As part of our residents series we have endeavoured to bring you some of the most impressive residents from the world’s most recognised outfits & venues. To date, we’ve visited Warung in Curitiba, Rex Club in Paris and the boys of Brüxsel Jardin, Belgium.
The fourth edition sees us make the short trip across to the English capital. London’s Willers Brothers certainly fit the bill to a tee. Currently ensconced at Egg LDN, one of the UK’s pivotal dance music beacons, the brothers have a keen appreciation for the important role played by a resident dj. They’ve join us to give us their view along with providing a top notch mix for the ears of the WWD readers!
WWD: To kick things off, tell us a little bit about how you got involved with Egg LDN. Was a residency there a goal for you guys early in your career?
Well, we first went to the club as clubbers in 2011 and then returned a fair few times before we played as we loved the quirkiness about the place along with the music, at the time they had a little beach in the garden which was something different we hadn’t experienced in a club before . We always knew in the back of our minds it would be a dream to play there one day, fast forward 4 years and we are now residents.
The opportunity came to play after a dj competition in 2012 we entered, nothing really came of the actual comp but one of the judges liked what we played then got in touch and asked us to play later on in the year. It went really well and he invited us back to play new years eve and from then on it flourished.
WWD : What makes the vibe there so special?
There is many things that make the vibe so special at egg with all 3 floors having a great atmosphere, from the crowd different on the Friday and the Saturdays, to the lighting, to the soundsystem…..
Our favourite room to play is the Terrace, which is the middle floor. Always a great place to play whether it’s warming up or closing we always have such fun. Though to be honest any room is fantactic as now they have just upgraded the sound so now the whole club boasts the custom built Flip Side Soundsystem which really does make the difference . The club also has 3 different smoking areas which gives you a chance to relax away from the music for a short while before you get ready to go at it again!
WWD : Can you tell us about the first time you were asked to play there?
It was November 2012 as we mentioned in the first question, it was after the competition and we played in the loft which is a smaller room at the top of the club, but it went really well with a great crowd reaction and atmosphere
WWD: As residencies go you’ve managed quite a long spell, what’s your secret in a world where sometimes a residency may only comprise of a few months and a small number of dates?
Well i think its just where we can call home in London!
There are 2 main residents at the club which is us and also Kyle E, we normally warm the night up he normally closes as we play more deeper house and he plays more techno so it works really well for the club.
WWD : With such a diverse range of acts visiting on a regular basis, what can you tell us about your approach to your sets?
Well we always like to listen to who is going to be playing on the night then we try to work our sets around that. But we are also very diverse with how we play although we have our own sound we always play the right music for the occasion and also playing there every week we know the crowd and know what goes down well and what doesn’t so i think this really helps
WWD : What are the key ingredients for controlling the dance-floor to optimum effect?
I think its mainly just about knowing the crowd and as being residents we have a great understanding of what they like at the club. We also think you have to be aware that if what you are playing is not working then you have to be able to change it up to keep the punters going and enjoying the night.
WWD : Tell us about your studio endeavors, it seems like things are picking up nicely with some big releases planned?
Yes we have loads of great releases coming up we have an EP on Yoruba Grooves, one EP on Beagle Traxx which is out early summer, 2 tracks on Natura Viva in April, A remix for David Glass on Take Away Music and also for Dj Dep on CDC coming out later in the year.
Now at the club we have a state of the art studio that we now have access to where we are going to be working on loads of new material.
WWD : Is there anyone you look up to as an example of a good resident dj? Is that something you look out for when you are out and about?
For us i would say our main influence’s are Apollonia , John Dimas and D’Julz…. we love the way them guys play and the music is exactly what we are about.
But yeah when we go elsewhere we always listen to what the residents play or to what a good warm up plays as it sets the tone for the rest of the night, For example we are big fans of the Birmingham resident Lopaski and Half Baked resident Greg Brockmann these guys always play a great warm up.
WWD : Are there any venues/parties you’d love to tick off your to-do list?
There is a few actually, we would love to go to one of the Elrow parties in Barcelona as it looks so much fun, also we would love to go to Rex Club in Paris
There are loads of places and parties that we will eventually go to its just finding the time at the moment on the weekends
WWD: What’s the finest record you have ever played at a gig and what was the crowd reaction like?
Hmmm hard question as there is so many great tracks that we have played but at the moment the new John Dimas track Recall out soon on Overall Music has really been getting the crowd going.
WWD : Tell us a little bit about the mix you have provided for us! Set the scene if you will..
This mix pretty much hits the nail on the head with the style we love to play and has a lot of tracks from our favourite artists and labels in there.
WWD : Thanks very much for chatting guys, before we sign off, let us know what your plans are for the next few months!
Thanks for having us. Well we have some big news coming in the next fews months about us joining our first Agency but you will have to stay tuned to hear which one, apart from that just keeping our heads down in the studio. However our main focus is always Egg.
Follow The Willers Brothers:
https://soundcloud.com/thewillersbrothers
https://www.facebook.com/WillersBrothers
https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/willersbrothers