Hverheij delivers a vibrant fusion of electronic, urban, and experimental sounds. “Mezmer Eyes” channels Vancouver’s dynamic energy, capturing city movement, color, and community through immersive rhythm and emotive production.
1. “Mezmer Eyes” captures the energy of inner-city life. What specific scenes or moments from urban environments most influenced the sound and mood of this track?
Getting off sky-train rapid transit in the heart of downtown brings immediacy to Vancouver as a living inner city, where business people mingle with residents from the surrounding towers. The shopping district absorbs the hustle and bustle of traffic, pedestrians, and visitors. And from certain vantage points, the North Shore Mountains display a beautiful backdrop to all.
So I would say it’s the lights, the noises, the movement, the vibrant colors mostly on sunny days. There’s a beat to it all – a pattern of artistry and rhythm that breathes with life. Seeing it is feeling it. Without consciously being aware, that rhythm plays to the soul of everyone who’s there – a strange understanding that links their lives and brings them together from over the miles. “Mezmer Eyes” captures all of these sights, sounds, energy and rhythm and shares that through the music.
2. The track blends electronic, urban, instrumental, and experimental elements. How did you approach balancing these genres while still keeping the song cohesive and engaging?
It’s a funny thing that while working on it, the choices made to integrate the elements seemed to just click together as I went along; but thinking now about your question, it’s probably the percussion that kept things in check (probably also true of all the tracks on the album). On this track, the central beat was the first stem recorded, from which voice and all of the instruments followed in rhythm. I guess from that the heart was represented first and emotion followed, but only if you accept if those can actually be separated at birth. Can they really?
3. You used tools like the Arturia Mini Freak, Push 2, and MPC Live 2 in the production. Which piece of gear played the biggest role in shaping the emotional build-up of the song—and why?
Keeping in line with my previous thoughts, if the MPC Live 2 delivered the heart, then I would say the Arturia Mini Freak provided the most colorful nuances to emotional buildup on this track due to the touch sensitivity of the keys and the playfulness of using the control wheels with plugins. Fun and easy to use.
4. The mastering process involved Michael Southard (Time Rival) and Triplicate Records. How did their involvement elevate the final version of “Mezmer Eyes”?
Triplicate Records is a label that supports releases of all types of electronic music: ambient, idm, urban, experimental – you name it. So they encourage new directions, innovations, quality of sound and forward driven music, which is a good thing for me because my projects tend to go in many different directions from one album to another. When I forwarded the concept of this album to TR, they openly embraced it under the label’s banner for this release.
I should add that my first ever album release was through Triplicate Records in Dec 2020 (a kind of 2020 vision), from which I have released numerous albums on my own, plus 7 additional albums – including the current one – through the TR label. It’s safe to say in general that all 3 founders of the TR label – that’s Michael Southard (Time Rival), George Ernst (Suncastle) and Bryan Kraft (BVSMV) – have taught me a great deal about music production and they have been very positive in promoting my work.
Michael provided final mastering for Let’s Be Clear, including “Mezmer Eyes”, by taming the sharper edges and allowing highlights within certain frequencies to shine. The distorted guitar and tubular bells are prime examples on this track. Since Michael has mastered the majority of my own album releases, in addition to my TR releases, he has an intuitive understanding of my music and is able to bring out the finer nuances while enhancing fidelity in the music’s heart-of-sound. Over time, I believe Michael’s skill has taught me to be more precise in my initial pre-mastering work. I like to think that “Mezmer Eyes” is produced better as a song because of those things.
5. Your music often emphasizes positive energy and momentum. What emotions or reactions do you hope listeners experience when they first hear track 8 on the album?
Exactly that.
To feel positive about urban community, to experience a sense of being at one with it’s energy, and to embrace connection with a city’s internal rhythm, is an emotional response to that which encourages love, artistry, and freedom. Isn’t that what life is really all about? So when someone listens to track 8, I hope they can feel through the music all that gives those feelings light and life.
6. The album Let’s Be Clear explores unique rhythms and modern sonic shifts. What do you feel sets “Mezmer Eyes” apart from the other 11 tracks on the record?
I hope an unbridled joy in the moment of where you are by viewing things in the best direction possible. The interconnection between community and individual I believe is felt most positively in this track through the eyes of the beholder.
Copyright © 2025 The Inteviewist
