting lost in music. That said, nothing compares to that feeling when you connect with your fans during a dj set. I love both.
What artists are you listening to at the moment?
Haezer: Matroda, Joyryde, Proxy, Billy Kenny, Josh Brown and Dimension.
