From humble beginnings stemming from an appreciation of all things bass music and the skateboarding culture, the co-founders responsible for keeping 40oz Cult alive—Dack Janiels, HAMi, and Wenzday—have come to make their mark in the bass community, both independently and as a collective. Since the inception of the movement in 2015 and the subsequent launch of their own label in early 2017, the 40oz Cult have made their mark in the scene and proven to be a force to be reckoned with while keeping the underground thriving in full force.
As they wrap up a monumental year of diverse releases, takeovers in different cities, and tirelessly working to maintain a platform that gives recognition to other deserving artists, 2018 has proven to be an unforgettable year for the Cult. Now, as they prepare to touch down in Los Angeles alongside Megalodon and BloodThinnerz for a historic takeover of the Belasco in Los Angeles, it’s looking as though the sky is the limit for 40oz Cult while 2019 looks to be even more promising!
To celebrate their continued success as well as get our pre-game on for tonight’s show, we decided to chat with the co-founders themselves for a glimpse into the past, present and future of the crew, as well as a sneak peek at what’s in store for LA tonight! While you’re at it, grab your last minute tickets for the Bassrush x The 40oz Cult takeover here!
How are you guys?!
Dack Janiels: I’m on the grind as usual and way stoked for this takeover show!
HAMi: I’m great, super stoked for the show!
Wenzday: I’m amazing as well! Having a great end to the year. Just dropped three new songs: “Soul Come Alive”on 40oz Cult, “Jungle Demon” on Gold Digger Records, and “China 2 LA” on Pinnacle Collective. And of course, I can’t wait for this takeover show tonight!
Seems like you guys have been playing shows together and solo left and right! How has that been?
HAMi: It’s been great! It super nice to have your own thing going on, but then be able to travel and do shows with your best friends. Best of both worlds!
Dack Janiels: Nothing beats being on the road with friends!
We’re stoked to have you three in LA tonight! What can fans look forward to?
Dack Janiels: Besides all this new Dack Janiels music, every artist on this takeover is someone I feel encompasses our style at 40oz Cult. Megalodon and Bloodthinnerz have been a big inspiration for me since I got into the dubstep scene so it’s a real honor to have them be a part of this show.
HAMi: I’ve been working on a ton of new music for this show! Even a possible collab with Wenzday, but you’ll have to pull up to find out!
Wenzday: I’m really excited to be going b2b with HAMi again! We did EDC earlier this year and San Francisco for our takeover show. We have been practicing non-stop, so I’m excited for fans to hear a combo of both our sounds as well as our new and unreleased music!
What are you guys most excited about in regards to the LA show?
Dack Janiels: I’m really most excited that we get to give back to the community with our Bassrush merch collab and clothing drive. 100% of the proceeds from our hat collaboration will be going to the Ventura County Community Foundation for victims of the recent fire.
HAMi:I’m most stoked about this being our first official Bassrush takeover. Personally, this is my first time playing a Bassrush event, so this is super special to me. In all honesty, this is something I’ve worked for my whole career.
Wenzday:I always have the best time at Bassrush events and getting to one day play one has been on my bucket list for a while now. The fact that my first one is also a hometown show with my best friends makes it even better!
You guys all have a distinct sound from one another, so how does this come into play when you plan a show where you are all playing? Is there any kind of strategy here?
Dack Janiels: I’d say the strategy comes from us knowing each other so well. We don’t really seem to clash on song choice too much, so it’s nice being able to kind of all just do our own thing.
Wenzday:What I love about 40oz Cult is that we are open to all different types of bass music. I think having the combo of bass house, dubstep, and riddim is what makes our events different and memorable for fans because it introduces people to new songs they may not normally listen to and provides a well-rounded show experience.
Let’s talk about the 40oz Cult. How did the movement start?
Dack Janiels: 40oz Cult is something that I really wanted to capture the inspiration from my interests growing up. Erik was a part of the Baker skate crew, who I really credit for being my main influence with 40oz. So being able to combine the world of skateboarding with music is something we really take pride in. Taylor’s production was really poppin’ off at the time as well, so it made perfect sense to combine forces and help push each other to the next level. I truly believe this bond is what makes 40oz so special and family-like.
Wenzday: Tanner, Erik and I have been friends for a long time. They both have such a love for skateboarding and what it stands for and wanted to incorporate that style and culture into music they love. I was already DJing full time and enrolled at Icon Collective, so they saw that I could bring another perspective to the table. What I think makes our collective so special is that we really try to showcase up and coming talent and give artists a platform to grow whether it’s on the label or at our shows. Beyond that, we love seeing our 40oz Cult family grow and are so appreciative to all of the fans who continue to help us sell out of merch. We wouldn’t be here without you!
40oz means keeping to our core values and the opposite of bottle service culture.
As the crew and label have progressed how has the meaning behind the name changed?
Dack Janiels: To me, 40oz means keeping to our core values with the 40oz symbolizing the “opposite of bottle service culture.”
Wenzday: Our vision has always been about accepting and giving a platform to all types of dope producers and their music. While we are all very hands-on when it comes to every aspect of 40oz Cult, having the three of us involved allows us to delegate and play to our strengths. For me, I’ve been spearheading the A&R side of the label. We just put out Leah Culver’s debut Demons EP and will be having a couple more releases before the end of the year from our friends Freefall and Swage.
Where do you hope the 40oz Cult grows from here?
HAMi: I would like to see a tour, a festival takeover, and international takeovers.
Dack Janiels: Between our label, showcases, and merch, I’d like to see 40oz continue growing into the movement that it’s encompassed. Bigger stages, bigger takeovers, and bigger merch drops until we takeover the world!
Wenzday: I hope that 40oz Cult continues to be seen as a mainstay tastemaker collective. Between our unique merch, takeover shows, and label I hope we continue to expand our team of amazing producers, DJs, and skaters. Next year, I’d love to start doing international takeover shows as well.
Any special treats you can dish on ahead of the show?
Dack Janiels: My recent body of work has been some of my favorite to date. I’ve gone back and made these unreleased songs even crispier and even heavier so you guys can really see what I’m bringing to the table this upcoming year. Also, my new collab with Dubloadz has been crushing shows so you’ll definitely be hearing that as well.
Wenzday: We will be doing a 40oz Cult x Bassrush collab hat and all the proceeds will be donated to the victims of the Woolsey Fire.
Any last shouts you want to give before we wrap this up?
HAMi: Shout out to Bassrush, Insomniac Events, and everyone that helped put this together!
Dack Janiels: Shoutout to Team Bassrush, my management team, my family, and most importantly the fans! 40oz forever!
Wenzday: Just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years. We would not be where we are without the support of fellow producers, our friends and fam, and of course the fans! Also a huge thank you to Insomniac Events and Bassrush for giving us this opportunity!