OVERWERK
| OVERWERK | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edmond Huszar |
| Also known as | Overwerk, OVERWERK |
| Born |
1989 (age 25–26) London, Ontario |
| Genres | Progressive house, electro house |
| Occupation(s) | Electronic musician, DJ, record producer, graphic designer |
| Instruments | Synthesiser, D.A.W. |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Fabrik, Monstercat, Atlantic Records |
| Website | Overwerk.com |
Edmond Huszar (born 1989 in London, Ontario), best known by his alias OVERWERK or Overwerk, is a Canadian DJ, producer and graphic designer. Active since 2010, his style is often described as electro or complextro,[1] and according to LA Weekly his music combines "dramatic, orchestral passages" with "serrated synths and dive-bombing basslines."[1] Since 2011 he has released three EPs and several singles, designing the album covers himself. His 2014 single "Exist" was given a 10/10 score by Beatsmedia, with Vibe Magazine naming the track one of their "Top 10 Dance Music Releases Of The Week."[2]
OVERWERK is also known for his official remixes of songs such as "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit.[3] "Rather Be" went on to win the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.[4] He has toured Canada, much of Europe, and the United States, opening for artists such as Avicii[5] and headlining festivals such as the 2012 Escapade Music Festival. He won the 2014 New Canadian Music Vista Prize,[6] and his songs have appeared in commercials for brands such as GoPro, Gucci,[7] Lamborghini,[1] Chrysler, Vogue,[3] and Fortune Magazine.[8]
Early life
Edmond Huszar was born in 1989[9] in the small city of London, Ontario, where he was raised.[7] He first began learning to play music in elementary school, when he discovered a talent for drums and rhythm.[9] He also developed an affinity for painting and drawing, and by middle school he aspired to be a graphic designer,[7] as well as a video editor.[10]
Developing an interest in dance music and electronic music,[9] Huszar beginning to listen to genres such as rock, metal, trance, and hardstyle, or "a variety of heavy American sounds and European melodies."[9] He used websites such as Limewire and Napster to listen to "Ed Banger style French electro, that whole crew." He had bought several Ministry of Sound CDs, which "really gave me a taste of what was happening in a scene that I was not yet a part of."[11] He started making music on his computer one day while bored,[9] mixing music that was popular at his high school, such as "Ying Yang Twins, Pussycat Dolls, Chris Brown, T-Pain—generic pop stuff."[7]
Around the age of fifteen the ninth grader became interested in DJing, after being unimpressed by a DJ's song selection at a high school dance. In the tenth grade, he and a friend rented their own DJ equipment,[10] with Huszar stating that he taught himself how to use the equipment two hours before the school dance.[7] From that point he DJed all his school dances,[10] remixing popular songs into club edits. At one point he had over 200 remixes in high school he'd made on his computer, of songs such as “A Milli” by Lil Wayne.[7] At age 17, he went to a Daft Punk show in Toronto, which he states "changed my life for sure."[9] After learning to DJ he began teaching himself how to produce.[5] In highschool he began selling CDs of his work as a hobby, also designing the album covers.[7]
Music career
Early years (2008-11)
After graduating highschool in 2008, one of Huszar's first professional production projects was for The Girls Can Hear Us, an electro-rap duo based in Ontario.[10] In the summer of 2010 he began releasing original music under the alias Overwerk, or OVERWERK.[10] About his name, he has stated "I had named my graphic portfolio 'overworked' because I’m always working on so many projects." Work was changed to 'werk' in tribute to the techno group Kraftwerk.[10] As in high school, he continued to design the covers for his albums and releases.[7]
OVERWERK self-released a number of remixes in late 2010 and into 2011, including Wolfgang Gartner’s "Space Junk," which EDM Sauce praised as "a huge improvement on the original."[12] By spring of 2011 Overwerk had also released a number of original singles,[10] and he was periodically collaborating with Andy's iLL, a death electro producer he had met on Soundcloud.[10]
First releases, touring (2011-14)
OVERWERK's debut EP, The Nth º, was released for free on Soundcloud and Bandcamp on November 30, 2011,[10] and includes six of his original mixes. Stated iEN Live in a positive review, "the intense commotion of the EP manifests incessantly through the oscillation of unexpected changes in velocity and melody."[9] He toured Canada after the release of his first EP, and he performed at the Escapade Music Festival in July 2012 in Ottawa, headlining with artists such as Avicii, Afrojack, and Zeds Dead.
His sophomore EP, titled After Hours, was released on November 28, 2012, featuring original tracks such as “Signal,” “Last Call," “Relapse," and "Daybreak," the latter of which had already been featured in a popular GoPro commercial.[9] The EP received mixed to positive reviews, and Electro Jams wrote that the EP "uniquely blurs the lines between intense electro and melodic house."[13]
By March 2013 he had released several more remixes, including Chromeo’s “Night By Night."[9] That summer[14] he toured Canada and France,[14] at one point opening for Avicii in Toronto[5] and performing for audiences of over 4,000 people.[14] He also won the Symphonic Distribution 2013 Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.
OVERWERK released his EP Conquer on November 27, 2013, as a free download. The lead single, "Conquer," had been offered as a free download in October, with three other tracks added for the EP release. New Canadian Music wrote that album includes "four gritty, rumbling bass tracks, four-on-the floor groove machines that are clearly indebted to French house pioneers, Justice."[15]
 "Rather Be (OVERWERK Remix)" on Soundcloud | |
|
OVERWERK : Debut US Tour Teaser (2014) |
In January 2014[16] OVERWERK released an official remix of the track "Rather Be" by UK electronica quartet Clean Bandit. Featuring Jess Glynne and released by Atlantic Records, Vibe described the remix as "a gritty electro spinoff that has been crushing dance floors everywhere."[3] "Rather Be" went on to win the Best Dance Recording category at the 2015 Grammy Awards in the United States.[4] He won the New Canadian Music Vista Prize on March 31, 2014, where he was voted by fans in place of other artists, and was awarded $10,000.[6] On June 6 he was featured in a Reddit AMA ("ask me anything") film.[3]
"Exist" (2014)
| "Overwerk has the rare ability to blend sick electro with string arrangements and soundscapes that are fit to score an epic movie, making ['Exist'] both emotionally cinematic and extremely dance-inducing in one." |
| — Vibe in June 2014[2] |
In June 2014 OVERWERK announced he would be undertaking his first American tour in July,[17] having up to that point only traveled Canada and much of Europe.[7] At the same time he announced a new single,[3][18] and "Exist" was released on June 24, 2014 on the record label Fabrik.[8] The track was packaged as part of a two-track EP which featured both an original mix and an extended club mix.[19] OVERWERK had originally thought of the concept for "Exist" as a music video, but as of July 2014 the video was still pending, with Overwerk stating that "hopefully the video will get people thinking about things they don’t usually consider."[14]
Both versions of the single were largely well received. BeatsMedia gave "Exist" a perfect 10/10 score,[20] and Vibe named the track one of their "Top 10 Dance Music Releases Of The Week," calling it a "sonic masterpiece."[2] Recipitation described the original mix of the single as being "more in line with his electrifying debut album, The Nth°," stating the song had more done with "flowing chord progression and dynamics" than his other recent work. The review further described the song as "crunchy electro house and even complextro."[21]
US tour, commercials (2014-present)
|
OVERWERK - Daybreak (GoPro HERO3 Edit) Electro House Mix - Oct 17, 2012 |
Around 2012 OVERWERK began licensing his original tracks for commercial use, and his songs have since appeared in over 100 commercials and promotional videos.[7] His track "Daybreak" was used in a clip for GoPro’s Hero3 action camera in 2012, which as of 2014 had been viewed on YouTube over 32 million times.[7] Other brands that have used his music include Gucci,[7] Prada, Lamborghini,[1] Red Bull, Vogue, EA, FOX,[3] Chrysler, Air Tahiti, and Fortune Magazine.[8]
OVERWERK's first official tour of the United States took place in the summer of 2014, with the first show at the Seattle atFoundation Nightclub on the 4th of July.[11] Twenty other stops followed,[22] including his first show in Los Angeles[1] and shows in Boston, Chicago,[16] Denver, San Francisco, Oklahoma City, and southern states such as Georgia.[23] During the tour he also performed periodic dates in Canada, including the Veld Music Festival on August 2 in Toronto.[24][25] The last show of the US tour was in New York City[12] on August 16.[23]
Style and influences
| "...with my music, I try to incorporate a diverse range of sounds that are not just accessible to the EDM scene, that are accessible to everyone, so they can kind of feel the vibe. Who doesn’t enjoy a movie soundtrack? Who doesn’t enjoy some Hans Zimmer or Danny Elfman? That music connects with you, no matter how old you are." |
| — OVERWERK on July 16, 2014[7] |
- Influences and songwriting
He has referenced diverse artists and genres as an influence on his sound. OVERWERK has explained that in his youth he listened to "happy-hardcore, hardstyle, jumpstyle, euro-trance, hard dance. Sometimes I go back to those genres to get some inspiration. A lot of the time I go back to artists that really make me feel good like Abba or Queen, maybe some older disco stuff."[14] He often uses sounds reminiscent of film soundtracks, stating that one of his artistic goals is connecting the audiophole music listener with the dance music festival scene.[23]
| "Mixing dramatic, orchestral passages with the usual serrated synths and dive-bombing basslines, OVERWERK tracks such as 'Daybreak' and the aptly named 'Conquer' make you feel as if you’re storming the dancefloor with a Middle-Earth army at your back. At his best, Huszar balances the big-room dynamics of electro with a film composer’s attention to emotion and detail, creating builds and drops that feel... well-earned and exhilarating." |
| — LA Weekly on July 17, 2014[1] |
- Sound and genre
OVERWERK has described his own style as "classy crispy electro," explaining that "my tunes usually reflect how I’m feeling. I’m always learning and improving, so my style and sound will always be a progression."[10] VICE Canada wrote that the "complextro wizard’s unique style of sound is upbeat, energetic, and explosive."[25] Reviewers often comment on OVERWERK's use of classical music, and according to Thump, his EPs "are populated with complex structures and baroque, near-classical themes."[23] Digi10ve wrote that "his genre-blending style" combines sounds such as glitch and French electro,"[14] and similarly, Your EDM described his sound as unique "orchestra-electro-glitch."[26] Magnetic Mag further described his style as "French electro with some progressive house elemements."[5] OVERWERK's style has been compared to artists such as Mord Fustang and Deadmau5,[25] and LA Weekly described his sound as "two parts Justice and one part Hans Zimmer."[1] MMIBTY compared him to Wolfgang Gartner, with his "eloquent mixture of rhythmic chainsaw bass synths and high-pitched bleeps."[19]
Awards
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Symphonic Distribution | OVERWERK | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2014 | New Canadian Music Awards | OVERWERK | Vista Music Prize | Won |
Discography
EPs
| Year | Album title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Nth º |
|
| 2012 | After Hours |
|
| 2013 | Conquer |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "The Nth º" | The Nth º | Paradigm (Nov 30, 2011) |
| "Paradigm" (ft. Nick Nikon) | Paradigm (Nov 30, 2011) | ||
| 2012 | "House" (ft. Nick Nikon) | Single only | Monstercat (MCS007) (May 9, 2012) |
| "Daybreak" | After Hours | Fabrik (Oct 17, 2012) | |
| 2013 | "Matter" | Single only | Fabrik (June 27, 2013) |
| "Conquer" | Conquer | Fabrik (Nov 27, 2013) | |
| 2014 | "Exist" | 2 track single | Fabrik (June 23, 2014) |
| "Exist (Club Mix)" | Fabrik (June 23, 2014) | ||
Remixes
| Year | Title | Original artist | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Werk Out (OVERWERK Remix)" | J. Cole | Self-released on Soundcloud |
| "Werk Me (OVERWERK Remix)" | Hyper Crush | Self-released on Soundcloud | |
| 2013 | "Night By Night (OVERWERK Remix)" | Chromeo | Self-released |
| "Midnight (OVERWERK Remix)" | Mac Graham | Self-released | |
| 2014 | "Faint (OVERWERK Remix)" | Linkin Park | Self-released on Soundcloud (Feb 26, 2014) |
| "Rather Be (OVERWERK Remix)" | Clean Bandit | Warner Music (May 13, 2014) | |
| 2015 | tba | ||
Further reading
- Interviews and features
- "Prepare your ears for wild and wondrous things". Some Sort of Music. April 30, 2011.
- "Exclusive: Interview with OVERWERK". iEN Live. March 7, 2013.
- "DoWerk: Overwerk Has Big Plans". Vibe. June 5, 2014.
- "Real talk with OVERWERK During His Reddit AMA". DanceMusic Northwest. June 9, 2014.
- "OVERWERK Talks Debut U.S. Tour, Production Prowess And Musical Theory". Magnetic Mag. June 16, 2014.
- "Overwerk Wants You to Rage out with Your Brain Out". THUMP. July 10, 2014.
- "Overwerk: The Electro Action Hero". Insomniac Events. July 16, 2014.
- "Your EDM Exclusive Interview with OVERWERK". Your EDM. July 27, 2014.
- Discographies
See also
- Music in Canada
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Hermann, Andy (July 17, 2014). "The Best Concerts to See in L.A. This Weekend". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Luna, Lea (June 27, 2014). "Friday Rewind: Top 10 Dance Music Releases Of The Week". Vibe. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Bhavnani, Rishabh (June 5, 2014). "DoWerk: Overwerk Has Big Plans You Need To Hear About". Vibe. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Grammy Nominees 2015: The Full List". Forbes. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "OVERWERK Talks Debut U.S. Tour, Production Prowess And Musical Theory". Magnetic Mag. June 16, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Winners". New Canadian Music. March 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 7.12 Hermann, Andy (July 16, 2014). "Overwerk: The Electro Action Hero". Insomniac. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Whittaker, Lee (June 24, 2014). "‘Canadian producer and songwriter Overwerk today releases his latest single ‘Exist’ on Fabrik.". CT2000. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 G, Oliver (March 7, 2013). "Exclusive: Interview with OVERWERK". iEN Live. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 "Prepare your ears for wild and wondrous things. [Edmond Huszar/OVERWERK]". Some Sort of Music. April 30, 2011. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Schweigert, Joshua (June 9, 2014). "Real talk with OVERWERK During His Reddit AMA". DanceMusic Northwest. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "OVERWERK Is Finally Coming to America". EDM Sauce. June 9, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ "After Hours Review". Electro Jams. November 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Yim, Ji-Sook (July 27, 2014). "Your EDM Exclusive Interview with OVERWERK: On Exist, Musical Growth, and Going Beyond the Comfort Zone". Your EDM. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ Siegel, Noah (January 7, 2014). "Conquer EP". New Canadian Music. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Yim, Ji-Sook (June 5, 2014). "OVERWERK Announces North American Tour Debut, Plans for New Single “Exist” and Reddit AMA". Your EDM. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ Tewksbury, Colin (June 2014). "OVERWERK announces U.S. tour and Reddit AMA, alongside new single". EarMilk. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ Judge, Carson (June 25, 2014). "OVERWERK - "EXIST"". DJZ. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "OVERWERK – Exist". MMIBTY. June 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ Rixham, Rachel (June 27, 2014). "Mind-bending orchestral-electro house artist Overwerk releases ‘Exist’ Review". BeatsMedia. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ ""Exist"". Recipitation. June 25, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ Sundius, Michael (June 6, 2014). "OVERWERK announces debut US tour". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Khawaja, Jemayel (July 10, 2014). "Overwerk Wants You to Rage out with Your Brain Out". THUMP. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ "Overwerk at Veld Music Festival 2014". DJ Mag Canada. August 11, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Champagne, Jesse (July 22, 2014). "7 Artists That Make VELD Music Festival Day 1". THUMP/VICE Canada. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ↑ Grace, Digi (June 2014). "Overwerk announces US tour and Reddit AMA". Digi10ve. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
External links
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