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Will Clarke is one our favorite Dirtybird’s that took over the Disco Inferno stage at Imagine Music Festival this year. We felt really blessed that he got to touch down in Atlanta during his crazy traveling schedule to bring his fans some much needed booty house. As always, he got us shaking more than just our tiny tambourines; we were cutting the rug so much that our shoes started to dig up some dirt.
We were lucky enough to catch Will Clarke just before his incredible set to talk about his current tour, his collaboration process, the Barbershop radio show, and future projects.
RR: How has your Cuddle Club tour been so far?
WC: It’s been amazing. It’s nice to be able to choose the lineups. I got to choose who I wanted along with me. We got BOT obviously, option4, Vin Sol which I love his music and Golfclap. So it’s really nice to have all those guys on there and just able to to tour with them.
RR: So what made you decide to bring them along, outside of BOT, which is kind of an obvious choice and you mentioned Vin Sol? So how did you end up choosing who else you wanted with Golfclap and option4?
WC: Golfclap are just homies, they booked my first show in Detroit. They’re slowly coming out, they got their own fans as well and I want to bring them to my fans. With option4(who we also recently did an interview with, check it out here), again he’s kind of the same as Golfclap, he runs Denver. He’s the biggest promoter in Denver and there is a dope scene there. I don’t know how he does it, he’s worked his ass off. He’s a dope producer and such a nice dude and a good DJ. I like surrounding myself with good people.
RR: When was the last time you played in Atlanta besides TomorrowWorld 2015? Do you like playing here?
WC: I played Wildpitch last year. It’s different. I wouldn’t say Atlanta’s house scene is the best. I’m just being honest.
RR: Yeah, it’s definitely more trap and dubstep focused here.
WC: Yeah, which I get because it comes from the trap and hip-hop scene here. Different scenes have different things but I definitely think there is room to grow.
RR: So you’ve done a few tracks with Claude VonStroke, what is that process like?
WC: On the last record “Tiny Tambourine”, I wrote the record ages ago just in my studio. I didn’t like it so I just left it in there and didn’t think about it. Then I was on tour and bored in a hotel in Australia and just picked it up. I thought ‘Okay, I might finish this and test it out’. So I finished it up, tested it out and thought that it was pretty dope. So then I sent it to Barkley to sign. And he was like, ‘Dude, I really like this. Can we do it as a collaboration?” So I sent him over the parts, he changed some bits up, the vocals a bit, and the drums, did his thing on it. Then we sent it back and forth. And I had him change this and that. We tried to book a day to get into the studio but we were both too busy with traveling. It actually worked really well. I only usually like doing collabs in person but it was nice because the project was kind of there, it just needed the fairy dust on top. He did an amazing job.
RR: How about working with other Dirtybird’s or those outside of the label like Chris Lake’s “Operator” and BOT on “Techno (not techno)”?
WC: Chris Lake was just a remix. I was on Holy Ship! and I was like, ‘Dude, I really want to remix your record’. So he sent me the parts and I got to remix it. With BOT, I usually go to his studio in L.A. My main studio is back in the U.K. so I obviously travel a lot. I always go to L.A. to see BOT. His house looks over the whole of L.A., so it’s on the same line of the observatory. You can see the Hollywood sign but you literally look over the whole downtown of L.A. He’s in the hills really. The setting is really nice. We’re just good homies, we just shoot a day and cook good food, just make a day of it. “Techno (not techno)” was something we wrote a long time ago but nobody would pick it up. Nobody would sign it. Lord passed on it three times and he still regrets that he didn’t sign it. It kind of popped off in Europe but more than here. It was kind of more of a European track. I like that release, that’s one of my favorite records to play before it got signed because nobody really responded to it until people knew what it was. Which is kind of always what I find before when it’s signed and released, then people hear it and go ‘Oh that’s that record!”
RR: What has been the reception with your Barber Shop podcasts?
WC: I started it because Revolution Radio in Miami, they just asked me if I could do a radio show. I never thought I could do it but then I was like, ‘Fuck it, let’s try it. Why not?’ And now it’s been two years, we’re having our anniversary in November. So yeah that’s cool, like it’s just fun. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Do I really have to be doing this radio show?’ but I do enjoy it and once I’ve done it I’m really happy with it. I’ve also started doing it on Facebook live as well, so I’m changing it up. EDC just picked it up as well. It’s on Revolution Radio, EDC Radio, it goes on Mixcloud, Soundcloud, iTunes and now doing the Facebook live, which is nice. I enjoy it, I really enjoy it and it’s a nice process.
RR: What is your favorite thing about it and is there anyone you are hoping to have on/collaborate with soon?
WC: There are loads of people I want on it, but it’s just getting people and there schedules. I also like to get people that I have a relationship with to an extent. Because sometimes, if I don’t know the person, it’s kind of hard to interview them. I’m not an interviewer, I’m just a dude that makes music. I love the interviews where we can really have a conversation. Some artists are a bit more shy and you can’t really bring out conversations as much but then some are amazing at it. I really want to get some acts that people aren’t necessarily aware of. I want to get Faithless, Maxi Jazz is like my idol. The Chemical Brothers are like my idols as well. I just did a remix with Big Gigantic so I want to get them on. I want to get some more European stuff as well. So obviously my shows go out in America, I have a bigger profile in America but I’d like to bring an equal balance with European stuff because that’s where I’m from. I enjoy doing it.
RR: Outside of your mention of a Big Gigantic collab and tracks coming out with Becky Hill and then Huxley, anything in the works that fans can look out for, solo or Dirtybird wise?
WC: So the collab with Huxley is coming out, a music video collab is coming out with ZDS on Dirtybird, I don’t know when. There’s also an EP of just original stuff from me coming out. I know I’ll be starting my own label next year. It’s just going to be my own music, I’m not really spinning anyone else’s. That’s going to be a little bit different, people aren’t going to expect the music that’s coming on there from me. It’s just a project we’ve been working on. I’m looking forward to that as well.
RR: Just a couple of fun questions: We saw that you like to keep chocolate up on your boards, any other snacks that make the cut to come with you to your sets?
WC: Dark chocolate is the one. I don’t really drink, I don’t do drugs. It’s just all about the dark chocolate. I like Doritos, they’re pretty good. Chocolate raisins are good.
RR: What kind of cuddle do you find is the best cuddle?
WC: Any cuddle, right? Yeah, cuddling is awesome!
RR: I personally like big spoon, little spoon.
WC: Yeah, that’s a good one. But not everyone is good at being the big spoon or the little spoon. It’s a skill, haha.
We thank Will Clarke for taking the time to sit down and let us know what he has coming up in the future. Keep up with his adventures, and check to see if his Cuddle Club tour is touching down in your city here.
Thank you for the beard love Will
Connect with Will Clarke:
https://www.facebook.com/willclarkedj
https://twitter.com/djwillclarke
https://soundcloud.com/djwillclarke
http://djwillclarke.com
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