Verse of the Flying Dutchman
Art: MiesdoCreations
Soaring in all the way from the Netherlands, Duzzled is an EDM artist who is heavily inspired by retro video games. Growing up with Nintendo and Pokémon at the forefront of his passions, he discovered artists like Savant and Skrillex and quickly found himself in the world of electronic music. Another featured artist on the latest Graz album “Next Level (The Remixes),” Duzzled and I sat down to discuss his VGM influences, Savant inspirations, and MAGFest dreams.
Alright, so I know you incorporate a lot of VGM into your work. What were some of the first video games you played growing up? Are there any that you still enjoy playing?
Funnily enough, I knew VERY little English when I was younger, but most games that I played were all in English and had a lot of text to read. I believe Pokémon Yellow was the first game I ever played. Considering how little English I knew at the time, I’m still amazed that I was able to get to the second gym all on my own. I also played Kingdom Hearts which required me calling my grand parents and mom and dad to help me translate. Wario Land 3 is another big one that comes to mind. Mostly a lot of Gameboy games and later PS2 and Wii games.
Wow – that’s impressive! Kudos to you for putting so much effort into gaming and learning from a young age! Is your love of gaming what led to your love of music? How were you first introduced to music?
I used to listen to whatever was on my dad’s iPod when I was younger. That’s when I first heard electronic music. My dad had Skrillex’s first EP “My Name Is Skrillex” and a lot of Deadmau5’s music on it. It was my first introduction to EDM, and I really enjoyed it and wanted to hear more. Through some YouTube searching and discovery, I found UKF and the dubstep scene.
How did that passion as a listener transition into producing your own music? What inspired you to want to join the EDM scene?
I was watching a video on YouTube that had Savant's music in it, and I remember thinking how cool it sounded with all the chiptune, house, and dubstep elements in it. I ended up watching an interview with Savant where he revealed that he has Autism Spectrum Disorder I'm also on the autism spectrum, so when I heard that I was really inspired and motivated to make music. It was very much a moment of, “Hey, if he can do it so can I!”
And here you are, doing it yourself! Was it difficult to start learning music production?
After being inspired by Savant’s interview, I started to look for DAWs while learning to use Garage Band on my iPad. I started out by just remaking certain songs with the tools on there, but it really wasn’t great. I eventually found a DAW for my iPad and made an original track which I later remade in FL Studio. Wanting to build on what I learned on my own, I studied music production in Amsterdam. It helped me to better understand how to develop a vision for my style and goals as a musician. That said, I’ve been making music for about seven or eight years now, so a lot of it has just been learning as I go and growing in my craft.
Sounds like you’ve been on quite the musical journey. So when did you first become Duzzled?
Somewhere around 2018 but I’m not exactly sure. I had some other aliases before. My first was Thunder Hawk because I was always a fan of birds of prey growing up. That eventually turned into my hawk character named Duzz. That later evolved into Duzzled as a combination between my Aviansona and my IRL family name, though the pronunciation is a bit different.
Nice! And how would you describe your artistry? Mostly EDM and VGM?
I generally like to combine EDM with chiptune elements and different video game music. I’m not a fan of just staying in one genre, so I tend to do a bit of this and a bit of that. I do mostly stick to dubstep and house, though, and I definitely prefer pure instrumentals and usually don’t incorporate vocals. My production style is random, varying track to track, so that can influence differences in genre as well. Sometimes I start with just a beat or an idea for a melody, other times I focus on a remix of a song from a video game. It very depends on my mood at any given time.
Art: @HazelHorseArt
How about this latest remix on the Graz album? Tell me how that came about.
I made this track last year, and I remember wanting it to be kinda similar to “Face My Fears” by Skrillex and Utada Hikaru. I wanted it to have a sort of call and response feel to it, so you’ll hear the voices and synth switch between the dubstep basses. I really love melodic intros in dubstep and riddim, so I tried to go for that vibe as well.
Are you often inspired by Skrillex? Where do you usually find inspiration for new projects?
Mainly video games and anime. I really like to take inspiration from Nintendo games. When it comes to artists, yeah, Skrillex, Savant, and Virtual Riot. Those are the three who have always sparked my interest and inspired me. But the one who started it all was Savant.
You mentioned earlier that Savant was a big role model for you because he is also on the autism spectrum. Do you see yourself as a role model to others for the same reason?
Haha, not really. Then again, I have a lot of followers, so if there is anyone inspired by me or my music, that would be awesome. I just want you to know that you should always stay true to yourself and never let anyone talk down to you just because you’re different. If Savant can do it, then I can do it. And if I can do it, then you can do it too.
I'm sure you are a role model to many kids, even if you don't know it yet. It must be rewarding in a sense to know that there are people who follow your work and what you do. What do you consider to be the most enjoyable part of making music and sharing it with others?
Just seeing that people enjoy the music I make and seeing my music pop up in unexpected places. I was super excited to hear Cutman playing one of my remixes at MAGFest at the beginning of 2020 – that was really awesome! I also really love being able to play live sets for Raziki and RoboRob’s URL shows too. And getting to make music with my friends is always super rewarding. For example, I was invited onto the Animal Crossing compilations by Ben Briggs from Tiny Waves. My experience with Tiny Waves and Ben has been super awesome so far, in the past and with this Graz remix. Ben has been super supportive about my music which really meant a lot to me as someone who started as a fan of his stuff.
Awesome! And how about your fans – what do they have to look forward to from you?
I’ll be releasing a Pokémon album in August called “Dynamaxed” which includes a bunch of different remixes that I’ve been working on over the past couple years. Down the road, I would love to play at MAG one day, though that’s just a dream for now. Overall, I just want to be as big a name in the scene as the likes of Ben, Cutman, and RoboRob. And I just hope you all enjoy this amazing Remix EP, and please be sure to look out for future releases from me!
Art: fallingstars5683
Radiating with wholesome energy while flying steadily over the bars of achievement, Duzzled brings talent and happiness in equal measure. He’s already an established name in the scene, but there is plenty more to come from this incredible artist. Be sure to show your support for Duzzled on his existing and upcoming projects, including the latest Graz album. And, as always, be sure to follow Tiny Waves on all our social media for upcoming releases and incredible music.
- Charming H. Thomas