He has a track that has just released on the Dirtybird Campout West Coast Compilation, further solidifying his position as an up-and-coming regular within the Dirtybird Fam, with his debut performance coming up at this year's Campout.
STREAM: WESTEND - AMBIDEXTROUS
DB: How did you get your start in music? Were you always into producing dance music?
I remember getting my first CD-Walkman at the age of 8 and listening to various Hip Hop albums over and over. That was the beginning of a life long passion for critically listening to music. Fast forward a few years and I wanted to make my own music so I tried to learn guitar. I was ok at it but hated the fact that being creative meant spending days of practice to just to get my techniques solid.
I attended the same high school as Robert Moog (he commercialized synthesizers) and his daughter donated a Digital Music Lab where you learned the basis of a DAW, music composition, synthesis. At that time I fell in love with electronic music especially artists like Justice, MSTRKRFT, and deadmau5 . It was perfect timing as I was able to use this class to really got the ropes on producing electronic music.
DB: Tell us more about C&T and how Westend came to be from that project?
C&T was a duo that I started around 2013 with a buddy of mine from high school. It took us a bit to find our sound, but we kinda landed in like the house x bass scene. We were influenced by artists like Billy Kenny, Kyle Watson,and all of the Dirtybird crew. After I graduated from college, I was finding the logistics of producing and playing shows in a duo to be too hectic with working full time. I needed to have full control of a project if I was going to take it to the next level. Westend came out of this need and unfortunately I wasn’t able to continue making music as C&T.
DB: What city has been your favorite place you've played so far, and what are some places you'd want to play at in the future?
I have played twice in DC this year and both times were incredible. The scene there is strong with the crowd being both energetic and educated. When I find myself getting lost in my USB and playing music I might not regularly play, its always an extra special gig for me.
TOKYO. Mostly because I am captivated by Japanese culture and food but also because I have no clue what clubbing culture is like there, especially house music. It would be a lot of fun to go into a show not knowing anything about what the crowd vibes with and figuring it out from there.
DB: Who or what would you say is your biggest influence in house music?
Dirtybird taught me that you can take music production to a remarkably serious level while also not taking yourself too seriously in the process. Thats has been my guiding light when writing music and something I always strive to do.
DB: How excited are you for your Dirtybird Campout debut? What can the fans expect from your set?
VERY VERY EXCITED. Its hands down one of the best festival in the world and going from a two time attendee to an artist on the lineup is a dream come true.
I will debuting lots of new music and will have some cheeky special edits. I like to think that you won’t ever to be able to hear a Westend set from anyone but me.
DB: Your upcoming track on the West Coast Compilation is called "Ambidextrous." Do you happen to be ambidextrous as well? Could you tell us more about the background of the track.
Absolutely not, I can barely do most things with my dominant hand.
I wrote the record earlier this year with the intention of creating something a bit more funky as opposed to banging. A lot of times people get stuck finding vocals for their song, so I decided to start the writing process with a popular acpaella. I built the track around that acapella and then swapped it once the track was finished to something more original. Having that inspiration early on in the process helped immensely
DB: Who's your favorite villain (can be any movie/video game/comic)?
Heath Ledger as The Joker is the best villain performance I have seen.
Check out Westend's new track "Ambidextrous" on the absolutely stacked West Coast Compilation, and get your tail feathers ready to shake at Campout next weekend!
