William Kouam Djoko is a fast rising talent hailing from Amsterdam who’s been gaining plenty of hype recently. An exclusive resident for Carnival Cities at Sankeys Ibiza this year, his sets are a mix of raw, upfront techno, disco, house, pop, and everything in between. And that’s what makes William so enthralling. He’s not afraid to polarize, to be himself, to have fun. And though he might lose a potential fan from time to time, that’s okay. It’s all a part of the process. Fans aside, William understands that the most important factor in any artist’s life is creative flexibility, which he has plenty of. And although he’s a relative newcomer on the international scene, it’s obvious he understands exactly what he’s doing, forging a solid base at home through labels such as Rush Hour, clubs like Trouw and collaborations with good friends such as Tom Trago.
We caught up with William on the beach near his hotel in Talamanca to chat about his new found success, how he views music, and what it’s been like to finally come to Ibiza in our latest Quick Fire grilling.
William, welcome. How are you doing? Pretty good man. Excited to be able to come out here every other week. It’s almost like a dream come true to have a residency here.”
How’s your summer been? Pretty good man. Pretty hectic, but this year it’s finally kicking off. I’ve been working on music for a long time now, about 9 years, so this year is pretty hectic already, a lot of gigs touring, and I’m pretty happy about that.
Are you finding any time to get into the studio? I just moved into a new place at the beginning of this year. Before that I had a house and a separate studio outside of my house, so I’ve been doing music for a bit, but to be honest, I’ve had a couple of months where I’ve had writer's block. I just took on a new remix on for Lessizmore, and I think that’s going to be getting me back into the groove.
Do you think the writer's block comes from being so busy all of the sudden? Yeah, that, and like I said, it’s a new place. You always have to adjust. You have to find your sweet spot. My M.O. is a bit off since I had to move. I’m not worried about it though. It just happens from time to time.
How’s your recent release on Leftroom doing? Pretty good man. The feedback has been huge. I’m really happy with it. Matt took me on board. From the moment we met and said he wanted to put out some tracks of mine, he gave me all the confidence to stay relaxed, and now I’ve got the feedback sheets back, and it’s pretty amazing. When I play the track, people already know it, so of course that’s pretty huge. And I’ve got a remix from Matthew Herbert, who is one of my greatest inspirations house music wise. It’s amazing.
The first time you were on stage was when you were MCing a friend’s party. Is that where you got you flare for live vocals? Yeah I think so. I always was an entertainer, so to say. I just didn’t have a place to vent that side of myself. The guys just gave me a microphone an said ‘well you’re good at speaking English and you don’t have any stage fright, so let’s see what happens.’ And that turned into something pretty cool. I do a lot of live vocals on my tracks, and I do a lot of live shows. I like to mix it up, give them a little extra show. It was something that came naturally.
Who were some of your inspirations coming up in the scene? One of the greatest inspirations to me has always been DJ Koze. How he perceives music, taking the complete piss out of music but being a total geek sound-wise, that really appeals to me. And then guys like Richie Hawtin and Ricardo Villalobos, because I came into this music when the minimal hype was coming up. But I don’t know? I recently went to Pitch Festival here in Amsterdam where I got to see James Blake perform live for the first time. I was thoroughly impressed by what I heard and saw on stage – so fragile and powerful and the same time. Very much inspiring to see a show like that with myself also having ambitions in moving into more concert like shows instead of DJ and live sets.”
When you’re on the plane and you pop on your mp3 player, who’s the first person to pop up? Often times I just listen to music on YouTube and put it in my favorites list, and don’t always necessarily remember the artist’s name. That way I listen to a lot of different music. It goes from house to techno to soul to R n’ B to the grimy stuff, then electronic and jazz. Exactly how I do my music.
As I’m sure you know, Dutch house is seen as a bit of a dirty phrase in the underground. Do you see your type of music growing in Holland? Of course it is. I mean, Dutch house, as much as I don’t like listening to it, I still appreciate that it’s out there. When I started listening to electronic music, it was all Top 40 stuff, and I was like, ‘wow, this is it!’ But then you grow older and you start to think, ‘wait a minute, what is this one trick pony really all about?’ And you start to listen to music in a different way, and that’s how you get into the underground. It also encourages underground artists to pop up, making things stronger.
And in Amsterdam, are there more underground artists popping up? Yeah definitely. Amsterdam is one big artist community. We have tons of friends who are DJs and producers who are becoming very successful at the moment, which is amazing to be apart of and to see that grow. In Amsterdam, the scene, as I like to say, is overly healthy. So there are so many clubs, which are filled constantly, and they’re really up for it, know their music, and support their local underground artists. So I think it’s really good.
Last year was your first time playing in Ibiza? Yeah. I had a few gigs at a club called Plastik, but I consider this to me my first real time playing in Ibiza. That was just dipping my toes into the water.
Had you visited Ibiza before? Nope. That was my first time coming. This year I’m really learning about the island – where the good food spots are, the clubs, how everything works a little bit.
Are you enjoying it? I am!
Does it live up to the hype? Totally. It’s got the busy parts, but if you want to go and chill out, you’ve got places to do that, so it’s like a small paradise.
How does playing out here compare to playing other gigs around the world, or back at home? The thing with Ibiza, it’s a party island. So when people go out to the club, their mindset is ‘we’re only here for a wee,k so we’ve got to make the most out of it.’ People are really giving their all, which motivates me to give my all, which I love doing in the first place. The energy with Sankeys has been amazing. Really good.
How did the residency with Carnival pop up? It sort of just happened. Jorn (his manager) got contacted by BONES. Initially was just to play one time, and it turned into a residency. It’s been really nice. Like I said, the energy has been really good, and the team there make me feel really at home. I’m really, really grateful. Sankeys is doing one hell of a job this season.
Have you had a chance to sample some Hierbas yet? It’s my new favorite pastime! We should get some after this interview.
Do you have any big projects coming up? I thought you’d never ask! I’ve got a big project coming up which is really exciting for me. In Holland I’ve been booked for the Lowlands Festival, which I consider to be the spot to be booked at in Holland. I’m really, really thankful that we could get together. The last two years I’ve been there just as a visitor, and it’s really been influencing me in how I DJ and how I work. Last year I got influenced by DJ Spinn and Rashad, which is like 160 BPM. When I got home, my ego died a certain death. All the partying and no sleep. But after a few days I got into the studio, and within two hours made this track at 174 BPM. It’s going to come out in October on Voyage Direct, a Rush Hour sub-label, and I’m going to get a video with it. I saw the first footage of it.
It’s going to be different. I don’t even know what genre the track is going to be. I’m calling it Africa tech. I don’t know what the reactions are going to be. But we’re doing a whole package with it. There’s going to be a tailor-made outfit made by a really cool designer in Amsterdam, a photo shoot, an animated music video… Because it’s 174 BPM, there’s a chance a lot of DJs will just look past it. But with the video and everything, we’re bringing a whole package – a concept, really.
Is that something you can play on stage? When I play a live show I do. I take the mic, take the tempo down to 80 or 90 BPM, and people are like ‘what’s going on?’ Then I start on the track at double tempo, and that can obviously lead to very surprising reactions. Some people get it, some people don’t. I played it in Moscow last week and some people went completely berserk, and some people were just looking at me like ‘what is that African guy doing on stage?’ But I don’t mind that. Don’t take things too seriously. I mean, I take music seriously, but only to a certain extent. There has to be room for fun, and that’s the feeling I try to convey every time I play.
Constant reinvention is something William strives for, and it shows. One of the most refreshing new talents, it’s clear that he’s cutting his own path, all the more important in a time when the market is more overcrowded than ever. In staying true to himself, William reminds us all that we shouldn’t forget what it’s all about – having fun.
William Kouam Djoko plays Carnival Cities at Sankeys Ibiza on 7 September and 28 September (closing party).