[Electro House] Exclusive Interview: OVERWERK
Over past few days, we had the pleasure of conducting an interview with up-and-coming Electro House producer, Edmond Huszar, under the pseudonym: OVERWERK. Hailing from Ontario, Canada, OVERWERK has been making some waves on the scene. It is beyond us why he has not blown up yet. His DOPE remix of Wolfgang Gartner‘s ‘Space Junk’ , which we posted a little while back, is what initially caught our attention. Check out some of his ridiculous videos that we posted earlier for more insight on his forthcoming productions. He is currently working on his first EP “The Nth º” , which is going to be sick, to say the least. Follow OVERWERK on Facebook and Soundcloud for frequent updates. Keep a close eye on this guy. Enjoy!
Space Junk (OVERWERK Remix)- Wolfgang Gartner
I Am London (Original Mix)- OVERWERK
The Nth º (Original Mix)- OVERWERK
VP: So what’s behind the Pseudonym OVERWERK?
O: My original passion was visual art & graphic design. I was actually working on a design portfolio that I had named “overworked” because I’m always working on so many projects. I really liked the ring it had and decided to use it when I went solo. I changed “worked” to “werk” in tribute to “Kraftwerk” who were pioneers in the electronic music genre.
VP: We hear a lot of similar Daft Punk, and Wolfgang sounds in your music. Who are some artists who have influenced you along the way? Any influential experiences?
O: Daft Punk’s Discovery album is the most played in my iTunes and Gartner is one of my favourite artists. Growing up, I was influenced by a lot of Euro/Hardstyle/Trance artists like DJ Dean, Cosmic Gate, Kai Tracid and Gigi D’agostino. During my later teenage years, I got more into Indie/Funk/Disco/Electro/House like The Bag Raiders, Ed Banger Recs Artists, MSTRKRFT, Chromeo, The Twelves, Knightlife and RATATAT. I have a crazy eclectic variety of influences, but mostly in the electronic music genre.
For me the most influential experience was seeing Daft Punk live. Everyone has been hyping Deadmau5 for the performances he puts on but this cube and light show is a major ripoff of Daft Punk’s pyramid.
VP: What made you start DJing/producing?
O: I was bored one day and started experimenting with a new (at the time) program that came bundled with mac OSX, Garageband. This was the earliest version so it would have been around 2004. I got hooked on chopping and looping and creating tunes. I used to play the drums in a highschool band but loved how efficient computer music was, especially being a huge fan of electronic music to begin with.
DJing was a totally unrelated experience to producing. I started DJing my highschool dances in 1oth grade because I heard all the crap music the event DJ’s were playing and figured I could do a better job. A friend of mine and I rented a bunch of equipment and learned how to use it on the spot as we DJ’d the dances.
VP: We have been obsessing over your remix of Wolfgang’s ‘Space Junk’ since its release 3 months ago. Tell us a little about that remix and how you felt about it.
O: Well, I highly respect Wolfgang as an artist. A low quality version of Space Junk got leaked a couple weeks before the official release. I really loved it, but it had this duchy siren drop that I was not a fan of at all. I’m into the huge Electro bangers. I listened to this low quality version and fully recreated it and all his synths by ear. I then took my high quality recreation and remixed it, I made the drop a little more on par with my taste. Then I released my remix the same day the actual song came out. In retrospect, I would have made the bass a little deeper and the kick pump a little more, but I still love how it turned out.
VP: What advice would you give to young DJ’s/producers out there?
O: If you don’t produce music, don’t become a club DJ, there is a major over-saturation and there are plenty of weddings and barmitzva’s that could use you. — If you are actually talented and passionate about music: Research and learn as much as you possibly can. The more you understand about sound and production, the better you will be. Surround yourself with people and music that inspires you. Hang out with people that are BETTER than you; the people you are around always rub off on you, if your friends are better than you, you will always learn and grow from them. — Don’t concentrate so much on pimping yourself, good things tends to be discovered and sought after. If it’s great it will be shared, if it’s not… that’s why no one has heard of you.
VP: We’re eagerly awaiting the release of your new album “The Nth º”. What do you want to tell people about it, and when are you planning on releasing it?
O: I appreciate that you guys are awaiting it. I keep getting distracted by other projects; I’m having trouble buckling down and finishing the tracks. I will release it when it’s done haha, it will just be a 5-6 track EP. It will be FREE though, so keep checking in. I keep everyone updated of all my new music on facebook.com/overwerk so ‘Like’ my page if you want to be kept posted.
Click “More Tracks” below for the rest of the interview!
VP: How has the Canadian music culture affected you as an artist?
O: I wouldn’t say it has effected my own productions in any way. But as a scene, where I live in southern Ontario, electronic music, especially Electro/House/Dubstep is exploding. More and more clubs are starting to accept those types of music over top 40. Electronic artists/DJ’s play shows around my area more than once a week as opposed to maybe once a month a couple years ago.
VP: What is your current set up?
O: 24″ iMac: with not enough RAM (I need to upgrade it asap).
15″ Macbook Pro: that I use for Serato & being lazy in bed.
2 Genelec monitors (any other brand of monitor is pure shit, any pro will tell you).
M-audio Fast Track Pro: for whatever audio recording I may need to do, also as a interface for my system.
2 DNS3700′s : They work awesome until ultra heavy bass starts to move the platters.
1 Rane TTM57sl : If you use Serato but your mixer doesn’t have Serato built in, you don’t have a clue.
Logic Pro Studio 9: Logic 8 was WAY better, but crashed every 3 minutes with the OS Leopard upgrade, so I was forced to upgrade Logic for it to function.
I also have a M-Audio midi controller that I NEVER use, and a MicroKorg that is fun to play with, but I don’t use in songs.
VP: What do you see in the future for Electronic Music?
O: I really have no clue, seems like over time songs have become harder, more intense and intricate. I see maybe a swing back towards softer sounds eventually, once people have headaches from too much dubstep.
VP: What should we expect in the future for OVERWERK? Any tour dates?
O:You can expect a lot of shows, I’m really going to start getting out onto the scene beginning with Southern Ontario then moving onward. If you want me to come to your city, it’s not tough to talk to your local club promoters and get them to book me. I wouldn’t say a Tour, but definitely a lot gigs along with a non stop stream of new banging tunes.
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Papa Yinny
