HMWL Interview #1 – HNNY

“Now, the only reason for making a buzzing noise that I know of is because you are a bee. And the only reason for being a bee is to make honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.” – Winnie The Pooh

This logic I so simple and I try to keep it in mind when I am going through Johan Cederberg’s projects. But I cannot seem to find the common denominator. Johan tells me not to bother. – Maybe there is a red thread throughout my projects, but I don’t think about whether it is there or not or what it consists of, he said.

I wonder whether the deep house with R&B-samples, the jazz and soul mixes with movie quotes and the Pooh profile pictures has nothing in common? The answer is as logical as Winnie the Poohs quote.
– This is me, Johan said.

It seems so unpretentious compared to a lot of house producers who work really hard for their personal hallmark and to be perceived as mysterious or just plain cool. Johan picking Winnie as a coat of arms for HNNY was at first a coincidence but eventually became a deliberate act of protest.
– I ran into the poster of Winnie the Pooh in the streets by chance and it just fitted. But then it went totally out of hand and I got completely obsessed.

Right now Johan is working on his debut album. He says it is a highly conceptual album, leaning towards some sort of post hip-hop genre. The album will probably be released next autumn and according to Johan it will bear resemblance to Madlib’s and J Dilla’s beat tapes, not containing any up-tempo house tracks.
– The record consists of beats and small things. More like a sound collage that will be put together and become something good, said Johan.

HNNY recent releases are the only ones to be put out on his newly founded label “Puss”. He founded “Puss” with Kornel Kovacs, who also runs the label “Studio Barnhus” with fellow producers Axel Boman and Petter Nordkvist. It was Kornel that dropped the idea about the kiss marks as a hallmark for the label. They were four people to kiss the first releases, but after moving the production to London they have hired people to do the admirable work. If you got one of the early records it is a 25 % chance it got kissed by the producer himself.

TLC, Monica & Brandy and Christina Aguilera. It is not hard to find what the Puss releases have got in common: being produced by a 90´s kid. There has been alot of R&B songs sampled in house productions in recent years, and HNNY does it to. He says it is trite on the verge of boring, but still a nice element both in the production process and in the song itself.
He produced the “No” track back in May and the release is due the 16th of December. Right now he just finished another EP to be out on Studio Barnhus. He is working on “a couple of remixes” and is working on the debut album. When I ask him whether he considers himself productive or not: – The thing about creative people, I guess, is that either they are good at starting projects or at finishing them. I am good at the latter, says Johan

Johan’s logic seems as simple as Winnies to me: do what you want, keep your integrity during the process and finish it. His way of not allowing himself to be limited by genres, whether we are into house, jazz or hip-hop, gives us a lot to look forward in the upcoming year. He might not be a trendsetter, but he is not trying to be one either. It is refreshing with a house producer who is not stuck inside a bubble. Heads up for his coming releases! Happy Holidays!

Tip by HNNY: Moomin – A Day & a Night

34 posts

About Bjorn Widmark:

Writing about all things bassline, but I'm mostly about telling stories. Portraying and exploring the depth and width of electronic music. Talk to me: @bjrnwidmark / www.bjornwidmark.se