Electro DJ and producer Clockwork will take the stage in Smith Union tomorrow night at the Entertainment Board’s (E-Board) annual Homecoming concert. Clockwork, whose real name is Henry Steinway, is known in electro circles for his innovative, high-energy sets. He is also the youngest artist ever signed to internationally renowned DJ Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label.
“He’s a pretty up-and-coming DJ,” said E-Board Co-Chair Michael Hannaman ’13. “He’s neat because he does his own music as well as mixes, so he has a lot of original stuff too, which is great. We think it’ll be a really upbeat, exciting show.”
This weekend also marks the first time in years that Racer X will not headline the concert, as two of the band’s members are currently on sabbatical.
“It’s hard because we know Racer X is such a part of the tradition and we’re aware that it’s a big show that people look forward to,” said Hannaman. “We understand the responsibility to bring an act that people will be just as excited about and that will be just as fun in a concert setting. There’s a lot of thought that went into this show.”
Originally from Los Angeles, Steinway began producing tracks when he was 16 years old, according to EDMtrends.com. In May 2011 video interview with AM Exclusive, Steinway said that he became interested in electro music in high school.
“I grew up in L.A., so that’s obviously where the scene was thriving in high school, so all my friends would listen to dance music…and so naturally I wanted to be involved, so that’s how it all started,” said Steinway.
After high school, Steinway moved to New York City, where he is currently studying music business at New York University. He began gathering a following when his bootleg remixes consistently topped blog Hype Machine’s “Popular Charts” and won him remixing competitions.
According to his Facebook page, Steinway “emerged from the throng of bedroom producers” with the release of his 2011 single, “Squad Up.” The track caught the attention of label owner Steve Aoki, who signed the then 18-year-old to his Dim Mak label.
Since then, Steinway has remixed for Aaoki, as well as electro-house artists Dimitri Vegas and Felix Cartal. His remix of Avicii’s “Levels, has reached over 80,000 plays on Soundcloud and two million views on Youtube.
According to EDMtrends.com, Steinway is renowned in electro-house music circles for his “unique and innovative bass-heavy sound and high-energy performances.”
He has toured internationally at electro-house festivals. He is set to play at multiple large-scale festivals this year, including Beyond Wonderland and the SnowGlobe Music Festival.
In his interview with AM Exclusive, Steinway advised aspiring artists to be innovative when creating tracks.
“I guess try to figure out a sound that’s your own, try to stick to that, don’t just copy whatever you hear, what’s popular because that’s not going to impress people,” he said.
Clockwork will perform tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in Morrell Lounge. To listen to his work, visit soundcloud.com/clockwork.