Interview: Willy Joy

Interview: Willy Joy

Down from The Windy City, Willy Joy, is fresh on the scene, but already making a name for himself as one of the the most genre-spanning, experimental artists out there, dropping everything from wispy bedroom jams like “Woman Like Me,” to the bounciest of in-your-face moombahton drums, to massive deranged electro buzzers. He’s just one of those guys who can do it all, but does it all differently, one of those producers who is entirely unconcerned with how a particular genre is “supposed” to sound and more concerned with burning the formula and giving our ears something new to comprehend. His newest release, “Whispering Woods EP,” out on Trouble & Bass does just that, with tracks that are both eerie and funky, both drummy and synthy, song’s that are impossible to define but the second you hear them you know you like them, you can feel it your feet, they just won’t stop steppin’. Willy Joy is without a doubt Bouncebug’s #1 artist to watch for the next year and we were lucky enough to catch up with the man himself to discuss his roots, his releases, moombahton, and his future, enjoy.

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1.     Chicago has always been a place known for it’s talented producers and progressive music scene. From what artists do you derive inspiration within and outside of The Windy City?

Chicago has an incredible group of artists and musicians. I’m inspired by all of them, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some more closely. Ghetto Division (Rob Threezy, Rampge, Maddjazz, Charlie Glitch, Nader, etc), Mic Terror, Hollywood Holt, Hood Internet, Lucky Date, Stefan Ponce, Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, Gant-man and all the juke legends are some of my friends, colleagues and I am inspired by all of them. And of course all the old school house heads who more or less started the movement that is now my life.

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2.     You’ve recently released the incredible EP, “Whispering Woods,” on T&B. How did this release come about? Did T&B seek you out, or were you drawn to the heavy bass label from the start?

T&B and I have known each other a long time – I was always a fan of the label, way back to its origins. They put out a record that Rob Threezy and I did over a year ago, so when I put these tunes together they were one of the first places I thought to take them. T&B also does all my booking – they’re family, and family comes first! Also their releases keep getting better and better, I’m honored to be in that company.

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3.     “Whispering Woods” is in many ways a departure for you and unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. Needless to say, it is my favorite EP of the year! Where did you get the inspiration for the tracks? Was it something that came organically through experimentation or did you know when you hit the studio how you wanted them to sound?

Thanks!! Whispering Woods is ironically a lot closer to what I actually sound like than some of my previous releases. I play big tunes for big crowds, and the music I’m making these days is meant to fit right into that scene. I listen to everything, and love some of the lighter stuff that I’ve put out in the past, but that’s more for listening and this is more for dancing and losing your mind. The tracks came about pretty organically – with most of them I had an idea for using a sample in my head, and the songs started based around that sample. Whispering Woods came about very quickly and almost wrote itself – on the other hand, the track Superhuman on the record took months of revisions before it ended up in its current form.

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4.     Since your start you’ve been a huge fan of incorporating Moombahton into your sound. What was it originally about this buzzy style that drew you to it? Do you have any thoughts as to where the Moombahton movement’s headed?

Moombahton is the most exciting thing going on in dance music right now. It’s a wide open playing field and the rules haven’t really been defined yet, so you’re hearing all kinds of new and interesting ideas coming from previously totally unknown producers. Dave Nada is a close friend of mine and I couldn’t be more proud of this movement he’s started. I definitely rep it hard! It’s super refreshing and girls love to dance to it. Thank god. As far as where its headed, I think its just getting started… you’ll definitely hear it popping up in some unexpected places in the next year or two.

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5.     I read that you were a big fan of Das Racist, those guys kick ass! Any chance for a collaboration with them in the future?

I am a big fan of those guys! I don’t have any plans to collaborate with them at the moment, but I’d love the opportunity if it came around! I met them a long time ago and they were cool as hell. My Chicago buddies The Hood Internet made a tune with them and Chicago rappers BBU called “Please, No Pictures” that is awesome, and it can be found on the internet.

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6.     For those of us who haven’t gotten a chance to see you live, could you describe what a Willy Joy show’s like?

My live shows get wild! A switch flips for me when I get behind decks, and I turn into a spastic sweaty mess. Generally, so does the crowd too, so I make sure I’m not alone. I’m playing heavy tunes across a bunch of genres of dance music, with a lot of my own production thrown in there as well. It’s really important to me that everyone comes away having the most fun possible – I work pretty hard to make that happen! Anyone who wants to come see me, hit me up and lets go!

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7.     Finally, you’ve just released a killer EP and are playing shows nonstop, what’s next for Willy Joy?

Lots on the table for 2012! More tour announcements, as well as a lot of new music coming. The first couple months will see a bunch of remixes from me on various cool labels, with another couple EPs of my own coming in late Winter/early Spring. Always grinding, tons to come! Thanks!

Whispering Woods – Willy Joy

Superhuman – Willy Joy

Gimme Dat – Willy Joy

Swoop the full EP right here!

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The Fall Mix 2011 – Willy Joy 

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- DuKΣ