Q+A: 5 minutes with PLEEG and Eyezic

After the release of their previous collaboration ‘Good For Nothing’, French producer PLEEG and US producer Eyezic continue to play with listeners’ expectations and push a few boundaries, sharing their latest creative animal titled ‘Dead Weight’. 

Stream / Download: PLEEG & Eyezic – ‘Dead Weight’

The two friends have programmed a work of immense complexity: the arrangement is intricate, the drops heavy, and the melodies aesthetically pleasing. Each unpredictable beat switch is novel and gratifying. It’s a bonafide lucky packet filled with what PLEEG calls “Ear candy”. Searching for more to nibble on, we interviewed the collaborators.

Set the tone for us. Why the arts?

PLEEG: For me, art is the purest way of communicating because you can transmit feelings and thoughts instantly without words being exchanged. Art is honest and everyone understands it.

Eyezic: Music has been something I’ve always loved since I can remember. I never really was musically trained but was constantly hearing it in the house, from my mom blasting Selena to my grandfather playing the violin when he wanted to. I always had an appreciation for it, so I thought to myself, many years later, why not try it for myself? Now here we are.

Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?

PLEEG: It varies a lot, but I would say that, mostly, my ideas come from original sounds that I feel there is something to do with. Once the sounds are found, the ideas follow.

Eyezic: I generally have an Idea in mind and will scramble through samples to start off with the base layer. Then I throw a bunch of ideas at the wall until something sticks. 

Does your material feature any collaborations?

PLEEG: This track is a collaboration with my friend Eyezic. As soon as I heard what he sent me, I knew it would be a great song, so we worked on it. That’s our second track together, and I love the way that our music style fits well. He’s a talented artist, extremely inspiring with a unique and creative style. We loved creating this song, and we hope you like it!

Eyezic: Yes! This one is a collaboration with my good friend Pleeg who I met through a mutual friend, and we’ve made several records ever since.

What’s on your current playlist?

PLEEG: At the moment, I’m listening to these tracks a lot, enjoy!

  • San Holo – All the Highs
  • ZZCCMXTP – Dig Dig Deep Deep
  • phritz – carrefour
  • Grant & Emily Vaughn – Move On
  • wes mills – nintendo 64

Eyezic: As of lately I’ve been really vibing out to Fred Again.., salute, Pocket, Duskus, SG Lewis, and More. Primarily those within this realm of music.

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

Eyezic: For those who don’t know, I have pretty bad social anxiety and sometimes focus on the decks, or I’ll look at the far back of the stage to stray away from the crowd. I’ve been constantly working on doing my best with talking to everyone afterwards to really overcome this fear. However, I’m very social with my audience on social media; I try my best to respond as quickly as I can.

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?

PLEEG: To get my sound, I go through multiple ways. It can start with a sample that I will modify until I have something completely new, or use a plugin instrument to create a new sound. Anyway, I handle it until I find sounds that inspire and correspond to me.

Eyezic: Distortion, lots and lots of distortion. 

Take us through a day in the recording studio.

PLEEG: To make it simple: I wake up, sport, I put myself at the piano and the guitar to find inspiration. Once found, I throw myself into the conceptions of songs or the creation of new sonorities. I eat, and I resume in the afternoon. Even if globally I find a majority of my ideas at night.

Eyezic: Usually when I step in I will always try to get a simple melody going. A lot of the time I’m on discord with my friends who are all creatives, and we kind of bounce ideas back and forth until something clicks. From there, I simply continue my process and get the basic ‘drop’ done and give myself a break to rest my ears before working again.

Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?

PLEEG: I think ever since I was young, I was always deeply convinced that this is what I wanted to do. But I was lying to myself by not admitting it until one day, despite many questions, I said yes, this is what I want, and it’s always been what I wanted to do.

Eyezic: I think releasing on the first few collectives back in 2019-2020. I wasn’t really sure why or how but those songs seemed to have impacted others, and it made me realize that this is something that I was really good at. I never really was the ‘most talented’ at anything, so it meant to me that I’m able to impact someone’s mood based on what I feel. 

What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?

Eyezic: A bottle of water always, or, if we’re getting personal, the project stems from my grandfather who’s always wanted me to get into music. I wear his bracelet now, so every time I play I always keep it with me.

Any emerging artists on your radar?

PLEEG: I love them:

  • Raptures.
  • Vaance
  • saamson
  • Ruxxi
  • P3PPER
  • Zakku

Eyezic: PLEEG, StarSeed, Runnit, capshun, Beastboi., Kiwi, Pocket. I can go on and on.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

PLEEG: I think my creativity comes from the desire to go beyond myself and to give people a good time. I always want to surprise the listeners with new sounds, playing a lot with the spatialization of the sound, while staying in accessible music. I’ve added a lot of “ear candy” to my songs.

Eyezic: Waking up in the morning and going through my routine.

Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.

PLEEG: I mostly work with FL Studio 20, All Plugins Editions, and sometimes Logic Pro. I work a lot with products from Melda Productions, which are high quality and accessible. I find my inspiration mainly with the Komplete 13 Ultimate bundle with the help of the Komplete Kontrol S61 keyboard from Native Instruments that I won during one of their contests! I also use a lot of plugins such as Serum, Sylenth1, Massive X, and Keyscape. I also really like the Splice platform, which sometimes helps me find inspiration.

Eyezic: Just Ableton and my desktop, nothing more to that.

Any side projects you’re working on?

Eyezic: Not that I would like to disclose at this time.

How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?

PLEEG: Since I entered the industry, I work a lot on the accessibility of my music. I try to stay as creative as possible while putting myself in the shoes of the mainstream listener so that I can make the perfect mix between the accessibility of my songs and the creativity that feeds my style of music.

Eyezic: 100%. I think I’ve simply learned so much from travelling and learning to have time for myself when needed.

Break down the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

PLEEG: There may be one last track after this one at the end of the year, but there will be many new projects and collaborations in 2023. Starting with Q1 2023, where several songs are already scheduled with some in major labels. And this is from January. I can’t wait to share it all with you!

Eyezic: Seeing that the year is coming to a close there isn’t much left to share, but I will say 2023 is quite the blessing.

Famous last words?

PLEEG: Thanks for listening. Don’t give up your dreams.

Eyezic: Be the best version of yourself, and those who appreciate you will always stick around. There’s no need for you to be somebody else for people who may never stick around.

Follow PLEEG:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

Follow Eyezic:

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – TikTok – Instagram – Spotify

Image credit: PLEEG & Troy Gerhardt