The West Coast house don gets set for a huge Summer
Interview by Dan Prince
Dude welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you right this second?
I’m in Oakland, CA at my house…
The first piece of music you heard this morning after crawling out of bed?
It was Disclosure – Bang That, which came to me on promo this morning.
So young man, you have done it again. In the words of the Buzz Chart crew, ‘Worthy has brought us a real screamer for Ibiza’. Please talk us through ‘Rusty Bone’ coming out on your Anabatic Records…
My initial idea behind Rusty Bone was to make a really fun but heady house track, the kind that I used to hear back in the 90’s. I wrote this fun bassline along with a really nice poppy and house-y snare line that grooves and bounces. Then I found this horn sample that sounded really cool. While it’s not the best recording, it is kind of dirty in a way, which I love. That’s why I called the track Rusty Bone, since it sounds like a rusty trombone being played. The rest of it just came together after I had those pieces. I added in a little bit of an acid line that follows the bass and some little vocal hits and kept the track groovin’ and movin’! Its the kind of track that I love to play in the middle of a set.
Did you know on completion you had conjured up something a bit special?
I felt it was a cool and fun track and I am happy to hear that people are feeling it and the review has been amazing so far.
I live in Ibiza where I think I am the only Cornhole player on the island. I heard about your battle in Miami with Claude, Justin and Christian…who won man?
Yahhh…we all got to playing some cornhole as part of a press piece we did for Revolt in Miami. It was me and Claude against the Martin Brothers. I had some pretty sweet tosses but in the end it became more about who had the best verbal takedowns and that was definitely Claude, he definitely had some zingers.
A lot of people thought Miami was the best ever this year, a lot thought it the worst. How was it for you?
I am a bit indifferent. I had a better year than I have had the last couple of years. I had a ton of fun at the parties and seeing all of my friends from all over the world in one place is amazing and getting to play some fun shows is always the best. It used to be way better though back in the mid 2000, so I could not say it is the best ever because of that. It was one of the best in the last 5 years though in my opinion.
What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…
– Ania Iwinska & Thee cool Cats-Hustler Parade
New one coming out on Anabatic with some crazy breakbeats and some really fun dirty bass.
– Justin Martin & Ardalan – Function (VIP Edit)
Dope ass acid edit Justin and Ardy came up with, not sure if it is coming out or not.
– Rortik – Woomp
The track that really launches my set at the moment, dirty vibes and big bass kicks.
– Claude VonStroke – Make A Cake
Claude’s new one on DB, just a really fun cheeky track that rocks, it’s got that classic dirtybird flavor to it.
– Hackney Polo Club – I Need Your Love
Bangin garage vibes on this one, I love playing this towards the end of my sets.
Couple of events we need informing about. Splash House in Palm Springs and Dirtybird Campout…a lot of people are talking about these events…what can you tell us?
Splash House is going to be dope. They do it twice during the summer at a hotel with an amazing pool that looks like the beach in the desert. I am playing the first one in June along with Christian Martin, Gina Turner, Justin Jay, Cashmere Cat and a whole bunch of others. I love Palm Springs, and we have a fun party house there, so getting to head back that way in June is going to be a ton of fun (We raged during Coachella!). As for the DB campout all I can really say are the dates at this point. It is October 2-4, but you can bet all of the big dirtybird players will be there along with our friends and it is going to be F-ing amazing.
3 crazy bucket list adventures you wanna do in your lifetime…
I’d love to go down for a Safari in Africa to see all of the big animals in their natural habitat, see the northern lights in Alaska, and I really want to see Tokyo too.
Your highlight from this year’s Coachella…
By far playing the Do Lab stage. I always have so much fun playing for them and they are just the best crew out there. This year’s set up was the best yet, I just loved how the space came together in a way that really brought the crowd. Playing for the crowd this year there just brought it out of me. My best and probably most fun set I have had like maybe ever. I jumped up on top of the tables at the end of the set it was so good. The crowd was awesome!
An album in your collection you’d hide if we came round…
Stacey Q – Two of Hearts 7”
The finest piece of Drum & Bass vinyl ever made?
Adam F – Circles, just love the synths and vibes on this one to this day
The last time you walked into a club and wanted to walk straight back out because the music was so shit?
I don’t even remember, I try to stay out of places where I know the music is going to be horrible. Probably the last time was when I was in Cabo and walked into Cabo Wabo, Sammy Hagar’s spot down there.
What is coming out next from the label…
After the Rusty Hoe EP, I have a really dope two track EP with some crazy breakbeats from Thee Cool Cats and Ania Iwinska and another two track EP after that from a new duo out of Australia called Onlooker which is really fun and bouncy with some nice big bass.
True or false : You have a dirtybird stained glass window in your house?
False now, At the apartment I used to live in with Justin Martin there is still a stained glass window of the dirtybird logo. It was made by a friend of ours Michiko Thompson. Justin still gets to lovingly gaze at it whenever he is home, which is practically never. But I do miss it.
When a dude like Carl Cox comes out and says…”The Worthy sound has always been powerful, rocking, funky, bass-driven music at its best, and for me this is the new wave in house music”…
I was pretty floored to have Carl say those words. He is such a legend in house music to have any kind of praise or even have him play a track of mine is amazing. When you start off you hope people like him notice what you are doing. it also gave me a lot of confidence in my music when he said that too.
The funniest prank a dirtybird dude has played on each other…
We had a Thanksgiving dinner in LA and Christian Martin hated this dish called Ambrosia which is this bizarre dish from the mid 1900s with a bunch of fruit mixed together. He would not touch it. It was taken from the dinner that night and at brunch the next morning we had the waiter bring it out as his main course. It was hilarious! The funniest reaction since he hated it so much. I still laugh thinking about it.
And finally, what is coming out next from yourself studio wise…
I am finishing up an EP with Yolanda Be Cool and also another with Sinden. I also have some other collabs with Eyes Everywhere and ADMN from Anabatic. Other than that I am just plugging away on making some new tunes and starting to think about the next album.
https://www.facebook.com/WorthySF
