Earlier this month, we shone a spotlight on the sunlit nostalgia that is ‘ELEV8’, the 2022 single from EDM artist JAEZI.
The high-energy and propulsive track instantly recalls the bygone festivals of yesterday, dripping with summery ambience and the feel of an afternoon mosh pit.
Below, we catch up with JAEZI to chat all things ‘ELEV8’, music festivals, and music as “an escape from the everyday troubles of life.”
Read the full interview below, and scroll down to listen to JAEZI’s single ‘ELEV8’.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
JAEZI: Starting the day with a good sleep in of course!
Once I’m ready to get up it’s straight to the coffee machine. Chocolate flavoured nespresso late, followed by a bowl of organic oats with chia seeds and coconut sugar.
Once I’m done with breakfast, it’s straight to the couch with my laptop, diving head first into my latest project.
After a few hours of production I’ll likely take a break by having lunch while streaming a movie or two. Once I’m creatively recharged, I dive back into producing until I’m ready for dinner.
HAPPY: What does a typical day look like when recording a song like ‘ELEV8’?
JAEZI: I would start with the element that first inspired the idea of the song, like the chord progression, lead melody or bass line.
From there I would slowly develop the remaining starting elements and ideal percussion style for the track, typically a heavy kick with ambient clap/snare loop with high hats and shakers coming in later.
Once the chorus is ready I build around that by working out what kind of pre chorus I want to develop; scrolling through many buildup, rise and drop samples until I find the ones that fit best.
Once the general structure of the song is set, I focus on specific areas and refine each sound with effects until I get the style I like. It’s during this time that I add additional elements if I feel it fits, like an electronic stab or an ambient water drop sample.
The final step of course being mastering the track, making sure all the elements fit nicely and non are clashing.
HAPPY: How have artists like Swedish House Mafia, Sigala and Kygo influenced your sound?
JAEZI: Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ brings an energy and presence that very few EDM tracks of late can reproduce.
From it’s heavy buildup/drop to the iconic lead melody it’s easily a track someone can get lost in. This is the kind of melodic euphoria that I hope to emulate in my music.
Sigala is a tropical house genius, who’s tracks are perfect for almost any vibe. One of my favourites is ‘Aint Givin Up’ with Craig David.
This track captures energy and joy in such a unique and stylistic way, with its piano oriented chorus working harmoniously with an intricate drum section.
Kygo blends some of the greatest elements of the previous two acts together, having created a unique style that makes him stand out in this genre.
One of my favourites tracks is ‘Remind Me To Forget’ with Miguel. This tracks blends gorgeous tropical vocal chops with a hard hitting piano based chorus instantly making you feel like you could be at a major festival.
HAPPY: The track is nostalgically inspired by old Australian festivals. Why was this an important inspiration to pull from?
JAEZI: With the increase in festival cancellations of recent years, it’s important to never forget how iconic and inspirational they were; especially for artists like me.
Attending a festival was like getting a front row seat on what life in the music industry could be and it was incredible to witness for the first time.
At their core, regardless of who was headlining it’s important to remember festivals because they celebrated music. I believe that’s something to hold on to because what would life be without music?
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HAPPY: Which festivals in particular were inspirational for the track?
Without a doubt, Tomorrowland is arguebly the largest festival in the world for EDM and was definitely an inspiration for this song.
Festivals don’t get much bigger than Tomorrowland and I wanted this song to sound like a track an artist could include in their set.
HAPPY: Do you have any particularly favourite memories from a music festival?
JAEZI: Future Festival in 2015, the headlining acts were Drake & Avicii.
The vibe of this festival was insane and aside from the fact that I was surrounded by artists I actively followed, seeing them on stage and witnessing the energy they could create with the crowd undoubtedly inspired my eventual decision to produce music.
HAPPY: Are there any under-appreciated international festivals you think more people should know about?
JAEZI: While not as large as Tomorrowland, Ultra or EDC, CRSSD Festival in San Diego is a quality music event perfect for EDM fans who are looking for a quality electronic music experience on a smaller scale.
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HAPPY: Anything else exciting on the horizon that you can tease for us?
JAEZI: I’m incredibly excited to announce that I will be releasing a cover of ‘Better Off Alone’ by Alice Deejay on May 8th.
This will be a chill tropical house track with ambient vibes reminiscent of artists like Petit Biscuit and Shallou. More excitingly this will be the first song I’ve released which uses my own vocals.
Growing up with music singing was something I’ve always done, but I’ve never had the confidence to produce and release a track with my own vocals until recently.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
JAEZI: Music is a huge part of who I am and regardless of if I become an international artist or remain a local one, I will always love producing it.
One of the greatest things about producing music is when you see people who genuinely like it and share it with others.
For me, music has always been an escape from the struggles of everyday life and knowing that one of my songs is doing that for someone else, makes this life infinitely rewarding.
