Axel Boy and JVST SAY YES Give Us The Lowdown on “Firin Shots”

Axel Boy and JVST SAY YES swung by to chat about their track “Firin Shots,” the similarities between dubstep and bass house, and more!

Back in the mid-2010s, a genre combining elements of electro house, deep house, and brostep was born and it went by the name of bass house. Axel Boy and JVST SAY YES were at the forefront of this budding genre back then and continue to drive its bouncy four-on-the-floor pattern with their newly released collaboration, “Firin Shots“!

Over the years, both artists have acquired some serious accolades through their meticulous production skills and ability to drive insane energy through their tracks. Axel Boy has released tunes like “I Dare You,” “Flashback,” and “Escapism” while JVST SAY YES has embodied the essence of bass house music through his tracks “Switch,” “Feel The Bass,” and “Spin It.“.

Now they’ve teamed up on “Firin Shots,” a high-energy track that combines vocal elements along with a punchy bassline that’s sure to get you up and dancing. We caught up with both producers to chat about how the tune came about, the similarities between producing dubstep and bass house, and plenty more!

Take a listen to “Firin Shots” on Spotify below, download or stream it on your favorite platform, and read on for our chat with Axel Boy and JVST SAY YES!

Stream Axel Boy & JVST SAY YES – “Firin Shots” on Spotify:

Hey Axel Boy and JVST SAY YES, thanks for chatting with us today! Let’s talk about your collaboration “Firin Shots,” that’s out now on CruCast. What was the process behind making this track and how did the idea come about between the both of you?

Axel Boy: Myself and Rob have known each other for a while now! With his JVST SAY YES project focusing on 4×4 bass house stuff along with my direction in that style- it felt the right time for us to finally make this song together.

We had both been sharing ideas with each other and when Rob sent this demo I instantly knew it could become a very fun collaboration. With Rob being from the UK but living in the US, I feel like with this idea he had grasped a good balance between the US and UK sound. This is something I’ve been trying to balance out in my music also.

JVST SAY YES: I’ve known Alex for years, back from the early dubstep days. It just so happened that we are both now making house music with a fairly similar feel – he was out in LA on a trip and came over to visit, I had this track that had the core there but didn’t have the energy it needed, so I handed it onto Alex who did a great job of fleshing it out into the track it is now.

Aside from your solo works, you both have done your fair share of collaborating with other artists. How do you both approach collaborations and is there an artist you’d like to work with in the future who you haven’t yet?

JSY: I prefer the handing off (either to me or from me) rather than in-person collabing. At the end of the day, there is only one mouse, and I personally prefer to just go into my own headspace when working on music.

AB: I’ve worked with a bunch of great artists in various different situations. Some collaborations you spend in the studio with another artist, some are just done remotely! Each approach has its pros and cons. I’m always adamant that it’s important to have a really fair balance of workload in a joint project, the aim is to find a good mix between the sounds that each artist brings to the table. I’d love to work with JOYRYDE, Skrillex, Holy Goof, Billie Eilish, there are so many!

In the past, you both have done your fair share of producing dubstep as well as bass house. What are some similarities or differences between producing both genres?

AB: That’s right! I still make dubstep, just more few and far between. I feel like modern Dubstep has lost so much of its rhythm, groove, and catchy riffs that made it so fun and exciting in the first place. The production levels are crazy, but it’s hard to find a vibe in the genre with a lot of stuff I’m hearing these days.

Whenever I make dubstep now I always try to write with that integrity that I love about it. With bassline/Bass house, it’s less about making the craziest sounds and more about capturing that swagger, it’s much easier to dance too, but much less focussed on overly tight production value and crazy sound design – although there’s that gap to be bridged, which I enjoy challenging myself to achieve! Essentially they’re not that different, each format can translate onto the opposing template- being a half-time beat or a 4×4 beat.

JSY: The sound design primarily, particularly how aggressive it is with the higher frequencies. I think getting a balance between making music your own but it also sounding genre-appropriate is the key, for any type of music.

Axel Boy, you have an extensive catalog of music dating back to 2012. Looking back from then to now, what has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the studio?

AB: I’m constantly learning how to please myself as an artist, the biggest obstacle in the studio for me is myself. I guess I’ve learned that it’s important to stay patient on an idea, because so easily can a work-in-progress that initially made you jump out of your seat can become so tiring on the ears you end up hating it and scrapping it. Delegation is very important, you have to give yourself time to breathe on your work.

JVST SAY YES, you have been around in the music scene for nearly a decade creating tracks. What drew you to create bass house tracks specifically and create the JVST SAY YES project?

JSY: I heard an early version of “Rock The Party” before it came out and I immediately got ideas in my head, it was a sort of ‘why hasn’t this been done yet’ type of moment – mixing the UK bassline influence with some of the sound design emerging in the American scene.

How do you deal with bouts of writer’s block? Do you have any tricks that help you get through it?

AB: I hate writer’s block, it’s a mystery of the human psyche that I’ve tried to learn to understand. What I find with writer’s block is that I’m not unable to write- I’m unable to become excited about what I am writing. This tells me I need a break to let my enthusiasm and excitement recharge.

JSY: That’s a hard one. You just have to ride it out.

What has been the biggest struggle that you both have faced so far in your career, and how did you overcome it?

JSY: I think adapting to the shift from the scene being really active close to home in the early days, and then moving home to the USA when the everything morphed a lot into being focused there. A lot of things were very uncertain at the time, so jumping on a plane and moving continent (where you don’t really know anyone) was a real leap of faith, the risk was definitely worth it though.

AB: I guess trying to maintain the love for electronic music across the spectrum, I find that if I’m getting tired of one sound, I need to delve into others to really let my own creativity progress.

Bass house is all about energy, always gets people up and moving with some good vibes. In a time where so much is going on in the world, how important is conveying this through the music right now for the both of you?

AB: This music is supposed to be fun, uplifting, and full of energy. I know it’s hard for anyone to express this right now, however, once things start to reel back in we’re making sure that we have their soundtrack covered for when they get back on the dancefloor! People are gonna have so much steam to blow off!

Finally, if you could offer up an inspiring message to the fans during this uncertain time, what would it be?

JSY: Music has always adapted and always will, nobody I know is showing any signs of losing creativity so it’s just a case of riding things out until it’s safe for live shows to start again. Until then, there is plenty of great new music coming out.

AB: Stay positive, focus on yourself, the important people around you, and remember the show WILL go on!

Follow JVST SAY YES on Social Media:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud | YouTube

Follow Axel Boy on Social Media:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud