WLAD is a Parisian DJ/Producer who also runs the esteemed minimal label hedZup Records. We caught up with him recently to talk about what has been a busy year for him in the studio with his debut LP “Call Lab” having come out in March, and numerous other releases coming out on the likes of Moan Recordings and Deeperfect…
WWD: Hey WLAD, how are you, how has the last year been for you?
Hi and thank you for having me.
Listen, it’s going pretty well. I’m coming back from vacation with my family and I was able to recharge my batteries and feel refreshed to tackle new studio sessions with my head full of ideas.
WWD: Are you back to playing gigs now? How does it feel?
Yes, finally. After a long month of waiting anyway. I was finally able to have my first dates and participate in this summer of love. We have my partner from the label Mancini and I was finally able to start the label showcases again and in particular to open this new series in the south of France near the famous city of Saint Tropez with Djoko as a HEDZUP guest. The atmosphere and the energy was just magical.
WWD: What is the art of minimalism for you?
Ah very good question. I would say minimalism is the art of subtlety, getting a lot done with the least amount of elements. Everything must intertwine, without overlapping and create an atmosphere, a story.
WWD: Why did you first get drawn to the sound, what did you like about it?
So in fact, I come from a totally different background. When I was a teenager I was part of a Breakdance group in Paris, we did dance battles all over France and even abroad. At one point I hurt myself harder than the other times and had to stay home for several weeks. As I was bored to death, I watched hip hop dj videos on the net. As I had just had some money for my birthday, I left my room and while I was not allowed, I was at the first music store in the metro and I went and bought my first turntable vinyl, a small mixer and I came home and started learning to scratch with my parents’ vinyls. And that’s when I literally fell in love with music.
WWD: How has your style and sound evolved over the years, do you approach music in a different way now with all the skills and experience you have?
When I started going out to clubs, first in hip hop where I danced with my crew, then in a so-called “French Touch” evening where we were invited to do dance exhibitions. It was then that I discovered electronic music, in the days of Daft punk, Laurent Garnier, Bob Sinclar and many others. The “French touch” for people of my generation has been incredible. It opened my mind to music in general. Being able to combine styles (Soul, Funk, Afro ..) in the same style of music, it was just magical and done for me. So I started going to international festivals and got into music production.
WWD: And what are some of the key tools in your toolbox, do you have fave bits of hardware or software?
Before buying my first DAW, I went to the studio to see friends who used Pro tools, Soundforge, Cubase and when I saw that I was like “OMG” but it’s super complicated. I almost gave up and then got a dj buddy who showed me Ableton live and felt like this was the software for me. I then bought some hardware machines but I was putting too much time into my workflow, then I sold everything and bought the plugins instead etc the “Bingo” I was able to make tracks much faster. The arturia suite, all of the Rob Papens, Max for live, and the internal elements of live. I recommend the “Ableton push” to produce it is next level, especially for those who have no notion in music theory, you can light the pads according to the key of your track and play in real time, it is “next level”.
WWD: You have an upcoming remix for Sidney Charles about to drop, how did that come about?
Yes, Sidney and I talk a lot and have even collaborated on a track this year. In fact it’s been a while since it was due out on my label HEDZUP but with his busy schedule it took a long time. I’m really happy that we can finally release his EP in September.
As I have never released a remix on my own label in 6 years, I naturally decided to remix it. The official release is September 2nd.
WWD: Are you making tunes to play in your own sets, with certain clubs and situations in mind?
Absolutely, all the songs I do are always thought of in the context in which I want them to be played. Sometimes I find my way around a small intimate club, sometimes more like a festival, a hangar. But I think my music is still very club with a lot of “90” tones. My favourite Bpm is around 128 – 130.
WWD: You also put out your debut album this year “Call Lab” – how different are they than 12″s? What was the plan for that one, why was now the right time?
Yes, it’s been a long time since I wanted to make an album, a longer project. The lockdown last year allowed us all to refocus and open up to a new project. I had time, a lot of time and I wanted to put it to good use and I made the decision to create synergy by including artists that I love in this project. This album came out 2nd in sales in its category and was played on dance floors all over the world, so I’m very happy with the result.
WWD: What’s next, what else you working on?
So as I said above, I have my remix for Sidney Charles which comes out on my label HEDZUP in September, then I have 2 Eps to come on very big labels before the end of the year but I can’t say more for now. I have started a new project for next year but this time even bigger than the “Call Lab”, stay tuned!
WLAD’s remix of Sidney Charles’s “Singularity” comes out on hedZup Records on 2nd September
https://www.facebook.com/wladdj