The Swedish producer, DJ, and artist Woesum has been a major part of the contemporary underground rap narrative. Don’t take our word for it, though; simply check his long list of collaborations, which have gone down with everyone from Bladee and Yung Lean to evilgiane and Oklou. Taken from a forthcoming EP of the same name, his new single “Protected” bursts out of the rap space altogether. It’s a surging, euphoric electronic tune that fuses new age spirit with classic trance bombast. Still, it stays tethered to the sonic language of the past 15 years of rap—the genre has been no stranger to maximal electronic elements. We shot over some questions to Woesum about all that and more; give his answers a read and listen to “Protected” below.

Could you talk a bit about this new single? It seems like you are continuing to push into some new territory here.

Woesum: This single is my way of revisiting the music that really shaped me as a kid. My older sister used to download tons of trance, house, and Eurodance onto our shared computer. I remember finding a YouTube video of Basshunter making a track from scratch in ten minutes, which really blew my mind and set me on the path to producing music as he made it look so easy. What really stuck with me about all the tracks from that era were the breakdowns—the melodies, the atmosphere—not the club edits with minute-long drum loops. This new single is, in a way, me making the song I wish I had discovered back then.

Do you think there is a connection between contemporary rap production and more maximal forms of electronic dance music—both mainstream and underground?

The answer to this could be an entire book. I absolutely do. At its core, modern rap has been club-focused for a long time. To me the main difference is in the drums and whether the vocalist or the production is the focus of the song. The tracks are made on the same type of software, using similar synths. For example, around 2012, Nexus was the main synth that was used for both rap production and mainstream maximal EDM production, which I think made the soundscapes quite similar to each other. Mainstream rap artists have production that is deeply connected to maximal electronic dance music. And in the underground, that relationship is really clear to me, too. I think that connection is carried on by many of the younger producers today who grew up with a variety of influences, including mainstream maximal EDM artists like Avicii.

Any favorite trance tracks or trance mixes?

Scooter “I'm Raving (Taucher Remix)”—honestly anything from Taucher is incredible. “1998 (Kay Cee 1999 Remix).” Balloon “Monstersound (Pulsar Crew Mix).” Neimer “Two Hearts Together.” Anything from Tony Igy. C.J. Bolland “Camargue.” (Not a trance song, I know, but had a huge impact on me when I first heard it.)

The list could go on forever but the Royal Mix I did with DJ Billybool has some of my favourites in there for sure.

How do you approach collaboration? Are there any collaborative tracks that you’ve made in the past that stick out to you as being favorites?

I much prefer in-person collaboration over sending files back and forth. Feeding off each other's energy makes the process more fluid, and the music ends up sounding like something neither of us would’ve made alone, which is what I always strive for when collaborating. This is gonna be a long one but it’s impossible for me to pick a favorite. They all represent different eras that had a big impact on me for different reasons. Growing up in Stockholm and working with my friends in Sadboys and Drain Gang throughout the years has without a doubt shaped me into the musician I am today. Working with Yung Sherman, Gud, and Whitearmor is always very inspiring. The way they approach production and music in general is something that I still haven’t encountered anywhere else.

Thaiboy Digital’s Legendary Member was a special one that I had a lot of fun doing. Those sessions were basically everyone from DG and Sadboys in one studio, and I still love all the songs we made. Collaborating with Yung Lean, Bladee, Thaiboy Digital, and Ecco2K is always inspiring—they each have such distinct styles from each other, but when they’re on a song together like many of the songs on Legendary Member, they complement each other really well.

Making Empty Lightning with Oklou was also a highlight. She’s an incredible musician, and her approach to writing the music and vocals was something I hadn’t seen before. We made that song from scratch in about an hour, which still blows my mind. Heaven’s Stare and Mindfucc and many more with Yayoyanoh are also really important to me—his sense of rhythm and melody is so unique, and to me he’s seriously underrated and deserves his flowers.

How did you end up linking with DJ Scream for Blue Summer? What was that process like? Were you a fan beforehand?

Huge fan. DJ Scream is a legend—he’s hosted some of my favourite mixtapes ever, too many to even name. Yung Lean, who was a huge support while I was making Blue Summer, reached out to him, and Scream got back almost instantly. He sent over his recording right away, it was a really smooth process. I’m beyond grateful to Lean for making it happen and to DJ Scream for being part of it. It still feels surreal.

You are going on tour, right? What do you have planned?

Yes! It’s my first-ever headline tour, which is really exciting. For the European leg, I’ll be doing an A/V live performance for the first time, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Is there an ideal setting to listen to this new single and EP?

I made this EP with clubs and venues in mind. It’s the kind of music I’ve been wanting to hear in those spaces. But honestly, it works anywhere. Just play it loud, with a lot of bass.

What kind of music have you been listening to lately?

Anything from Niontay is really good. Oklou’s new album is really one of a kind. Kwes E is super consistent and am a huge fan of his work. The UK underground right now is really exciting to me. Artists like YT, TeeboFG, Jeffgrv, Fimiguerrero, Esdeekid, Jim Legxacy, and Fakemink. Been obsessed with Monte Nissa’s last two songs especially “Off Tha Charts.”

I’ve also revisited a lot of The Knife and Robyn’s old albums. Cumbia de Satanas is something I always come back to. Black metal too but maybe that’s too obvious haha.