Waxman (CA) Drops Soothing ‘Home’ EP Via Where The Heart Is Records + Interview
Waxman (CA) has turned out to be a frequent face on David Hohme’s beautiful ‘Where The Heart Is’ imprint, consistently delivering dreamy tunes that have resonated with fans all over the world.
He recently returned to the label to release a two-track EP, titled ‘Home’, that is yet another incredible work of art from this talented artist. The EP is delicate and dreamy journey, with the title track featuring original vocals by his friend and collaborator Will RP Melville. It’s a blissed out gem while the second track “Remedy” explores the deeper spectrum of house with soothing melodies and a tranquil ambiance.
We had a chance to chat with Waxman about the EP and what’s ahead – check it out below!
You collaborated with Will RP Melville on this track. What quality do you think his vocals contribute to the track compared to using samples from Splice or Loopmaster?
I’ve worked with Will Melville on quite a few songs and projects over the years – he’s an immensely talented multi-instrumentalist as well as a vocalist. I’ve also used royalty-free vocals on a fair few of my tunes. To me, there’s something that just feels more authentic and heartfelt when a vocalist writes original lyrics and vocal lines to a piece of my music. I think it adds heart, soul, and feeling to a song (as well as authenticity). It’s sometimes hard to describe but I definitely end up feeling prouder and more attached to the tunes I make with actual vocalist collaborators as opposed to sampled vocals. I guess I feel like it creates a stronger connection between the vocals and the music, which in turn helps create a stronger connection between the listener and the song.
What emotional message were you trying to convey in this release? What do you want the listeners to take away from the music?
The music I wrote for ‘Home’ came from me trying to capture the oh-so-popular feeling of nostalgia that we all love to latch onto and float in these days (I’m certainly partial anyway). I was so excited when Will sent me his vocals because he obviously felt the same way with the lyrics he wrote. They add to the feeling and let listeners form their own connections – to whatever their own nostalgic ‘home’ might be. With ‘Remedy’ I wanted a similar sort of feeling but kept things positive and a bit more upbeat and energetic. I feel like the tracks balance each other nicely while also pairing in tonality and mood.
Which qualities in a label do you prioritize? What about David Hohme’s Where The Heart Is Records made you know they would be a good home for this release?
This will be my fourth release on Where The Heart Is Records and I have no doubt it will not be my last. Both David and label manager Will Vance really care about each track they release on the label. With this EP even, when I sent over my demos, they let me know they loved them but that there were a few things that needed fine-tuning if I was up for that. Personally I’m a huge fan of getting extra ears and feedback on my tracks, so I jumped on the opportunity to improve these and I couldn’t be happier with the end result – the tracks turned out better than ever! I love working with labels that give feedback and include the artist in the release process, etc. There’s clearly real work going on behind the scenes with Where The Heart Is to make sure every release has the best chance to succeed and get heard by people who will love the music and they work with their artists to figure out how best to facilitate this. Labels that really care of their music are the best to work with because of course, I really care about my music too.
Where did the inspiration behind the leading single of this EP come from? Share a personal story that fans may not know about your personal connection to this release.
That might be more a question for Will in terms of lyrics but I have my own interpretation and meaning that I formed as the track took shape. We finalized the tune in the months leading up to me making a huge life move from Toronto, Canada to Melbourne, Australia so I couldn’t help but associate thoughts of my own leaving home and finding a new place to call home. It definitely still feels that way when I play it out over here in one of the furthest places in the world from my home.
What is next for you and your artist project? Any other cool updates or gigs in the pipeline?
I spent a lot of time working on remixes this past year which was fun but I’ve been moving back to working more primarily on original stuff and kind of slowing down on rushing to release music every month (as much fun as that can be). I’m trying to really push myself and progress my sound and production, which is a never-ending journey – but definitely one that I love. One recent highlight for me was a gig I played last month where I played an hour and a half set that was exclusively my own original music (no remixes even). It was pretty cool to be able to go through my own catalogue and create a bit of a journey in style and energy from it. And the dance floor seemed to be on board, so that was a lot of fun. Probably not an every-set thing, but I definitely plan on playing another all-Waxman selection some time soon!
