Winston Hunte

Portfolio

Winston Hunte | Portfolio

Introduction

My Name is Winston. I was born in Breda and I spent my teenage years on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. I am a musician and I produce music for bands, I work as an “In the box” producer, and I am a songwriter as well. I am based in the picturesque city of Utrecht, the heart of the Netherlands.

My music is about love, friendship, and everyday thoughts and feelings. The genres that make up the ingredients for my music are indie pop, pop punk, new wave, and emo pop. The inspiration for this mellifluous admixture is rooted in the music of Paramore, The 1975, Bring Me the Horizon, and Basement.

I receive a tremendous amount of energy from working with new artists. Learning from others and trying out new things never fails to give me a boost. I am at my best when I work with friends with whom I share a profound connection, and that is why I find it important to get to know someone well before I collaborate with them.

“However, that was not enough. My thirst for more loud sounds and raucous music could not be quenched!”

Teenage Years On Curaçao

During my teenage years on Curaçao I discovered the music of Paramore through the videogame The Sims 2, and this was the gateway to my music addiction. The fresh guitar arrangements of the, at the time, modern emo music enticed me. I was given my sister’s acoustic guitar and I learned to play my first songs. However, that was not enough. My thirst for more loud sounds and raucous music could not be quenched! I claimed my father’s old bass guitar and I dove deeper into the trenches of music.

“At a certain moment I was suddenly called on stage. Before I knew what was going on, a choir of 250 people were singing “Happy Birthday” to me.”

I stepped onto the battlefield of music armed with my father’s bass guitar and with my high school friends by my side. We created a band together. Together we scoured YouTube for hours on end for songs that we could cover, and once we found the right record we hurried to our battlestations to start practicing. We practiced in my parents’ backyard with the tropical Curaçaoan sun as our audience. Our neighbors had no choice but to enjoy our covers of songs by The Cranberries, Maroon 5, Paramore, and Linkin Park. The news that we created a band spread like wildfire at my high school. Several teachers noticed the sonical flames we had sparked, and they happily offered us the platform and tools necessary to develop and exhibit our skills. One of my fondest memories is that of a talent show I participated in on my 16th birthday. At a certain moment I was suddenly called on stage. Before I knew what was going on, a choir of 250 people were singing “Happy Birthday” to me. The performance by the entire audience and my fellow talent show participants gave me an indescribable feeling I had not known I craved. This moment, for the first time ever, solidified my love for performing on stage. I knew then that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Creating Music and Studying

I was already fully enamored with music when I was still in high school. Every day when I came home from school, I greeted my bass guitar first. My parents and siblings knew that my bass guitar required my full attention! You could always find me in my room practicing and studying the music of my idols. When the last of my high school days were gradually approaching and everyone around me was stressing out about choosing the correct study programs, I knew without a doubt what I wanted to do. I chose to continue my musical journey by studying at the Rock City Institute in Eindhoven from 2014 till 2017.

Rock City Institute

At the Rock City Institute I experimented a lot with bands, and I developed my unique identity as an artist. I was the bassist for various bands that made original music.

In April 2016, I stumbled upon a flavor of music production that was previously unknown to me. The Japanese House opened up for The 1975 at the AFAS Live concert hall and their music was like a recipe made up of extraterrestrial sounds unknown to my palette. I was hypnotized. I heard all these small extra details being sprinkled out in the air by the loudspeaker system. I tried to navigate the vibrations and trace them back to their origin on the stage, but I could not seem to find the instruments that made these sounds. When I got back home I immediately started my research into The Japanese House’s so-called genre of Alien Pop. My inquiry was answered. The Japanese House utilized backing tracks managed with the software “Ableton” to produce that alien magic that perplexed during their performance.

The Japanese House had inspired me to such a great extent that I spent the entire summer of 2016 writing and producing demos in my little room in the attic. This eventually led to the creation of the trip hop trio SABBARDEYA during my last year at the Rock City Institute (2016-2017). I shared my demos with Marina Fabris (the singer of SABBARDEYA) and Tim Peters (the drummer), and they were beyond excited to develop these demos further as a musical trio. I was entrusted with the job of playing keys and the bass whenever we performed. I was additionally in charge of managing the blueprint for the songs and the production for the live backing tracks. My friends and family awarded me the moniker “Winston Ableton” because of my use of backing tracks. The Effenaar concert hall and the main stage of the Breda Barst festival in 2017 were among the many places where I performed with SABBARDEYA. While I had already discovered my love for performing, my time with SABBARDEYA guided me to a new passion: music production. I realized there was still so much to learn about music, and the new chapter of my life started with Music & Technology at the University of Arts in Utrecht (HKU). I continued my education by studying Composition and Music Production from 2017 till 2021.

Martijn Groeneveld and Mailmen studio

I was an intern for Martijn Groeneveld of the Mailmen Studio in Utrecht during my third year (2019-2020) at the HKU. Martijn is known for his work with artists such as Kensington, John Coffey, Emil Landman, Will Know, and Fata Boom. Under Martijn’s tutorship I learned to work with the software “Pro Tools,” and how to efficiently and effectively record bands. I had the honor to assist Martijn with the recording of artists such as Will Knox, Emil Landman, and Sam & Julia.

University of Arts In Utrecht - Music & Technology

I received my bachelor diploma for Music & Technology from the University of Arts in Utrecht in 2021. I am currently still enrolled at the University of Arts in Utrecht, but now I am studying the Music & Technology masters program.

Do you have any questions or would you like to work together? Send me a message on Instagram @WinstonHunte. You can also reach via email: winstonhuntemusic@gmail.com.