Henry Saiz on New Album: "I'm Kinda Obsessed With the Dark Side"

Spanish producer Henry Saiz first came to international prominence at the tail-end of the 2000s via releases on John Digweed's Bedrock Records, the global touchstone for progressive house. And Saiz would also go on to mix the 2011 installment of Balance, the prestigious mix series known for its prog house leanings.

But these days, Saiz is making himself known for a different type of progressiveness altogether. Namely, a sound that embraces myriad influences, defying any single genre in favor of a kaleidoscopic tapestry of many.

"My primary influences are very eclectic," Saiz tells Crossfade. "Metal, pop, classic, electronic music -- many, many genres and sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. The good thing about listening to so many kinds of music is that you learn, somehow, to ignore all this genre business -- you just care about what do you want to say with your music and which tools you're going to use."

"The more musical vocabulary you know, the more tools you have to deliver your message," he adds. "I'd like my listeners to appreciate my tracks no matter which particular genre they belong to."

Ironically, though, if you listen to Saiz's new 2013 long player, Reality Is For Those Who Are Not Strong Enough To Confront Their Dreams, one genre that does comes to mind -- as dubious as this genre may be -- is witch house. Blame the album's chopped and screwed slow-mo grooves, dark reverb-drenched atmospherics, and goth-y track titles like "Moonlight Wolf", "Death Drive" and "All The Evil Of This World."

Plus, the darkness, as it turns out, is no accident.

"I'm kinda obsessed with the dark side of mankind and human nature," explains Saiz. "We are able to do the worse things and also amazing things, and I guess I use music-making as a therapy to try to understand all that and also express what I feel. I don't like when other artists make electronic music look so banal and void -- I won't say names. Of course, it's important to have fun with music, but I like when you get that thrill and fun but also get a concept and a message behind that music."

So let your inner wolf out for tomorrow's full moon party at the Delano Beach Club as Henry Saiz takes you on a musical voyage to the dark side and back.

"The party at Delano is going to be very special," he promises. "I'll play my new live set along with my session drummer -- more like a band act than a normal DJ set. We are translating the album into that format and it's working great during the tour. We are very much looking forward to it!"

Henry Saiz. With H Foundatiom. As

p.m. Call 305-672-2000 or visit delano-hotel.com.

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