Between back-to-back bangers and hot dog eating contests, there’s only one man bridging the gap between bass music and backyard mayhem this Fourth of July and his name is HEYZ. The Denver-based producer is heading into his biggest summer yet, with a new single on Deadbeats, a collaboration with Big Gigantic on their newest album, a slot at Zeds Dead’s sold-out Deadrocks XI, and a return to Civic Center Park for their rowdy fan-favorite Backyard Jamboree.


HEYZ (aka Mike Hayes) is a Deadbeats favorite with roots that stretch from Greensboro, North Carolina to the Mile High City. After first breaking onto the scene with moody techno cuts on deadmau5’s mau5trap label, HEYZ flipped the script and dove headfirst into bass music. What started as a risk quickly became a signature sound that straddles playful absurdity and jaw-clenching intensity.

Early this month he released his new track, “Feed Ya Soul,” on Deadbeats. The track might just be the most HEYZ thing he’s ever made, unapologetically weird, infectiously heavy, and somehow wrapped in a culinary metaphor. “Think of it like a piping hot glizzy at your favorite fest,” he says, with the conviction of a man who’s both hungry and high on life. And just a few weeks ago, he also landed a major collaboration with Colorado’s own Big Gigantic, appearing on the hyped-up heater “Woohaa” off their new album FLUORESCENCE. 

Now back on Deadbeats, the label that helped shape his creative identity, HEYZ reflects on how far he’s come. “When I first got the Deadbeats co-sign, I was just figuring out who I was as an artist,” he says. “Now, it feels like home. They’ve let me get weirder, go harder, and fully lean into what makes my sound me.”

That duality of being funny but focused, irreverent yet respected is what makes HEYZ stand out. His TikToks might roast genre tropes or festival fashion, but his live sets are all business: curated chaos with an emotional core. “Humor’s how I connect with people,” he says. “But the music has to hit. If the music doesn’t slap, the jokes don’t matter.”

With Deadrocks and the Backyard Jamboree just around the corner, plus festival plays at North Coast, Dancefestopia, and his own headline tour this fall, HEYZ is stepping into a new chapter. He’s no longer just that guy from TikTok or the techno kid who went rogue. He’s a fully realized force in modern bass music. And this week, Denver gets to experience the madness up close.

We had a chance to speak with the man himself ahead of the festivities. Check out our conversation below!

[Rooster]: Let’s start with the obvious, you just dropped “Feed Ya Soul” on Deadbeats. Be honest… how many glizzies were consumed in the making of this track?

[HEYZ]: Honestly? Enough to raise medical concerns. It’s hard to explain but when you’re deep in the stu vortex at 3AM, staring at Ableton for 9 hours, a glizzy just hits differently. Some people microdose shrooms for creativity, I microdose processed meats.

You’ve called this your “signature dish.” What makes “Feed Ya Soul” feel like peak HEYZ? Is this the most you you’ve ever sounded?

It’s definitely pretty dang HEYZ-Y. It’s heavy but still fun, catchy yet unexpected; I feel like you could rock with it in the clurb as well as the crib. I don’t know if it is PEAK HEYZ, is this my final form? I dono, I hope not, I hope to always get better and better but a lot of people really love this one and it always hits live. 

You’re playing both Deadrocks and the Backyard Jamboree. How does it feel to be part of Zeds Dead’s July 4th triple-header in your current home base of Denver?

It’s honestly the best week of the year. A big deadbeats family reunion comes to what is now my home town. I’m super lucky I get to be a part of it every year, whether it is Deadrocks, the Jambo, or Mission Ballroom. I try to go to every single event and I love all the people from the label and friends that they bring along with them. Deadrocks July 3rd will be one of the biggest sets I’ve ever played and I’m so stoked. I’m a lucky boi. 

Deadbeats has been a big part of your journey. How has your relationship with the label evolved since your first release with them?

When I first started releasing with Deadbeats I would beg them to release more of my music, NOW they come to me asking for new music so now what hu?! Should I play hard to get or something? It’s a beautiful relashe’ and I’m glad I’ve been asked to be a part of Zeds Dead shows and release music with them every year since 2020.

You originally came up in the techno scene. What inspired the switch to bass music? And do you still sneak a 128 BPM thumper into your sets just to keep the techno heads on their toes?

Indeed I did. I started out releasing with Mau5trap in 2017 then switched to bass in 2020. TBH, when I started releasing with Mau5trap I was SUPER fresh to producing, like literally just started. Techno was a bit easier to make…slap Nicky Romero Kickstart on everything, get an arpeggiated bass and toss a bunch of Splice FX bass everywhere and you’re kinda good to go. I switched to bass after I realized I wanted to play Dubstep in all my Techno sets and I couldn’t do that so here we are. I’ve always loved Dubstep and it felt right nah mean? I throw in a little Techno thunder SOMETIMES if you’re lucky. 

Your TikToks and social content are hilarious. How do you balance the comedy side of HEYZ with being taken seriously as a producer and performer?

I mean, it’s all the same brain. My humor comes from the same part of me that makes the music; I just want to make people feel something. Whether that’s “damn this song bangs” or “what is wrong with this man’s eye.” If people leave a set or a TikTok/Reel thinking “this was unhinged but fun,” I’m doing my job. I really hope people can take my music seriously but I can see why they wouldn’t lol; it’s a balance I’m still trying to strike.

What’s something most fans don’t know about how you approach your live sets?

I obsess over them. I’m super indecisive and picky and honestly spend just as much time on a set trying to get it perfect as I do producing music. I want to get more into just “winging it” but as I introduce my project to more and more people and continue to gain a lot of new fans I want to present an “as close to a perfect” set as I can. My new “HEYZ’D And Confused Vol. 1” mix…I spent 10 hours a day for 5 straight days on that. I made a ton of cool mashups for each set and try to do a lot of cool unexpected things. Like playing Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls” into some INZO & LSDream collab…why do I do that. It slaps a bit though. 

If you could challenge one other Deadrocks artist to a Jamboree-style backyard game (think three-legged race, dunk tank, etc.), who are you calling out and why?

I’d challenge DC to another endurance ice-bucket challenge. We did that once in a green room and stuck our arms in a vat of ice to see who could handle it the longest and I think he won. Sad.

What’s something you want fans to take away from this summer? Whether it’s from your new music, your sets, or just interacting with you online.

Honestly? Lean into the chaos. Life is weird. If my music, sets, or dumb videos can give people a space to fully let go for a bit — scream, laugh, lose their minds for an hour — that’s everything. I want people to leave these shows feeling like they survived something dumb and beautiful together saying “damn that was really sick”.