EDM With Attitude

Joey Youngman (aka Wolfgang Gartner) says he listens to hip hop for escapism, because he can just relax and enjoy it without feeling compelled to analyse what he is hearing. “I don't think that rap music actually influences my production… ever… like at all,” says Gartner. “The reason I listen to hip hop so much is like when I'm driving and listening to music I don't want to think and I don't want to analyse music. I just want to sit back and enjoy something and not have to study it by picking apart every piece. Hip hop can do that for me. It's my music that I like to listen to and I can listen to in a way that I'll never produce it.”

But Gartner adds that the hip hop attitude is something that definitely comes across with his style of house, choosing to reject the 'peace loving' stereotypes of traditional dance music culture. “There is a sort of attitude that I bring across to my music that comes from hip hop,” he says “Not anything musical but just like the whole attitude. The attitude of dance music where others are all like: 'Let's all get along, hold hands, wear candy and hold glow sticks and shit'.”

“Like if somebody bites somebody else, we'll call them out,” he adds vehemently. “Whereas traditionally in EDM, if somebody bites you, everybody stays silent. One thing that I've taken from hip hop is that if somebody bites you; if somebody rips me off I'll call them out. Whether that's on Twitter of social networking or whatever, I don't plan to let someone get along and save face and be happy. In the end I play the real game which is to tell them how it is and if somebody fucks with you, you fuck with them back.”

Gartner's 'in your face' approach transcends his maximalist style and reputation for always looking for ways to take his music to the next level. He says he always feels the pressure to keep pumping out his singles, but is also torn between releasing singles and writing full-blown concept albums. “It's been a long time since I released Weekend In America back in 2010,” says Gartner. “I don't know what I want to do yet! I haven't decided yet, so I keep going back and forth. I love writing albums. The Weekend In America process was really fun, but I also like the pressure of writing singles. I am what I am and I don't know if I tend to be one of these things or maybe it will be some middle ground. I have had some really successful albums, but also have had some successful hit singles also. So I'm not going to pigeon-hole myself into one of those groups.”

But, the changing musical landscape is forcing most artists to consider how they get their music to their fans. He may not have figured out where he fits in yet, but says it is definitely a question of musical style. “I think it's pretty neck and neck like with hip hop right now, where you can have it either way,” says Gartner. “Just to give you an example Skrillex and Deadmau5 are good album artists. You're wanting their entire body of work; their whole album. Now, there's Avicii who put out Levels. He's never released an album, but he's just as big as these guys. It's hard. I don't know what I am going to do. I think about maybe doing an album, but right now in the kind of transitional period where I don't know if I want to be continually releasing singles or I want to sit down and really write a full album. Maybe dedicate some time to it and make people wait,” he says.

Gartner has technically not released a full album since Weekend In America in 2010, and says for now he will just keep churning out singles. “I really don't like making people wait an entire year. That's too long for people to go without music,” he says. “Where going to do an album for you guys but were going to do it by putting out singles every month. So, this album that we're putting out in 2013 doesn't happen to be cohesive and all together. The entire singles that I've put out in 2012 will be the equivalent of my new album.”

“So for now I don't have a new concept album coming,” he affirms proudly “Take everything I've made in 2012 and give it a name. People can go to iTunes or go to whatever store and they look for Wolfgang Gartner. You want them to see your most recent body of work that you're most proud of. That's what it is. If it is a bunch of singles it's kind of hard to navigate through, so put them all together I think and release it all at the same time.  

Gartner will be playing his first club tour in Australia since 2010 and heading to Perth at the start of February. He has played several festivals over the years but says the club experience is entirely different because you have dedicated fans turning out to so your show and expect a lot more. He says he is really pumped for this tour because so much has changed for him musically since the last time. “The last club tour I did in Australia was with Afrojack and Hardwell and was at such a different time for our careers that I think now that so much time has passed and I have grown so much as that I think that it is going to be an incredible experience,” he says. "Before I was a lot younger and not ill-prepared, but still getting a grasp on the Australian crowds. They were totally different to the US crowds. They are a lot more difficult to play for because I'm American. I don't know the crowds as well as I do in the US. Like in any market you get to know what they want and I know exactly what I need to play even before I go on stage. It's because I know the US so well and I know this market and what is going to do if for them. Whereas in Australia, I don't know what is hot down there. I mean I can kind of catch wind of it, but I definitely need to improvise based on the vibe a lot more.”

Wolfgang Gartner will be playing the following dates:

Friday 25 January - HQ, Adelaide SA
Saturday 26 January - Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 26 January - Family, Brisbane QLD
Sunday 27 January - Syrup Nightclub, Hobart TAS
Friday 1 February - Villa, Perth WA
Saturday 2 February - Pacha, Sydney NSW