Music
Ashley Joy Parker
Exclusive: DJ, Producer Wax Motif Talks New Track, Tour, Tequila & More
- By: Ashley Joy Parker (Reporting By Tracy Kerr)
- October 13, 2023
Wax on, wax allll the way on…..
Turning out tracks hot enough to melt the dance floor, DJ and producer Wax Motif is having a major moment right now.
The Australian-born, LA-based artist is regarded as a central orchestrator in developing the house sound across the U.S.. With diverse musical influences like R&B, disco, and U.K. bass, Wax Motif (aka Daniel Chien) brings a totally unique style to his craft, making him a highly sought-after producer in the studio.
On stage, his electrifying live shows have bewitched audiences across the globe. In just the last couple years alone, he has performed at some of world’s the biggest festivals, including EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza, Tomorrowland, Bonnaroo, Project GLOW, Electric Forest, Hard Summer, Electric Zoo, Illfest, ARC Music Festival, EDC Mexico, CRSSD Festival and more.
In September, Wax Motif released his latest dance floor banger “In My Hands” featuring Camden Cox via Insomniac Records. The track is a driving melodic house tune with luscious lead vocals from the London-based singer-songwriter.
“In My Hands” sees Wax Motif evolving his sound with a pounding bass-heavy groove, lending a darker edge to Cox’s sweet central hook. Having performed the track only two days after its inception at an EDC Las Vegas’ writing camp, “In My Hands” has proved to be an instant hit on the festival circuit.
“During EDC Vegas I got asked to attend a session with Camden Cox who I had been meaning to work with for a while, and also these two awesome writers Emma Rosen and Sophie Cates,” Wax Motif said while elaborating about the collaboration. “We didn’t really have an idea to start with so we started from scratch. Thought it would be cool to do something pretty dark beat-wise which could make a cool contrast to Camden’s vocals.”
He continued, “We finished most of it off that day and I dropped it in my sets a few days later to a really good response. Some final tweaks and here we are with the end result.”
“In My Hands” comes hot on the heels of his 2022 debut album release, House Of Wax, which has accumulated over 33 million streams and showcased the artist’s abilities to stretch across all house genres. The album incorporates electronic music euphoria as easily as it does hip-hop swagger, journeying through meditative, chilled-out vibes, summery, highway-cruising bops and dance floor bangers.
The album name also doubles as the DJ’s radio show and touring brand. The House of Wax Tour 2023 has been crushing it since August with a record high of sold-out shows, including an advance sell-out at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. He’s also got gigs booked at EDC Orlando, EDSea in Miami, Ritvales Festival in Columbia, Seismic Dance Event 6.0 in Austin and Holy Ship! Wrecked in Mexico, all before the end of the year.
Over the years, Wax Motif’s music has made it to the decks and is supported by acts such as Lee Foss, Dom Dolla, John Summit, Solomun, Meduza, MK, FISHER, Chris Lake, CID, Don Diablo, James Blake and Zhu. A pivotal moment in his career, he took it upon himself to flip Drake’s Honestly Nevermind, yielding radio support and co-signed by Gordo, the original producer of the LP.
Wax Motif also founded his very own imprint, Divided Souls Records, in 2019, serving as a home for his own hot streak of solo originals, as well as a collection of collabs, including Diplo, AC Slater, Matroda, 220Kid, Euro Trash and many more.
And the horizon is only looking brighter. Wax Motif has records with Repopulate Mars and Nervous Records in the works, along with several additional IDs and collaborations that are circulating the internet and social media, only waiting to be released in the near future.
Loop recently caught up with the DJ and producer at his sold-out show at LA’s Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall to talk his fav tracks, afterparties, tequila and more. Check out our exclusive interview below.
Q: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
A: I don’t, I’m pretty chill. I don’t like to have like a crazy party in my green room before I play. So it’s usually pretty chill, no music, Red Bull, that’s it.
What is your favorite track from ‘House of Wax’ to perform live?
I think my favorite track to perform off the album is probably “Skank n Flex.” It’s a big crowd favorite of mine. The energy is always so unreal when I play it.
Your music combines a bunch of different genres, obviously dance primarily, but you also incorporate hip-hop and R&B. Is there any area or any genre of music that you want to explore in the future?
I mean really more rap and R&B to be honest. That’s kinda what I like, I like house music and like rap and R&B so try to just combine that as much as I can. Lately, I’ve been dabbling in a bit of drum & bass, so you never know.
So at ‘Loop Magazine’, we’re all about nightlife. Do you have any favorite places that you like to go to celebrate before or after a gig?
Not really before, but after, I’ll go to any after party basically. So yeah, just whichever spot is popping.I usually let people tell me where to go, but I think that’s the best way: just roll with the flow.
What is your go-to drink?
Tequila. Straight. No mixers, just straight tequila.
Follow Wax Motif: Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Soundcloud | Website
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