In an EDM Assassin exclusive, I was able to talk with woodrowgerber (yes it is all lowercase) about how he transitioned from hip-hop to rock to dance music and some of his plans for 2015. Check out the interview below and make sure you keep an eye out for his album that will be coming out later this year. I love the answers to some of these questions, woodrowgerber certainly knows how to keep things interesting!
– First, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! First off, Los Angeles is home. I’ve been touring and making records since 2001 and I like to try and blur the lines between genres in my music. I consider myself more of a “digital conductor” than a “DJ” whereas I write and create everything you hear on my records and then perform them at my shows on controllers enabling me to manipulate the tracks more live. I mix in other artists as well (depending on the show), but I’m all about that emotional journey through the set… I’m an organic creator in a digital landscape! I also play Minecraft or hang out at the beach to destress lol, and love to be surrounded by all types of people and cultures which gives me inspiration. …. fresh sushi is my weakness.
– Throughout your music career you’ve explored almost every genre of music, what’s this been like?
It’s been amazing! I had some bad experiences with major labels early on, so I sort of rebelled from that model of making a specific sound and sticking to it. Music is art, art should reflect whatever you’re feeling or want to convey when it’s created, and art has no rules. So with that mentality, I’ve been able to work in a ton of genres and use them all as apart of my sound. That’s why you’ll find classical guitar next to some nasty dirty synth with a horn section on some of my stuff. I’m spending my life learning how to make the best possible music I can make, so who knows where that journey will take me and my music.
– Do you think your background as a singer/songwriter/composer/producer has given your sound something unique?
Definitely. When I started out as a guitar player, I only knew that one element of creating music, from that one viewpoint. Now that I’ve done everything in the entire musical process over the years, I see making music from a viewpoint that feels like Neo looking at the Matrix or something lol. You view music in dimensions of texture, frequency, emotion etc, so backgrounds and genre styles are no longer solid lines, but ingredients to make a track reach a certain emotion. With that, my sound has a solid backbone in hard dance type beats layered in movements and all kinds of cool sonic flavors.
– What struck your first interest in the dance music genre?
I honestly don’t know for sure. It was a progression that started with the Gorrilaz, I guess. Then one day I found that I needed deeper bass in the studio that wasn’t obtainable by a bass guitar so synth bass became my go-to. Then I got tired of guitar always being the backbone of every song made by just about everyone, so I dialed that back to make guitar more of the feature, which led to filling all the guitar backbone stuff with synths. I liked how dance beats kept it simple and allowed the melodies to flow over them, so I kept that simple too…. then I got hugely excited one night when I heard Nero’s track Promises in a Target store lol. I think that was when I officially “got it”.
– Who would you consider some of your biggest influences?
Moby has been a huge influence for a long time, been really loving SAVOY lately, Queen has been my favorite forever, Nero, Sia’s new stuff is amazing, remixes by Kayliox, composer Bedrich Smetana, Daft Punk, The Getty Museum here in LA, Salvador Dali, David Copperfield, and a lot of movies. Kind of a mosaic of things.
– You were given the “woodrow” portion of your name during your time as a guitar player, how did this come about?
lol yeah, these hip hop dudes out of Dallas I was touring with at the time kept talking about my teeth saying how straight they were… like abnormally straight, fake “wooden” straight. So one of them was like “didn’t that one president have fake wooden teeth? Woodrow Wilson?” We all laughed, told him it was George Washington, but the Woodrow part stuck.
– Do you have any traditions you follow before performing?
Not before really. Nap? Sometimes I just lay around in the greenroom before going on. I do have a thing about always wearing pants though lol. Never shorts. I’ve only worn shorts for one show ever, and that was Warped tour in Phoenix when it was 120 degrees out. It felt weird.
– If you could plan any festival or show, who would be one of your main acts?
lol, probably AC/DC doing a joint set with Skrillex…. or just Daft Punk.
– What are the top three songs you are listening to at the moment?
All I’m listening too right now and will be until September are mixes from my new record. I’m checking mixes around the clock as I work on it, so very little other music is making it into my head right now. So I’m listening too…
Forest Lights
Dorothy Gish
A Dreamers Wake
all off my new album.
– Do your 2015 plans include any new music?
As a matter of fact they do! lol. My new record comes out September. I’m doing a collaboration album with adventure docuseries Expedition Overland and Toyota who will premier the music in each episode leading up to the album release. First music premieres next month!
– What is one thing you like to do outside of music?
Snowboard. Been boarding since I was 12. It’s my way of communing with nature lol.
– If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
SUSHI! Eel rolls, rainbow rolls, salmon rolls, fat baby rolls… mmmm
– Do you have any advice for any up and coming artists in the music business?
The industry crashed, there are no rules, make music that invokes emotion and figure out how to get it to people.
Also, don’t listen to those guys that are always saying “here’s how you’ve got to do it” because there is no more “way to do it”. It’s a total land grab now. Just find what works for you.
– Any last thoughts?
I’m playing a lot of Minecraft this week since I’m leaving next week for 4 months and I’m stressed lol. Needed to get that off my chest.
Thanks again to Chad (aka woodrowgerber) for the awesome interview, can’t wait to hear the new album when it comes out later this year!