THE 10 Qs SERIES
A seemingly endless stream of bright newcomers is entering the bass music scene, and some of the genre’s true pioneers, like Spag Heddy, continue to leave their mark.
Mischa Reining, more often known by his stage name Spag Heddy, has been making waves with his internationally acclaimed original music, festival performances, and live shows. The Dutch native, now based in Spain, has been a hitmaker since 2011 when he began releasing dubstep-infused club bangers that swiftly attracted a devoted fan base. Spag Heddy has received global praise for his strong-hitting yet melodic basslines that sound familiar and new, drawing inspiration from Skrillex, Funtcase, Excision, and many more. Spag Heddy is ready to release new music and explore new horizons after touring the United States with Zomboy and Flux Pavillion over the past year.
In fact, with his most recent album, The Noodle Effect, Spag Heddy just served up a steaming platter of musical brilliance. This 17-song collection is a wild voyage across the worlds of dubstep, riddim, future bass, and beyond.
Spag Heddy’s producing skills are displayed as he expertly weaves complex sound design and throbbing basslines together. The range and talent of this EDM master and his collaborators are at the forefront across these varied and distinctive tracks. “The album is finally out, so I’m in an anxious state of excitement and fear for what people are thinking about the album,” the DJ said. “So far, the reactions have been very good, so I’m extremely happy.”
Speaking of happiness, when asked how he keeps his sense of positivity, the Dutch talent compared it to waves, each with its ups and downs. “It’s impossible to be happy all the time; I guess it’s just about being in a zone where you are comfortable and where even though there is stress and problems and all, there is some foundation to fall back on. That doesn’t have to mean being rich or famous; for many, it’s the opposite. I find my happiest moments in being with my family – my wife and 2 daughters who are all healthy – but also in the fact that my passion for music production became my living.”
To learn more about Spag Heddy, including his definition of success, read our full interview below.
Q: Before we dig in, what's next for you?
Right now, the album is finally out so I’m in an anxious state of excitement and fear for what people are thinking about the album. So far, the reactions are very good though so I’m extremely happy.
Q: What are your thoughts on the meaning of success, and how do you define success for yourself?
Success for myself is being able to make a living off of my music. First, I am a music producer. For some, success might mean being a headliner and playing the main stages at big festivals, which is amazing and true, but it’s good and important to realize that success can be achieved by being able to dedicate your life to something that you love. Of course, though, a career job is a dream come true, and to see yourself rise and achieve more and more goals after putting the work in is extremely rewarding and motivating. A beautiful thing about this business is that music makes people happy. As a producer/artist, you can make people happy and connect. That’s success.
Q: What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever bought?
Something that comes to mind is during the pandemic I bought this very expensive mechanical keyboard. A beautiful little thing, had it imported from the US with high extra costs, only to figure out that yeah maybe it’s kind of dumb to buy a keyboard that has no F-keys, which are keys for essential shortcuts I use a LOT in FL Studio. Maybe not my most ridiculous buy but surely comes close to it for that amount of money.
Q: What's the most memorable fan encounter you've ever had?
So, a super cool that happened at least once, but I think it might have happened twice, is a fan coming up to me and having me sign Spag Heddy on his arm, which later he turned into a tattoo. Having people tattoo your name on themself for the rest of their lives is just something incredible to me. I have no tattoos myself at all so.
Q: Where and when would you go if you could travel back in time to any moment in history?
Wyoming, 66 million years ago, to ride a T-Rex.
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Q: If you could only listen to three songs for the rest of your life, which ones would you choose?
You can’t possibly come up with tougher questions. The answers heavily depend on my mood and change per minute. Anyway, the first ones that pop into my mind right now are Yellowcard – Believe, Blink 182 – Miss You, and Rusko – Everyday (Netsky Remix).
Q: What is your philosophy on happiness, and how do you strive to maintain a sense of happiness and well-being?
It’s probably not as deep as one would think. Life goes in waves, with ups and downs. It’s impossible to be happy all the time, I guess it’s just about being in a zone where you are comfortable, and where even though there is stress and problems and all there is some foundation to fall back on. That doesn’t have to mean being rich or famous, for many it’s the total opposite. I find my happiest moments in being with my family – my wife and 2 daughters who are all healthy – but also in the fact that my passion for music production became my living.
Q: How do you see dance music evolving in the future?
I believe this trend of fusion of genres will evolve for a while more, then after some time people will get tired of it and things will go back to mainstream versus alternative genres. Like most things it goes in cycles, I think.
Q: If you could switch lives with any other celebrity for a week, who would it be?
Skrillex, so I could check his computer and steal his mix-down techniques.
Q: What's the weirdest thing you've ever Googled?
I remember googling something recently and thinking okay to a lot of people this would look so strange, I googled: “Why is three body, not four body”. IYKYK
