Words by: Duke DuRock
Some of the freshest electronic music in 2011 came from the artists of Headtron, who were each showcased throughout the year at our events. The progressive West Coast music collective was started through the passion of founder Alex Becket in 2010 and in only a short amount of time Headtron has seen its profile steadily rise in the electronic music scene. While hip-hop has long had memorable crews, there’s never been an electronic music posse this tight or talented with producers such as Stephan Jacobs, Sugarpill, Gladkill, Russ Liquid, ChrisB. and The Do LaB’s own Jupit3r leading the charge. These charismatic artists along with Headtron’s recent additions +verb, jOBOT and Griz are poised to take over even more dance floors and major music festivals across the country in 2012.
To celebrate the past year’s hard work and give fans a glimpse into the future, Headtron has teamed up with Muti Music to release their first compilation album, “Disciples of Headtron Vol. 1” which features all original and exclusive tracks from each of the Headtron artists.
“Working with such a talented group of producers, it seemed like a great idea to put a compilation together,” explained Becket of the project which also features cover art from Ryan Johnson, who designed the 2011 Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) art. “The timing is awesome as far as kicking off the start of a new calendar year as it’s something we’ve been working on since the middle of last summer. I’m stoked to share it and honored having it be Muti Music’s first release of 2012.
“For me it’s something that started as early as there was a Headtron,” Becket recalled. “I wanted there to be something called “Disciples of Headtron” because we’re all disciples is how I think of it. Headtron is some sort of mythical figure that’s bigger than all of us. We’re all pursuing the same goals together, so this album was just a natural extension of what we do.”
“Disciples of Headtron Vol. 1” takes listeners on a thrilling musical trip through various tempos and bass music styles. Rather than a collection of disjointed tracks from different artists, everything comes together as each of the tracks compliment the next and allows one’s ears to embrace all of the sounds that make Headtron so special.
“The whole album is coherent and people aren’t going to have a tough time listening to it all the way through,” said Becket. “You’re gonna hear different styles from the more electro, dubstep, banging stuff of Stephan Jacbos to an amazing downtempo collaboration between jOBOT and ill-esha. So you definitely get that breadth of the electronic music spectrum but it all still seems to fit within the Headtron style.”
Origins of Headtron
Over the past two years Becket has been working tirelessly to nurture and grow each of the artists while fostering a family vibe. Having grown up on the East Coast and the sounds of jam-bands like Phish and Sound Tribe Sector 9, it was when Becket saw producers like Stephan Jacobs, Heyoka and MiMOSA perform on top of Mount Baldy at the 5 Points Music Gathering in 2008 that he became entranced by the West Coast electronic music scene.
“It was a total eye-opening experience for me,” Becket recalled. “As far as the West Coast bass music sounds, I was really a total outsider until that moment. My mind was just completely blown and I’ve never looked back.”
“As far as starting Headtron, it was the function of working in one of the mainstream music companies in L.A. and getting this great education about how the music business works but not having a personal outlet for it,” Becket recalled. “It always felt like I was doing someone else’s work. Headtron has really been an organic process of being a fan of shows like The Do LaB’s. It was going out to these events and striking up conversations and finding this amazing pocket of original producers like Stephan Jacobs, ChrisB, Sugarpill, guys with amazing talent who just needed a little bit help from a professional background in order to take them to the next step and that’s the role I’ve been able to fill. I think my strengths as a businessman is having one foot in the underground and the other in the mainstream.”
A Close-Knit Crew
Becket oversees all aspects of Headtron but each of the artists contribute their collective ideas as well and always come out to support one other at their respective shows whenever possible. This closeness has helped each artist hone their production skills and they’ll often team up together, such as ChrisB. and Sugarpill’s new group, Swordfight, who are featured on “Disciples of Headtron Vol. 1.”
“One of the best things that we have going on at Headtron is how these guys challenge themselves and push each other to make better music,” shared Becket. “You can ask any of the artists who their favorite producers are and they’re going to name the other guys in the crew. My favorite quote from the guys about what is Headtron is from Russ Liquid. We were in Denver for a big show in which we had one of the two rooms for the whole night and he said, ‘You know, I’ve always wanted to be in a street gang and I never was, but now I feel like I am!’”
Continuing to Grow in 2012
Russ Liquid’s analogy has certainly proven apt as the Headtron artists collectively dominated dance floors and music festivals across the country in 2011. The shared kinetic energy that each member has is something that promoters and fans have picked up on and 2012 should see plenty more Headtron-heavy parties.
“It’s an interesting trend as far as promoters wanting to book us as a crew,” said Becket. “To have a stage or a whole night is an incredible compliment as it goes to show the depth and talent that we have on the roster. But I think it’s a balance of how to grow these guys individually as artists, which is the first importance to me. The strength that we have as a crew is a result of the accomplishments that these guys have had themselves. I think 2012 is going to be a balance to advance the profiles and careers of these guys individually but then choosing choice moments where we can play the role of promoters or producers and have a few select special Headtron branded events. But I don’t want that to ever become the focus on how people see the music or the artists, because it always has to be about them as individuals first.”
Shared Passion Sets Headtron Apart
With a shared “team” mentality throughout, the sum of Headtron’s parts is never greater than the whole. When combined with such a strong work ethic, all the artists should continue to grow in 2012. The genuineness and positive intentions that each put into their productions is unparalleled and as the strong material on “The Disciples of Headtron” compilation shows, they’re just getting started.
“The number one thing that attracts me to people is passion,” explained Becket. “It’s such an amazing thing when you can take a group of people who are all passionate about different things and unite them together towards a common goal. The Do LaB is a great example of that philosophy. You get the most incredible results when you pull people together who are passionate and that’s probably the single most defining factor about who’s a part of Headtron and how we’ve grown.
“One of the reasons that we’ve developed such a great relationship with The Do LaB is that there’s a shared vision and strong work ethic that brings The Do LaB together to make it a really extraordinary and special group of people,” Becket added. “We’ve got that same thing just in our own Headtron way. There’s some strong ties that bind us and we’re all just completely passionate about what we do. From the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed, we’re just giving it everything we can to push this music and scene and have some fun along the way. It’s a been a real blessing and it makes me never want to stop as there’s always something more to be done to take this to the next level.”
Start off the new year with some fresh sounds and pick-up your copy of “Disciples of Headtron Vol. 1” which is out now on Muti Music. For more info on Headtron and its artists, check out their new website.
Be sure to tell us what you think of the compilation in the comments section below.
The Do LaB are excited to have ChrisB. of Headtron perform at our first show of 2012 alongside The Polish Ambassador and Heyoka at King King on Saturday, January 14th. You won’t want to miss these special live performances alongside some stunning live art courtesy of Alexander D.C.D Smith. Please plan to arrive early and tickets can be purchased here.
