Northampton EDM producer VVILLØ goes beyond DJ sets to release his own sounds; the latest ‘Rewind’ his best yet. New Boots gets out the house to talk, er, house with him.
New Boots: How did you get into making music?
VVILLØ: When I was in Southampton, I discovered my passion for electronic music. An old friend of mine was into the same music as me so we decided that we wanted to learn how to produce. I really loved learning all of the background techniques to making a nice layered sound and it quickly became a new found love for me.
How would you describe your sound? Who are your main influences?
I try to play around with many different styles of House and create a hybrid sound with all of them. I range from Deep, Melodic, Future and Progressive House and try to combine them all into one. My main influences would have to be Gryffin, Camelphat, DubVision and Alok.
Four singles in 2019-20. What has the reaction been like?
The reaction to each of my tracks has been bigger and better than I could have imagined. When I released music in the past under a different alias I never really had as much support as I would have liked. From starting up again with a new project that felt a lot closer to my personality, I knew that I needed to do a lot more work to get VVILLØ out there and show the public what I’m able to do. With my tracks achieving the traction they have it has given me such a drive to continue progressing, to improve with every release – and to do my best to reach an even wider audience.
Tell us everything about this new one, ‘Rewind’.
‘Rewind’ came about after listening to a number of different tracks that I wanted to add to a DJ set I was working on at the end of 2020. I have always loved the festival style of house music because it’s so infectious. You can’t help but move to the sound whether you’re just in your bedroom or out at a party. With my previous releases they’re a bit more on the easy listening side, whereas with ‘Rewind’ I wanted to try and go down a route where it would be common to hear the track being played at a club or festival. Adding a catchy chord sequence and a smooth layered bass underneath would really keep people moving. Also, a mixture of Future House and Progressive House blended into one track to please the ears of any EDM fan.
Are live appearances something you want to do in the future?
I would absolutely love to be able to do some live shows in the future. I want to show that I’m an engaging DJ along while also being able to produce tracks that people love. I haven’t performed a live DJ set in front of people for a number of years now, so being able to perform as VVILLØ to a crowd would be such an amazing experience.
Are you part of a wider scene locally?
I haven’t been able to find many people locally that do the same kind of thing as I do. The only person locally who I’ve been lucky enough to work with is my good friend, Morgan, who is an incredible vocalist who also sang on my tracks ‘Come Alive’ & ‘Greatest Mistake’. However I’m also currently talking to another vocalist who will feature on my next release. Unfortunately I don’t have a release date for that track yet as studio time has been a struggle to organise due the lockdown.
How have you coped with lockdowns/the pandemic? Has it helped or hindered your creative mind and pursuits?
It’s quite 50/50 really. It’s given me so much more time to do research and to experiment with a range of different styles that I might work with in the future. However I feel that not being able to escape the confines of my home has taken a toll on mental health. Many people are starting to suffer due to how long it has been since we’ve seen normality so I almost feel like I’m trying to make excuses to step away from the studio at times, just so I’m not always stuck in tunnel vision on producing. I’m still trying to remain optimistic about the situation we’re stuck in. Once we’re back to our normal lives again it will really help to try and relax a bit more with balancing my job, my music, and my social life.
What was the last album you bought/streamed?
Armin Van Buuren’s Balance that was released back in 2019. The variation of styles he uses in that album is incredible and I can’t fault a single track on the entire album.
What is your burning desire to do in the future? What plans do you have?
My main plan is to continue producing music and expand my knowledge more and more with each release. I’m looking forward to showing what I can do with a track and what I can provide when it comes to putting a DJ set together. As many other DJs may have said in the past, an enormous goal would be making it to the Tomorrowland MainStage. That’s been a real dream of mine over the years.
‘Rewind’ by VVILLØ is out now via the usual digital platforms
