RB Exclusive Interview: Zeke Beats

Zeke Beats is set to throw down at Darkstar in Tempe on January 26th. Zeke Beats is a staple in the space bass community and brings a truly incredible live performance wherever he performs. Most known for his live scratching over space bass songs, Zeke Beats brings a unique vibe and is definitely not to be missed. Also, an incredible producer, Zeke Beats brings the energy in his tracks, making crowds dance helplessly in awe of the music. It is a rare combo to have an artist great at both producing music and performing live, and it is a blessing to be on Zeke Beats’ tour.

Zeke Beats is currently on his Self Sabotage Tour, stopping in major cities all across the United States. He is currently picking up momentum in the scene and continues to showcase why he should be on festival lineups and people’s favorites on Spotify. Not only is he touring, but he is vlogging the trip to share with us, offering a unique look into the life of a touring artist. Zeke Beats has also released some incredible music this year. “Breathe,” his collab with Champagne Drip, is an acid techno space bass hybrid that promises to get you moving and grooving. He also finally released “Humanoid 2.0,” a collab with Eprom that sends deep bass notes into your soul.

We had a chance to sit down with Zeke Beat’s and discuss scratching, his start in the space bass community, and so much more. Check it out below!

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It is such a pleasure to meet you, I have been a fan of your music and your live performances for a long time.  What are you most excited about for your Self Sabotage Tour? Where did the name for the tour come from?

Thank you so much! I am really looking forward to connecting with my fans on the tour who love to see my performances, it’s truly rewarding doing my passion and making people happy from it. The name of the Tour is after my last EP which was released on Liquid Stranger’s record label “Wakaan”. The name “Self Sabotage” was in reference to the never ending loops we do as human beings of sabotaging ourselves from reaching goals or going through the same cycles over and over again, kind of like samsara.

I think the fact you scratch live is incredible.  For those who may be new to the scene, how would you describe “scratching” ie what is actually making it sound like that?

Scratching is basically manipulating a sound on a record moving it forwards and backwards by hand in certain patterns and turning the volume on and off to create percussive patterns.

How much of your scratching is a routine that you have practiced, and how much of it is impromptu jamming?

All of the scratching is impromptu jamming but the routines are practiced if that makes sense, it’s kind of like knowing the tune of a song like twinkle twinkle little star but using different words to fill in the sentences haha!

How did you find your niche in the space bass community? Is that what you grew up playing, or what lead to the transition into the genre?

I was originally into hip hop and competitive dj’ing. Then my first exposure to experimental bass music was from a night that had started up in LA named Low End Theory which was run by daddy kev. From there I fell in love with it and then started building my knowledge of that music scene. I began supporting music producers when they came to Australia and got to know a lot of people that way and eventually got into music production myself which then gained popularity in the US and I got a message from Shambhala and Insomniac to play a couple of festivals! From there everything kind of kicked off and snowballed into doing tours with acts such as Rezz, Atliens, Minnesota etc etc. and playing festivals such as EDC, Electric Forest, Project Z, Countdown etc etc.

What are some of your passions outside electronic music, and how have they influenced your musical direction?

anymore but I definitely feel those sounds had made a huge impact on my love for electronic music.

What have been some of the most memorable moments, big or small, in your career?

Definitely playing massive music festivals which I thought I would have never played in a million years and also being able to travel and tour off my music for a passion is just absolutely incredible! Connecting with fans, sharing experiences and also bringing people together is something which I cherish and am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do.

What should fans expect for your set?  We are so excited to see you early next year!

Fans attending my set should be prepared for a ton of scratching, unreleased music and high energy!!!! I am super excited to be coming back to AZ, you guys really know how to party out there!

Zeke Beats is set to blow our minds at Darkstar on January 26th; get your tickets here!

Connect with Zeke Beats: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | SoundCloud