Westend Drops Tech House Heater 'Dive In' – Forbes

Westend.
Tech house has been blowing up the dancefloor since the early 1990s. The genre—a subset of house music combining techno and house elements by using melodic synths, vocal hooks, steady beats and driving basslines—has resurged into the mainstream in recent years.
When it comes to the highly competitive scene, 29-year-old New York City native Westend has emerged as one of the genre’s most promising artists, solidifying his spot with his energetic, refreshing and forward-thinking tunes. The tastemaker best showcases this sonic signature with “Dive In (featuring Notelle),” out September 29.
The single boasts bouncy basslines, a catchy topline, celestial sounds, swiveling synths and more, making for an anthemic song. “I think it’s a good example of my sound,” Westend, legally known as Tyler Morris, says. “I want to make feel-good music that you could listen to at a club or a festival, but at the same time, you could go to the gym and throw it on or listen to it in your car.”
“Dive In” is the first release on Morris’ label, TRACE AMOUNTS. According to the sound designer, he launched the imprint because he has established a big enough platform. He says he plans to sign music by numerous artists as well as release his records on it.
“I felt like it was the time to create a little bit more [of a] creative identity for myself and have another brand to manage,” the producer says. “For me, that’s another creative outlet that I really wanted to tap into.”
The name for TRACE AMOUNTS alludes to how tap water has trace amounts of chemicals, while the visuals pay homage to his Manhattan upbringing. His futuristic tour flyer features an urban aquatic aesthetic with green and blue coloring as well as New York City half-underwater and fish swimming about. Morris’ love for the Big Apple extends even further: His moniker is an ode to his cherished side of the city, which is responsible for cultivating his musical upbringing during his teenage years. He even attended Bronx High School of Science, the same institute synth inventor Robert Moog went to, sparking Morris’ interest in dance music even more.
Beyond his sonic abilities, Morris is the founder of Kick & Bass, an online production school and community he started during the pandemic to source income because spinning at clubs wasn’t an option. It was suggested to him that he do a music production lesson over Zoom, thus beginning his entry into teaching “tech house 101.” The banger creator then began getting requests from producers all around the globe, he says. Kick & Bass was held on Zoom for two years before becoming a discord, allowing artists to make a specific genre of their choice. The discord is available via a monthly membership, which provides access to Morris and coaches posting weekly new videos and providing feedback on members’ music.
“One of the big issues as a producer is you make a track and, especially when you’re learning, you don’t like to say there’s right and wrong in music,” Morris says, “but there are definitely ways to do things in a better way.”
One of the former discord members achieved success by landing a track signed on Lee Foss’ esteemed Repopulate Mars imprint. This jumpstarted the former student’s career, and he has since performed at music festivals such as HARD Summer and Splash House, Morris says.
“I would say one piece of advice would probably be trust the process and don’t doubt yourself, … [+] because I think I used to think a lot that maybe I was not talented in a strictly musical sense,” Westend says. “I never really played any instruments growing up, and I never had that musical touch. I did know how to work really hard, and I really wanted to be a deejay and producer. I’ve been doing this for almost 11 years now, so I put in the time. So I would just say don’t worry about what others are doing, don’t worry about the timeline, just trust that if you work hard and you really want this thing, you can get it.”
Morris studied public policy before working at a tech startup. If the Duke University graduate hadn’t become a producer, he says he would have moved into the music industry in some format, perhaps in the technology space. Entering the world of music has proven successful for Morris, as Beatport named him one of the top 10 best-selling tech house producers. His hit records like “Jumpin’” have not only spent weeks dominating the charts but have also landed into the crates of MK, Diplo, Foss, John Summit and Sonny Fodera. The creative has performed at clubs and festivals worldwide, including Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, CRSSD, Shambhala, The Brooklyn Mirage and Electric Daisy Carnival Mexico. He has also embarked on his first headlining North American tour by the same name as his label, boasting over 30 stops. His upcoming set at Los Angeles’ renowned Academy venue will be his first open-to-close set, which is when a deejay performs for the entirety of the show. The performance takes place on September 30.
His rise to acclaim didn’t come without challenges, though. Morris’ biggest hurdle in life is quitting his job at a tech startup to leap into becoming a full-time producer and deejay. The tech house maven lived at home during this time as he lost almost all of his income at once to become a music tech entrepreneur. “There was definitely a lot of years of self-doubt and [wondering if] this was going to happen for me,” Morris says, adding that he faced imposter syndrome. Despite this concern, he has gained the recognition he deserves, best seen in his illustrious career to date.
Morris demonstrates his success through his production prowess as well as his ability to teach, launch an imprint, peak in the top charts for weeks, release on globally acclaimed labels and overcome challenges during his growth as an artist. Indeed, Westend is one to watch.

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