Mancunian rising DJ & Producer Wiles is one of the bright young DJs soundtracking the As One In The Park Festival alongside headliners such as Fat Tony, Bimini, Absolute, Melvo Baptiste and more on Saturday July 19th at Ealing’s Walpole Park. Chosen as ‘One To Watch’ by Capital Dance and FutureDance on BBC Radio 1, Wiles is known for his uplifting, bouncy and energetic sound and has just released his new “Kickin It” track on Love & Other/Toolroom. With tracks like “Work That Body” (Stashed) and Grammy Nominated Kelli-Leigh’s “Broken Heart”(Wiles Remix), Wiles is hugely supported by tastemakers such as Meduza, Riordan, Arielle Free and Girls Don’t Sync.
Wiles is the founder of the successful queer club night, Lil Miss Jackie, with events across the UK and Ibiza featuring headliners like Kelli-Leigh, Charlie Powell, Tough Love & 90’s dance icon, Angie Brown. His DJ career has seen him play at Apollo, Barcelona and NYX, Amsterdam whilst in London he’s played leading events such as Feel It, LoveJuice and Roast.
DMCWORLD dives in…
Hey Wiles it’s great to catch up with you with your new “Kickin It” release just out on Love & Other/Toolroom and releases such as “Work That Body” (Stashed) and the Grammy Nominated Kelli-Leigh’s “Broken Heart”(Wiles Remix), can you tell us about the music you make and your sound and how you came to make this banging new tune?
The music I make is very 90’s inspired, and it’s upbeat and fast tempo! I love anything energetic and that really gets the crowd going, so a lot of the music I make is the essence of high energy and very feel good! “Kickin’ It” is probably my most supported track to date and it was inspired by the ravey 90’s club scene and has a really plucky bassline and big drums. I made this track in between some other projects I was working on and it kinda just fell together. Funnily enough, it was probably the easiest track I have worked on, sometimes less is more!
You’re playing the As One In The Park Festival on Saturday July 19th and how important it is to have festivals such as this celebrating diversity and pride? What are you most looking forward to on the day, and is there anyone special you’ll be watching out for?
This is my second time playing at As One In The Park, and last time I had the best time in the Main Dance Tent! Myself and the Lil Miss Jackie team did a fantastic job, and the dancers Emma & Boss really made the set for me as they really brought the energy, which really reflected on the crowd! It feels super important to me to play for such a diverse festival that encourages every identity within the queer community! I wish we had more festivals like it!
As a DJ you’ve played at some of Europe’s premier clubs such as Apollo, Barcelona; NYX, Amsterdam and London flagship events such as Feel It at Omeara, LoveJuice at the CopperBox Arena, Ministry of Sound, WikiWoo, Ibiza at 93 Feet East, and Roast, and what have been you highlights playing Live so far and what makes them so special/stand out?
I really loved playing in Barcelona to be honest, Outhaus/Sweetie Darling was the brand I played for and it was super super fun. I really liked having the decks in the centre of the venue which created a much more intimate environment. Being on stages is great, but I’m a raver at heart so I really do thrive when I’m in the thick of the crowd.
You also run your own successful queer club night called ‘Lil Miss Jackie’ across the U.K & Ibiza, with headliners including Kelli-Leigh, Charlie Powell, Tough Love & 90’s Dance icon Angie Brown, and what made you start running your own event? What was the first event like and what have been your favourite memories so far?
I started the night with my business partner, Marco, who’s an incredible event manager, and I DJ’d and had all the connections! At the time it was something we wanted to do together to leave our mark on the industry and I think we really achieved that! We now have a full team and have expanded up north, prominently in Manchester. Jackie P is our house mother and Dullage our resident DJ and also Marketing Director. I couldn’t achieve what we have without all 3 of them and they’re the best people to work with! The best memory was our very first event in Brixton. It was absolute chaos but in the most beautiful way, we had The Vivienne and Baga Chips raving with their wigs off, Honey G was break dancing and my best friends all DJ’d at it was the funniest night and everyone loved the vibes!
When did you start making music and what inspired you to start producing?
I started making music around 2 years ago. My best friend, Forbid, who is also on the line up for As One In The Park has probably been one of my biggest influences in music and is an incredible DJ and even better producer. I also couldn’t find edits and remixes of all the tracks I wanted to play, so I just started to make my own. And now they have been supported across the world from likes of Radio 1, Kiss FM, Capital Dance etc! It really makes me feel like I’ve got my own little mark on the world!
Your first release was the Work That Body and what’s the track you feel/felt the most excited about while in the process of making it?
My favourite track I’ve actually made is probably my Edit of Rui Da Silva’s “Touch Me”. I was obsessed with this track growing up and used to have my parents play it on repeat! And I got the seal of approval from Rui Da Silva himself which felt extra special!
How did you first get into the house/techno scene and can you tell us about the scene as you experienced it and your favourite raves/events? What was the first House/techno record you ever heard and who clued you up to House music and when?
I actually was taught to DJ by a 90’s DJ called Flip N Fill. They released a track called “Shooting Star” in the early 2000’s and it just so happened that my Mum was friends with one of them, called Mark Hall and he taught me everything I know about music! My favorite event to go to would probably be Jamie Jones’ Paradise in Ibiza and I’ve had countless amazing nights here over the years and just love the music so much!
Who are your major musical influences and how have they informed your music making?
I would say Girls Don’t Sync as these girls have absolutely smashed it and really highlighted what DJ’ing is about, and that’s just having fun, leaving the seriousness at the door and they’ve managed to do this collectively as best friends and are now hitting all the major festivals and venues! I bloody love them! Patrick Topping is another influence who has managed to create an empire, TRICK, which is so inspirational to me as I’m kind of following a similar path!
What was your first big break and what did it lead on to?
I think self releasing “Work That Body” was a big moment for me as DJ SKT approached me at the time and signed this record to his label. This then led to the track being played at EDC in Vegas in front of 35,000 people. It really helped me get all my other records signed by record labels and then this lead to support on national radio. So it was a domino effect in a way!
How’s summer 2025 going as you ramp up the releases and events, what can we look forward to hearing or seeing you Live at?
This has been my biggest summer yet for my releases and there’s till have more music scheduled. My next release is in August which is a big one and I’ve also just signed my first remix to a major label which was on my bucket list! Gig wise, I have the biggest gig of my life to announce which will be in November, and some cracking gigs in between now and then! Hopefully the new year will bring some even bigger opportunities.
Wiles joins a huge DJ line up that includes Fat Tony, Bimini, Absolute, Melvo Baptiste, HotandBothered DJs and many more bringing the beats to the As One In The Park Festival taking place on Saturday July 19th at Ealing’s Walpole Park. Live cabaret, comedy and more from headliners such as Danny Beard, La Voix, Tayce and Cara Melle on the Cabaret plus 2 other arenas, with cocktail bars, a food court and VIP Area also…
Tickets: https://www.asoneinthepark.co.uk/tickets
Line Up: DJs across 5 Arenas & Tents including Fat Tony, Bimini, Absolute, Melvo Baptiste, Anne Louise, Mario Beckman, Callie Crighton, Hot and Bothered, Prince Jay Jay, Forbid, Tasty Tim and Monroe
Plus Ethan Denton, Flav Thomsen, Yvette Lindquist, Fabio Luigi, Liam Chaplin, Ross Anderson, Raul Botella, Cactushead, Lee Harris, Victoria Peckham, Rita Lin, Arnaldo Novais, El Conchitas, Thomas Anthony, Suni Side Up and Toby Lawrence
Drag Cabaret Stage; hosted by superstars Danny Beard and La Voix with Cara Melle, Tayce, Kiki Snatch, Brandy X, Scarlett Harlett, Son Of A Tutu, Tanya Hyde, Paige Three, Lola McQueen, Dramala Tina
Queer Dance Companies: Homoparody and Rainbow Nation
Collectives: We Party, Beyond, Beefmince, House of Trash, G.irls, On Nation, Mint, UOKHUN? featuring DJs Rita Lin, Victoria Peckham ++
Tickets: from https://www.asoneinthepark.co.uk/tickets
For more info and updates