The Sherp caught up with one of Holland’s fastest-rising stars on the EDM circuit at ADE Mumbai, Jungle Terror sensation Wiwek!
Wiwek has been around for a while, but his incorporation of jungle samples in his mixes garnered a lot of attention from the scene, and more DJs started supporting his tracks. After multiple releases on Barong Family, Spinnin’ and OWSLA, Wiwek is the one to watch out for!
The producer has released a slew of hard-hitting singles and EPs in the past, like the Jungle Terror EP series on Barong Family, collaborations with Hardwell, Gregor Salto, GTA and Alvaro, and most recently, a 5-track EP called The Free And The Rebellious, on OWSLA!
Hey, Wiwek! Hope you’re having an amazing time in India. You’ve performed around the country numerous times in the past. How does it feel to be back again?
It’s been lovely. I did a tour with Afrojack for Sunburn, and the people and the crowd were amazing! Everything [his music] was so new for them and they’re like “Wow, that’s fun!”
You just released your first EP on OWSLA, The Free And The Rebellious. Will you be releasing more EPs and singles? Or do we see an album coming in the near future?
Oh yeah, I’ll definitely be releasing more stuff in my career! (chuckles) But I don’t know yet. First, I might release a few singles, and maybe after that. I’ve already started researching for my new EP, collecting sounds from maybe an Afro-fuelled track laying around!
You’re one of OWSLA’s newest signees. Are there any artists from the label that you like?
Well, obviously Skrillex, and these guys here, Kill The Noise and What So Not. Like almost everybody, I mean, OWSLA is such a talented group!
A lot of amateur producers and various other Indian DJs will be attending workshops and talks at ADE Mumbai. What is your advice for them when it comes to being successful?
Yeah, like just believe, man. You have to work hard for it. You will come across a lot of obstacles, some downers, things not working out; you have to get over it. You have to believe in it, and reap your talents and skills. Just do it.
We’re pretty sure a lot of fans are going to be there, and will gain a lot from your insights into music production! What all do you have planned for your master class?
I think I’m going to freestyle a lot. There’ll be a lot of Q&A, I’ll be answering questions, and I might show something. There’ll be a lot of so-called interaction. We’ll see, man!
Jungle Terror was a term you came up with to describe your high-energy tracks, and now it’s spreading like wildfire! What was your inspiration behind including jungle-oriented sounds in your mixes?
I just thought about it while making music in my room; it didn’t sound interesting, because I spent so many hours to them and I listened to them a lot, and when you get bored of it by yourself, you start making them interesting and interesting. That’s how it started for me, when I started using sounds that were never used in music again, like a lion sound or a cool environment sound. That’s how it started for me 4 years ago. It grew and grew, and others started doing it too, and then yeah, it became a whole thing.
Gregor Salto being one of them?
Well, Gregor Salto already was into tribal music, like, the ethnic rhythms. He was never into western music; he always tried to incorporate other cultures into his music. So, he was already in my zone; we were both in that direction, and then we grew into each other, so yeah.
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Performing live and producing are both very important for an electronic artist to get the word out. Which one do you like better? DJing or making more music?
I like to travel in between, so I like to make music to play them out, but then I get back to make new music and then play it out again, you know? Also, to see the world, to see the crowds and the reactions, to see why you do it, and then you go back to your own zone; it’s like a circle.
People simply love the samples and basses you use, be it whatever genre you produce. Which DAW do you prefer for music production? And, do you have any plugins you swear by?
Um, I use Fruity Loops (FL Studio) only, and there are a few plugins inside I like. For example, I really like the Fruity Fast Dist, I like CamelCrusher a lot. Lately, I’ve used a lot of UAD, the Universal Audio plugins, like the Tube Tech, the Transient Designer, yeah, that kind of stuff.
India has a vast indie music scene, and an equally huge mainstream scene. Are there any Indian musicians that you’ve heard of or love listening to?
Yeah, I like A. R. Rahman a lot, like his work in movies. I really love, and my dad is the biggest fan of, Jagjit Singh. He passed away, I think a few years ago. I love him, he was very good. My Dad was the biggest fan of him.
The sound system at a music festival is the most important aspect. In terms of sound production, where do you think music festivals and gigs go wrong? Have you had any bad experiences with sound that you’d want to share with us?
No. To be honest, I did a lot of productions, soΒ IΒ grew into the bigger festivals right away, and IΒ didn’t really get into the amateur festivals. So every festival IΒ went to was top-notch already. Of course there were some [problems], but the sound was almost always good.
Though house has been your main focus, you’ve started producing a lot of trap-influenced stuff like Killa with Skrillex. Are you open to looking at other genres too?
Yeah, I think the whole thing is , you say Jungle Terror is 4-to-the-floor, but to me, it’s just the thing I create something but I can’t really explain what it [Jungle Terror] is. It’s just the vibe, but it could be anything. When you say trap music, that’s genre you know. So i think we’re talking about two different things here. I incorporated the Jungle Terror vibe into those genres, and that’s how I make it my own. I did it with Skrillex; we did it together. I did a lot with Gregor Salto of course. I will keep exploring; lately I’ve been exploring a lot with hip hop, for example. I keep doing it, and I keep exploring; you can’t do the same thing over and over again,Β you know.
The Netherlands has had an illustrious history in electronic music, and is a hotbed for anything electronic. Also, it happens to be your native place. Are there any amazing producers from your country that the world should know about?
Oh yeah! Cesqeaux is doing a lot of good shit right now, and we have other guys like Mike Cervello, and a lot of people on the Barong Family. Yellow Claw is, like, really training an army. They’re doing some good stuff.
If given a chance, would you come back to India? Possibly for a larger-scale festival in the future?
When I get booked? Yeah!
You’ve travelled the world with your music. Which countries do you think have the potential of becoming booming electronic music markets?
Um, yeah, I love Japan. It is one of my favourite countries. But then every country has its own charm.
Lastly, what is your advice to music festival promoters in India and around the world, if any?
Make it interesting. Don’t do the same thing over and over again. Create an experience when people come there. They spend a lot of time on it. It’s like us DJs, we try to give every step we do, we give something special to the people there. But I think they’re already doing it, but they have to keep that in mind. They have to keep it interesting.