Words-Art Jefferson
Images courtesy of Hannah Wild
DJ Hannah Wild represents all aspects of house music and its culture. Sure, her georgous, modelesque features landed her the title of brand ambassador for the Bourjois Paris company, but don’t let the pretty face fool you. The London based producer and DJ has no problem sweating it out when it’s time to rock a crowd with her various sounds of house ranging from Tech, Deep, Minimal or the straight four to the floor classics. Her critically received record “The Wild EP”, released this year on Hardasfunk Recordings, showcased her versatility of the genre and found her production now being played by deejays amongst deejays. From more releases set to take place to the numerous parties that she’s spinning at, DJ Hannah Wild doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon!
AJ-How long have you been deejaying as well as producing house music? When did you first get turned on to the sounds of house?
HW-Hi there. I’ve been DJing for around eight or nine years now, I first got my hands on a pair of 1210s when I was 18 and very quickly settled into two very large residencies. I’ve grown up being into music and playing the piano, it was a very natural step to progress to the sounds of 90s rave and acid house even though I was far, far too young to be at any of the parties! That driving, groovy 4/4 beat has always been in my blood. DJing is very much a part of me. It’s something I do without even thinking about it. It’s as natural to me as making a cup of tea. When I was younger I was into tougher and faster sounds of house, but now at the grand old age of 26 I’ve nestled down into a nice, chugging groove. I love house music in all forms. I play across the board of sub genres from Deep House, Tech House through to Techno. The same applies for producing. I’ve been producing on and off for about seven years, though a lot of it is kept for myself and not released. Producing is very much about creating your own sound, defining yourself, rather than just churning stuff out for the sake of it. You can’t beat a good day messing around in the studio surrounded by vintage synths, twiddling knobs and having a laugh.
AJ-You have “The Wild” EP out now on Hardasfunk Recordings. Talk about that release and the great reception that it recieved from various deejays.
HW-The Wild EP is a good example of me crossing all the sub genres of house. It’s a five track EP consisting of three big, solid Tech House tracks, a great West Coast Deep House number and another one that’s chunky Minimal Techno. There really is something for everyone here, but what makes this EP so special is that all of the tracks fit together, work off each other and are playable in any order. The EP is the first of the artist series on Hardasfunk, which is running separate to the main label and will be showcasing really good new music and artists, some of which may not even be House. The most popular tracks from this EP are Wild Groove and Work It, which are still cropping up in peoples promo mixes and still selling really well. The tracks are a little more than your average Tech House, they all have longevity and don’t seem to age at all. These tracks have also been used by companies Bourjois Paris and Grazia Magazine as the soundtrack to their make up videos on You Tube, which is great as it means they are being heard by a new audience who don’t necessarily follow House music.
AJ-Tell me about the work that you are currently doing with the Bourjois Paris make up line.
HW-So Bourjois Paris snapped me up to become a Brand Ambassador and act as the face of their Volume Clubbing Mascara. You might ask what on earth does make up have to do with music, but as we all know in this day and age image is everything and when I’m performing I want to look my best. So what greater way to tie the two things a girl loves (music and make up) than to work directly with a make up company? I have genuinely used Volume Clubbing mascara for years. Sure I’ve tried other ones, new ones, different brands but I have always come back to Bourjois. It gives me a real false eye lash effect and will not smudge, run or flake off while I’m mixing away in a hot, sweaty DJ booth as it’s ultra resistant. I really do love it, so to be asked to front the mascara and have my image and name appear in store on the UK high street on a campaign for them was just fantastic. I’m a total sucker for a lot of their other products too, but we would be here all day if I went into those too!
AJ-It seems that house producers and deejays are now building themselves as a brand. How important is that in today’s music culture?
HW-Well this all depends on how serious you are about where you want to go with your music? If it’s just something you love doing and you’re happy to bumble along just playing your music, having a bit of a boogie at the weekends and you’re content with that there’s no need to brand yourself. But, if you are completely dedicated to taking things up to the next level and becoming a serious artist you do need to have a complete rethink about how to package yourself, how you look to the public and promoters, where you want to be and how you are going to achieve it. When you make the commitment to branding yourself and start taking steps to get everything just right, you start thinking in a whole new way. You have to think big, look at the bigger picture and actually plan out how you are going to really become a brand. It’s not something that everyone can do, but if you have all the right elements you might just be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and grow into something much more than just average Joe DJ. Personally I think it’s pretty important. I mean just look at any other artist say a singer for example, 99% of it is image and hype! If you can pull that off you’re half way there, and if you have the skills and seriously good music to back it up you’ll be laughing.
AJ-Finally, what’s next up for Hannah Wild in terms of projects and gigs?
HW-Lots of stuff in the pipe line that is being worked on now. Next year there is going to be an album out, a LIVE tour that’s not going to include a laptop and possibly a vinyl tour too. First up though there’s plenty of new tracks lurking around, some new Hardasfunk releases and I’ve got some remixes in the bag too, such as a remix of one of Ali Wilson’s tracks on the label. Also keep your eyes and ears peeled for a free track giveaway coming very soon on my personal Soundcloud page so make sure you’re following to grab it first. For now, go and cart The Wild EP at Beatport or Junodownload for a taste of things to come. Thanks Guys.