EXRON EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: WENZDAY

We recently had the chance to chat with Taylor Chung a.k.a. Wenzday at Lost Lands Festival. As one of many talented female DJs and producers in the industry, we wanted to know what she’s all about. When she was just 16 years old, Wenzday committed to becoming a full-time DJ. Today, she’s releasing her own music, running a radio show, managing a collective, and tearing up shows and festivals everywhere. We discussed just about everything with the artist, from her background with music to what’s inspiring the future of Wenzday.

Exron Music: How does it feel to be playing at Lost Lands again this year?

Wenzday: I am so excited! This is one of my favorite festivals, I look forward to it every year. I think, especially from an artist perspective, and even as a former raver, I just feel like everything is so set up and taken care of. And I feel like everyone is so welcoming and it’s amazing. It’s awesome to have someone like Excision throwing an event that is so dialed in to what people need.

Exron Music: Yeah, it’s one of my favorite festivals for that reason.

Wenzday: I feel like usually there’s some sort of hitch in any situation, and every year it’s always flawless. It’s awesome.

Exron Music: You’ve teased that you have two mixes dropping in October. What are you looking forward to showcasing in them?

Wenzday: So, I have a new EP coming out on 40oz Cult which is my label. It’s called Demons Dancing, it’s kind of a conceptual follow up to Heartbreak House. I’m really excited, it’s a tech house EP. It’s kind of a genre I haven’t really ventured into but I love. You can definitely expect those mixes to be a little bit more on the deeper housier side, so it’ll be fun.

Exron Music: I love that! So, do you have any upcoming collabs that fans can look forward to being released?

Wenzday: Yes! I am doing a collab with my brother, Dack Janiels. We’ve actually been teasing it. We teased it at Nocturnal, I brought him out at Academy when I played there last weekend. And then we’re also doing a three-way collab, it’s myself, Dack Janiels, and SIPPY out of Australia. She was actually on my Heartbreak House EP, we did a tune called ‘PINGAZ’. And then I have a collab with Kandy out of New York. So many things… a lot of things coming up! I’m excited!

Exron Music: You’re the cofounder of one of the hottest labels in the EDM industry, 40oz Cult. What’s the vision you have for the future of the brand?

Wenzday: I think with 40oz Cult, for us it’s more of a collective than anything. And you know, kind like the whole “join the cult” or “be part of the cult”. For me especially, I’m currently working as the label manager for the label side of it. We want to start including more genres, we’ve already done a bunch of house releases. I want to get into some other genres. And just really bringing new talent up especially with our showcases and our shows, and our events. It’s just introducing people to new talent, putting our friends on, and just kind of expanding the whole family situation.

Exron Music: I have the beanie, by the way. I love it!

Wenzday: Oh my god, yes! We’re actually re-releasing those!

Exron Music: What inspired you to start contributing to your weekly radio show on DASH1?

Wenzday: I’ve always loved radio. I’ve actually always wanted to be a radio host. So, when DASH offered me the opportunity to have a show, it was a no-brainer. I was like, absolutely! And I think especially for me, I think a lot of people in my genre, or this type of music aren’t really heard in the mainstream press. So I think having peer to peer interviews, and being able to talk to someone on a level, it’s not like “where are you from?”, “what’s your favorite color?” Instead, it’s actually getting into the music and the story and the concepts behind it is really cool. It’s literally what I look forward to every week, it’s awesome.

Exron Music: You have a really good voice for that.

Wenzday: Thank you! It’s weird people tell me that, they’re like “it’s very soothing”. But it’s something I really enjoy. And also again, it’s showcasing new talent, my friends. Especially with 40oz too, I’m able to give these kids releases and also an opportunity to get heard everywhere. So, it’s my favorite thing.

Exron Music: So, you’re a woman in the industry and you’re totally killing it. Do you think being a woman has created any barriers for you? Or no?

Wenzday: I get asked this question all the time. Prior to producing, I was a DJ for 10 years. I was in the open format hip-hop scene out of LA, and to be honest, coming from hip-hop I never saw a gender divide. For me it was kind of like, if you’re talented and can pull that off, that’s okay. I’m surrounded obviously by my brother who’s a huge influence to me. I have great, great friends, Sikdope, Habstrakt, these guys who are all men who have brought me up. In my personal opinion, I haven’t felt that. Obviously it is a thing, we can look at any lineup and you can see that there’s definitely less women. Not saying that there aren’t girls killing it, but that is a thing. And for me personally, like I said, I’ve been extremely lucky that I’ve been surrounded by a group of people who have continually brought me up who haven’t seen that. That being said, with 40oz, I’ve definitely made an effort to showcase girls and put them on. That’s why with Heartbreak House I wanted SIPPY on it. When I travel with a crew I have a female TM [tour manager], a female photographer. So, in my own ways I can kind of combat that because at the end of the day, I would want everyone to have the same experience I have.

Exron Music: I like that! You’ve already shown so much potential in the industry. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Wenzday: Honestly, everything I do I want to get better at. And it’s always like checking off the box. And I think for me, Heartbreak House is a huge EP and a hurdle for me. It was really the first EP I’d ever done. Building on that, we have a concept show with it which you guys will hear tonight. It’s really just expanding upon that, and continuing to create music that can bring people up and inspire people. And then obviously traveling and playing more shows that I haven’t done before. It’s keep on keepin’ on!

Ashley

I’ve been a part of the dance music scene for nearly a decade and with Exron for more than half of that time. My first event was Diplo’s Mad Decent but these days you’ll find me at Club Space or the Brooklyn Mirage. Some of my top artists are G Jones, Tipper, Of The Trees, and CharlestheFirst. My favorite genres are techno, experimental bass, and ambient but I’ll get down to anything with a beat!

See author's posts