If you have been paying any attention to the EDM scene over the las few years, I have no doubt you have most likely heard of Wiwek. From massive hits to main stages at the days top festivals, Wiwek is more that a world-class DJ/Producer, he is also a pioneer and shining light in a world of cookie cutter replicas. Recognized early on for his abilities by none other than Skrillex, a welcomed twitter DM lead to the release of his first EP, “The Free and Rebellious”, on OWSLA in 2016. Credited as the founder of Jungle Terror and often admired for being on the frontline of pushing EDM’s possibilities, Wiwek has rightfully gained the respect from the community at large. “The first thing I want people to know about me is that I’m always doing my own shit.”
Born in IJsselstein, a little town in the countryside of The Netherlands to parents of East Indian descent, Wiwek grew up listening to Indian Folk music at home whilst being surrounded by Western Pop. This mix of cultures, eventually merged with inspiration from hearing Tiesto spin on Dutch Radio, leading to the beginning of Wiwek‘s career. Coming out of the gate, Wiwek found a sound of his own, mixing EDM with Indian-inspired rhythms, creating a worldly, hard-hitting vibe never before brought to the scene (at least at this caliber). Wiwek’s tunes quickly caught on, leading to 3 years of heavy touring.
While the experience may have been priceless, as it often happens, Wiwek found himself uninspired and drained of creativity. A short hiatus from production may have been just what he needed. He says, “After a month of not opening my music program I slowly started to get back into producing in early 2018. I traveled for pleasure, started to read again, started to meet new people, started to find new energy in life and found my creative sweet spot again.”
Throughout the year, Wiwek has put out a number of releases, most recently dropping, “Chemistry”. A far cry from some of his earlier, heavy, banging, festival bombs, the new tune sees Wiwek bringing a delicate and sensual vibe. A hypnotizing lead melds with subtle, deep basses, oscillating pads and Indian inspired percussion and melodies beneath a beautiful, airy vocal laid down by Rachel West.
While the track, initially created along with fellow musicians Geronimo and Jeremia Jones, was meant to be released as an instrumental, they felt like something was missing. Putting the release on hold, and giving it a little time to breathe, the search for the perfect vocalist began. About the process Wiwek says, “After 6 months I started to get the feeling that this track could really use a good vocal and we tried some stuff. Even though the first sessions with songwriters did not pan out it still gave us enough inspiration to continue the search for the right vocalist. Going down the wrong road enough times lead to the right one because when I went to LA for shows in June I met Rachel West. We played her the track and she immediately started to write. When she put down the vocals we stopped our search. We found the one. It was a one taker. We felt the Chemistry ourselves and that also ended up being the name of the song.”
While Wiwek’s day ones may not love the new softer side of him, this just seems to be just another step into his development and I am 100% on board. Luckily it seems there is an album in the works, and that something we can all be hyped about. He says, “March 2018 I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night with the idea of my debut album. It should be called Cycles. Everything in the universe is a cycle and so is our life. Nothing lasts and everything destructs and rebuilds. I was always known for making hard hitting club music, but what most people didn’t know was that I had a melodic sweet side as well.”
Hang tight. More beautiful jams on the way.
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