[Exclusive Interview] WAX MOTIF Talks Record Label, Friendships, & More!

It had been a minute since we stepped foot inside of the historic Barrymores Music Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. When our Facebook News Feed was blessed with the exciting announcement that WAX MOTIF was coming to town on Friday, October 11, 2019, we knew that we couldn't miss his show for the world! The opportunity to witness the 'Bunda' artist throw down one of his esteemed sets is enough to satisfy most G-house lovers' greatest desires. In addition to this highly anticipated experience, we had the chance to sit down with the Australian-born producer to discuss his new imprint christened Divided Souls Records and, ultimately, get an in-depth perspective into who the man behind the success truly is.   

Our first encounter with the record label boss was one that we will always remember. After unleashing an unforgettable performance, including dropping his hit single 'Divided Souls' featuring Diddy, he took the time to meet and take photos with all of his enthusiastic followers. It was a true pleasure to witness WAX MOTIF's down-to-earth attitude when interacting with his fans. Later on, he shared that one of his most memorable fan interactions was, "honestly tonight. Some people told me that they drove from across the country to be here. Sometimes up to 5 hours. I can't imagine driving that far myself. It blows my mind that people will do that just to catch one of my shows. I appreciate it so much!"

After countless snapshots were captured, it was our turn to make memories of our own with the talented DJ. Right away, he made us feel like we were one of his pals by his welcoming presence and chill demeanor. We instantly felt comfortable enough to start picking his brain. When asked about the importance of launching his own imprint and some of his aspirations for the future of the label, he proudly stated,

"I wanted to start my own thing. It was time. My goal is to make it about the quality of the music. In 2019, music is disposable. My hope is to have music on my label that you'll want to listen to in ten years' time. Music that withstands the fads. I want it to be at the same caliber as Defected Records and Toolroom Records; those labels are timeless! In the future, I also want artists to use a track off of my label and make it a staple in their sets."

In addition, he confirmed that he would like to bring up new artists, ones that may not have a voice. Furthermore, he aspires to tour with them once he gets them started. His goal is to build a team that shares the same mindset and dreams in life.

After touching on the future, we had to ask about the past! Our curiosity overpowered us when thinking about to the creation of the single for the imprint of the same name, 'Divided Souls'. We had to ask how his and Diddy's worlds collided. Once again, WAX's laid-back personality shined through when he shared with us that a mutual friend from the Hip Hop world was the reason for this musical match made in Heaven. He continued by stating,

"I was working with [our mutual friend] when he said that he had a voice sample from Diddy that no one had ever used. When I listened to it, I said, "this is fire!" From that, I wanted to make something of it. It all came together so quickly!"

"[...] coincidentally, during the same period of time, I had sent it off to Chris Lake and FISHER. We were in Miami at the time. FISHER wanted to play it at his party. That's when it really took off! Diddy was blown away by the response that he saw from the video footage from the show. The rest was history."

Through social media, we gathered that the trio were undoubtedly good friends. WAX solidified our assumption and brought up the fact that working with Diddy also formed another great relationship in his life. While working with the well-known entrepreneur, he's learned new things during the creation process and is excited to bring these newfound skills forward to the future.

When we dove into his love of vinyls, he spoke to us about the French musical duo called Cassius. He reflected how he found and purchased their album on vinyl "for like three bucks." He continued by elaborating that he couldn't get over the price because "that shit is as classic!" If one looks at Cassius's success today, their song 'I Love You So' was sampled on the track 'Why I Love You' on Jay-Z and Kanye West's album Watch the Throne and they've produced for artists like Pharrell Williams. Not bad for $3! 

After spending time with WAX MOTIF, real name Danny Chien, we have to say, we were blown away by his praiseworthy qualities. His kindness, sincerity, determination, and perseverance shined bright. We have no doubts that his musical journey will continue to prove to be just as admirable as he is! Keep listening to House of Wax Radio and keep it locked to his socials to follow his successes. We're positive we'll be seeing many more triumphs down the road!