Article by: Sam Wolloch
Westend, the New York City native and talented tech-house producer, returns to #NewMusicFriday with the catchy and pulsating new single “Prickly Pear” out now on Insomniac Records. This track marks his first release on Insomniac Music Group’s flagship label, although Westend has plenty of experience working with the Insomniac imprint IN / ROTATION to drop his 2019 EP Clubble and his recent single “Give It To Me.”
Outside of Insomniac, Westend boasts releases on labels like Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird, Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak, and Noizu’s TECHNE. Also near and dear to our hearts, Westend featured as a contributing artist on Moon Lvnding’s charity stream, The ORBIT Virtual Experience Benefiting Feeding America back on May 8.
“Talk,” beckons the vocal sample of the new single, as Westend gets listeners excited with the bouncy buildup before dropping the full request, “Talk to me!” Westend goes deep with the melodic synths and keeps things balanced with some slick oscillating sounds. This tech house track is another winner from Westend and dance music taste-makers are taking notice, as Jauz, Zeds Dead, and CID all dropped “Prickly Pear” into their radio mixes this week.
Westend admits, “this track has me branching out in some new directions and Insomniac has been fully supportive the whole time.” But the curious cat got the best in me, and I pressed on to find out how Westend got the name for the new single. While a little surprising, his answer was honest and insightful, “my starting point for the track came from a Prickly Pear flavored can of San Pellegrino.” I’ll toast to that!
With Friday’s release in mind, Westend was invited to play a set on Wednesday, September 16 for the Insomniac Records house party livestream on InsomniacTV. He dazzled on his two-hour set, so lovers of groovy tech-house tunes ought to give it a stream. Follow and listen to Westend using the links below, and find “Prickly Pear,” as well as other fresh goodies, on Moon Lvnding’s Spotify playlist New Music Friday Heat updated each week.
CONNECT with Westend
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
LISTEN to Westend
Spotify | Apple Music | Beatport | SoundCloud
