Wyllys (Wade Wilby) is an experienced spinner who continues to revolutionize his ever-growing niche with genre-bending nu-disco shows. One of the most obvious means to which Wyllys is set apart from his peers is a contagious and intense energy that is simply unrivaled by his DJ brethren. Having blown up in the music scene year in recent years, he has become a welcome mainstay at a plethora of festivals including Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam and Catskill Chill. He has annually closed down the Summer Camp Festival for more than half a decade and his 2012 performance included a spontaneous eight hour outlay of enthusiastic stamina and passion for a packed house. This year he is focused on breaking new ground by closing with a nine hour set!
Wyllys (http://www.originalwyllys.com/) started performing around age 15 when a friend gifted him a turntable. For years, he honed his skills trying to play drum and bass on inherently challenging belt drives. A former manager of the Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, Wilby completed a successful reign as co-designer and lighting tech for Umphrey’s McGee. One would be remiss if they didn’t take an opportunity to see the enigmatic DJ do what he does best with one of his ensemble projects or as a solo artist. I sat down with the young affable musician to discuss his blossoming career.
CD: What does it mean for you to play at BK Bowl?
Wyllys: I was invited by Krasno to play at Bowlive 2 years ago which was an honor to begin with. I put my all into those 4 sets and they had me come back the next night. After those 2 sets I was asked to play at BK Bowl at least once a month as sort of a residency and it was amazing. I love the staff there and it is my favorite DJ booth in the whole country.
CD: What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Wyllys: I would have to say playing 2 sets at Bonnaroo in 2012. I attended the first Bonnaroo as a patron, ended up working there with Addison Groove Project, Ween, and Umphrey’s Mcgee a few times for a total of 5 Bonnaroo’s. When I was invited to play 2 sets at the silent disco I felt like I had finally arrived. It’s like the Super Bowl of festivals and certainly a bucket list item for most performers. Mike Greenhaus even printed an interview with me in the daily newsletter they handed out at the festival. My daytime set was so rowdy, the whole room formed a conga line which was just crazy. To be at Bonnaroo is amazing from any angle, but as a performer it is the greatest.
CD: What lessons did you learn from UM that has helped shape your career?
Wyllys: Discipline. Those guys are so talented, but never rest on their laurels. Every day we set up the practice gear and those guys would take turns throughout the day shredding on their respective axes then at some point they would all meet in there to rehearse songs for that night and come up with ideas. When I am off the road and feel myself starting to get lazy in either woodshedding or song writing and I think to myself “Umphrey’s would be practicing and so will you”. They are truly exceptional men and their drive will always be an inspiration to me.
CD: Who would you love to collaborate with?
Wyllys: That list could be quite immense as I have a ton of ideas for lots of genres of music. For people that I could actually get in touch with I would say Drop Out Orchestra or Tiger and Woods in the nu disco category. Both sets of producers are masters of re-edit and their production chops are disgusting. I’m fairly confident we could arrange some tunes for a band that would be quite unique. I would also love to work with some post-rock bands like This Will Destroy You and The Album Leaf. I have a deep love for ambient music and post-rock and would love to marry the two with either of those bands. Finally for the complete dream collab would undoubtedly be Brian Eno. To me there is no greater mind in the music industry on so many levels.
CD: When did you know this was what you wanted to do?
Wyllys: I loved DJing from the onset at age 16. It was a way for me to create without having any formal training on any instruments. I could create these sonic tapestries and stories through a mix of record selection, mixing skills, effects and even some MCing. I always practiced a ton and then felt confident enough to start playing shows in 2007, but I never envisioned doing it full time ‘til I played a show with UM at Crash Mansion in Los Angeles in 2008. The promoter asked how old I was and I said 28. He said “Well, you aren’t getting any younger. You are good enough to make a go at this and you should probably get to it.” That was all I needed. Right then and there I decided that someday this would be a full time thing.
CD: What sets you apart from your contemporaries?
Wyllys: Well, first of all I am one of the last dinosaurs still playing vinyl on tour. I have started making the switch to digital to lighten the load a bit and to be able to play my tunes once they get mastered. Secondly the advent of live musicians really set me apart from the pack. The NY Hustler Ensemble was very unique in that I was conducting the band from the turntables and I would leave spots open in the set for improvisation which really no one was doing at the time. Now it’s great to see guys like Pretty Lights and Emancipator going out with real musicians playing their original tunes. Musicians make the impact of the music so much more real and emotional. I was so fortunate to have built a network of incredible musicians around me from my years of touring and they really gave this polished intensity to all of our sets.
CD: What ideas did you have for your stage name?
Wyllys: Wyllys was a nickname given to me by the band I toured with in high school called “Rane“. I would always be saying some crazy shit in the van to which they would reply “What you talkin’ bout Wyllys?” So that ended up sticking. DJ lore indicates that if you name yourself you are destined to be a failure. Your name must happen organically or be your own name, lest your entire character smack of pretension. Being a DJ has to be fairly ego-less as your main function is to keep a party moving. Guys who pre plan their sets pushing their own agenda have really lost touch with what a DJ truly is. You can still be artistic and keep the room happy, which is ultimately the key to DJing.
CD: You are known for your style behind the microphone. What is it like working back there?
Wyllys: I have always had a deep love for hip hop. Growing up in the 90’s there was such a renaissance of hip hop happening in all aspects of the genre from the jazzy A Tribe Called Quest stuff to the titans like Biggie and Pac. I have also been a lyricist since age 16 when I was writing songs for my high school band and really haven’t stopped writing songs since then. You are only as strong as your bag of tricks so I felt that if I didn’t MC, I was wasting this talent that I spent so many years honing in on. I write most of my raps and when I am really feeling it I will freestyle, but that is rare. I am working on a few hip hop songs right now that I can spit over my nu disco tracks. People really dig a good flow if it lays in the measure just right no matter what the genre of music is.
CD: How do you prepare for a show?
Wyllys: That all starts in the lab, my turntable set up at home. Like I said, I don’t pre plan shows unless I am performing with a full band in which case I would put a loose set together so the band can figure out all the keys that the records are in, but even then we still go off the beaten path once we read the room. At the lab I practice mixes and scratching and formulate some ideas based around the new records I have purchased in combination with the deep arsenal I already have at my disposal. Once I get on the road and after I am sound-checked I try to get a meal out of the way if I can even eat (nerves) so that I am all digested by show time. No one likes playing on a full stomach. In the greenroom I tend to listen to ambient music to calm my nerves. As it gets closer to showtime I always listen to “Down With Disease” to get me pumped up. Phish has always been such a huge inspiration to me and that song came along when they were making the transition from theater to arena band and the energy of that song is pure arena rock. Some of my go to versions are 7.13.94, 8.17.97, 9.29.99, and of course “The Disease Supreme” from 6.3.11
CD: You recently took a long hiatus. What did you learn?
Wyllys: Well touring since I was 16 years old just finally caught up with me from both a physical and mental level. 2010 to 2013 ended up being a time of reckless drug abuse for me. I hurt a lot of people and did a lot of damage to my body and soul. I left my house on 12.29.12 and the tour culminated at The Fillmore on 12.7.13. I was in such a horrible mind-state and completely exhausted. One day after the Super Bowl I was standing in my friend’s driveway in Michigan during a snowstorm and this feeling of utter hopelessness was all I had. My best friend called me as I was standing there and asked me if when I landed in CT after the tour was over, would I be ready to go to rehab and I said absolutely yes. I had had enough and it was time to do some deep spiritual cleaning. It ended up being one of the absolute best things I have ever done in my life. I learned so much about myself and my disease and got back in touch with all the reasons why I started music in the first place.
CD: Have you ever incorporated Phish into your show?
Wyllys: Yeah, it’s no secret that I love Phish. From a very young age that taught me that as long as you work hard and keep the right people around you, you can accomplish anything. As far as incorporating them I have “Farmhouse” and “Story of the Ghost” on vinyl and have worked some tunes off of each of them in sets. “Ghost” is a great tempo and groove that can be appreciated by people who just want to dance. I have always wanted to edit out some of the more groove and ambient oriented jams to work into a set. I also have an idea to play a two set show of Phish tunes like they would perform it. Starting with one of their songs then creating a “jam” through mixing of their improvisational pieces and various records I have. This project would need SBD quality FLAC files that I would need to beg Shapiro for, so this project is on the back burner but would love to do it someday.
CD: What can we look forward to from Wyllys in 2014?
Wyllys: 2014 will be a year of studio growth for me. I am only doing select dates that make sense instead of the crazy grinding I was doing since 2010. I bought a Technics 88 key weighted stage piano and have been writing demos for a full band as well as putting in a lot of hours on abelton on beats. The plan is to have a few originals done by the fall that would be more nu disco oriented but the real goal is to have an EP for The Will To Live, my new band, done by the beginning of 2015. The Will To Live is going to be more indie rock based that will have electronic tendencies and improvisation. I like to call it “feedback-tinged break up house”. The NY Hustler Ensemble is no more and I can’t thank Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman enough for all of their hard work and patience in educating me on how to work with live musicians. I’m taking that knowledge and moving forward with The Will To Live and I believe the music that I’m making for that band is entirely unique.
CD: When someone mentions Wyllys what do you hope they say?
Wyllys: Really all I ever wanted to do was make people happy through the talents I have been given. If people throw on my mixes and tunes I just want a smile. That’s all.
– CHADBYRNE R. DICKENS
***Wyllys will be playing 2 sets at Brooklyn Bowl this Friday, April 4th with The Motet.***