Wooli: Heavy Melodic Sounds, Inspiration, and Looking Ahead on the On Locations Sessions at Decadence 12/30/22

Wooli: Heavy Melodic Sounds, Inspiration, and Looking Ahead

In this powerful On Location Virtual Session from Decadence Festival in Phoenix, The DJ Sessions host Darran Bruce sits down with bass music heavyweight Wooli for an insightful conversation about his sound, inspirations, and outlook on the future. Known for describing his music in three words – heavy, melodic, and stompy – Wooli shares how daily life, current events, and spontaneous sparks of creativity shape his productions. Whether it’s sounds from everyday environments or cinematic inspiration from films like Avatar, he explains that a producer’s mind never really turns off.

The discussion touches on Wooli’s lifestyle balance, including his efforts to stay healthy while touring with the help of a personal trainer, and his philosophy on writer’s block. He emphasizes the importance of allowing breaks, investing time into other creative outlets, and remembering that productivity extends beyond just making tracks.

Wooli also reflects on his collaborations with visual designers to elevate live shows, his interest in the growing role of AI in music, and his thoughts on technology’s potential to shape the industry. While acknowledging AI’s capabilities, he stresses that human connection and soul are what make music irreplaceable.

Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, Wooli shares his excitement for new projects and his forward-thinking mindset. With authenticity, humor, and determination, he continues to push boundaries in bass music while keeping his eye on the long-term future of the scene.

Show Notes – 

Host: Darran Bruce
Guest: Wooli
Location: VIP Platinum Tent – Decadence Festival, Phoenix AZ
 

Overview:
Darran Bruce speaks with Wooli about his unique sound, creative inspirations, staying balanced on tour, and his forward-looking perspective on music and technology.

Topics Covered:

• Defining his sound as heavy, melodic, and stompy
• Drawing inspiration from everyday life, current events, and movies like Avatar
• Philosophy on writer’s block and importance of taking breaks
• Staying healthy with personal training while balancing touring life
• Investing time in visual design and show production for live performances
• Views on AI in music – potential and limitations
• Balancing productivity with creative exploration beyond just making tracks
• Excitement for new projects in 2023 and long-term career goals
• Passion for dachshunds and hopes to adopt one after moving into a house

Call to Action:
Follow Wooli on Instagram @woolimusic and visit woolimusic.com for tour dates and new releases.
Discover more exclusive interviews and live sessions at thedjsessions.com

[Darran]
Welcome back to another episode of the DJ Sessions presents the On Location Sessions where we feature the best DJs, producers, and industry professionals from around the world. I’m your host Darran and right now we’re still in the VIP Platinum Tent backstage for Decadence brought to you by Relentless Beats in Phoenix, Arizona and I have none other than Wooli sitting here on the couch with me tonight. Wooli, how’s it going?

I’m good, how are you? I’m doing great. I know we got a limited amount of time because you’re going to be rushing out there on stage to play for that amazing crowd that’s out there.

We’ve got to preview a few of the DJs that have played tonight but what brings you to Decadence? Are you on tour right now or is this kind of a one-off thing that you got going on? What brought you here to Decadence?

[Wooli]
I think it’s more of a one-off thing. New Year’s is always like a prime time for DJs so they kind of just do a circuit and like most big cities will have a show and luckily I got to play Arizona this year.

[Darran]
Nice and if you could describe your style of music in three words or less how would you describe it? Heavy, melodic, stompy. Stompy?

Stompy. All right, stompy and what are three things that create inspiration for you when it comes to producing tracks?

[Wooli]
Three things that inspire me would probably be just anything that’s going on during the day so other music I’m listening to that day, current events is a big thing for me and just like kind of I guess whatever just comes out of my head that day. I just kind of let like my brain take over sometimes.

[Darran]
Do you let the world around you influence you? Like you might hear a sound like a bus driving by or a fork falling on the floor and it just goes and you’re like whoa I gotta get that in the studio. Is that how you do your creative process?

[Wooli]
Yeah so I actually recently went and saw Avatar. Okay. Great movie.

Highly recommend it and I guess it’s just like one of those things that when you become a producer your producer brain doesn’t really turn off sometimes. You hear like a sound or like you hear like just like the music more you like pay attention a little bit more in movies and like you can go back and like take some inspiration and that movie is fantastic for inspiration. Do you have any pets and are they allowed in the studio?

Okay so I’ve had pets. Okay. And my girlfriend really really wants a dog right now.

We don’t have any pets but we’re in an apartment. It’s kind of up on like the fifth floor or fourth floor and I don’t feel like going downstairs and we don’t have a yard so when we get that new house and it’s got a yard first thing I’m getting is a dog. Nice.

Any particular breed? Wiener dog. Wiener dog.

[Darran]
100 percent.

[Wooli]
I’m partial to Boston Terriers myself. I’ve always had growing up wiener dogs. It’s just they’re near and dear to my heart.

[Darran]
Now speaking about being in the studio producing beats is synonymous to spending countless hours behind a computer. What do you do in your free time to stay fit?

[Wooli]
Well I’m trying to stay fit. I actually go to like I have I have a trainer. I see him at least twice a week.

He asked me to you know do some home stuff like cardio. If I’m not busy I actually do it but if I’m on the road that’s where it really gets me. It’s the food, the traveling.

It’s hard to stay up and keep in shape. Yeah.

[Darran]
If there’s something you could say to up and coming producers as a piece of advice what would that advice be? Just in general? Just in general.

Yeah I mean. Okay. Sounds like you’re trying to stay in shape.

Yeah. That might be something. Stay healthy.

[Wooli]
Yeah that’s important. I would say it’s healthy to take breaks. A writer’s block is inevitable so allow yourself to just completely check out for a second.

It’s okay to take days, weeks or even a month off if that’s what it takes. Everyone’s different. Yes.

[Darran]
I love it when a guest on the show kind of reads my mind and it leads right in the next question I’m gonna ask him. I was gonna say do you sometimes get fed up with playing and making music and what do you do to deal with that?

[Wooli]
I just kind of invest my time in other things and hopefully productive so either working out or maybe trying to like dial in like the visual aspect of my show so working closely with my VJ. Just finding things that are like stay creative even if it isn’t like the outcome isn’t making a song. There’s other ways you can still be productive where you feel like you know you’re still like making victories.

You’re still doing wins so like it won’t be like you weren’t you’re not so hard on yourself.

[Darran]
Yeah I totally can understand that. I burnt out three times in my career and finally had to set a pattern, set a schedule even just this last year things got really crazy and I’m throwing more on the plate for 2023 so staying healthy is a huge thing. Yeah.

You know a couple questions here before I let you go. Technology moves really fast in DJ producer land. If you could think of one thing that should be on the market today that hasn’t been created that should be on the market and be out there for DJs, producers.

What do you think that should what would be?

[Wooli]
I think what’s gonna be really interesting coming forward is the use of AI. We’re already seeing a lot of AI. There’s trends with the pictures.

Everyone’s AI-ing their selfies and their pictures. Now there’s like these chats and these ask a question and they’re learning and they already have AI for music but it’s only going to get more advanced as it learns and it’s a little scary to think about that you know maybe our days are numbered who knows.

[Darran]
Well you know I asked this question to a lot of DJs at ADE this year and about the AI and what does that mean. A lot of them came back and said the thing you won’t get with AI is soul. Yeah.

That’s the one thing you I don’t think you’re gonna be able to duplicate. Until they have a soul and then they take over the world. You know I’m gonna be an avatar in virtual reality land and just gonna program all my questions and be interviewing you in virtual reality or in AI.

It’s gonna be an interesting time. I’m all big about VR. We’re launching two VR nightclubs.

We’re big on augmented reality and yeah watching what happens because we’re launching a label next year as well.

[Wooli]
We should we should put this interview and like a time capsule right underneath this in 20 years if the robots haven’t already killed us. We’ll go take a look and see how close we were.

[Darran]
I think we’ve surpassed the year that Terminator was supposed to happen so far. Elon’s got some crazy things up his sleeve.

[Wooli]
He does.

[Darran]
Well hey you know I know we gotta get you up there. Gotta get you out on stage. Get you back to the event.

Is there anything else you want to let our DJ Sessions fans know about before we let you go?

[Wooli]
I’m just stoked to be here and I have a lot planned in 2023. Everyone’s kind of like reflecting on 2022. Looking forward to 2023.

I mean hell I’m even looking into 2024. It takes that there’s you have to kind of keep on looking forward and look more forward.

[Darran]
One of one of the biggest things in 2021-2022 was the mantra saying now we’re looking five to ten years out with the DJ Sessions. Yeah. And thinking that far out especially when it comes to virtual reality, augmented reality, AI, and tour.

Lots of stuff happening. So where can people find out more information about you?

[Wooli]
You can still find out all my stuff at williemusic.com. Okay. And it’s really easy.

Williemusic is my Twitter, my Instagram, my Facebook, my website. I got it all. Awesome.

And that’s W-O-O-L-I.

[Darran]
Yeah. Awesome. Well Willie, thank you very much or aka Adam for coming on the DJ Sessions.

Go have some fun out there and we’ll see you soon.

[Wooli]
Well thank you. You’re welcome.

[Darran]
Absolutely. On that note, don’t forget to go to our website thedjsessions.com. Find us on Metta, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch.

We’re out there thedjsessions.com. Check out our 600 news stories a month, exclusive interviews, exclusive mixes, even our downloader app and check out our virtual reality nightclubs. You’ll find all that and more at thedjsessions.com.

This is Willie. I’m Darran coming to you for the on location sessions at Decadence brought to you by Relentless Beats in Phoenix, Arizona. And remember on the DJ sessions, the music never stops.