Audeze chats with producer and musician Haywyre

Audeze chats with producer and musician Haywyre

GRAMMY-nominated producer and musical prodigy, Martin Vogt a.k.a. Haywyre has risen to become one of dance music’s most distinctive creatives. His prowess for exceptional music started as a child, where he didn’t connect with the strict musical rules taught in his traditional Austrian classes. Instead, Haywyre felt drawn to the eccentricities of jazz performance and electronic music production, where he found inspiration from figures as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Flying Lotus, Noisia, Jacob Collier and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

"...my Audeze headphones have always helped me get the best possible results. I have used them to mix and master all of my releases from the past 6 years."  - Haywyre

Here's our talk with Haywyre:

Can you pick out any favorites from your work that you're particularly proud of?

For some reason I find it difficult to take pride in individual songs; I find that a few minutes aren't a lot of time to share something impactful so I tend to be prouder of larger bodies of works like my album series Two Fold.

How would you define your main role on most of the projects you work on these days?

I mostly work under the Haywyre project and the music I create under that moniker is usually exclusively made by myself! That includes producing, composing, mixing, etc. I love stepping out of my comfort zone though and am hoping to be more flexible in working with others on different projects!

How did you get started in music? What kind of music did you listen to while growing up and how has that progressed?

I started off by experimenting playing piano and jamming on a Yamaha keyboard that my parents had in our house when I was about 4 or 5. My parents loved to play any and every kind of music; from Hendrix to Handel. Nowadays, I tend to be extremely open minded with music as well; there isn't a single genre of music that I haven't found some form of appreciation for.

Can you name any factors that influenced the course of your musical life? Heroes, role models, moments, interactions, etc?

A lot of the most influential people in my life aside from my parents and friends were good teachers. Especially in college, there were a lot of characteristics like discipline, focus, creativity etc that I never would have learned if it wasn't for some of the professors I had. I may not have graduated with a degree because I dropped out to pursue music full time after my third year, but I definitely feel like I got what I was looking for out of college.

Can you briefly describe a moment of frustration from your past work, and what you may have done to overcome the obstacles? Would you approach it differently now?

After finishing my album Two Fold pt. 2 I felt exhausted and frustrated because I thought I cut corners in order to put out a body of work I felt very strongly about. I told myself in a pretty naive fashion that I would never cut corners with my work again. What has ensued since then was an excessive obsession with creating work that is the best it could possibly be. Long story short, my excessive desire for perfection ended up stunting my growth and my ability to share my ideas - but that is an age old story in the world of artists!

Is there any gear you find yourself turning to most when working on a project? What are some of your favorite tools/instruments recently?

My workflow is based around a few pieces of physical gear; my Nord 88-key, my Audeze LCD-2s, my Nektar Panorama keyboard and my desktop. Aside from that I use an extensive library of VSTs and sound libraries. Recently, I have been particularly drawn to PhasePlant, a VST by Kilohearts. It is extremely modular with some extremely fun effects and ways to generate sounds.

Do you have any words of wisdom for people who might aspire toward a similar path for their own careers?

I would say focus on yourself and building your vision. You have to know what you are willing to sacrifice to prioritize your career. Making the most out of every opportunity that comes your way is also valuable.

How long have you been working with headphones, and how do you typically use them in your workflow?

I spend most of my hours working at home in apartment complexes. This means I don't have ways to create ideal acoustic environments in my studios so I rely extremely heavily on great headphones to guide my creative process.

Do you have any additional comments or stories you want to share?

Well, I did just move to Denver which I am super excited about, so greetings from Colorado!

How have your Audeze headphones affected your work? Can you tell us what you've been working on with them recently?

When forced to work quietly in an apartment and / or when I need to hone in on details for a final mix down, my Audeze headphones have always helped me get the best possible results. I have used them to mix and master all of my releases from the past 6 years.