Wayne & Woods and Henrix talk teamwork in advance of ‘Jumangee’ release
It’s not every day that two of Dancing Astronaut’s top Artists to Watch team up together in the studio. With their forthcoming single “Jumangee” set to drop next week on Size Records, Wayne & Woods and Henrix sat down to talk about the collaborative process behind the biggest release of their collective careers to date.
The track traces its history back to December of last year, when Henrix hit up the Swedish duo on Twitter following their free download release of “Pyramid.”
“I told them I really liked it and we decided to work on a track together,” Henrix says. “I had a drop idea for it and I sent it to them. They liked it and, in the matter of a day, they had a melody going on as well. So we just started sending stuff back and forth.”
Despite having not yet met in person and using different software (Wayne & Woods use Ableton Live, whereas Henrix swears by Logic), the producers found immediate collaborative chemistry as the track ricocheted between Miami and Stockholm swiftly taking shape.
“I think we all have our own strengths in each way,” says Henrix. “We changed that melody almost every day for a week, taking out and adding notes. We just kind of vibed off each other and added sounds that the other might not have.”
“Henrix kind of has the same vibe we do, he likes to do deep kicks and some other things we do too,” says Woods. “He sent the track then I kinda rearranged it in a day. It went so fast that I think we had the first draft after just two days.”
“Jumangee” – named for the prominent African vocal chant sample in an homage to a book and movie about a magic board game – will be Wayne & Woods’ their first official release on Size Records, a milestone that Wayne calls “a dream coming true.” Henrix, who made his own Size debut earlier this year with “Hit It,” said there was never any question in either act’s minds that the track would be released on Steve Angello’s label.
“I think it helps if you go into producing being like ‘this is what I want to do and this is where I want to release it,'” says Henrix. “Steve likes that hard drop. “Hit It” was a percussive drop so I didn’t want to go for that again, so we went with a big bass-line that is very hard and deep and kept it really progressive.”
The up-and-comers didn’t have to wait long for validation from Steve Angello. The Swedish House Mafioso liked what he heard enough to play the track live in Brazil the very same night they sent it over, and has made the song a staple of recent live sets.
The collaborators finally met each other in person at Winter Music Conference this year, after Wayne & Woods literally bumped into Henrix outside their hotel. After hanging out during the Size party at Wall, the three artists did a joint radio show together. After becoming close, both acts expressed a desire to work together again in the future.
“I think we should do a follow up,” says Henrix. “We’re good friends now, so it’s in the works.”
Wayne & Woods will celebrate the track’s release with a gig at F12 in Stockholm, while Henrix will mark the occasion during a ten-day swing through Mexico. The Swedish duo are set to build upon “Jumangee’s” momentum with a slew of upcoming gigs, including their Creamfields and Ibiza debuts, as well as new releases waiting in the wings.
“We have tons of tracks ready to go. We’d be happy if we release like one percent of them,” Woods says with a laugh. “Hopefully we will find the time to release everything.”
Categories: Music