Gotta say right off the bat, I absolutely love Wheez-ie. This interview is a dream come true, as his raw productions have influenced my DJ style a lot lately. Between him and Slick Shoota, I’ve got some powerhouse tracks that have demolished audiences. In this feature, I’ve posted some favorites that I frequently play out. In terms of his most recent releases, check out the Remember The Score EP on Well Rounded Records and the All Werked Up EP on Individuals. We talk about a whole host of things here on Disco Droppings; from his work with Embassy Recordings label boss Distal, to acid juke, his musical family and his favorite Busta Rhymes track. You should know that when I post long interviews, it’s because I just have so much to say to this artist and they responded in a warm and inviting way. Let’s get started..

DD Whatsup dude? So happy to have you here on Disco Droppings. Been meaning to write about your work. I first played one of your tracks at Decibel Festival 2012 here in Seattle. I opened the Warp Records Showcase (Clark, Jimmy Edgar, Machinedrum), and included “Keep Yer Chin Up”. That track was one of the ones I was most excited to present. The energy just gets me sooooooo hyped! Have you heard any mixes using your tracks that especially got you excited?

W Dave Q played Keep Yer Chin Up at DubWar. That was a real highlight. I had been going to DubWar for a while and to go from just being a guy vibing in the back to having a track played by one of my favorite Djs. That night really meant a lot to me.

DD “Keep Yer Chin Up” is the title track of your Embassy Recordings EP release. This is a brilliant collection of originals and remixes. That label is run by Distal, who I interviewed for Disco Droppings last year. He’s a prolific dude with a razor sharp perspective on music and life in general. What’s your relationship with him like?

W I met Distal on the Internet in 2010 after listening to “Boss of the South” on Youtube. We exchanged tracks, and since then we’ve become really good friends. He and Mite put out the EP with Keep Yer Chin Up on it and are also putting out my new EP on 12”. I’m really excited for you guys to hear it!

DD I’ve never been to your hometown of Houston, Texas. How would you describe the music community as well as the general environment?

W Houston is an interesting city. Rap culture is unavoidable. I doesn’t matter where you go in the city you’ll hear bass booming out of peoples cars. We also have generally good food, and nice (but sometimes random) weather.

DD One of the free tracks on your Soundcloud is “Dreamz”. This one is INSANE. Acid juke is something I’d like to hear a lot more of. How has the acid sound influenced you?

W HAHA. I’m glad you liked Dreamz. That was the first Acid track I ever made. At the time I was listening to a lot of the old Trax back catalog and was trying to figure out how they were making their tracks sound so raw. I don’t think that Dreamz really nailed that sound, but it turned out to be a banger.

DD You’ve said in a past interview that you “..like the idea of playing around with funny words and serious music”. Can you think of some tracks outside your own that really embody that?

W For a long time I struggled with trying to figure out if words in music even matter. So many pieces of music have no words, yet they are extremely emotional. I’ve always felt my instrumentals were serious while the lyrics didn’t have to be. A Lot of Ghetto House and Ghettotech is like that for me. Trax like “Nut In Your Eye” by DJ Assault or “3 Fine Hoes” by DJ Deeon are really great examples.

DD I’ve also gathered that everyone in your house plays music. Your mom is an orchestra director, dad’s a retired band teacher, your brother is in school for classical piano and you play the oboe. How does your family react to your music as Wheez-ie?

W I think by now I’ve written this answer like 6 times. Everyone has been really supportive. As I’ve progressed and my arrangements have become tighter and more musical they’ve really started to like a lot of my music. I’ve been writing electronic music in various forms since I was 11, so they’ve had to hear every stage of the process lol.

DD Your “Woo Hah! (Wheez-ie RMX)” is hilarious. Every time I show it to friends it makes them laugh. What’s your favorite Busta Rhymes track?

W My favorite Busta track is “Break Ya Neck.” I remember seeing the video for that track on MTV back when I was in middle school and I thought it was AWESOME. HOW DOES HE RAP LIKE THAT?!? Busta might just be my favorite rapper that isn’t from the South, and he just DESTROYS that track.

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– Jimi Jaxon