From dreaming about playing Liquicity Festival a few years ago, to winning the DJ Contest and getting to play the Nebula stage, the story of Everest sure is inspiring. At the start of 2022, this Belgian DJ decided to change up his musical career. Until then, Everest had been playing gigs as Whosten, playing pop music and EDM bangers, but feeling the love of the drum & bass scene, he felt it was time to choose himself.
With his debut album Breaking Barriers he wants to tell his story. It’s a story about finding yourself, choosing your own path, and not caring about what other people think of you. And even though Everest is preaching these words now, it’s not been easy for him either: “I used to really care what others thought of me. What do people think of me? Do I fit in?”
With Breaking Barriers, he is truly breaking free. Read on, find out more and download the title track from his album for free exclusively.
Congratulations on your album! What’s the story behind it?
I wanted to release something bigger from myself like that for a long time, but I used to have a hard time getting my identity across clearly. I can finally show people who I am and what I do. This is Everest, and this is what I stand for. That’s what I’m here for.
And who is Everest?
Yeah, who is Everest? How do you explain that? I’m someone who tries to make the best of everything. And someone very open to the unknown. I often have some ADHD spikes here and there, where I think, “Oh my god, that’s cool.” Then I start doing something with that and then all of a sudden it works. I guess you can think of my music as all little ADHD ideas I then put together into a whole.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I went to the seaside twice while finishing my album. The walks along the coastline really helped with my productivity. It was a source of creativity, being alone and walking in the evening. I always enjoy that peace and quiet. And while I was there I made a song a day. I’d make one thing every day, and then start something new the next day. Nine times out of ten I picked the track back up when I was back home, very rarely something doesn’t get finished. I love starting new projects because then you are free and shouldn’t think too much technically yet.
Can you tell me the story behind Breaking Barriers? Why that title?
A year ago, I started singing and wrote my first five songs, including Breaking Barriers. This was the first time I would think “Damn, this is what I’ve always wanted to say but haven’t been able to say.” It was very cool to see that music helped me in that. Every time I listened to the track ‘Breaking Barriers’ I would think about how that should be the title of my album as well.
I just noticed that it’s really me who wrote that track. I couldn’t imagine someone else writing something like that. I feel that that’s my track. The story I want to tell is that I’ve pretty much always needed someone in my life to be happy myself. It’s very hard for me to be alone. I realised that I need someone to make sure that I can think for myself, which is very strange if you think about it. What I want to say with my album is “Find a way that makes you happy, for yourself, how you can be happy in life.” If you feel happy in life, ask yourself why and cherish these people or things that make you feel that way.
With my album, I also want to tell people “Do whatever you want.” You don’t have to stick to one specific genre. If you want to try out another genre, go for it. My favourite example of this is Fox Stevenson, he’s my all-time idol. I used to watch his live streams a lot during COVID-19. The idea that you can’t make what you want because then you’re not super relevant to be booked for a few parties, is ridiculous to me. When I look at my album, I want to tell producers and other people who want to make music to make what they want. Don’t lock yourself into boxes of, “I have to make music like this.” Just think “I’m making this because I want to make this and that makes me happy.”
You’ve now talked about the title track Breaking Barriers. Are there other tracks that have a special story?
I Wrote You A Song is about my time in the Chiro (Belgian youth movement). I’ve been a part of it for over fifteen years, and when it was over I came to a standstill and realised “shit, it’s over.” It shaped me so hard as a person. Dear Big Black Sky is the last song I wrote for the album. I thought, “What else would I like to say before I’m done?” The night! It’s so epic. I always unwind when I go cycling at night because everyone and everything is quiet. There are no people outside, you’re basically on your own. That to me, is the perfect time to think. You can stand still because everything else is standing still. There are no expectations of you at night, which gives me a lot of peace of mind. You can finally be who you want to be. I used to be very preoccupied with thoughts like “What do people think of me? Am I fun? Am I cool? Do I fit in?” And at night, all those thoughts go away.
With the song Crazy Ride, I aim to provide a glimpse into my thoughts. I invite listeners to join me on this ‘Crazy Ride’ because my thoughts often transition rapidly from one to another. My mind is quite chaotic, which you can connect with the rapid synth you hear during the drop. However, there is a constant, and that is that it’s a very uplifting and feel-good song. I’m also known for being uplifting in a group and always being in a good mood. That’s because I’m often happy in the company of others, and other people give me energy.
In 2023, you played at Liquicity Festival, how was that?
It was amazing! I won the DJ Contest so I could play the Nebula stage there. I want to tell you a little about this one because it’s quite special. I did a year of music production, and we had to write up a 5-year plan in one of the classes. As the highlight of my 5-year journey, I wrote ‘Play Liquicity Festival’. To realise that I’ve reached that goal after two years already was mindblowing.
I’ve been gaming since I was 11, so around 2010-2011, I first came in contact with drum & bass and the NCS and Liquicity sound. I didn’t think anything of it back then though, I was gaming and having fun. The first drum & bass song that stuck with me was ‘Ghost Assassin’ by Maduk and Veela. Over the years, I slowly got into the genre more and became a DJ. Thinking back to all of this, I think it’s pretty cool that the music I loved back when I was more of a gamer, really shaped me as a DJ especially because it had become the dream to be able to play Liquicity Festival one day.
What happened when you found out you’d be playing at the festival?
I don’t know, I was at work and it was 10 o’clock on a Friday morning or something. I was at work when I got that email and thought, “Oh my god, this just can’t be real?” But I also remember thinking about how… if you try to work towards something, it’s possible. That was crazy because all those big events seemed so far off until then. Suddenly, you get an email that you get to play at Liquicity and you’re getting feedback from Koven and Levela, who are saying amazing things about your mix and asking for IDs. Those IDs they asked for were my album’s songs, which boosted my self-esteem. It was all so overwhelming, but it was incredible.
And how was it to play there?
The first transition you make Is super crucial about how your set is going to go. It’s important to feel sure about yourself when you’re on stage, and when that first transition was successful, I was like “Okay, let’s go,” I still couldn’t believe it even then that I was the one on the turntable. This was the festival I had been going to since I was 18 years old, it was so surreal. The main thing about this is how grateful I am to have discovered this scene.
Before you played at Liquicity, there was another Dutch drum & bass community, Skybass, which you got to play for. What do they mean to you?
They have been a massive game changer for me I was so, I had just released my first track as Everest called ‘Avatar’s Love’ and two weeks after that I got a message from someone in The Netherlands saying “You made a cool song, would you want to come play at an event we’re throwing?” That was Polymathic. I remember thinking “What’s happening?” I couldn’t believe I had just been asked to play internationally, after only being active in the scene for about six months. I’d never done that as Whosten, the artist name I had before.
Skybass was a kind of rave in his student flat, basically. I showed up to a rave of about forty or fifty people, it was fantastic. Over the years Skybass became an established name in the Dutch scene and they still regularly ask me to play. It’s fantastic to play abroad because people there now know and recognise me. It’s insane to me. I definitely want to thank Polymathic, because he cares about the music I make, and he wants to give me a chance to bring that music out to the public.
Any last thoughts?
I want to thank everyone who gave me a chance to play out, so I would also like to shout out Polymathic and Skybass. What-U-On-About?! as well, they gave me a chance to open their event one time, which was awesome. I’d like to thank Carnivore, High Rollerz organiser, as well, because that’s where it all started for me. Those three artists made it possible for me to start in the scene. Now you also have These Guys, they organise Basement in Leuven, making sure that there is continuity and drum & bass stays relevant. A big thank you to all of them.
Everest – Breaking Barriers is out now
Download the title track for free exclusively on 1 More Thing
