We interview American-Pakistani bass music producer NAZAAR on his six-track VISNS EP.
Delayed from February until the end of April, NAZAAR has finally dropped his heavy-hitting cinematic VISNS EP.
From the ominous ‘WITH U’ to the emotive vocal-laden ‘LIES’, the record is described as “music that appeals to the heart and on the dance floor.
The bass music producer has this to say:
“The ‘VISNS’ EP is more than just another project; it stands for a cause that’s greater than me. VISNS is a body of work that’s supposed to help listeners dig deeper into their thoughts and make sense of the visions they have for themselves. In a dark time, I found my peace in writing music, stories with an audible addition to them. Each song on this EP is a story within itself, a story about the inner fight to find peace, the struggle with anger and fear, and the relief of finally letting go. VISNS is a story about me finally finding myself and having absolute clarity about my future. 6 songs, 6 stories, 6 different feelings; that is what VISNS is. I hope everyone who gives it a listen is able to feel what I felt when writing these songs and finds out just a little bit more about their own VISNS.”
We caught up with the American-Pakistani to tell us more about the record and what he has in store later this year.
AsiaLive365: Hi NAZAAR! How’s 2022 looking for you so far?
NAZAAR: 2022 so far has been absolutely amazing. I’m playing a bunch of shows, releasing A LOT of music, and really enjoying all the amazing memories being made!!
AL365: Tell me about the origins of NAZAAR. How did you get into EDM and how did you come up with the name?
NAZAAR: NAZAAR is the Urdu word for “vision” – but it also has a double meaning; “the evil eye”. I was actually in high school when I came up with the name, and I decided to use it because as a child, my mother and grandmother often reminded me to be wary of people’s ill intentions and bad glares. I originally got into EDM in 2013-14 during the early big room and dubstep era, and from there my love for dance music really turned into an obsession.
AL365: Congratulations on finally releasing your VISNS EP. What sets this record apart for your catalog of music?
NAZAAR: Thank you so much! This EP is really a symbol of diversity for me. You may have heard of me through my harder records such as ‘Jinn’ or ‘Guru’ but this EP is my way of showing the world that I’m much more capable of making anything, especially deeply melodic records.
AL365: Which is your favorite track and why?
NAZAAR: For me it has to be ‘Love Burns’. It is a really long track that has a deep story behind it, and when writing it I tried to translate every feeling I had into the song itself. ‘Love Burns’ tells a story about passion between two people, and how loving someone can sometimes be painful, but worth it.
AL365: Your music has seen support from other artists. What was your favorite moment in your career that involves meeting another artist or remixing their work?
NAZAAR: I’ve had the honor of working with some amazing artists so far, but the one that will always have a special place in my heart is Carnage, now known as Gordo. Carnage was my idol since I was 13-14 years old, and being able to work with him on our single ‘Blitzkrieg’ really changed my whole perspective on what I could do musically. An honorable mention would be watching DJ Snake play out our record at his headline show in Paris.
AL365: Who would you like to work with next?
NAZAAR: Now that I’m starting to diversify, I think I’d really love to make records with DJ Snake, Slander, Illenium, Eptic, and so many more.
AL365: Do you think coming from two different cultures helped forged a unique signature sound?
NAZAAR: Oh yeah absolutely, being Pakistani by ethnicity and American by culture defined my musical journey as a whole, it helped create a signature sound for my bass music records, and it’ll definitely be an influence on my other records in the future. I consider the sound a part of me.
AL365: What do you think the EDM scene needs more of?
NAZAAR: EDM needs more love! I think that everyone should really try to show love to one another, and respect for everyone. Everyone has a different journey, a different path, and I think if we learn to embrace our differences and show love to everyone the way we feel that we deserve love, we’ll get a lot further.
AL365: What’s next for you?
NAZAAR: A lot haha, but to make it easy… from now on I’m setting out to show the world what kind of person I am. I’m going to make records that you can rage to, party to, cry to, vibe to, I’m going to do it all. And on top of that, I’m going to bring the energy to every live show that I play. It’s takeover time.