Progressive breaks/house/trance duo Way Out West (Jody Wisternoff and Nick Warren) took over Marquee in NYC this past Friday. By midnight, the dance floor was brimming with men and women of all ages dressed to the nines, but there was definitely a chill, relaxed vibe in the air. This may have something to do with the set Wisternoff served up to start things off, and the crowd devoured every last melodic drop. Brooklyn Radio’s Lara Gamble got a few minutes with Wisternoff before he took to the decks, and the Bristol-based DJ/producer was more than happy to share his excitement with what is going on with his production partner (who didn’t arrive at the venue until later that night due to a nasty encounter with food poisoning), as well as with his solo career. Check out the interview below.
BR: How does it feel to be performing in New York City?
JW: I love coming here. It’s got this great kind of vibe. It’s one of the capitals of the world, so it’s an absolute privilege for me to be here.
BR: What can fans expect from your set tonight?
JW: I’ll be playing quite a few new tracks. New Way out West stuff, and new Jody Wisternoff stuff. A lot of stuff from the Anjunadeep 06 compilation, which comes out on the 8th of September. So, yeah, kind of all on that vibe really.
BR: You’ve been working with Nick for the last twenty years. How do you feel your sound has evolved in that time?
JW: Obviously, I was a teenager then, so things have just changed. It’s nice to still have that synergy in the studio. So, we’ve kind of given each other space over the years. We don’t want to drown each other out. We don’t need to be too intense. We came together in the beginning of the year and rocked it out, and it seems to work still. So, it’s really nice. You can’t let it die. Just keep that vibe flowing and smash out a little bit more music together.
BR: How was playing in Australia earlier this year?
JW: It’s always amazing. It’s such a nice place to go. We go once a year and do a few shows. The Australians are amazing.
BR: I’ve heard they’re party animals.
JW: Yeah, it’s wicked.
BR: With four albums under your belt, what can fans expect from the new album?
JW: It’s kind of reflective at the start. Stuff like I’ve been playing as a DJ, really. Some of it will be downbeat, kind of chill stuff, but mostly just really melodic, emotional, slightly filmic, kind of sexy, whatever.
BR: Right. Most of your albums are a good mix of breaks and trance and house….
JW: Yeah. I think it’s all good vibes.
BR: What other projects have you been working on in the past five years?
JW: The last five years? A lot of solo stuff under my name, a couple compilations. As I said, the Anjunadeep 06 compilation. I just finished that two weeks ago, so I’ve been really heavily involved with the Anjuna guys, which is kind of nice especially now. They’re really pushing their brand into a lot more of a deep house kind of era, you know? So, it’s nice! A lot of DJing and all that shit.
BR: Way Out West is known for having a great mixture of techy breaks and beautiful progressive trance with standout vocals on past albums. Are there any vocalists or artists you hope to collaborate with in the future?
JW: Yeah, I mean, there’s some incredible singers out there. There’s tons of amazing singers out there. But in a way, it’s more interesting to discover new people, unestablished talent and maybe give them a little exposure and give something a little bit fresh.
BR: Is there anything else you’d like to add or promote?
JW: Apart from the fact that the mix comp is out the 8th of September – there will be a few releases of singles coming off that. That’s what’s going on now really. It’s all good.
