New York and Florence-based producer Child Of returns with Remover / At The Heart Level, a two-track release that draws from the melodic sensibilities of Four Tet and the cinematic scale of David August.
The EP nods to classic tropes without leaning too heavily on them, shaped by a sonic palette that reflects Child Of’s wider creative background. The project is the work of Todd Weinstock, a lifelong musician whose path began in the hardcore punk scene before gradually shifting towards electronic music. As guitarist with influential bands like Glassjaw, he toured globally alongside Deftones, Gang Of Four and Peter Murphy, bringing an intensity and sense of community that still informs his work today.
With the EP out now, we caught up with him for a chat.
How do you decide which non-dance influences to bring into your tracks, and can you share a specific example from Remover or At The Heart Level?
I don’t usually set out with a conscious decision like, “Let’s bring in this non-dance influence.” It’s more like those influences are already baked in. I grew up with guitar music and playing in bands, and I think that left a permanent imprint on how I approach songwriting. On Remover, for example there are these tremolo-y kind of washy gated chords that run through most of the track. I was thinking about Pitch the Baby by Cocteau Twins while working on it. So I guess this one actually WAS actually a specific non-dance influence now that I think about it does not happen
Lead track Remover reuses the classic early ‘90s rave “yeah” sample. What drew you to that specific vocal snippet, and how did you approach giving it a new emotional context?
It was totally by accident. I was messing around with the “rave generator” plug-in actually. That sample surprisingly felt really good to me in the track so I made a little melody out of it. Normally that yeah is used in the context of peak time energy but in Remover it felt like a memory of the rave or something.. Not the actual rave. Like a bittersweet memento.
You came up in the hardcore punk scene and toured as a guitarist in bands like Glassjaw, playing alongside Deftones, Gang of Four, and Peter Murphy. How did those live-band experiences shape your approach to club music and emotional storytelling through DJ sets?
I seem to love playing “reaction” music the best (my made up name). I love to feed off the people. In the hardcore scene it’s all about the mosh and in club music it’s all about people dancing. I think in tailoring a set to try to induce movement and feeling in a guitar music context, it trained me to think in this context for a DJ set. Maybe I view tension and release a bit differently
Moving from the energy of punk and hardcore into the world of electronic music, was there a specific moment or track that shifted your focus and made you want to start producing club music?
I joke that this is the reason, but I think there is actually a lot of truth to it. I have some high end hearing loss from barely ever wearing earplugs in those days. I believed I couldn’t feel the music with them! I think I started to understand bass more and the excitement of it because of this. I became more inspired with lower frequencies because the higher were a bit damaged! I always loved electronic music but something clicked at this time where I was so inspired by the possibilities of it vs. what felt like limits in rock music
Your DJ sets have been described as emotional, propulsive, and slightly off-centre. Can you talk us through a recent set that really captured that energy for you?
I don’t really plan my sets beyond bringing a ton of music that just makes me feel something. The rest is just trusting the chaos has better taste than I do (if that makes any sense). It’s like the less I think the better it goes and also the ones that I don’t remember anything afterwards seem to be the best! When I played at the House of Yes Onyx Room recently for example it really felt like a foggy fever dream so mission accomplished! It’s less about what I played and more about where we ended up.
Your remix of Lee “Scratch” Perry’s vocal for Remix the Universe stood out for the way it reimagined his message through a hypnotic club lens. What was your starting point with that remix, and how did you navigate working with such an iconic voice?
It was really intimidating at first honestly. Lee “Scratch” Perry is one of those icons that just had a private line to source! I really believe he knew things and had direct communication far beyond what most living humans do. There are many versions of the remix that don’t sound anything like where the final product ended up. I wound up finishing the music completely and still really was unclear what the vocals were going to end up like. After months of experimentation (seriously) it turned out better than I ever expected. One of my favorite pieces of music I’ve ever been a part of and also the most surreal. To be a part of this project still is a pinnacle in my musical life. When I was originally asked to be a part of it Lee was still alive. He passed away and it became his last ever recording.
How did you first connect with SOL Records, and what about their ethos or community made it feel like the right home for this release?
I sent some demos to Brayden the label owner a little while ago and he really liked them. We then wound up talking on the phone for a few hours and it was obvious to me that we had similar values, that they were in this for the right reasons. There is a real sense of community at this label and a feeling of simplicity – Like it’s just solid humans wanting to put out solid music. We have since become good friends, played together and this is actually the 3rd Child Of release on Sol already. It has definitely felt like a home from the start and I feel blessed to have encountered this crew.
At The Heart Level feels more introspective and restrained than Remover. Can you walk us through the structure of that track and how you approached tension and release in the arrangement?
I had that arp made for awhile but I couldn’t really figure out where to go with it for some reason. My friend sent me the sample that is actually an automated voice prompt from a digital blood pressure monitor. It says “Refrain from talking during measurement and keep cuff at the heart level”. There was something in it that felt to me like a kind of melancholy uplift (like the smiling tear emoji). After that the rest came together really fast. I kind of feel like it’s a series of waves each getting a little closer to something, then pulling back again.
You now split your time between New York and Florence. How do those two places influence your creativity, and what contrasts do you notice in their respective music scenes?
Moving between the two feels like an energetic reset each time. One place dissolves a lot of noise, the other sharpens it. Both needed. Florence is very new but something that comes to mind is that Florence feels like it has an ancient hum to it. It’s like Florence is breath and then NYC is just straight electricity. I feel very blessed to be able to create from both of these tunings.
You’ve been part of warehouse series, live bands, remix projects, and now solo EPs. Where do you see the Child Of project heading next—are there new formats, collaborations, or live elements you’re looking to explore?
I can see Child Of turning more into a hybrid experience with some live instrumentation. I’ve had this vision for a long time where I play guitar (which I’ve started to try in a few recent sets) and also have different hybrid instrument stations. In the even further future I could also see a band version.