“Being a producer is like being a stylist, it’s thinking about someone else and helping them build their vision. As an artist it’s about what you want to try on, you’re dressing yourself.” Nez said as he stood behind a turntable in his Culver City studio, casually flipping between lo-fi house tracks. Nesbitt “Nez” Wesonga knows a thing or two about being a producer, breaking into the scene in the early 2010s with several production credits on Schoolboy Q’s Oxymoron, Nez has gone on to work with a mouthwatering list of artists, including the likes of A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper.

A Chicago-native, Nez is recognized for his merging of dance music with hip-hop and R&B. Growing up in the post-disco era, Nez recalls eagerly searching record stores for European imports and listening to Chicago artists emulate those sounds with synths and drum machines. Nez’s style is influenced by this era as well, citing his father and grandmother’s effortlessly cool looks as what got him interested in clothing. “I put together my dopest fits when I’m not thinking about them. It never works when you try too hard, it’s the same with making beats.”

Nez’s first big break took place at one of Virgil Abloh’s famed Chicago Superfun parties, during which he was invited to a session with Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. Nez played tracks for Lamar and Q and both artists gravitated towards the fusion of genres and influences in his beats. Now over a decade since that session, and a wildly successful producing career, Nez is releasing his own album. For Nez, this next stage is a chance to share his own unique sound with the world after spending so long collaborating with others.

Working with famed artist and producer Felix Da Housecat, Nez’s album intertwines dance music rooted in house and techno with hip-hop and R&B – creating a frenetic yet steady sound that expands upon what made him so successful as a producer. Nez’s new album is eagerly anticipated within the industry, not only for its inevitable bangers but for the breadth of sounds and influences explored within it. “I’m excited to be making this kind of music. Coming from its roots, dance music is Black music. There’s a lot of beauty and history in dance music, a lot of love and unity. That’s what I’m about, having a good time.” With his album coming out this summer and a series of tour dates in the following months – including guest appearances at Festivals like Coachella and an opening slot for Calvin Harris –Nez is ready to showcase his own style to the world.