Exclusive interview with Wittyboy

Beyond Noise Sat Down Exclusively With Wittyboy

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Just who is Wittyboy and how long have you been involved in music? I’m an electronic music DJ/Producer originally from Leeds but now based in London. I’ve been making and releasing music for the best part of 10 years now and was heavily involved with the early days of the Bassline music genre. I would say my sound is influenced from all aspects of underground music I heard while growing up on a council estate, such as UK garage, Grime, Dancehall, Jungle etc.

How did you get into music to begin with? I had a mate in secondary school who’s brother was a DJ. I would stay at his house and we would hijack his brother’s turntables when he went out. It only took me a few goes to fall in love with it, and from that moment I knew that I had to have my own decks! I eventually got some cheap belt-drive turntables and began to practice, while also making beats on Fruity Loops. UK Garage was transitioning into Grime at that point and I started to MC over my own sets. This led onto me having my songs featured on BBC and receiving plays from the likes of Mary Anne Hobbs.

You released a number of singles over the years. What sound were you bringing back in the day? My early catalogue of music can only really be described as Bassline or 4×4 music. Being from Leeds this was a sound that was beginning to surface evolving from the Speed Garage sound which clubs such as Niche were championing.

How did the relationship with Bingo Bass come about? I started sending music to Zinc with the hopes that he might play them in his sets, He responded with positive feedback and asked if I would be interested in releasing through Bingo. The Bingo label played a huge part in my inspiration when I was coming up and I had pretty much every Bingo release on vinyl, so to be releasing on that same label to me was a big deal.

How has it been communicating with DJ Zinc? Has he played you any unheard hidden gems of music?! Zinc has been great, he has always been really responsive and honest which is important as a musician. He also offered advice and guidance on how to get the best sound out of the EP, which I really appreciated. He has also been kind enough to send me unreleased new music before release date, which is amazing!

The sound you’re coming with on “Working With” and “Burning” is dope. Can you describe your sound for those who may not know how to? I would describe my sound as melodic, energetic and raw. I don’t like to pigeonhole my music or limit myself to a defining genre. It might sound like Garage, House, Grime etc, but it will always have an element of me in it, which I believe people will recognise as being a Wittyboy beat.

What was the thought process behind creating “Burning”? There’s so much going on in the beat, but it all sounds under control and in proportion and makes for a sick listen. I have always been a fan of chords and chord progressions. Most of my music is very melodic and tries to tell a story. I felt like there was a lack of good vocal “feel good” songs out there at the moment so I tried to incorporate that vibe while still packing a punch with the heavy bass and synths

“Working With” has an old school feel to it but with elements that will have the shufflers shuffling lol. How did this one come about? I always seem to make the best music when there is emotion involved. Working with was basically me saying literally “Im going to show everyone what I’m working with this year” as cheesy as that may sound. I was playing with the bass patterns and accidentally made it a half step. I knew straight away it sounded different and reminded me of early dubstep in some respects.

What’s the next step for you? Events and some more music we hope? I guess for me the ultimate goal would be to release an album at some point. I want to continue making and releasing great music and collaborate with other artists who I admire. I will be continuing to do my regular DJ bookings across the country and Europe and hopefully play some festivals I haven’t played before. Wittyboy – Working With / Burning is out now on Bingo Bass https://www.beatport.com/release/working-with-burning/2257582