I was recently contacted by a journalist claiming to be from Rolling Stone magazine. He said he wanted to do a feature on me and we went through the motions. I did pay him a relatively small amount of money to do this and he wanted more. He did write up an article and was offering to take me onto an agency for further capital expense. Out of curiosity I checked with Rolling Stone and after a bit of confusion at first they confirmed 100% that it was a fake journalist. He is using an official X account in the name of a well-respected Rolling Stone journalist – so beware, people, of scammers. Anyway, I answered his questions authentically and I include them in this blog piece as I’m sure it might appeal to some of my fans even if it will, of course, not get any publication in Rolling Stone. A big break, alas, I’ve been chasing windmills…
Professional Artist/Music Producer Feature Interview Questions
1. Please introduce yourself and tell us how your journey in music began.
Hi – I’m Wez G, from Caldicot in South Wales, U.K. I started on the decks at the age of about 11 or 12 when my older cousin, Brendan, introduced me to them on a holiday to Australia. I started performing as a professional DJ shortly after my 17th birthday in 1995 at my own local events. I moved to London when I was 18 and had a few nice breaks in the wider dance music industry.
2. What inspired you to pursue a career as an artist/music producer?
It was listening to an old DJ Sasha tape from the local big Universe rave in Magor. He scratches in Denise Lopez – Don’t You Want To Be Mine over Melissa Morgan – Still in Love, the opening two tracks of that set and on hearing this my mind was made up that I wanted to be a DJ.
3. How would you describe your sound and artistic identity?
Now, as a producer I have moved slightly away from my underground roots and am, perhaps, more mainstream. In recent years I have been paying attention to Taylor Swift et al, the American girlie pop revolution. This has affected my sound. As an artist I am versatile and have broad tastes, a jack of all trades if you like. I am proud of my underground heritage and I built up a good reputation performing in some of the best nightclubs with a big crowd that used to follow me, and also at my own promoted events such as the Set Sail with Shuffle boat parties.
4. Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your work?
The Doors are my favorite band. I like a lot of the DJs I had the pleasure of working with like Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold, Jim ‘Shaft’ Ryan and Norman Jay. These have influenced my sound. And more recently Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and of course, Taylor Swift. In the chillout genre I listen regularly to Chris Coco’s Melodica and José Padilla from the Café del Mar was a big influence as are local trip hop bands such as Massive Attack and Portishead. In Ibiza in 1995 I met and had a long, friendly chat with Frankie Knuckles at Privilege nightclub As the Godfather of House he relished telling me tales of The Warehouse in Chicago.
5. What message or purpose do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I like listeners to be moved enough by my music for it to transform the way they think. Hopefully it can broaden their horizons and maybe introduce them to sounds that I know certainly give me pleasure. I like to deliver happy vibes and just to put a smile on a listener’s face and to brighten their day a little is enough for me.
6. Can you walk us through your songwriting or production process?
I normally start by creating a nice beat. Be it starting from scratch or finding a good sample on Splice or Loopcloud. Then I move onto bassline usually, although sometimes it is best to start writing a catchy melody and then fitting in a bassline afterwards. I use session view in Ableton to jam away and create some nice loops then start laying them down in the arrangement tab. Once I get a feel for a track I might decide on the mood what type of vocals to write and then maybe spit a few bars on the mike. Layer up some FX and polish everything off. I tend to mix as I progress through the track leaving a minimal mixdown at the end. Final stage is my own master or premaster ahead of sending the song over to the Mastering engineer.
7. What does a typical day in your creative life look like?
Up the earlier the better, hopefully to catch the start of BBC Breakfast at 6AM. I boil the kettle for my morning coffee hit and then it’s straight down to business on the computer, checking emails and social media, analyzing stats and sorting out my scheduled ChatGPT tasks which run first thing. I spend a lot of time preparing my work and usually have one big task a day to complete, be it making a music video or designing album artwork, or maybe just tweaking my website. I do everything in house. If I manage to find some studio time then it’s locked into that. I stop for breaks, maybe take in a Chatham House lecture or watch a Liverpool FC football match. If I’m really lucky I’ll make it down to Aroma café, just down the road in Caldicot town center where I can watch the world go by sipping espressos. I try to make time to read books and journals and also to watch the news. I am currently also doing an International Relations degree at the Open University so that occupies some time and is a priority but on the whole it is music, music, music driving the agenda. I also engage in politics and am an active member of the Labour Party in our local Severnside branch. I go out campaigning when I have the time.
8. How has your music evolved since you first started creating?
I grew up with a strong love for progressive house and this has always been the backbone of my musical tastes as a DJ but I found, when performing in nightclubs, that my music needed to be more accessible and a key feature of a Wez G set is signature female vocals, designed to get the ladies on the dancefloor moving which in turn drives the blokes into a frenzy.
Regarding music production, It was only last year really where I had my studio breakthrough moment with Wez G – Holiday when I started actually making songs and not just tracks. My friend, Flapsandwich drilled it into me that I needed to make room in my productions for breakdowns and I reset the way I was working in the studio, caught a nice riff and suddenly I made a tune that I could be proud of and could actually spin in one of my own DJ sets.
9. What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?
When I was 19, at the peak of my early fame as a DJ, I fell foul of some dodgy goings on in the Cross Nightclub, London. I ended up being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and detained for a couple of months at the local mental hospital here in Wales. It was the start of a horror story and my war with the mental health system that persists to this day. At that time I had a full timetable of event bookings and I had to miss many of them. The repeat mental health hospitalizations over the years have had a serious detrimental effect on my career. Life is a fine balance and good mental health is as essential as physical health but I dispute my diagnosis and in these closed door systems it is far too easy to become a victim.
10. What has been the most rewarding moment of your musical journey so far?
I think it came when I managed to teach DJing to the local deaf children youth club. The reaction blew me away. The kids were putting their hands out and feeling the vibrations from some (very loud) speakers and in fact, they actually managed to DJ better than their hearing peers. I’d never expected to be able to teach deaf people music and it just shows and proved to me the universality of music. A real career high.
11. Which project or release are you most proud of, and why?
I like Winter Song as I made it with Nicola Edwards, my partner of 24 years. Things just sort of happened and fell into place in the studio that day and I feel the song is nice and neat plus we did a captivating ai music video with it. I enjoy watching that a lot and it is something that I can share with my partner. Nicola is very much an amateur singer yet she is slowly embracing the studio work and improving all the time. We are hoping that Winter Song will catch on this year and I shall be giving it a promotional push in the build up towards Christmas.
12. How do you approach collaboration with other artists, producers, or songwriters?
I enjoy working with others, it gives a refreshing amount of energy when you get the chemistry right. Be it musicians proper such as guitarists or just casual people hanging around in my studio who I coax into recording vocals. I do love sharing music and by collaborating it is a perfect way to share your music and to develop new skills. I am open-minded to collaborations.
13. What role does authenticity play in your music?
I feel that it is important to be genuine. I like to think of myself as unique and original as an artist, to be a mover and shaker and to be out there on the cutting cusp, testing the boundaries of your genre. I am a leader and not a follower, a shepherd and not a sheep. I like to deliver part of my character in everything I do, in that sense I am authentic.
14. How do you stay motivated during periods of creative block or setbacks?
I try and use any slow periods to discover new music and influences and to maybe change direction in my musical ways. I am always listening out for inspiring songs and different or new genres. As a DJ you learn the necessity of music discovery.
15. What lessons has the music industry taught you over the years?
Enjoy the highs and do not despair during the lows as music is always your friend and will bring you through to the other side. The music industry is a very wide space and there is a lot of leeway and opportunity for you, however you choose to shape your career. It takes different directions and often it is best to just go with the flow, but ambition and focus are important and by heck, it is hard graft!
16. How do you balance artistic creativity with the business side of music?
As a music producer you have more freedom in the business sense than if you are, say, a club promoter where the figures are the fine line and a lot more money is at risk even if you can profit well and earn a good living. It is still gambling though, running events as a bad event is only always just around the corner, no matter how much success you think you might have. The costs are high as a music producer, and the bills keep rising, especially when it comes to marketing your material. I think that I am a good businessman, and I also like to think that I am a freedom-loving, creative artist with plenty to say to people out there.
17. What is your opinion on the current state of the music industry?
I feel that since the turn of the century, the music industry has been very lacking with few artists truly emerging to do creative lifechanging musical works. In the 1990s we had acid house and the rise of Britpop. From that point onwards I feel that it has been in decline. The X Factor generation, false gods. The internet has changed the way we consume our music and is it a good thing? Ultimately I think it will be but I know that many artists at around my level do not benefit from high salaries. Listeners like their music for free and I feel do not give enough back to the creators plus the digital platforms do not distribute wealth effectively. It is a lot harder to consider a career as a professional musician, in this day and age, plus with social media it is so highly competitive. Maybe AI will open the doors somewhat and make music-making more accessible. It is a disruptive tech and it looks as though it is here to stay. Quality will always shine through though.
18. How has technology influenced your work as an artist/producer?
Years ago it seemed way easier with two Technics 1210s and a mixer. Nowadays, the kit tends to focus around a computer screen or mobile phone and the sort of tech you have to learn and keep up to date with is phenomenal. I’ve witnessed changing times from going from a pre-internet age, through the birth of the internet, social media and now AI. I have always loved technology and am not afraid of it and apply it where possible to my work as a musician. New technologies should be embraced but never forget where you are coming from and your history.
19. What is the biggest misconception people have about being a musician or producer?
That you are rich…. Success is one thing but wealth is another and only the very top tier of musicians these days are genuinely wealthy. Most musicians I know are at starvation point, not that this detracts from them being very talented, entertaining artists.
20. How do you measure success in your career?
I like to think of success in being good feedback from listeners. The odd comment or a pat on the back from a fellow artist always helps. I think that good music is a transformational experience and if I can change the lives of my listeners for the better then that is success.
21. What impact has your cultural background or personal experiences had on your music?
I grew up on the club scene and a lot of my most favorite moments were found on the podiums of dancefloors hammering out moves to top DJs performing the music of my youth. The four-to-the-floor clubbing mentality transfuses into my output as a musician.
22. How do you connect and engage with your audience or fanbase?
A lot nowadays is through digital means on social media etc. It is a great way of expanding out to a truly global audience and to interact with your fanbase all over the place although you can never forget your actual real life fans, especially in your local area. These are the ones that stand by you through thick or thin and are always there for you, your bread and butter as an artist.
23. What has been your most memorable performance or studio experience?
I think the highlight of my career to date was doing a four hour warm up set for Paul Oakenfold at Chuff Chuff back in 1997. He is a top, top professional and Chuff Chuff were exclusive music industry events. I performed in the main room to a packed audience. DJ John Kelly was supposed to be coming on the decks between me and Oakenfold but he turned up, saw that the crowd were in my hands…. It was a Sunday and he was feeling tired so he just said carry on so Iperformed for a full four hours. It was magnificent, a real highlight to be playing alongside a true DJ hero and legend.
24. Are there any artists or producers you would love to work with in the future?
I’m up for working with any decent musicians really, in particular vocalists. As my sound becomes more defined and my audience grows it could pave the way to working with some more established artists which I’d be up for too.
25. What advice would you give to emerging artists and producers entering the industry today?
Get tech-savvy. Learn how to use a computer as effectively as possible and get out there on the web and social media. You have to be totally dedicated from the start and set yourself above the competition from day 1. Let the music come naturally but always be passionate and believe in what you are doing.
26. What skills do you believe are essential for longevity in the music business?
Thick skin, being versatile, being ready to accept breaks, being fearless, loving your work and enjoying the audience.
27. What upcoming projects, releases, or collaborations can fans look forward to?
I’m working on a Chinese language C-Pop episode of my Wez G World Music series. I have a couple of chillout tracks due for release plus I recorded an album about my hometown: Sleepy Village Sounds of Caldicot. There is a mental health song ‘Not Your Diagnosis’ and a hammering techno track called ‘Work’ due out also.
28. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next five years?
Total global domination lol. Maybe trying out more live stuff once I have more confidence with my vocals. Expanding a decent repertoire of quality music to be proud of and to stand the test of time.
29. Beyond music, are there any causes, passions, or ventures that are important to you?
I work as a campaigner for the Labour Party and am also active in International politics through my membership of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. I also study International Relations at the Open University. I am a diehard supporter of Liverpool FC
30. Finally, what would you like readers to know about you that they may not already know?
I speak over 12 languages (although not all fluently) and you can check my skills as a cunning linguist in the Wez G World Music podcast series, available on my official website, wezg.co.uk
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