Wayne Williams
by Terry Matthew | Published January 2008 | 5 Magazine DJ Series Archives | Audio Archives
We're now on Volume 11 of the 5 Magazine DJ Series, which kicked off in March 2007 and continues this month with none other than Wayne Williams, a House Music legend that we're proud to feature with this month's DJ mix.
Wayne's career is without precedent in underground music. He's prominently featured in the documentary The UnUsual Suspects in a segment titled "Before the Warehouse" as one of the founding fathers of House that began spinning records in 1974. Steve "Silk" Hurley, Chip. E. and countless others have told us in interviews over the last few years that their first exposure to "real House Music" came via Wayne and his brainchild, the Chosen Few DJ Crew, at clubs like the Loft and the Playground. Today, Wayne's Senior VP for A&R at Jive Records, where he's discovered and nurtured the careers of numerous hitmakers. (Read more in our June 2007 interview with Wayne Williams here.)
His thoughts are never far from House Music, though. This month's mix officially launched at the Chosen Few's "Classic Christmas" party at Transit. Beforehand, I asked a few questions about the DJ knowledge he's accumulated over three decades of generating heat.
"I was reading the interview with Gene Hunt last month," he told me, "and what he said was true. If you want to break a record, you play it two or three times in a night. That's old school, and that's how all of the legendary DJs have always done it - Frankie, Alan, Ron, Andre, and so on.
"As far as working a room, I like my sets to form almost a wave, maybe starting with a mellow or more laid-back groove and building to a peak. I've called my mixes Orgasm Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and so on because that's what a set is like: you build it and build it and build it until you reach a climax, and then you start all over again.
"For this mix, I've always been about the vocals, and I found a couple of really great, ridiculous tracks that I wanted to show. There are some great songs on here with great vocals."
Wayne's mix for the 5 Magazine DJ Series is available free at events around town in a limited quantity of CD promos, and at KStarke Records at 1109 N. Western. The mix is also on our website. For more info and to check out the playlist for this mix, check out chosenfewdjs.com and his personal website at djwaynew.com.