We Premiered Waxman’s New Track ‘Harmless’—Here’s What He Had to Say About Making It
We’re excited to premiere Harmless, the latest single from Canadian producer Waxman (CA), a week ahead of its official release. Out now exclusively on our SoundCloud, Harmless brings together crisp vocal work and emotive melodic layering in a way that immediately caught our attention. It’s a strong follow-up to his recent string of self-released singles and continues to establish him as a producer who’s clearly confident in his approach.
Waxman’s music often finds its strength in how it balances club-ready structure with expressive synth work and tightly edited vocal textures. That balance is fully present in Harmless, which builds on his earlier work while offering a sharper, more intentional sound.
To mark the premiere, we caught up with Waxman to talk about his early influences, his signature techniques, and how he approaches originality. Below, he shares his thoughts on why chasing trends can be a trap, how he uses chopped vocals to shape emotion, and what finishing a track really means when you’re working alone in the studio.
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INTERVIEW WITH WAXMAN (CA)
Who are the artists or sounds that most shaped your style early on?
I have a ton of old electronic faves who I still love to listen to. Deadmau5, Flume, Max Cooper, Justice, Boys Noize, Stimming. They were all early influences of mine when I really dove head-first into my love of electronic music and decided to try my hand at production.
It’s funny how years later these guys are still some of my very favourite artists to play and listen to no matter how many different phases I go through and how many new artists I discover and delve deep into.
What’s the one sound or technique that you think defines your signature style?
I love playing with vocals—chopping them up to create texture and mood. I guess more broadly I’m pretty dead-set on having lead melodies and harmonies that hook me while I’m writing. Those might be with vocals whether they’re lead, chopped up, or just kind of providing harmonic points of interest to create more depth.
Sometimes it’s a lead arpeggio or a grain delay splashing weirdness all over the upper frequencies. I’m not really going to pursue working on a track if it doesn’t hook me first with melodies.
Why do you think it’s important for artists to focus on developing their own sound rather than chasing trends?
You can always try and copy what’s out there but chances are by the time you’ve achieved that (if you actually manage to) so will a hundred other producers and trends will have moved on.
You won’t always (or maybe ever) be a trendsetter but you can at least be original and true to your own creative instincts.
See where they take you and where that leads your sound. It may end up being the sound everyone else wants to achieve. Or it may just be the sound you wanted to achieve. Either way it’s more likely you’ll have something you’re proud of than if you just copied another style.
How do you know when a track is finished?
Finishing a track is an incredible skill to develop.
I like to stop (or at least pause) when I’ve reached a point where I’m happy and don’t find myself making any major changes when I listen through in my DAW. Stop, let it sit, and listen again in a few weeks. If it’s still sounding done, then it’s done. If not, then continue tweaking, but it’s probably close. Extra ears from friends, labels, etc. is also extremely valuable at this stage in knowing if a track needs anything more or if it’s ready to go!
