So there I was, this past weekend at Boston’s Bills Bar, hangin’ out with DJ Spiezio who spins his collection of EDM bangers on Saturday nights – when I heard the familiar chords of Avicii’s “Levels”. I quickly realized this was not the original mix, because whatever version he was playing went HARD. And I thought I had previously heard pretty much every version of “Levels”, as it can be considered the biggest EDM song of the year. But no, here comes Haydn Hoffman to teach me something new.
I did some research on this Southern California native and found he has a very comprehensive website complete with a press kit, biography, and a complete list of original tracks, bootlegs, and official remixes. According to his site: “Following 3 years of touring and recording as a guitarist in the band Invictus, Hoffman began producing, drawing inspiration from the sounds of electro veterans such as Designer Drugs and Le Castle Vania.” And thanks to a recent interview with Music Under Fire, I learned that this up-and-coming producer is in med school – leading me to the assumption that he is in his mid-twenties (although he began producing music at age 11).
Hoffman’s style varies between Electro-House (“complextro” as he calls it) and Dubstep, creating hard-hitting tracks that ooze bass-heavy madness. It’s easy to see where his taste comes from, when he lists DJs/producers such as Porter Robinson, Zeds Dead, Zedd, Felguk, Lazy Rich, and Dirtyloud (“he’s probably my biggest musical influence at the moment”) as musical influences – all of whom have been the leaders in creating bangers over the past couple years.
Keep your eye on this kid and if he announces a tour date near you, make sure to go check him out so he doesn’t have to suffer through more years of med school…
Selected Tracks:
Avicii – Levels (Haydn Hoffman Bootleg Remix)
Crissy Criss – Kick Snare (Haydn Hoffman Dubstep Remix)
Nishin Verdiano – Clash of the Electronics (Haydn Hoffman Remix) <– **wow**
Haydn Hoffman – Flatline (Original Mix)
To purchase more of his tracks, support him at Beatport and make sure to check out his Facebook page.