Interview
Alex Sutherland AKA ʙᴜᴄᴋᴇᴛs is ½ of Bass Music duo HEIRZ. ʙᴜᴄᴋᴇᴛs is a new side project focusing on wave music, ethereal sounds, distorted hip hop beats, and of course, bass. Alex has been playing the drums since he was 8 and plays the majority of the percussion parts on his productions. With a love for combining music with computers and hiding in a dark studio for hours at a time, no one really ever knows what is going to come out of that twisted head of his. Alex is among the hardest working bass music producers or DJs in the game out here in the PNW, and the depth of the waves crashing upon your ear drums over the course of this mix reflects that!
What have you been up to?
Lots of music! Haakon (my partner in HEIRZ) an I have been writing a ton of new stuff that I am super excited about and we have some cool gigs coming up. I really love where our sound is heading. Our next album will be coming out in July so be ready for that! ʙᴜᴄᴋᴇᴛs is a side project I made because I started I really enjoying the Wave sound and thought it was something I could make on my own for fun. It has been super cool experimenting with new sounds, stuff I have learned from HEIRZ, and kinda going back to some of the stuff I was making before HEIRZ.
Tell us a bit about the mix!
I wanted a mix that would tell a nice story with lots of different emotions. I included pretty much all of my favorite Wave producers as well as 6 new original tunes. One of the songs features my little sister Annie and we recorded the vocals in a hotel room in Florida.I made the mix in Ableton Live which is what I produce with as well. I used Rekordbox to DJ with all the tracks and when I made a playlist in live I just recreated it in Ableton. I am confident in my DJ abilities but I absolutely hate recording mixes lol.
Where are you at when you’re not behind the decks?
I work as an IT director for a local cannabis company, I am back in school working on my computer science degree, I hang out with my girlfriend Julia and my Dog Jersey, and I love to cook.
What are you listening to when you’re not in the mix?
That is tough. Ironically lately I have been finding myself taking breaks from listening to anything. I like silence so I can think about my own music while I am at work or whatever. But I really like Wave music as you can tell, so that has been most of what I listen to lately as well as future garage, ambient, etc.Bass music is my one true love so I listen to a lot of Shades, Tsuruda and G Jones the most in that category but I am always finding new tunes.I also love post-rock, metal, and I have been getting back into folk-punk again lately. I am gonna stop because I will keep on rambling cuz I listen to a lot of shit but you get the idea.
What are you up to next?
Lots of HEIRZ shows coming up. Catch us at Q nightclub opening for Jantsen and Digital Ethos May 8th, as well as Bellingham Arts and Music Festival May31st and June 1st. Producing wise I am trying get better with incorporating my own drumming with all my tracks, and I recently bought Superior Drummer 3 to hook up to my roland v drums. It is the coolest software I have ever owned.I also am working on creating a live electronic performance based out of Ableton Live. I have been studying a lot of stuff and trying to figure out the best way Haakon and I can convert HEIRZ into a live show, as well as make Buckets a live show too. Really I just want to express the sounds in my brain and as I become a better producer and musician I get closer and closer to being able to do that. So I guess more practice is next!
Follow ʙᴜᴄᴋᴇᴛs online at:
https://soundcloud.com/bucketsbeatshttps://www.instagram.com/buckets_heirz/
Follow Peace Portal online at:
https://www.facebook.com/peace.portal.podcast/https://soundcloud.com/peaceportalpodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/peace.portal/