Music Creation, Heartbreak + Intercontinental Collaboration: DYLLAN Interview

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Hello DYLLAN! How’s it going? Can you take us through a quick recap of your musical life? You’ve been at this since you were quite young! 

Hello! It’s going well, thank you! Yes, I’ve been writing songs since I was twelve and started playing shows in my hometown (Los Angeles) at fifteen. In high school I recorded my first EP and I recorded my second, “Anything But Scared,” my first year of college. 

I studied music there but I also studied film and literature. I lived in Paris for a year where I studied le cinéma français and le dessin. I played some shows there and connected with some great musicians. After college I moved to Brooklyn where I’m now living, producing music out of my apartment. 

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Why did you start writing music? Were you inspired by themes in your life? Or were you inspired by other musicians? 

My first influence (and constant idol) is Joni Mitchell. And Jeff Buckley. There is so much depth to their work - their lyrics are poetry. I had always wanted to sing but I was too shy, so I picked up a guitar first. Eventually I sang along, and then started writing my own stuff. To this day I am constantly writing songs, and yes, they are usually about heartbreak. 

Songwriting is therapeutic for me. It’s a necessity. I am not a diligent worker, though, so going out and seeing shows is what inspires me to sit down and write. Or to go out and play!

How did you start working with THYLACINE? How did you end up coming to Paris in the first place? 

As I said, I moved to Paris for my junior year abroad in college. Ironically, it wasn’t until after I had left that I discovered THYLACINE’s music and decided to contact him. I thought he might be interested in working with me and he was. This was how we did our first collaboration, “Distance.” I had written a song called “NYLAPARIS" and sent it to him. He took my vocals and composed original music around it. I think the result was quite beautiful and unique. 

Our second collaboration, “Closing" was yet another virtual collaboration but with the opposite arrangement - he sent me an instrumental track he had produced and I wrote, recorded and arranged the vocals at home in Brooklyn. I’m also very pleased with the result and amazed that he and I have still never met in person! I look forward to him making a trip to New York soon so we can fix that. 

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What can we look forward to from you in 2015?

I have quite a few projects to release this year! Notably, the single and music video for my new song “Moments Like These” will release in March. We funded the whole thing through Indiegogo so I am really excited to share it. Following that, I’ll release my next new single “Try” in April. Stay tuned and thanks so much! 

Playlist of Reference: Jazz

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Onward. The next installment of our awesome Playlist of Reference series moves to the eccentric world of Jazz, curated by one of the Whyd team members, the one that wears bowties with ducks on them. Let’s get the story behind the playlist:

When did you start listening to Jazz? 

I went to a jazz club once on a high school trip to New York City. There was something so alluring about the environment. I felt like we were there to listen to the musicians, not just there to listen to a repertoire of music performed by a band I liked. No two performances can be the same. 

Did you ever have a moment when you felt like Jazz started speaking to you? 

Seeing Jazz live was always special, but I admit I didn’t listen to it much outside of those occasions. It wasn’t until I was working on art projects when I lived in New York City that I would put on Jazz radio as my soundtrack to creation. 

Recently here in Paris, the advent of Electro Swing and Electro Jazz, combined with the awesome Whyd community, have given me more reasons to listen to it! 

What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself? 

Jazz is Sunday afternoons. Painting, working on art projects, writing, reading. Jazz is unique in the sense that it can be the soundtrack to anything you want. For me, it fades into my thoughts, giving them a hop they wouldn’t normally have. 

If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite? 

God I hate this question! (And I wrote it!) but I just think that Duke Ellington hits the notes that I would hit if I were a legendary musician. Particularly “Jeep’s Blues.” It’s got a vibrancy in its sadness, and it’s catchy as hell. 

Track of the Weekend #121: L’Impératrice - “Vanilla Fraise”

The cold is instilled in our bones here in Paris. Our breaths smoke like dragons. Les chauffages are bien allumés. Luckily for us, there is sound, and when that sound is beautiful, with a little boogie, it’s enough to shake the chill from our souls. 

This week that funk is “Vanilla Fraise" (Strawberry Vanilla) by L’Impératice, a light-hearted romp that is reminiscent of the glory days of Rinôçérôse or Air, French electronica at its most delicious. It’s easy to see why it was the most popular track on Whyd this week. 

Thanks to Cédric L. for sharing it with us!  

Track of the Weekend #119: Ibeyi - “Ghosts”

There were snowflakes in the air this morning as dawn broke over the city of light. For a moment, it looked like everything was frozen calm. Civilization at peace. But the heartbeat of life pulsed anew. For a city cannot have two identities. 

That double moment is best captured by this week’s Track of the Weekend by the Franco-Cuban twins know as Ibeyi. “Ghosts" is as delicate as a snowflake, and as unique too. The twin voices combine in jerking refrains that pull you in and out of time, not sure who is who, what is what. Their debut album is due out mid-February, so expect a lot more to come from these talented women. 

Thanks to RDCC for getting it to Whyd

West Coast Hip Hop: Playlist of Reference

Our new initiative at Whyd is to provide excellent playlist of reference that revolve around a specific subgenre or theme of music. But we don’t want to just give you music, we want to give you the story of its creation, and curation.

Music is awesome, music with context is what we should all strive for. 

Today we’re featuring the West Coast Hip Hop playlist curated by Slimane

Can you introduce yourself Slimane? Where are you from and what do you do in life? 

My name is Slimane, I’m 23, and I come from Caen, Normandy, although I now live in Paris. I started to work for a start up in the field of social media 6 months ago. 

When did you start listening to West Coast Hip Hop?

I guess my first experience with West Coast Hip Hop was Snoop (“Doggy” at the time!) Dogg’s “What’s my name.” I got hooked by the G-Funk sound, the crazy synthesizers and the laid back yet technical flow.

What are some example situations when you would listen to this playlist yourself?

Anytime! What’s good about West Coast Hip Hop is that it’s both chilled and intense. Best suited for cruising under the sun I guess, but it works fine at parties or whenever you want to get pumped up.

If you had to choose just one track from this playlist, which one would be your favorite?

It would be Eazy-E’s “Real Muthaphukkin Gs.” There’s everything a good west coast song needs: a whining synth, a crazy bassline, and to me it’s the definite beef-song, Eazy-E and his friends thrashing Dr. Dre and Snoop Doog. It’s a classic!

KRONO Knows How To Seize Inspiration [INTERVIEW]

Hello KRONO! Where did you find the inspiration to start making music together? You cite a Daft Punk concert as the day when your voyage began, but were you making music before? 

Hello Whyd! Since we were very small, we’ve been music lovers, but we were not at all in the DJing world, more into chess and arts in general. And on that day in 2007, when we had the chance to see Daft Punk live, came the idea of creating something with my brother. 

Inspiration is not something that can be found, it’s something that you don’t look for; it’s more of a short, intense moment that you have to know how to seize, and so, we think, to be a true artist, you must be conscious of the things around you, because music is above all a story, an emotion, not noise. 

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Track of the Weekend #110: François & The Atlas Mountains - “La Fille aux Cheveux de Soie” (Isaac Delusion Remix)

It’s raining here in Paris and that means a dampness that will stay with us until the sun returns in force in April. Spirits are understandably a bit dreary, but luckily for us, there is — and will always be — music.

Capturing this unique autumnal feeling is difficult, but the Isaac Delusion remix of Fránçois & The Atlas Mountain's “La Fille aux Cheveux de Soie" (translated as The Girl with the Silk Hair) does a wonderful job summarizing how we all are feeling. It’s delicate as silk, dreamy like the morning fog, and warming like a cup of Jasmine tea with a dash of honey. 

Thanks to Lucile (our petite lu!) for getting it to us! 

Don’t Play Dead: The 2 Bears Are Charging [Interview]

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The 2 Bears are a musical duo comprised of Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell, their new single “Not This Time" is starting to catch on around the globe. They are both from London, as you will see in this transcribed Whyd interview from Autumn 2014 in Paris. Questions in bold.   

All photos courtesy The 2 Bears Facebook page. 

Does London have a big impact on your music? Or are you moving around so much that its effect is limited now? 

We’re still in London a lot, and London is massive in terms of an influence for us. It’s really kind of enormous, because we grew up going out in London to all different types of musical events.

The fact that London is massively multicultural, it really informs what we do. So we talk about London as a big influence a lot, because we’re really into Reggae, Dancehall. 

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Whyd Interview: Judah Warsky

Parisian artist Judah Warsky from Pan European Records sits down with Tony Hymes from Whyd in the spectacular garden of the Hotel Particulier Montmartre to discuss his latest album, his origins as an artist, and discovering Lou Reed’s simplicity.

You can check out Judah Warsky’s new album “Bruxelles

And the playlist he made exclusively for us at Whyd: 

You should also check out the music selection of the Hotel Particulier Montmartre on Whyd, updated nearly every day! Magical music to match a magical environment!

Special thanks to Guillaume Benoit and Guillaume Boulte for their talented cinematic abilities. We appreciate your time and energy in making this a reality!

Music featured in the interview by Judah Warsky

Official Playlist For CHUICHO @ La Machine Du Moulin Rouge [WHYD PARTY]

It’s getting closer to October 17th, and even though the temperatures are falling and the rain has come out, we are still hot, and for the partiers in Paris there will be no better place to be than CHUICHO (literally: I’m hot and ready to go) at La Machine du Moulin Rouge. Our buddies at Buzz Bourguignon put together a stellar line up of KIDNAP KID, KANT, Le Bron and Rusty Hook for the night, and here’s a playlist to get you in the mood for next Friday night!! See you all there!