Bosses #1: Dyro

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Bosses #1: Dyro

What’s more exciting than an artist who’s willing to break the mold, push boundaries and set new rules?

An artist who does all of that and does it without compromise on their own brand.

Bosses is a new series that focuses on artists – breakthrough and big league – who have established their own brand on their own terms. First up: Dyro.

UKF caught up with Dyro two months ago at TomorrowWorld, but we knew there was a lot more to the young Dutch producer’s story. He’s only 22 and has already reached some very impressive milestones. He’s released massive tracks on the influential Revealed Recordings and toured with some of the biggest names on the scene… But perhaps his proudest accolade is the creation of his new label, WOLV Records. With three releases to date since launching in August, Dyro is quickly earning a title as Amsterdam’s electro house frontrunner.

Before his X Tour show with Bassjackers last Friday night in New York City, we sat down with Dyro to chat about his new imprint. Here’s what we learned…

You are your own boss

“It’s really cool to have creative freedom. Usually at large labels you have to deal with A&R managers and what people expect of you, but now, I’m the A&R manager so I decide what I want to release. It’s refreshing: I can do whatever, experiment with new sounds and different influences.”

But the pressure is on

“Since launching in August, we’ve released three songs and signed seven others. For a label that just started, we’re doing decently on the charts—with at least top 20s for every track. WOLV was one of the most played songs on Tracklist. Welcome did really well, and Against All Odds was one of the most-played songs last month.

I really think we’ve got something. Crowds reacted well when the music was premiered at TomorrowWorld. It’s a different sound, but it fits well into my other sets. When people get into the music and understand what I’m playing, they get the songs and that’s what I’m after.”

There are challenges that come along with it

“It’s a lot of investing at first. A lot of people don’t realize that the moment you start a label, you aren’t going to see income for two years. It costs a lot of money but it’s worth it.

I could say getting into the charts is a bit of a challenge, but the charts matter only so much. At the end of the day I just care that my fans are listening and are happy.”

At first it was WOLF but I accidentally misspelled it and it actually looked cool.

Precision branding with no compromise

“I have a really clear picture of what I want everything to look like and how I want the brand presented. Even the name—at first it was WOLF but I accidentally misspelled it and it actually looked cool. There was so much we could brand around the name WOLV that stuck with me, and it kept coming back to me so we knew it was the right decision.

We have an amazing design and visual artist team. I’m lucky to have such an amazing partner who understands what I want, because I can be a difficult person to work with.”

A chance to channel the next generation of up and coming producers….

“The market is really saturated with a generic sound at the moment, so we’re looking for something different and new. There is so much unknown talent out there that deserves recognition and deserves to be heard. We’re looking for that new talent— more to the electro side— who maybe don’t have something to commit to at the moment or a label to release on. I want to be that portal for them.

I feel like I owe it to them, too. A lot of people helped me, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s not all about your own stardom, you should be able to share it with others.”

… By capturing their attention in a unique, creative way.

“We’re about to launch a Production Month with Dyro’s Diaries and in collaboration with Splice to show people how I produce. We want to combine it with a video series of me taking a song apart to show everything I put into a song.

This is how I want to address new guys and inspire them. I get a lot of demos that are very inspired by the first three releases of WOLV, and that means a lot to me. It’s not copying—they like my song and want to make something like it. It feels good when you’re making a new sound and people are jumping on it. I signed a couple of new guys like that.”

When you put aside your ego, you give artistic freedom to new talent.

“How I look at my own productions is how I look at my own label, so I won’t release anything unless I’m fully satisfied. For example, with the second release by Bali Bandits, Welcome, I got the demo and was like ‘wow this is cool, I want to release this’ but then I asked for the parts to mix it down myself. It changed so much that it became a remix. I really should stop doing that and accept that sometimes tracks can’t always be exactly how you want, and you should give new guys their artistic freedom.

I’m really excited, you know? I’ve never been my own boss before, and I think we’re going in a really cool and new direction.”