‘Love Is All I Need’ marks HWIN’s evolution from Cathedrals producer/songwriter to solo artist, fusing UK garages infectious breakbeats with melodic house and cinematic indie songwriting. Released on his newly launched 57 Records and following his recent single on RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Rose Ave Records, the track bridges underground electronic culture with emotional storytelling-equally at home in intimate headphone sessions and transcendent dancefloor moments.
On the cusp of this new beginning, we had the pleasure of talking to the artist to discuss NYC’s influence on his creative process, planting long-lasting musical seeds, community growth, and more!
WWD: Congrats on this new chapter! Lots of exciting stuff is coming up for you! First up is the forthcoming release of ‘Love Is All I Need’ and announcing the launch of your label 57 Records with debut solo EP, ‘Just Like A Flower.’ ’Love Is All I Need’ feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. How do you balance writing for yourself while ensuring your music feels like it belongs to the listener too?
I’ve always found that the most personal songs end up being the most universal. With ‘Love Is All I Need’, I wasn’t trying to write for anyone else – I was just trying to capture this feeling of longing and release that I was experiencing. The production process was similar – I’d spend days getting lost in modular patches, finding sounds that felt emotionally true to the moment. It’s interesting because when we started playing these songs at our monthly Circadian Rhythms events at 57, I realized how differently people connect with them. You hear the music differently when with other people than when you hear it alone. You can feel what they feel. Sometimes tracks I initially felt strongly about in the studio took on new life when shared with the community. It’s almost like the songs aren’t fully complete until they find their audience.
WWD: Your music is described as bridging intimacy and grandeur, but what was the moment in your life that first taught you those two could coexist—and how does that moment echo in the EP, ‘Just Like a Flower?’
When I first moved to NYC five years ago, I was in a creative rut. I ended up Craigslisting this spot in Brooklyn with a basement that had these massive monitors and a modular synth. That first night, my roommate Doug and I ended up jamming until sunrise. There was something magical about that moment – this intimate late-night session creating these massive, expansive sounds. That tension between the personal and the epic really shaped the sound of this EP. Even the title “Just Like a Flower” speaks to that duality – something delicate and intimate that gradually opens up into something bigger than itself.
WWD: Your creative journey spans from Cathedrals to now launching 57 Records. Looking back, what part of you that existed during Cathedrals feels most alive in this new chapter, and what part had to evolve to make this leap?
With Cathedrals, we were really focused on blending electronic elements with emotional songwriting. That DNA is definitely still there – the desire to make electronic music that has real heart to it. But what’s evolved is this understanding that music isn’t just about what happens in the studio. Through building 57, I’ve learned that the most powerful moments happen when you create spaces for people to connect through music. So while the songwriting approach might feel familiar, the context has completely transformed. It’s not just about making tracks anymore – it’s about building an ecosystem where creativity can thrive.
WWD: From your past work to now as a solo artist, you’ve merged rich lyrical storytelling with forward-thinking soundscapes. How do you balance the raw vulnerability of your lyrics with the often complex, experimental nature of your production?
I often start with just a melody at the piano or a cool patch on the modular – whatever captures the feeling I’m chasing. Sometimes it’s a lyric that bubbles up in the middle of the night, like it’s coming out of a dream. The key is not forcing it. When the production and songwriting feel disconnected, it usually means I’m trying too hard to make something work. The best tracks happen when the sound design actually amplifies the emotion of the lyrics. Like on “Love Is All I Need”, the way the synths pulse and breathe with the vocals – that wasn’t planned, it just emerged from playing around until it felt right.
WWD: ‘Just Like a Flower’ feels like the planting of something long-lasting. What would success look like for you five years from now, not just as an artist but as the founder of 57?
Success for me looks like 57 becoming this self-sustaining creative ecosystem. Where artists can find their collaborators, where music leads to real human connection, where every release carries the DNA of our community. Five years from now, I hope we’re not just putting out records – I hope we’re showing a different way of developing artists, one that’s built on authentic relationships and creative exchange. The music industry can feel so transactional sometimes. We’re trying to build something more lasting, more meaningful. Something that blooms from the ground up.
WWD: The label’s tagline could almost be ‘where underground culture and community meet.’ What’s one boundary in music or community-building that you’re most eager to push next?
For me, the most exciting boundary to push is this idea that strong communities can only exist in person or only exist online. Through 57, we’re seeing how digital and physical spaces can actually amplify each other. Our monthly Circadian Rhythms events are a perfect example – by day we’re making tunes in the studio, and then one night a month we get to play works in progress for our friends. That back and forth between creation and connection, between the virtual and the physical – that’s the frontier I’m most excited about exploring.
WWD: Bridging underground authenticity with mainstream accessibility seems central to 57 Records. What’s the trick to maintaining credibility in the underground while crafting music that can live on a bigger stage?
I don’t actually think about credibility that much – I just focus on making music that feels honest. Underground authenticity isn’t about being exclusive or difficult, it’s about having the freedom to follow your creative instincts wherever they lead. Sometimes that means making a track that works in an intimate basement party, sometimes it means writing something that could fill a stadium. The trick, if there is one, is just staying true to the feeling you’re trying to capture. The rest usually takes care of itself.
WWD: 57 has grown into this vibrant, multidisciplinary space. How do you see the community’s fingerprints on this EP? Did any of their energy or stories seep into its creation?
The community’s fingerprints are all over this EP. So much of the new music was influenced by playing works in progress at our events, seeing what resonates, what moves people. You hear tracks differently in a room full of friends than you do alone in the studio. We’ve seen songs that were initially overlooked during our studio sessions come alive and become favorites because of how they connected with people. And others that we thought were finished got pulled back into development after seeing the response. It’s almost like our community becomes part of the recording and refining process, giving each track a life and a story of its own before it’s released.
WWD: Having a physical creative hub is rare in today’s digital music ecosystem. What role does that physicality play in shaping the sound and ethos of 57 Records?
Having a physical space changes everything. It’s not just about having somewhere to make music – it’s about creating an environment where unexpected collaborations can happen. Our recording studio here at 57 isn’t just a studio—it’s also a nightclub, a gathering space, a place where ideas can collide. That duality shapes everything we do. The music we make is influenced by knowing it will be played in this space, the community we build is shaped by having a home to return to. In a world that’s increasingly virtual, having that physical anchor feels more important than ever.
WWD: NYC is the backdrop for so much of 57’s growth. How do the city’s rhythm and grit influence both your music and your community-building?
New York has this beautiful way of forcing you out of your comfort zone. The city’s energy, its constant motion, the way different scenes and sounds overlap – it all finds its way into the music. But more than that, it’s shaped how we think about community. In a city that can feel overwhelming, 57 has become this gravitational center where people can find their people. The grittiness of NYC keeps us honest, while its endless possibilities keep us dreaming bigger. There’s no other place where this could have happened quite the same way.
WWD: Agreed! Thanks for the chat 🙂
‘Love Is All I Need’ is available here