Read the Dennis Wagner Interview below and share it on social media.
Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
My name is Dennis Wagner and I am a 17-year-old music producer and DJ from Oldenburg, Germany. I’ve always had a love for music – I remember listening to songs on my tiny iPod all day when I was 8 or 9. Then, there was this special day where my cousin – who is a DJ and producer, too – showed me his DJ-controller and I instantly knew that I want to do the same. So I began with DJing when I was 11 and taught everything myself. Same goes with the producing of electronic music which I discovered when I was 13. I’ve always been curious about how the songs I listen to are created. So I messed around with GarageBand on my dads’ old PC and several crappy music apps on the iPad when I finally got my first DAW, which is the program, I am still working with – Logic Pro X! Four years later, I probably now have a collection of thousands of ideas, many released songs on music blogs, small labels, streaming services, YouTube channels and collaborations with interesting people. My biggest dream is to make a living out of my passion and hobby. 2017 was a cool year for me – I built up my new, fresh musical being, released four original tracks, a funky bootleg, gained great support and launched a side-project with my best friend Keanu, who produces music too. It’s called “WHATNEXT?” and it’s the home for all deeper electronic music styles such as Deep & Tech House, Techno, Bass House, G House, etc. All in all, it was a great, new start for me and I am super excited for what 2018 has in store for me!
https://soundcloud.com/deeptropicalhouse/by-your-side
How would you describe your influences and how have they changed over the years?
Yes, definitely! I come from the Dubstep and heavy bass music scene. That was my first electronic genre I fell in love with and I remember being a total freak! I LITERALLY had every Dubstep song ever on my iPod and just loved the weirdness of it. I was amazed by the sound design and couldn’t understand how a human being could do something like that. I just loved the heavy, aggressive side of music – Drum & Bass, heavy 128 BPM-Electro and Trap were added to my playlists later, too. But then, when I became older, something changed. Now I hang around on SoundCloud all day to discover all the cool gems being uploaded there because I’m scared to miss something and I definitely can say – I love every genre and style now. I’m not restricted to something anymore, I am open to everything new and fresh and listen and enjoy basically everything. I even listen to some classic music like Antonio Vivaldi or Beethoven sometimes, haha! My musical taste extended strikingly. My influence is the music culture out there. Most of the time it happens like this: I’m on SoundCloud and I hear some cool stuff I really like so I feel inspired, hop to Logic and try to make something cool. From experience I can tell, it’s not the one millionth signed mainstream artist on Spinnin’ Records who inspires me but more often some random, little producer with few followers. Apart from my punctual sudden inspirations, of course there are artists I admire my whole life and who influence me, my musical thinking and my sound, style and production, too.
What´s new right now?
After releasing my new single “Memories”, I have a lot coming up! Live gigs aren’t a thing right now since I am still underage but I have a LOT of musical projects in the pipeline. I actually don’t know what song to finish first. I have a lot of unfinished songs and each one of them is completely different. Some new deeper songs I want to release under my “WHATNEXT?”-alias, lots of House stuff, experimental stuff, 140-150BPM stuff, Mid-Tempo stuff,… even some Psytrance! I enjoy diversity and want to show the people that I am a multi-genre artist who doesn’t want to produce just one genre. I’m tired of artists making the same stuff over and over again or fans who tell them what to do. You are your own master, you are the artist. Make use of your creativity and try something new everyday. Don’t be scared of stepping out of your comfort zone! Other than that, I have some finished tracks coming out on labels and blogs! Make sure to follow me on my social media such as SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so you don’t miss anything new by me! Oh, and you can add me on Snapchat, too – I sometimes post snippets of new projects there ?:)
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Sure” condition=”is” value=”Sure”]
Are you a superfan of anyone? How did you become a superfan? Do you remember how you become a fan and what turned you into super fan? Have you ever thought about why you´re such a fan?
Joel fucking Zimmerman AKA deadmau5! I’m a huge fan of this guy and I just love everything about him. I’ve been a fan of his music since I started listening to electronic music and he’s just a damn legend. He’s been around like forever and his songs are monumental. His creativity and genius just blows me away every time. The way he builds his songs, the way he does his melodies, the way he creates a vibe, the way he mixes his songs. A deadmau5 song is not like any other song for me – it’s a musical journey on highest quality possible. He’s the boss of electronic music and still proves everyone. Oh, and his asshole-attitude is awesome. He says what he’s thinking and isn’t afraid of saying something wrong or controversial. I guess he just understands how the music industry works and has a better picture of it than most people. His Twitter fights and Twitch rants are amusing and whoever disagrees that Strobe isn’t one of the best electronic pieces ever written must be an idiot. Either you love him or not but I personally just think that he’s the greatest and most fascinating electronic musician alive.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
My biggest mistake was restricting myself to one particular genre and letting others telling me to produce it. In former times, when I was producing Dubstep music exclusively, people expected Dubstep from me. In the time where my musical taste and awareness changed I released other-sounding tracks in-between and people disliked it because it wasn’t what they expected. So my tip would be: Stop listening to people who are trying to tell you what you should produce! You can create any music you want to. My music project is a multi-genre project and you’ll find many genres on my SoundCloud site.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”No” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
Do you have good promotion tips for other musicians?
As mentioned before, definitely check your social media and keep in mind that you should keep everything updated. Social media is a huge privilege in these modern times – you can reach out to people much easier and it helps artists all around the world a lot to connect with their fanbase. Also, consider other streaming services: SoundCloud is cool but other platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music are having a big time right now, too. Getting on there extends your reach! Just try everything you can and use every opportunity. Each step takes you further.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
Do you have insights on how to grow your audience on soundcloud that you want to share with our audience?
Networking and being active on social media! Uploading your music is just one step. The other step is sending the link to friends, family, producer-buddies, to promo email-addresses of DJ’s and labels and blogs. That way you can get support in terms of likes, reposts and plays. You can also use a download-gate for your song, so people automatically follow you when they want to download your track. Furthermore, make sure to share your uploaded music on your social media. Keep it updated, so your fans and followers can stay updated with your music. Post about it on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram. That’s the promotion you can yourself without any budget.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
I’m struggling with finishing my songs. I often rather begin new projects and ideas than finishing an older project. That’s the biggest challenge right now.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
How do you personally discover new music?
I browse SoundCloud all the time. I’m actually addicted to refreshing my stream and listening to every single song. Then I go to profiles, listen to recommended tunes or tracks they reposted, etc. It’s a daily habit of me to listen to all these tracks. I write down all cool tracks I discover so I can find them later. I’d be a cool talent scout for labels I guess, haha.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
Once you discovered new music, do you tell others about the new music/artist you discovered? If yes, how exactly?
“Sure, part of music is sharing it with others! I love to share stuff I enjoy with other people so I send around links to my friends.
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
What is your number one tip to improve your music production or songwriting skills?
Produce music everyday. When you do something frequently, you get better at it. Also, watch tutorials on YouTube – there’s some great stuff on there! For example when you think your songs could have a better mixdown or when you’re trying to get for a certain sound/synth you can search that up and you get plenty of useful tips I guess!
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
What is your best tip for those who struggle with finishing their tracks?
You’re definitely asking the wrong person ?
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”No” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
We meet again in one year. What has changed?
[/gravityforms]
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”Yes” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
[/gravityforms]
http://www.soundcloud.com/denniswagner
http://www.facebook.com/denniswagnermusic
http://www.twitter.com/denniswgner
http://www.instagram.com/dennis_wgner
[gravityforms action=”conditional” merge_tag=”” condition=”is” value=”Yes”]
Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
[/gravityforms]