I first discovered the publicly anonymous artist 13 from his collaborative track titled DRUGS!, which he released with Rezz on her album Mass Manipulation. The song caught my eye because it has this variability about it.
It starts out by pulling in and disorienting the listener with high pitched humming notes and a methodical wobbly rhythm. The song begins to build up slowly and deliberately, with a beat hooking in the listener. You don’t quite know what to expect as the rhythm continues on. Until the drop hits, and suddenly you just get addicted. Maybe that’s why they named the song ‘DRUGS!’?
Rezz x 13 – DRUGS!
Lately, I’ve been paying more and more attention to the Toronto region. There seems to be a lot of talent coming out of there from various rising artists such as Rezz, 13, Krayysh, Knodis and Krilla.
Given my words about Rezz and 13’s first collaboration, DRUGS!, you could only guess my excitement when I discovered over Twitter in October that Rezz and 13 were at it again.
fuckin wicked if you ask me.
— RΞZZ (@OfficialRezz) October 6, 2017
Fast forward a few weeks. Both Rezz and 13 are in Seattle on the same weekend, each performing different nights, at different venues. The two artists could be polishing off their new track together that very weekend, in my city! I had a lot of questions I wanted answering. Lucky for me, I was about to get the chance to ask them first hand.
I arrived at WAVES Presents: 13 feeling excited and anxious. Having never met 13 before, all that I knew of him was his music and a few stories that had been told to me by our mutual friend and WAVES cofounder, Jackson Wells, better known as Quackson.
Cordially, a staff member took me upstairs to the backstage area and directed me towards a booth across the room. In the booth, I saw an average looking guy in his early 20’s, chatting with a performance artist over the rumbling of the downstairs dance music.
I followed the staff over to the booth, wondering if this was the right guy or not. I guess in my mind, I pictured this anonymous artist as off-putting or antisocial. Perhaps a pale character dressed in all black, with a snake tattooed on his neck, or the number thirteen printed over his two middle knuckles. Obviously, my imagination had gotten the best of me.
The staff member introduced me to 13, who greeted me happily with a handshake and offered up a seat. Earnestly, I obliged and took a seat with the mysterious 13 (I would never get his full name). I remember feeling a little in awe as the staff worker and performer left us both there to talk, accompanied only by the soothing rhythm of bass music which carried fervently through the walls.
Getting To Know 13
Q: Why have you chosen to be anonymous?
13: I wanted to compartmentalize the different parts of my life so that I could enjoy each of them for what they are. I wouldn’t say that I’m introverted, but I do have some introverted qualities. If I’m going to see someone perform at a show, for instance, I don’t really want to be the one in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by people. I just want to enjoy the music.
Likewise, if I’m trying to spend time with my friends or family, or be out somewhere, I want to be able to forget about my persona. I don’t want to be reminded of it, or bothered about it. I also don’t want my life and business as an artist to bleed into my personal life. When I go on that stage, I am 13, I’m there with the crowd. Right now, I’m ******, and I’m just hanging out, talking and having a good time.
Q: Where did your name 13 come from? Are you superstitious?
13: To me, I see a special meaning in the number. A lot of people think the number 13 is negative or evil. Some think it’s actually a holy number. Some think it’s good luck. The number seems to be controversial and it carries a certain duality with it. I strive for that duality in my music. I want it to be heavy, soft, distorted, clean, very low, very high, good, evil; I want my music to have a balance of everything.
Q: Tell me about your early and late inspirations in music. Who are they and how have they affected you as an artist?
13: My brother introduced me to hip-hop when I was young. The first CD I ever bought was The Marshall Mathers LP, the one with ‘The Real Slim Shady’ song on it. When I was about thirteen, I got into electronic music, specifically trance. I listened to a lot of Darude sandstorm as well. I continued down that rabbit hole and eventually landed on down-tempo and creepy ominous sounding bass.
I’ve now been producing for a total of three and a half years. My style is a mix of down-tempo with hip-hop influence and electronic influence blended. I don’t conform to one genre, just put down my ideas and catch the vibe. Although, when producing, it’s important to have a solid idea that resonates in a certain way. You have to put a lot of time into it and respect it as an art.
That’s why I’m a big fan of Deadmau5. He invests in his shows and his art and cares about the experience. I want to be like that, proud of what I do and respected as an artist. I’m here to enjoy myself and make great music for people who can respect it. That’s the same reason why I’m here playing for WAVES. These guys are unique, hard-working people and I can really get behind what they’re doing.
Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from being in the music world?
13: The lack of genuine people is the worst thing. Some people just won’t be genuine to you. They will pretend to be nice and like you, but that’s just because you’ve achieved something. It can be a lesson hard learned. That’s another reason why I like to have distance between my onstage character and my real self; it lets me get a chance to actually get to know someone normally.
Q: Tell me about your track ‘DRUGS!’ How did you and Rezz both end up working together and creating that song?
13: Basically what happened was I sent a couple demos to a friend, who sent them to a friend, and that friend sent them to Isabelle. That same night she got a hold of me, came over and we just finished the song together.
Q: I saw the tweet that you posted recently about a new song you and Rezz have in the mix. Can you tell me anything about that?
13: I can’t say much about it right now. We’re still brainstorming on a name. But it’s a great track. Nothing like the song drugs. Its down-tempo again, and it has a very good hook. Hopefully, it will be out soon. I think people are going to like this one.
Q: What do you have planned the rest of the weekend? Are you going to link up with Rezz and see her perform?
13: Oh definitely! I plan on seeing her set with Jackson and his friends from WAVES. I’ll be going backstage to visit her afterward and maybe crack open a few beers.
RMR Recap WAVES Presents: 13 at Fred Wildlife Refuge
Watching 13 perform on stage, I began to gain a deeper understanding of his musical ethos and the duality that he strives for. The hip-hop influence that derives in many of his tracks, such as Ill Vibes, flows together nicely with his dark and heavily distorted style of low-tempo bass. This makes for a fusion that manages to catch the hip-hop vibe without becoming overwhelmed by it.
Another good example I saw of duality was when 13 dropped his song Nuclear. The track bounces from a cryptic suspenseful buildup to a heavily distorted drop, which then drifts back to another quiet build, making the listener feel like they’re sitting in the aftermath of a nuclear bomb.
13 has a way of getting the crowd involved in his music. I could feel the suspense in the air, in sharp contrast to his hard-hitting drops. All of 13’s music seems to have this original feel to it, possibly due to his style of distortion that I haven’t heard from any other artists. His set was an addicting train ride of creepy buildups and headbanger drops, laced in with some hip-hop cadence that added a sense of vibe and attitude.
Of the other artists that I watched, I really dug Kumarion and Frida K’s B2B tech house set. Together they made for a strange but unique mix that was genuinely awesome. Quackson also had a great closing set, amping everyone to the bones with some weird, wobbly psychedelic bass music. As usual, WAVES did an amazing job with the visuals, which were really unparalleled to most experiences of this size and stature.
On a side note, there were also some people repping some pretty cool Halloween costumes! (Shoutout to the girl who dressed as a nun). Overall it was a quality event, with fun performances and a chill family vibe. Everyone seemed to be pretty stoked to be there, even a little taken aback by the grandeur of it all. I really hope to see 13 come back to Seattle and perform again soon. He’s a special artist who is doing good things in the world of EDM!
WAVES Presents: 13 | Aftermovie by Jaldoh
Photo’s by: Conor Reiland, Holly Singh, Owen Jennings.
Interested in catching some WAVES of your own? Their next pop up is coming soon, WAVES Pop Up Series: Railway.
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