Feature: Budakid [Interview + Premiere]

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today, tell us a bit about yourself, how old are you, where are you living and how long have you been producing music and DJing?
Hey astronaut ☺ Thanks for having me this month. My name is Kevin Huizing and I make music as Budakid. At the moment I’m living in Berlin, but I was living in the Netherlands until last year. I started producing twelve years ago, at the age of fourteen and gradually I started getting more into DJ’ing as well.

How did you discover electronic music and what led you down the path of wanting to be a DJ and producer? Where do your early influences lie?
I started at a drum fanfare back in the day. I played there for almost 7 years, I think, and then later I discovered a way to produce music all by myself. At the age of fourteen I already went clubbing (which sounds a lot cooler than it was… haha) and that inspired me a lot to try and make electronic music myself. I still know the guy who was playing tech-house/minimal tracks back then, instead of the popular stuff. That mindset really attracted me as well.

So you started out as a drummer, how if at all has that had an impact on your productions?
Haha, uhhm... I think it had an impact on my musical growth. Not really sure how to pinpoint it. In a way programming beats on a computer or working on a new drum piece felt like the same thing to me. So you could say my passion for beat driven music started there.

Tell us a bit about the scene in the Netherlands and more specifically Deep and Progressive House which seems to be on a steady rise.
The scene in the Netherlands is healthy and strong. Sometimes there’s a movement between hypes but the overall quality of the music is quite high. Progressive House has had two different faces in the Netherlands. People from my generation know it in the more commercial way, but the older pirates are thinking back to the likes of Sasha and Digweed. The progressive music we’re talking about is still on the rise I think. I’m not sure if it will really explode sometime in the future, but there are places that have a loyal audience.

You've got a new EP out this week on Guy J's Lost & Found imprint, tell us about your inspiration for the project and the production process behind the lead track 'Memories’.
‘Memories’ is a story told by me and my Prophet. I was working on some chord progressions – how I usually start – and I already started to think of a melody. A melody that takes you places, a melody that acts like a voice. I also had the idea to record some guitars to give it an extra dynamic touch. So at the end I asked a friend (Thuur) – who also plays in my band – to play the progression in different voicings, up and down. This allowed the progression to grow together with the melody towards the end.

https://soundcloud.com/progressiveastronaut/premiere-budakid-memories-original-mix-lost-found

The track names seem particularity poignant, is there a story behind them?
I produced ‘Memories’ in the place where I lived before, in Tilburg, back in the Netherlands.

At that time, I already knew I was going to move to Berlin, but it was hard to think about leaving a lot of stuff behind. All my discoveries, friends and memories. I mean I don’t actually left them behind, but I was moving on. Moving on to another place. A new empty page.

These might be some of your most progressive sounding productions to date, do you see your music moving that direction or just an area you enjoy touching on?
I’m not sure if it’s my most progressive productions. There was already some proggy stuff last year, but those were maybe more often on the b-side. As a kid I was a bit of a trance head. I loved the energy, melodies and harmonies, driven by a steady and upsweeping beat. These elements are still apparent in my music I think. Sometimes they’re more noticeably there than other times, but it influenced me a lot I think. I’m always getting bored of doing the same grooves and vibes over and over again, so I just keep looking for something new everytime.

https://soundcloud.com/when-we-dip/premiere-budakid-on-an-empty-page-lost-found

Guy J would have to be considered the leading trend setter in terms of progressive house. What does it mean to have his seal of approval?
I’m been a big fan of Guy J’s work for ages and I’m very happy to be on his imprint.

I think Guy has become one of the greatest in the progressive world, next to Sasha, John, Nick and Hernan. So his approval means a lot to me.

Your gig schedule seems to be growing constantly, in December alone you had dates in The Netherlands, Jordan, Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia. How were those?
I think just this last December I did more traveling than I ever did before in all my life, haha. Yeah, just one word: amazing! This is something I couldn’t imagine four years ago, sitting in my bedroom studio. Also, to be touring Asia for the first time… that’s quite a big deal to me, because of my roots. That was a very unique experience and a milestone in my career. All the parties were great, and it’s very nice to see that music is an international language.

What do you do for fun (non music related)?
I’m kind of a foody and I love cooking. As a kid I wanted to become a chef, but unfortunately that did not happen. The passion for food is still there though! ☺

I also like to go for a run, or play games sometimes, but mainly I’m just working on music. That’s what I’m enjoying the most.

What's in the Budakid studio? What can't you live without?
I’ve had different hardware synths and mixers and stuff, but I’m always trying new things out. If it’s not fitting my workflow or if I’m not using it often, I just look further for something else, haha. At the moment I mainly use my Prophet 6 and my stage piano. For me, these are the starting point. Especially the piano.

Who are some up and coming Dutch artists to look out for?
Hmmm… there are a few guys I’m keeping an eye on lately. One of them is Nordfold, a good friend of mine. He’s a very unique and solid producer. Another one to look out for is Olaf Stuut. A very talented and innovative producer, who also did a remix for me on the Last Night On Earth label.

What five tracks are you currently loving the most at the moment?

1. Alex Orion – Muriwai

2. Monolink – Sirens (Patrice Baumel)

3. Nordfold – To Become a Thought

4. Mano le Tough – Your Heavy Head

5. DJ Tennis – Certain Angles feat. Fink (Club Mix)

What can we expect to hear from you next? Might there be an album on the horizon?
Uhm, I have some new music coming out on Eelke Kleijn’s label, and there’s also something coming out on Stil vor Talent. I can’t promise an album, but let’s just see what 2018 brings! ☺