MusicsWeek: Can you tell us about your musical journey? What inspired you to become an artist?
Blast Havers: I was always into music growing up, but what made me realize I wanted it to be my main pursuit was the bay area rave scene. The light bulb moments on warehouse dance floors and house parties, the hours of spending my lunch money at the local record store digging for gems, and connecting with party goers, dj's, promoters from all walks of life.
MusicsWeek: Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound and style?
Blast Havers: There are so many, too many to name. You can hear the influence of the bigger name artists in our music: Michael Jackson, Gorillaz, Pendulum, Incubus, etc. But I would like to mention some you may or may not have heard of, but that have had a big impact on our sound, style, and approach.
Invisibl Skratch Piklz - DJ Qbert is like the Michael Jordan for us asian kids into music. The GOAT, legendary. He and the crew were so far ahead of anything in the turntablism world, they were not shy about sharing their techniques, and they are a product of the bay area.
Mountain Brothers - Philly crew of 3 Chinese American kids that made some really dope boom bappy hip hop. I was in high school when I got their album Self: Vol 1. It was these guys that showed me it doesn't matter what you look like, do your thing and they will feel it.
J Dilla, DJ Premier - When I started getting serious about music and looking further into the songs I liked, these two names kept coming up. I have always been a big fan of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and many other hip hop groups. Dilla and Primo provided many of their musical backdrops.
Fat Freddy's Drop - I would call them a dub RnB band. They consistently bring the unexpected but it always works. You can hear a wide range of influences in their music and I always enjoy hearing their take on these influences. Their style of "drops" are a direct ancestral link to Blast Havers.
MusicsWeek: Describe your songwriting process. Do you have any specific rituals or routines you follow?
Blast Havers: Generally, I get a good loop going on Logic first. Then I run it for a while and let the vibe marinate, see what comes up. Usually it's a hook first, but not always. I keep some lyric notes when I have an idea at a random time, sometimes it's a text to myself. If I can't come up with anything fresh for the loop, I look back through my notes to see if there's anything that fits.
MusicsWeek: What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your music? Are there any particular issues you're passionate about?
Blast Havers: Mental health seems to be a running theme. This was not necessarily by design, so I figure it must be something I am passionate about. Or concerned with, at least. With so much craziness in our world today, we find ourselves in a weird intersection of needing escapism and needing awareness when we turn to music. Blast Havers songs are right at that intersection, dancing, with a cup of tropical toad juice in one hand and a unicorn dust spliff in the other.
MusicsWeek: How do you approach collaboration with other artists or producers? What do you look for in a creative partnership?
Blast Havers: Depends on the project. Mostly, I will look for a singer, instrumentalist, or beat maker that has a sound and style that is what I'm looking for on a song. Then we hammer out a deal and deadline. From there, it is a matter of directing so they know what I'm envisioning. This part used to be tricky, but now days it seems to flow smoothly because many artists I work with are professionals that understand the assignment, but also know when to step out on a limb creatively, because sometimes they might do something that I wouldn't have thought of, but end up really liking.
MusicsWeek: What has been the most challenging moment in your career so far, and how did you overcome it?
Blast Havers: The most challenging moment was deciding to leave a great venue that I worked for. I wanted to be the guy getting picked up from the airport instead of the guy picking up the guy. Once I left, I worked independently and for some labels, eventually left the industry altogether, and bounced around other industries (restaurants, car dealerships, home services). You always start off in the music business idealistic, all about the music, stars in your eyes. Eventually, I had to learn that the music business...it is all about the music—the first half is. But the other half is all business.
I'm not sure that I have overcome it yet, but I haven't quit. I believe I now have a healthier balance with the creative side of things and the business side. With Blast Havers, there is more of a focus on brand identity, content creation, and these types of things I used to think an old out-of-touch executive would be stressing. Now that I understand them better, I know their importance, and I can apply them to my benefit and add my own fresh outlook. Also, this whole time I was still tinkering with my production process, and now it is hitting a stride.
MusicsWeek: How do you find inspiration for your music when you hit a creative block?
Blast Havers: I believe creative blocks are usually more about lack of motivation, as opposed to lack of inspiration. There's a great book I use as a tool for block, called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It's like a swift kick in the pants. Easy to read format of quick chapters, gives you a boost like a can of get-shit-done. I keep a few copies on hand because I always end up giving them to friends. If we meet, I might give you a copy, but don't wait for that moment!
Inspiration seems to come from a much deeper place than motivation. And luckily, it is not as easily lost. But, I'm not sure exactly how to recharge those batteries. Travel maybe? If I'm in that deep of a funk, time seems to be the only cure. With time, you meet people, hear stories, discover new foods; become reinvigorated with a new zest for life. I've tried to quit music twice, but it just didn't work because I just couldn't stay away.
MusicsWeek: What role does your audience play in your music-making process? How do you connect with them?
Blast Havers: That's a tricky one, because on the one hand, I dOn't giVe a f*cK I'm dOiN my tHiNG. But on the other hand, I hope you all like this and I'm watching for your reaction! When I'm making Blast Havers songs, they are always aimed at the dance floor first, so I imagine how the crowd might react. Sprinkling in the absurdness of everyday weirdness that we can all laugh at together is my attempt at connection. You, the audience, will have to be the judge of whether it's connecting or not.
MusicsWeek: How has the evolution of technology and social media affected your career and the way you promote your music?
Blast Havers: It has opened many doors that used to be closed very tightly. The resources are abundant, but now so are the people trying to squeeze through those doors. The mediums and tools have changed a bit, but the basics are the same. Tell as many people as I can about my music, find people that like my music a lot, and find people that like it a lot and would tell lots of other people about it.
MusicsWeek: What are your future goals as an artist? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?
Blast Havers: My future goal is to get some traction in Brazil. I love the culture there and the dance music (traditional and new) coming out of that country is very exciting. I will be branching out and working with some Brazilian producers. Also something that I'm very excited about is that I have a couple of songs in the writing phase that I'll be producing with some of my homies from my original party crew back in the day. A lot of nailing down my production process up to now has been a solitary journey, and now all I want to do is make music with my friends.
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