Hendease Interview
Hendease is a Veteran Disc Jockey & MC, Sound Technician, Record label general manager & amateur music producer, based in Christchurch NZ.
How did you choose your name?
Initially I never really had a name to go under, it wasn't until my late teens people started asking what my name was. Originally it was my Gamer tag, Beyondperception (lol), then eventually came up with the Moniker Hendease, made from my last name, and ease or "ez" in Underground music culture in place of Cheers, or wicked Etc.
What are your favourite places to play at?
Outdoor Festivals, I prefer them because of the culture & diversity, and there's also generally no noise limit or general capacity so they tend to have extra ordinary sound systems. Also the longeitvity, most are 2 to 3 days so I can generally get booked for multiple sets and/or extra length sets.
What genres do you play/release?
Over the years I have played pracitally every genre I can think of. Eventually found my neche playing Drum & Bass, Hip-Hop & House. I also release Drum & Bass music as a Producer in a different project.
How did you get into DJing and how long have you done it?
My parents recall me being as young as 5 or 6 setting up tape players recording music off the radio and other tapes and making my own mixtapes I would have been DJing partys in my early to mid teens and even in clubs before I was of legal age (Supervised). So I have spent a good 14-15 years of my life DJing regularly.
What have been the best moments of your career so far?
Multiple Nz DJ competition rankings, supporting the insane amount of musicians I have grown up admiring, a couple namely DJ Aphrodite (UK), State Of Mind (NZ) And Klute (UK)
Did you have any challenges that you needed to overcome?
Yeah, I had a few challenges. Social Anxiety, Fitness (believe it or not it takes a lot of energy) and learning how to DJ around my slightly deaf left ear. I also have dyslexia, colour coding is a big help.
Do you have any international fans?
I have as much international followers as I do national followers.
How is streaming different from in person sets?
It's harder to read the crowd & you can't tell what your sound is like on the other end without a spotter and testing lots of times, internet lag can be your worst enemy here.
Do you have a preference? Or is that a stupid question?
I'd say the ones that prefer Streaming > Live haven't experienced a crowd before. The energy is amazing, it's what makes me push my limits and want to keep going.
What are the best ways for DJs to promote their events and tracks?
Social media pretty much does all of this, you can also ask radio shows to advertise and some flyers don't hurt, location is key with that one.
Are there things that you think DJs struggle with?
Yes, these days with technology advancing so fast lots of DJs from newbies right through to seasoned veterans struggle with the technical side of things. Having a vast background in computing I figured this all out and I try to share my knowledge of it with as much DJs and producers as I can.
Have you performed at festivals?
2013 through to 2018 I toured seasonally to most of the festivals around the country. I'd like to add that Golden Bay NZ has the most amazing underground and commercial music festivals I've ever seen. If you get the chance: Go!
Is there any singer that you would love to create an original song with?
There's so many I wouldn't know where to start. I can say though that I am currently producing a track with one of my production idols ;)