Lift off into “Zero-G” With The Widdler [Interview]

Highly anticipated since its announcement in July, The Widdler‘s new album Zero-G is out now on Subcarbon! The album is set to be one of our top listening experiences of the year. It’s stacked with 43 tracks ranging from the dark and heavy dubstep classics to softer, floating grooves. If you haven’t read part one of our Zero-G coverage, you can check it out here. We are honored to speak with The Widdler about his recent project, his inspirations, advice, and more! So press play, sit back, and lift off into Zero-G.

Nix (Electric Hawk): “Zero-G” and “Elements” were the first singles to be released. Why did you choose these tracks? 

The Widdler: The main theme for this album in its creation was to showcase the differences in the facets of dubstep and what it can be. Each of these songs represents the two main sides of my production: a good time, and an introspective time. 

N: The album bursts at the seams with creativity, style, and finesse. In creating this rich volume of songs, which tracks were the most challenging to make and why? 

Widdler: It’s hard to say if one track was harder than another. I can say some tracks happen very quickly, they flow in one session and I get 90 percent of it done. Other times it takes many sessions over a few days. When it comes to finishing and finalizing music though, that is the difficult part for me. So in a way they were all difficult, but in a good way – a way to help me learn and grow for future music.

N: You’ve said you find sonic inspiration from different places, starting a track outside on your laptop and bringing it back to the studio. Zero-G contains so many unique and worldly sounds. What places inspired this album? 

Widdler: A lot of the places that inspired this album were inside my mind. Imagining places and scenarios helps me get in the mindset of how a tune should feel. I still enjoy producing away from my main computer using my laptop, but nowadays it’s usually on planes or in hotels.

N: Are there any tracks here that almost didn’t make the cut?

Widdler: I don’t think any of these were almost left out, If anything I have a handful of tracks that didn’t make it to the album simply because the album is already so long. 

N: How long did it take to make and accumulate the songs on Zero-G? 

Widdler: Zero-G is an accumulation of music from the past 5-6 years but also includes music I made in the last few months, specifically for the album. “Searchin,” “Tell ya,” “System Failure,” and “Between Places” were made with the album in mind. The rest were made before the concept was born.

N: You have remained a pivotal figure in dubstep since the 2000s. What has continued to inspire you to keep making music over the years? 

Widdler: The scene itself keeps me inspired. There are so many unique artists and sounds to appreciate and be inspired from. It would be hard to name them all without accidentally leaving some out. I will say though, I have been playing many tracks from Distinct Motive, Ternion Sound, Lazy k, and many artists who are releasing on my label Widdfam. Outside of that, I’ve just always been inspired by learning and having fun. 

N: You’ve made a name for yourself as one of the most prominent producers to stream on Twitch. Having those streams available during the pandemic helped us stay in touch with our community during such a difficult time. How have your streams impacted your sense of sound design and community before COVID vs after?

Widdler: I’ve been streaming on Twitch for over 13 years and the community surrounding it has been amazing. I’ve met so many people and heard so many songs that I otherwise wouldn’t have. We learn from each other and grow together. I think Covid helped open up the spotlight of Twitch being more than just a gaming website. So the only thing on stream that has changed from before and after Covid is the amount of people in the community. Covid also brought many DJ’s and producers who weren’t on there before and I think that has been an amazing thing to see.

N: What is your top piece of advice to those who want to start making music? 

Widdler: I always start off by saying, have fun. If you are going into it with the goal of anything other than having fun and being creative then you will probably give up at some point. As for people in it for the right reasons, the main thing is to continue to practice. Only time and effort will help you progress. The last thing i usually say is don’t compare yourself to others. You can be inspired by others but don’t let someone else’s level of skill be what you compare yourself to. You should compare yourself to where you were last week, last month, last year. If you practice and continue to learn its impossible to get worse. 

N: Is there anything else about the album or tour you would like to chat about?

Widdler: After the album was finished I had a month off. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, so I decided to work on making the tour sets a visual experience as well as audio. I began creating custom visuals for each of the songs and I’m very excited to see how it goes! Some select spots on the tour will have these special sets.

N: That’s amazing! We can’t wait to see the audio-visual experience on tour. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us, the new album is incredible!

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Listen to Zero-G here:

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Looking for new music? Keep up with our weekly Spotify Playlist, Fresh Hunts. Updated every Friday with all the latest releases. Whether it’s the newest drops from The Widdler or the latest Subcarbon release… we want you to hear it.