World-class DJ and producer Wehbba joined us ahead of his upcoming performance at this year’s LXM festival being held in Lisbon from the 13th to the 15th of December. The Brazilian House and Techno artist, known for his releases on critically acclaimed labels Drumcode, Knee Deep in Sound, bedrock and many more, stopped to talk to us about his recent collaborations, life on the road as a musician and his exciting debut for LX Music; Portugal’s rapidly growing party brand.
Hear what went down below!
Hello Wehbba, thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to chat to us, it’s great to catch up with you ahead of your upcoming performance at this year’s LXM Festival in Portugal.
It’s my pleasure, I can’t wait for LXM!
It must be exciting to return to Lisbon and perform after a few years, this time playing for one of the country’s top party brands. Was there anything in particular that made you want to come back and perform here?
Playing in Portugal has always been really important to me, I’ve been coming over since my first international tour back in 2007 and I guess that always translates to my gigs and the connection with the crowd, it’s always a blast! It’s really exciting to be coming to my first festival in the country though.
LX Music has been leading the progression of underground dance music in Portugal for some time now. As an artist who travels a lot and is an influence within the scene, how does it feel to now be a part of this movement with LX Music?
I’ve always heard great things about LX Music and feel really happy having a chance to perform at the festival this year, with such a privileged line-up.
The past few years have been nonstop for you; amazing releases on multiple labels an insane traveling schedule that saw you performing for huge crowds all around the globe. What is it about the touring lifestyle that drives you to do it year in year out?
It’s not so much the lifestyle, it’s more about sharing the music and the experiences with as many people as possible. Discovering myself through music is a gift that I like to share with the world, so that more people can maybe have a chance to do the same, and there’s nothing better than travelling to different places every week to achieve that. The music I make is not meant for me, it’s meant to be a shared experience, and that’s what drives me the most.
On the topic of touring and performing around the globe, can you tell us about what you find difficult when constantly travelling and maybe offer any tips or advice for a life on the road as a musician?
Travelling a lot is really demanding on every aspect of a person’s health, being physical, mental or spiritual. I had to find that out the hard way. Days – if not months – of solitude, staying away from your loved ones, family, friends, pets, lack of sleep, lack of a proper diet, all that can easily escalate to serious issues that you don’t really realise until it’s too late. Sure you get the positives, such as meeting new interesting people all over, trying out different kinds of food, different cultures, which help to balance it out. For me what helps the most is taking care of my diet, changing old party habits to healthier, more sustainable ones, and trying to exercise as much as possible, but most of all, meditation and reading.
2019 was another great year for your music. Collaborations, multiple remixes and of course your releases with the infamous Drumcode label; which have been taking full control of dancefloors everywhere this year. As a long-time Drumcode artist what is it about the label that really stands out for you, and how do the events compare to other brands?
Drumcode is a very well rounded platform, that relies on extremely talented and devoted people giving their best day in and day out. It really feels like a family to me, I feel each of us contribute to the engine in such a way that it keeps evolving in a natural way, and that is what really stands out to me. It’s not a static thing, there’s always stuff happening, new directions, new challenges, and if you go to a Drumcode event, it’s very hard not to get sucked into the atmosphere and feel like a part of this crazy organism that it is.
Amongst your recent releases was a collaboration album with the talented SCB entitled ‘Red Planet’. A combination of hypnotic bouncy tracks that differs from the Drumcode style of dancefloor bangers. Can you talk to us about any inspirations for the album and how the collaboration came about?
I’ve connected with Paul (Scuba/Scb) when I did the remix for his collaboration with Reset Robot, ‘Arp’, and since it turned out so well we kept in touch, and started exchanging ideas. We didn’t really have any plans when we started sending projects back and forth, and this free approach seems to be what made it all so much more interesting. We never even met in person but the flow was really natural, and I am extremely happy we released it on his label Hotflush, which has been one of my favourite labels for many years.
Amongst all your releases this year were some amazing remixes. What was very interesting was your version of Culture Shocks ‘Bunker’. Can you tell us about how you came to remix this famous drum and bass track into a pumping techno track?
I’ve been on the lookout to special projects when it comes to remixing, and when they got in touch it felt like the perfect choice. I’ve always been a fan of drum and bass and followed RAM Records for a very long time, it was an honour to be a part of this. It’s also interesting that the original track has that “techstep” vibe that almost screamed for a techno makeover, I was instantly inspired by it, and Culture Shock’s great sound design was also very inspiring, it was great working with the parts and really fluid to put my twist on them.
Huge thanks to Wehbba for taking the time to share his views and opinions with us. An amazing insight into his recent work and life as a travelling artist and performer. We wish him all the best in regards to his upcoming performance for LXM this month, and are excited to see what the future holds for this talented musician.
Listen to Wehbba’s work via his Soundcloud here.
Information and tickets for LXM Festival can be found here.
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