After the release of SWB2, Levenkhan stopped by to reflect on his sophomore album and discuss his mindset for success.
American Hard Dance has helped artists flourish as the scene continues to embrace the rebellious spirit of the genre. Many have made names for themselves within the scene and among fans stateside, but few have broken through into the sphere of the worldwide scene.
For more than a decade, however, one artist has been working under the radar, championing the sounds of Frenchcore with the American flavor. Of course, this is none other than everybody’s favorite pinkboi, Levenkhan.
Levenkhan personifies the notion that hard work can achieve the impossible as his artist project goes against every rule in traditional hard dance. He’s become a force to be reckoned with as one of the most successful acts in hard dance today thanks to his extremely fast BPMs, gritty lyrics that bring light to issues in the industry, and kickdrums that pierce festival speakers worldwide. Recent performances at Defqon.1 Weekend Festival, Electric Love Festival, EDC Las Vegas, and more prove that Levenkhan’s versatility as an artist has gained him a loyal worldwide fanbase while he’s stayed true to his artistic vision.
In late 2022, Levenkhan released his debut album, Stalin Wears Balenciaga, which focused on blending genres like Frenchcore, hip-hop, and rock music into a previously unheard-of hybrid project. Nearly two years later, Levenkhan shook hard dance to its core again with his newest album, SWB2. In this follow-up to his debut album, Levenkhan rides the wave of hip-hop and Frenchcore with records that expose his vulnerabilities and struggles as an artist, and how he’s overcome them in a scene that’s rejected him multiple times over.
With his most personal project to date finally released for the world to enjoy, we caught up with Levenkhan to dive deep into SWB2, signing with Aggressive Records, the current state of the hard dance scene, and much more! Read on for the full conversation with everybody’s favorite pinkboi, and make sure to stream SWB2 on Spotify or your preferred platform!
Stream Levenkhan – SWB2 on Spotify:
To start, congratulations on officially becoming a part of Aggressive Records! You’ve been all over the scene in terms of releases and shows, so what conversations or situations led you to sign with them specifically?
Thank you! It’s certainly been a long time coming. The boys over at Aggressive Records have had their eyes on me for a while, and they loved that I was striving to push my sound by being different from the rest. They saw my potential, vocals, production, humor, and DJ skills, and that I simply gave zero fucks about what anyone thinks. The mentality I have is the same one they believe in.
We saw hints of you signing to Aggressive Records back on “Curate & Create” when you said, “Tell Rooler we dominate. AR is the only great. Sickmode had no mistake.” Was this a teaser, or is signing with them something that came up more recently?
I love that you guys pay attention. To be honest, while I wrote “Curate & Create,” I was manifesting signing to AR because it was the only label that fucked with my vision as they share a similar view.
You kicked off your journey at Aggressive Records with “SHOOK.” This record exposes a lot of the problems with the hard dance industry but also serves as your claim that you won’t be a victim of it any longer. Can you dive into the story behind the lyrics and the purpose of this record?
I made the record by paying homage to my favorite hip-hop duo, Mobb Deep. The sample and the beat were so hard, so I needed to match that energy with my lyrics. Regarding the story, I’ve been exposed to and been through s*itty moments in the industry. I don’t name drop or point fingers at anyone in particular, but if the shoe fits, then the shoe fits.
I make hardcore, after all, so I came up with the hardest bars and kicks to match. One of the highlights of this record was having many artists reach out to praise the song. It felt like I was the voice of many silent artists.
After “SHOOK,” your follow-up album, SWB2, was finally released! As with Stalin Wears Balenciaga, you incorporated hip-hop with hard dance music, a combination that is unique to the Levenkhan project. How does your creative process differ when you’re expressing yourself through your hip-hop records versus your Frenchcore/hard dance records?
The entire SWB series is me expressing myself artistically in a multi-genre setting. It’s a series where I can dive into an in-depth, personal side of Levenkhan, unleash all thoughts, and experiment with a profound artistic side of musical production. I can still do this with hardcore, but this project is meant for people to vibe to and listen carefully to what I have to say outside of the club or festival dancefloors.
In SWB2, you gave fans a peek into your mindset with the lyrics in “The Formula.” What advice can you give to people who are trying to adopt the same philosophy that you explained in this record?
This is the formula for success. It’s the mindset you need to have to achieve your vision that should be as clear as Fiji water. My advice is to shut out the outside noise and focus on yourself; learn, evolve, and be consistent. Anything else outside of that doesn’t matter.
Besides “The Formula,” you also got extremely personal on the final record “Searching.” How do you feel about releasing this record that shows your vulnerability as a person and an artist?
I had my doubts about releasing this record. I nearly pulled the plug, but I thought it was necessary to include it for the world to listen to. It’s about my past so fans can get to know me better. I even had a fan reach out and say that it’s a song they can relate to the most, and that they felt really touched by it. For that one person, I’m so damn glad I released it.
Staying with “Searching,” you share a story about how you didn’t fit in Spain and you haven’t belonged in the US. The US hard dance scene has some catching up to do, but where do you see the hard dance scene in the US going in the next few years?
Personally, I think it’s been growing quite a lot. New producers are emerging left and right, but we also need them to stay consistent and not disappear after a few years. The producers are the backbone of this genre, and we need them so it can succeed in America. It’s headed in a great direction — we just need more quality producers.
Now that SWB2 is out, do you feel that this is your most complete project to date in terms of expressing yourself as an artist and human?
Absolutely. I went deep with my lyrics, production, and artistry. I have a long-term vision for this series, and each project will only top the previous one. SWB will be my signature series, and I can confirm that I’ve already begun working on part three.
Finally, I’d like to end off on a positive note. After highlighting your concerns with the hard dance industry on SWB2, can you share more about what you think the hard dance scene is doing right and what you’d like to see more of?
I would like to see more artists thinking for themselves, being unique, and not following what others are doing. We need more true artists and less generic producers.
