INTERVIEW | Rising Producer sumthin sumthin Talks New EP with Deadbeats, Dream Collabs, & More

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sumthin sumthin has become one of the most highly admired artists within electronic music in just a few short years and has quickly become a favorite here at TSIS. Last Friday, the rising producer teamed up with Deadbeats for his latest EP, Light Garden, which features a collaboration from none other than the bass queen herself, CloZee.

The 4-track project is easily his most ambitious to date and, conceptually, explores the idea of light vs darkness throughout. Every track packs a punch and fits the mold of blending melodic instrumentations juxtaposed with heavier sound design. His track with CloZee, “Salt,” is easily our favorite and sees both producers colliding for one epic joint-effort filled with all kinds of twists and turns.

We were lucky enough to ask sumthin sumthin a few questions about the EP, his relationship with Deadbeats, upcoming projects, and more.

You can check out our conversation with sumthin sumthin below, alongside his new EP. Make sure to give it a listen. Enjoy!

sumthin sumthin – Light Garden

This is your first EP to be released after the pandemic. Do you think you look at producing a bit differently now and how has that influenced Light Garden?

Pandemic or not, I could feel myself pulling away from my previous production styles. I get comfortable creating in a certain way and eventually grow tired of that sound, and move to the next thing my brain wants to create. As of late, I’ve been diving deeper into the melodic realm, trying to create something heavy yet soft/delicate. This has completely influenced the sound you hear in Light Garden.

You mentioned that you have plans to further expand your thesis of dark vs. light. Can you give us any insight as to what we might be able to look forward to in the future? Could there be an album down the road at some point playing with that theme?

I believe everything is in perfect balance in this universe, and my goal as a creative is to share this concept in the medium of music. As I get older, it’s becoming more and more aware to myself that this is the most satisfying way to create music. Although challenging, I think it best represents life as a whole, you would not know happiness without sadness, you would not know darkness without experiencing light, and so on. With this concept taking up most of my creative outlook, I definitely can see an album coming out within the next year or two, where instead of putting both emotions in a single track, I can expand on this concept and write entirely dark, or entirely light tracks in a large body of work. 

This isn’t your first time releasing music through Deadbeats. What does it mean to you to be releasing music through the label? 

Releasing on Deadbeats still trips me out to this day. There are so many talented producers who have released with them and I’m so grateful to be a part of such a massive collection of amazing music. Not to mention Zeds Dead being one of my biggest inspirations growing up. It all feels very full circle which is such a satisfying feeling. 

Your track with CloZee is an absolute banger! What was it like working with her? 

Working with CloZee was a dream come true. She was so easy to write with and was down to take the track in any direction it needed to go in. It’s always such a pleasure working with pure human beings like Chloé, I’m beyond honored to have a song with her!

Who are some other artists that you would like to work with and why? What’s your ultimate dream collab?

-Troyboi (because I feel like we both have such recognizable sounds, would be so fun to hop in the studio with him someday)

-Haywyre (His melodic capabilities and songwriting have always been so inspiring to my own production)

-Peekaboo (I feel like we can make an absolute HIT of a tune together)

But above all, my dream collab would be to work with the legend himself, Mr. Carmack. He inspired me to think about creating your own sound and imprint when it comes to music production. He also never pigeon hole’d himself into any specific genre, and seemed to make anything he wanted to set his mind to. I could die completely happy if this collaboration ever came to fruition. In my mind he is and always will be my #1 biggest influence. 

You have a number of festivals lined up this year. What’s your favorite thing about playing festivals vs. solo shows? Is there any festival that has really stood out to you thus far?

I’m very excited to play these festivals coming up because I feel like I can focus more on story telling in a set without having to constantly make the crowd move/dance. This allows me to actually convey my ideas in a way that best suits the music. Club shows are still extremely fun, but festivals tend to scratch that creative itch. The singular festival that has stood out from the rest is Shambhala. I’ve never seen such a higher appreciation for the music on both the fan and the performers side. It is truly a magical place and I hope to return some day!