Walker & Lois.
Miles Heidenreich @2ndnaturephoto.com
It’s more than just a tech house. It’s more than just a quirky beat. It’s not just a funk-filled sound. It’s playful. It’s multifaceted. It’s progressive.
Walker and Lois.
Gavin Royce, one half of the project, says when he first started, he listened to underground music because he felt he needed to “get people dancing.” For this reason, their music is centered around vocals, making it appealing even to people who don’t normally listen to house music. Royce points to examples of people who don’t even like the genre saying they like the project’s music.
“I’m trying to cultivate openness and bring people in,” he says. “Our music is unpretentious. I think there’s a lot of pretense in dance music that doesn’t belong there, but our idea was to create this open door and say, ‘No matter what. I feel like everyone is invited.”
But Sam Walker, the other half of the duo, says this poses the challenge of continuing to impress audiences. For them, each studio session is a blank canvas. Because they know that copying what has been done in the past doesn’t work. Walker & Royce has proven to be constantly reinventing themselves. This is a remarkable feat as they never release music that sounds the same. This doesn’t happen often in today’s dance music world.
“Some people are good at rinse and repeat. I don’t think we are," says Lois.
Walker & Lois released their debut album, Self Help, in 2017.
Miles Heidenreich @2ndnaturephoto.com
The project’s sound is not only constantly evolving, but also genre-defying. This dynamic duo may be best known as tech house, but they’re so much more than that. They certainly weave a diverse tapestry of sounds, from drum’n’bass to deep house to neo-disco. They may look to the sounds of dance music’s past, but they don’t just imitate them, they reconceptualize them. Indeed, Walker & Royce continually demonstrate their ability to create a variety of sounds while staying true to the signature eccentric style that has brought them to the forefront of the scene.
The project did it again with their second album, No Big Deal, released earlier this year.
But that’s a big deal.
Released on the acclaimed Dirtybird label, the 10-track body of work features quirky, funky rhythms, pounding, playful basslines, haunting tunes, pervasive, swirling synths, computer-like sounds, drums, and more. Bass, choppy beats, techno tracks, sharp melodies, chiming soundscapes, festival heaters, progressive elements and a sense of boldness, authority and fun. Indeed, No Big Deal stands out as the LP exemplifies the project’s ability to create tracks designed to dominate the dance floor and its relentless commitment to representing the future of modern house music. It turns out that the name is exactly the opposite.
According to Royce, the album features a darker, more intense sound, best seen on “Fatalistic Groove.” The inclusion of harsh songs hasn’t been as evident in past releases, but No Big Deal does so by featuring techno. According to Walker, the genre is often considered serious. But in true Walker & Royce fashion, they still find ways to implement that “weird and silly” personality.
“Let’s make techno fun again,” says Lois.
Techno is an example of sound designers expanding their sonic horizons outside of house music, and they also created two drum’n’bass tracks for the long play. Walker says that in the past they “haven’t been able to pull off drum and bass playing in a deejay set,” but these two songs show they now have the skills to do it. It shows. Taking risks to create songs in that genre has proven to be fun for the duo, he says.
Additionally, Royce said artists are instructed to categorize their albums into specific genres when submitting them. He thinks he would normally choose house or tech house, but because the LP features multiple genres, he chose electropop for No Big Deal. There are a lot of songs on the album, but one thing is for sure. It’s a cohesive force that allows tastemakers to tell a seamless story.
This LP in particular features some memorable collaborations, including Indo-Canadian hip-hop artist Harm Franklin, South Central vocalist Barney Bones, comedic musician Reggie Watts, and Newport Beach native VNSSA. Featured.
The album unfolds in four parts, with the final release being the sum of all installments. Royce says streaming has forced listeners to focus more on singles and less time on albums. He notes that the four-part release not only made the LP more understandable, but also allowed the Rules Don’t apply label bosses to tweak later songs to be dropped based on their live performances. He added that it became. He said the plan allowed for more songs to get attention, and that releasing an album in today’s streaming era can result in just one record getting attention while other records fade. He said there is.
“I think that helped because we put out four things on our first set of tracks and that got people’s attention,” Walker says. “Then when we started making additional songs, people are now paying a lot of attention, and when those songs came out, we actually got a lot of direct attention, which was really nice. ”We like to expand the variety of tracks that were out there, so we didn’t want to release two more house tracks at the same time, so we released “I Don’t Remember” along with “Tha Tea.” . ”
Walker & Royce’s first EP was “Escapade”, released in 2018.
Miles Heidenreich @2ndnaturephoto.com
No Big Deal marks the project’s return to Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird label, whose last release on the esteemed label was 2022’s Feel the Vibe. According to Royce, a major record company “saved” the duo because it felt they had “reached their peak.” While they were still playing shows, Walker & Royce was advertised as supporting concerts, so people came primarily for the headline act. Walker added that they also felt like they weren’t connecting with the audience at this time.
Then they were asked to play at the Dirty Bird Campout.
Royce said she felt they had been booked into the festival “randomly”. They were asked to perform because they belong to Pets Recordings, a label run by Catz ‘n Dogz, and because they are American, the festival paid for them to obtain visas. He suspects he didn’t have to pay.
Additionally, Royce says that around this time, in 2018, Dirty Bird was becoming more popular. He says Walker & Royce were “looking for something new” sonically, while the label wanted a fresh, creative sound.
“It was just the perfect marriage,” says Lois. “We thought it would be over for the most part. Dirtybird changed everything. After doing Self Help, I feel like things really clicked. Coming back[to the label]I’m glad I was able to do that.”
Dirtybird has changed since its debut release on the imprint. Dirtybird founder Claude VonStoke took a hiatus to pursue a bass music-driven side project called Barclay Crenshaw, his legal name. Walker and Lois become part of the crew to advance the Dirty Bird flock.
As for the most important challenge they’ve faced so far, Royce says it’s been “pure stubbornness.” He added that people sometimes asked him when he was going to give up on the project. Walker says time has helped him figure this out. Because he was having problems with his wife about not making any money from the project, and she wanted him to quit. Walker was on the verge of giving up, but everything changed when he signed with the Dirty Birds.
Without this famous label, the world might not have been able to enjoy the funky, quirky, playful, forward-thinking music this duo releases. Given that the project is supported by notable artists such as Sasha, Adam Beyer, Eats Everything, Maceo Plex, Gorgon City, and Loco Dice, Walker & Royce’s abandonment will change dance music. Some may wonder if it had such an impact. But one thing is for sure: the project’s commitment to technology is pushing the tech house and house music scene forward, and vindicating the project’s decision to keep making music.
Catch Walker & Royce supporting John Summitt at Coe Palace in California on Friday, October 18th. Tickets are available here.
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