Acclaimed Washington D.C. DJ and owner of U Street Music Hall opened for a killer Duke Dumont show at 9:30 Club on Saturday night. He then strolled back down the block to U Street to host an incredible after party featuring Outputmessage and Caleb L’Etoile. Our TapSongz Team was lucky enough to catch up with Will during this incredible night and ask him some questions about the D.C. music scene:
Tapsongz: How do you feel about your genre in D.C. and the future of house music?
Will: The genre is really doing quite well right now, I mean we have Duke here playing a sold out show. I feel like in general house music is reaching more people now and there are countless sub genres, and it’s fun to watch those sub genres grow and develop. And really I’m just happy that there’s so much good music out right now – it’s a very fun time to be a DJ and an inspiring time to be a music producer.
Tapsongz: Do you have a favorite artist in the genre or outside of it?
Will: Duke’s one of my favorite guys, I’ve been following him since 2006 or 2007. I like all sorts of stuff – in D.C. the guys in Hotel Garuda, Autograf from Chicago is doing very well, Eau Claire from D.C., my friend Pat Lok in Vancouver, Option4 in Denver, Classixx in L.A. They’re all just making beautiful dance music – it’s a fun time to be alive.
Tapsongz: Would you ever consider leaving D.C. for more than a tour?
Will: I’ve gone on tours before but I always come back. I’ve lived in DC for twenty years and I love it because it has a very energetic and intelligent vibe, but it’s also a village in a way. It’s very green and, to be honest, I have an underdog kind of attitude, and music is not the industry in DC – it’s politics. A lot of my friends have moved to L.A. or they live in New York but for me, I kind of like the fact that it’s a challenge to do music here; I’ve always had that sort of rebellious spirit where I just want to do my thing and make it work, so D.C. works for me in that way.
Tapsongz: What is the future for U Street Music Hall?
Will: Well we’d like to continue to do great programming and continue to have great sound and continue to create a great vibe for people who come and party with us.
Tapsongz: How much of your show do you make up as you’re going?
Will: All of it. You can’t plan it in advance because it’ll fail – you have to read the crowd and go with the gut. It’s kind of like the force – I’m only half joking. It’s like use the force. I’m a big Star Wars nerd. Just trust your gut and go with your instincts – that’s the thing that tells you what you should be doing with your life.
Be sure to follow Will Eastman on SoundCloud and in his social media links below to supporting the rising DJ! Below is a link to U Street Music Hall in Washington D.C., where you can see upcoming performances and shows. Here at TapSongz, we thank you for reading this feature article as we continue finding tomorrow’s greatest music today!
Tapsongz: How do you feel about your genre in D.C. and the future of house music?
Will: The genre is really doing quite well right now, I mean we have Duke here playing a sold out show. I feel like in general house music is reaching more people now and there are countless sub genres, and it’s fun to watch those sub genres grow and develop. And really I’m just happy that there’s so much good music out right now – it’s a very fun time to be a DJ and an inspiring time to be a music producer.
Tapsongz: Do you have a favorite artist in the genre or outside of it?
Will: Duke’s one of my favorite guys, I’ve been following him since 2006 or 2007. I like all sorts of stuff – in D.C. the guys in Hotel Garuda, Autograf from Chicago is doing very well, Eau Claire from D.C., my friend Pat Lok in Vancouver, Option4 in Denver, Classixx in L.A. They’re all just making beautiful dance music – it’s a fun time to be alive.
Tapsongz: Would you ever consider leaving D.C. for more than a tour?
Will: I’ve gone on tours before but I always come back. I’ve lived in DC for twenty years and I love it because it has a very energetic and intelligent vibe, but it’s also a village in a way. It’s very green and, to be honest, I have an underdog kind of attitude, and music is not the industry in DC – it’s politics. A lot of my friends have moved to L.A. or they live in New York but for me, I kind of like the fact that it’s a challenge to do music here; I’ve always had that sort of rebellious spirit where I just want to do my thing and make it work, so D.C. works for me in that way.
Tapsongz: What is the future for U Street Music Hall?
Will: Well we’d like to continue to do great programming and continue to have great sound and continue to create a great vibe for people who come and party with us.
Tapsongz: How much of your show do you make up as you’re going?
Will: All of it. You can’t plan it in advance because it’ll fail – you have to read the crowd and go with the gut. It’s kind of like the force – I’m only half joking. It’s like use the force. I’m a big Star Wars nerd. Just trust your gut and go with your instincts – that’s the thing that tells you what you should be doing with your life.
Be sure to follow Will Eastman on SoundCloud and in his social media links below to supporting the rising DJ! Below is a link to U Street Music Hall in Washington D.C., where you can see upcoming performances and shows. Here at TapSongz, we thank you for reading this feature article as we continue finding tomorrow’s greatest music today!