We Spoke With Jantsen About His New Single "Werk," What's Next For His Project & More [Interview]

Jantsen just dropped the single “Werk,” a savage new heater that is true to form for the dubstep icon. The track is the perfect taste of Jantsen’s signature ferocious soundscapes, which transport listeners to a realm engulfed in filthy wobbly bass.

“Werk” has been a staple of the renowned DJ’s live sets for a while now, and has finally been released for our anytime listening pleasure. Coming off the triumphant collaborations of “Gettin’ Money” with Hairitage and “Champion Sound” with TVBOO, Jantsen keeps the hit streak going with “Werk.” When asked about the single, here’s what he had to say:

“Werk is one of those songs that’s been in my sets for years. It was made for that live energy, and it just caught on. I didn’t have any expectations, but sometimes the tracks you make for fun end up being the ones that connect the most.” – Jantsen

The Colorado-based artist, Jantsen Robertson, has been a fundamental and timeless presence in bass music. Known for his signature soundscapes, Jantsen has the ability and the track record of injecting charismatic energy into all of his projects, and “Werk” follows suit in a big way. In the past, he has released music on the bass genre’s top labels: Wakaan, Circus Records, Subcarbon, Disciple, and tons more. Wallbreaking originals and mindblowing collabs with Dirt Monkey, Mersiv, Luzcid, SubDocta, and more fuel his massive discography. He’s been an icon in the industry for over a decade, and he’s not slowing down any time soon.

Now, Jantsen has officially unveiled another certified banger with “Werk,” creating a sonic composition that is jam-packed with neck-breaking energy. With a quick verse and instrumental build-up, the track brings us right to a blaring bassline that elicits scrunched-up faces of appreciation and elation. “Werk” is a showcase of Jantsen’s ability to electrify crowds through his music, and that excitement is felt right as the tune begins. This vicious stomper of a tune will surely galvanize any crowd that gets lucky enough to experience it live.

We had the chance to chat with Jantsen for a HIHF interview to discuss “Werk,” his forthcoming projects, musical inspirations, upcoming performances, and rising artists we need to have on our radar. Hope you enjoy the read as much as we enjoyed speaking with him!

HIHF: We loved your newest release, “Werk!” How did this track come to be, and why has it become such a staple in your live sets?

Jantsen: I originally made this for my Wakaan 2023 set as the opener, it has the perfect balance of booty bass and dubstep energy that I love!

HIHF: We love your Gutter mixes (and edits) on Soundcloud, they’ve been a pivotal part of our dubstep experience over the years and we know your fans feel the same. Can you tell us a little about what those mean to you, their longevity, and how you decided to release the edit pack and switch it up from the mixes?

Jantsen: I did the first one around 2007 and then got swept up in the dubstep craze. After about 10 years of that I just felt something was missing, so I decided to revisit that old “gutter sound” but with a more current twist, I’m able to incorporate more styles and different genres that are important to me and people seemed to really resonate with it. The Gutter Edits are just the individual tracks from those mixes that people ask for so I decided to start giving them out for free.

HIHF: You have a packed fall coming up with your own tour, alongside huge festival performances at Lost Lands and WAKAAN, and opening for Excision at Fiddler’s Green in Colorado. What can fans expect from those big festival sets?

Jantsen: New edits, remixes, and originals for sure! I’ve been stacking up a lot of new material for these shows, so expect a mix of the classic gutter energy with some new surprises. These bigger stages give me a chance to really go all out, though, so it’s gonna be wild from start to finish.

HIHF: At WAKAAN, fans will get the chance to get graced by the first-ever b2b Jantsen b2b Ravenscoon set. What can they expect from that?

Jantsen: Paul and I have a similar style of DJing, and we both have a lot of attention to detail in terms of layering vocals and making each track unique, so it’s gonna be just packed with cream of the crop goodness.

HIHF: Are you looking forward to checking out any other artists’ sets while you’re off the stage at Lost Lands and WAKAAN?

Jantsen: The whole roster, honestly! It’s what I always look forward to about Wakaan Fest, it’s basically all homies that make the best music.

HIHF: You’ve recently done a lot of collabs, TVBOO, Hairitage, Zeke Beats. What’s next for the Jantsen project? Are there any other collabs or releases coming up we should keep an eye out for? Maybe an album?

Jantsen: I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this yet, but my next collab coming out is with Ravenscoon. I have another song with Shizzlo I’m excited to release and a few other collabs in the works, but the plan is to put out a larger body of work in 2026!

HIHF: Who are some of your musical inspirations outside of the electronic music world? What do you listen to on an average day?

Jantsen: On a daily basis, I could listen to everything from jazz, Latin music, rap/hip hop, lots of punk, of course. I’ve been bumping the new Turnstile album consistently since it came out.

HIHF: What’s one hobby or fun fact fans would not know about you if we didn’t ask? We’ve had DJs tell us hobbies ranging from skateboarding to Pokémon and fun facts like they’re professional breakdancers on the side.

Jantsen: I actually did just buy a skateboard for myself recently. I used to skate a ton when I was younger so that has been fun. I like tattoos obviously and researching tattoo ideas, and I love dark tourism, visiting cemeteries, iconography, symbolism, etc.

HIHF: Who are some rising star dubstep artists you want your fans to know about? Who else needs to be on your fans’ radar?

Jantsen: Gunpoint and Flozone are two guys I like a lot and it’s been awesome seeing them get so much love lately. I just discovered Fraxure and he’s got a dope style too.

Big thank you to Jantsen for chatting with us, and be sure to peep his newest single “Werk” below!