Willdabeast Premiere Their Bumping Album ‘Beneath The Surface’

Electronic music is often a breeding ground for musical innovation, and it’s certainly provided quite the tapestry for Willdabeast. The electronic duo of Will Glazier and Dan de Lisle have found their groove, and it’s quite apparent on their brand new album Beneath The Surface. Writing music like this is not easy, but the pair have found a niche for themselves. Utilizing improvisation and analog-acoustic instruments, they pump out rich and complex dance music.

And nothing is off limits when it comes to Willdabeast. You get laid-back tracks, including smooth hip-hop, but also blood-pumping trap and funky drum and bass. With a fairly dense and, at times, diluted scene of bass DJs and producers, Glazier and de Lisle aim to offer something different. They put heavy emphasis on the use of horns, and they have now become one of the most sought-after horn sections in the electronic music scene.

Along with the premiere of Beneath The Surface, Willdabeast join us today for a more thorough discussion of the album. They discuss its origins, the story behind it, and what it means to them.

Will Glazier: “Beneath The Surface to me, almost serves as some sort of apex or something similar, you know? It’s some indescribable, unique expression of music that seamlessly flows from one point to another. Or maybe more simply put; it is part of who we are as people. So these sounds you are hearing, the ones we bring to the table; have no other agenda, they are not meant to represent anything other than what they might be trying to convey presently.

“The other part of that apex to me is, I feel we have spent a good chunk of our careers in a box so to speak, metaphorically speaking of course. What does this look like in real life? Well, dedication to the craft, to everything really… to real life! I noticed we have both basically taken on this real commitment and are constantly trying to commit and recommit to becoming better versions of ourselves. We push, we drive, we apply, we spend hours and hours in the studio, and we are generally trying our hardest to put in the time to break out of that box, get into as many spaces as we can, into new markets, listeners, etc. I even just launched a new label called Grand Alliance Music to help foster other newer up-and-coming projects and facilitate dope humans and their music as well.

“So, the pinnacle to me, is where everything comes together. It all becomes more clear. And musically, production-wise, in life, we do our best to optimize and now, I think together as best friends, it’s just all starting to click. Sometimes it just takes time. But that’s the point too I think generally here in this project and in life, to always keep pushing.

“More specifically, this album has a deep story and the meaning behind Beneath The Surface has one that hopefully can resonate with a wide audience beyond just our own evolution of sound. I think the reason Dan and I connect to it, and hopefully others will as well, is when you peel back the layers, beneath the surface to the mind, is the subconscious and those deeper the nervous system, well this is something we all share in common. There’s no getting around that. We all struggle, we all feel, and we all have this particular thing in common. So when things get hard I think we have to remember to especially approach each other with kindness but also remember or try to remember what’s happening beneath the surface.”

Dan de Lisle: “I think Beneath The Surface is a really cool anthology of the growth and progression Will and myself have made over the past few months and years musically and interpersonally. It features songs that we wrote over the span of the last few years, playing alongside some of the newest music we’ve just finished writing. I’m especially excited to release these songs because I think they’re hands down some of our best work! Hard-hitting collaborations, driving beats, and my personal favourite element- some space for creativity and musicality. I love all the artists who contributed their beats, voices, and especially their artistic genius towards helping Will and I dig beneath the surface of ourselves and discover the limit of what we can accomplish together.”

Tour Dates:

May 17 @ Wild Buffalo House Of Music – Bellingham, WA (w/ Manic Focus & The Sponges)
May 25 @ Red Room Lounge, Spokane, WA
June 21-23 @ Cascadia NW arts and Music Festival Darrington, WA
Sept 20-22 @ Cascade Equinox Festival, Redmond, OR

Willdabeast ‘Beneath The Surface’ album artwork