Owen Westlake

Owen Westlake is already well on the way to becoming an established hit maker, the London based producer and DJ has now sensationally and some could argue randomly propelled into the spotlight by of British footballs biggest names, Steven Gerrard. After his 2016 track ‘So Much Love’ appeared on a viral video posted by Rangers F.C. manager Steven Gerrard, sound tracking his journey into the stadium to celebrate the win. Alongside earning himself a place in Rangers’ footballing folklore, Owen’s track has been picked up for re-release by FFRR Music.

Brought back into consciousness, ‘So Much Love’ held #1 on UK Spotify Viral Chart for 4 weeks and is currently #35 in the Shazam chart, as well as making gains in the iTunes Dance Chart and being added to many playlists. In addition, Owen’s track has so far picked up an incredible 6 Million streams to date, as the track is set to soundtrack the summer. With the record now showing its true potential, Owen Westlake shares his hidden gem with the world.

Owen Westlake has been immersed in music all his life, from early inspirations such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles and The Red Hot Chilli Pepper to his electronic music influences coming in the form of Massive Attack and The Chemical Brothers. Winning a Beatport competition for a remix of trance legend Tiesto, brought him his first success as an electronic music producer, the same remix also appeared on an episode of US TV drama Grey’s Anatomy.

Now sensationally, ‘So Much Love’ has re-emerged, thanks to a viral video from football star Steven Gerrard. As Gerrard drove into Rangers home ground, Ibrox he was met by thousands of adorning fans to celebrate their monumental title win. Playing through Gerrard’s car stereo that day, was Westlake’s track and unbeknown to him the track had caught the attention of the world.

 

Hi Owen, it’s great to speak to you – first of all congratulations on the re-release of ‘So Much Love’, it must be quite surreal for you for this to get picked up by a label such as FFRR?

Thank you, yes it was all very surreal. Due to the record being part of a viral moment there was a lot of interest and some amazing options on the table. It was really hard choosing a label, a very nice problem to have! I got a really good vibe from the FFRR team, I knew the record would be in good hands. 

Download/Stream Link: https://ffrr.lnk.to/SoMuchLove

The story behind how the track came back into the spotlight, is great – can you remember how you found out about it and what was your reaction?

Sure, so I was out on walk during lockdown when a mate text me about a reddit feed that was blowing up online. There was a video of Steven Gerrard driving into Ibrox stadium right when the Glasgow Rangers were winning the league. Gerrard had my track ‘So Much Love’ blasting out from his car to all the fans. I honestly didn’t think that much of it at first, I thought it was just a fun video and a nice moment for the Ranger fans, but then a couple days later my phone started ringing, with interest from the labels, that’s when things got really exciting.

With over 5 years since its original release, ‘So Much Love’ still sounds new and fresh – did you imagine it would have this impact when you originally produced the track?

I always liked the record and I remember being excited about releasing it back in 2016. The record did ok back then, but it never really took off. The viral moment that Steven Gerrard and the Rangers fans created really helped put the record on the map. I’m just so happy that it has had another chance to shine.

Can you tell us a little about your influences as an artist, when did you first get into electronic music?  

I used to play in bands in my teen years, mostly rock, but then I got into electronic music through artists like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack. I started producing first and then DJing came second. I fell in love with mixing house records and this bled over into my studio production. I’ve been hooked ever since. 

As we move out of the pandemic, do you have any plans to play to a crowd? I can imagine the track blowing up whilst clubs have been shut to be a weird experience.

Yeah it’s been a weird year for music. Dance music naturally makes more sense when played out loud to a crowd. I’m looking forward to some more gigs this summer and for people to hear ‘So Much Love’ the way it was intended.

I read that you had somewhat given up on your career as a producer and had moved into another line of work, has ‘So Much Love’ being re-released reignited those dreams?

So it’s true to say that music has been more of a secondary focus of my time these past few years. I’ve still been producing and releasing music, just under a different alias. With that being said, with the record doing so well now, and with this new opportunity with FFRR, I am now back in the studio full-time working on new music to follow up with.

Can you give us your top 3 tracks of summer?

Ahh it’s so hard to choose, literally so many…. I’m really enjoying these three at the minute.

Talamanca – Burns

Morenita feat. Cumbiafrica – Hugel

Heater – Hot Since 82

Can you name your favourite from the last 12 months?

I can’t pick favourites… but Thin Line by GUZ & John Summit has got clocked up a ton of plays on my iTunes this passed year.

And finally, what else can we expect from you in the next few months?

I’m working on a remix at the moment. Also working on a follow up with FFRR. And hopefully a few gigs here and there now that restrictions are lifted.