Wilza Breaks Down His Latest Track ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’ in Our Exclusive Interview
Wilza is stepping into the spotlight with his debut project, bringing a unique blend of old-school vibes and modern production techniques to the forefront. His latest release, ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’, is a fresh rework of Bobby Brown’s classic ‘Don’t Be Cruel’. Wilza’s passion for the New Jack Swing era has inspired this project, and his unique take on this iconic track is already catching attention. We caught up with Wilza to talk about the creative process behind his latest single, his love for New Jack Swing, and what’s next for his exciting music journey, in this interview, we dive deeper into ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’ and his upcoming projects.
Hi Wilza, how are you? Congrats on your new release!
I’m well, thank you! and I hope the same for you. I appreciate the congrats, it feels great to finally be able to share it with the world!
What was the inspiration behind remixing Bobby Brown’s ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ for your latest single ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’?
Great question. A few years back I decided I wanted to do a passion project which was reworking tracks from the New Jack Swing era and bringing them back to dancefloors today. ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ was one of my favourite tracks from that era so it was an easy choice for me to attempt to rework this track in a way that I felt did the original justice.
Can you walk us through the creative process for ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’? How did you go about creating the track?
Once I had decided I wanted to rework this track, the first question was how? Short clip vocal samples? full vocal? hook? I ended up going for what I felt was the strongest part of the original song, the bridge. That was the part of the song I would sing my heart out to whenever I heard it, so naturally, it ended up becoming the focal point of my track which I built everything else around. After that I built out the drums and percussion, added baseline, keys, pads and effects.
What were some of the technical elements or gear you used to create the distinctive sound of ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’?
I used VST sounds from Nexus 4, Serum, Korg M1 and Diva. I used my Novation Launchkey keyboard as the midi controller. I took loops and one-shots from both Loopcloud and Splice. I used Ableton as my DAW.
Can you tell us about the process of adding the percussive elements to the track? How did you craft those punchy, rhythmic layers?
I wanted a sound that brought about the same feeling that I had when I listened to the original – one that made me want to dance but didn’t take too much away from the vocal. The vocal in the original took front and centre but in House music, that vocal had to play nice with the drums as no one is dancing to an acapella, I wanted the kick drum to be low and rib tickling with plenty of attack on it to keep it bouncing nicely with the cadence of the track. The percussion I wanted light but expressive, so the hats and snare were simple but strategically placed. To ensure that there was an old school feel to the track, I sampled the 808 drum roll from the original track and dropped it into all the drops and major bars. I saw this as a way of paying homage to the original.
How do your experiences as a DJ influence your approach when in the studio? Do you consider how the track will translate in a live setting?
I may be biased but I think that DJ’s make the best producers of Dance tracks. If we wouldn’t play the track ourselves, had we received it as a promo, then the track would never leave our DAW. That’s my approach to any Dance track I make. The true acid test is first to create some mixes and drop it in to see how well it sounds, followed by the main test, being able to play it in a live environment. Providing those two go well… It’s a green light for the project!
How did you find the right balance between the bassline and the synths to keep the track both energetic and groovy?
I didn’t want to copy the bassline from the original as I already had the vocal and 808 drum roll which was enough. Therefore, I went about creating a bassline that was built around the new drum pattern which I felt consolidated the cadence of the track and really made this stand out as a complete reimagining. The Synth additions were largely atmospheric in keeping with my theme of Miami at night which was also seen in the music video I created for the track which can be found on YouTube (go check it out – It’s a fully AI generated music video!)
What part of the track’s production are you most proud of?
Great question. I have to say I love the distortion I put on the multiple delayed vocals after the 2nd and 3rd drop which progressively gets bigger and bouncier yet darker with each drop! It adds so much gravitas to the track and gives me the ‘stank’ face every time I hear it.
How did you approach integrating the vocals? Do you have any go-to techniques that you use when it comes to adding your own signature touch to existing vocal lines?
If you are lucky enough to be able to find a clean acapella for your track, then that’s half the job done for you. Thankfully for this track, although there was not a clean acapella, there was a dub version that was mighty close to being clean. The bridge part which I wanted, needed very little work done to it after it was stripped compared to some other vocal strips I have had to work with. Once chopped up to fit the track I simply removed any unwanted background noise and frequencies and applied what I felt was the right amount of compressor and reverb to the vocals to make them sound like they belonged on this track. Nowhere near as much as a dry vocal, but enough to tailor it for the track I have built.
What’s next for your project?
Next up is my EP which I can’t wait to release. New Jack House Vol.1 will be a 4 track EP containing my debut single ‘What you See’ and my current single ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’, along with 2 other Tech House tracks which are reworks of other New Jack Swing favourites of mine. This is truly a passion project for me, and it fills me with so much joy to be able to pay homage to the sounds that influenced my music appreciation views of today.
Teddy Riley, the godfather of New Jack Swing music production recently followed me on Instagram and the fact he took notice of what I’m doing, as relatively small independent artist, really meant the world to me. He is the greatest to ever do it in my eyes when it comes to New Jack Swing music, so the fact he is tracking what I am doing now is immensely encouraging.
After New Jack House vol.1, I have plans for New Jack House vol.2 to be released in 2025 – To be perfectly honest with you it’s mostly complete already. I feel bad for holding out till 2025 to release it as I have some amazing tracks to share from there but, I must give the tracks on New Jack House vol.1 time to breath and have their moment first. All in all, I’m in a good place with my music right now, so if you are reading this, please check me out on Spotify or follow me on Instagram to stay in the loop of what I’m releasing and when. Thanks, EDM Cave for having me!
With ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’, Wilza has once again shown his ability to combine nostalgia with contemporary sounds, creating music that pays homage to the past while igniting dancefloors in the present. His upcoming EP, New Jack House Vol.1, promises more of the same energy and creativity, with four tracks that reimagine the New Jack Swing classics in a way that only Wilza can. As he continues to draw attention from icons like Teddy Riley and his growing fanbase, it’s clear that Wilza’s passion project is shaping up to be a major milestone in his career.
Listen and Buy ‘U Know It Ain’t Cool’ Now:
Wilza Online
