Walker & Royce are no strangers to the electronic music scene. Producing together for the past five years and touring across the globe, the seasoned NYC duo have fiercely been paving the way and gracing our ears with their groove-laden, deep house sounds since the very beginning.

With remarkable talent and a just a hint of luck, Samuel Walker and Gavin Royce, aka Walker & Royce, now have their feet firmly planted in the dance music circuit.  Initially catching the prospective ear of Crosstown Rebel’s label head, Damian Lazarus, with their very first production – a remix of SAARID’s ‘Future Lately’ – they proceeded to release their debut EP ‘You’re Not Welcome’. The rest, is history.

Walker & Royce’s refreshingly unique sound has gained them much recognition and ample success; receiving support from industry heavyweights such as Pete Tong, Sasha, Maceo Plex, Catz N Dogz, Treasure Fingers, among many more.

We are absolutely thrilled to have them onboard for this week’s Lovecast episode. So go ahead, turn it up, and jam out to their fresh new mix, as you gain more insight on the duo in their interview below.

Lovecast Episode 125 – Walker & Royce

CLICK HERE if you do not see the SoundCloud player.

>> DOWNLOAD MIX HERE <<

Connect with Walker & Royce
SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | Beatport

Interview with Walker & Royce

How did you first get introduced to house music? Who were some of your early influences?
Gavin: For me it was Doc Martin. I was a “raver” in the late 90’s and was into all sorts of Electronic music but then I saw Doc do a 6 hour set at Buzz in DC and I was a House Head from that day forward.

Sam: I started paying attention to Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, then my friends dragged me to Twilo to see Sasha & Digweed and it was all over.

How did Walker & Royce begin producing music together?
Gavin: We have been friends for years but Sam was always producing and I was just DJing. Then I decided I wanted to produce after doing a few of my own edits. I got asked to do a few remixes and got in over my head so I came to Sam for help. After he helped me I ended up going over a few projects with him and we have never looked back.

We recently followed your story during Music is 4 Lovers’ Instagram takeover in Los Angeles last weekend. How is the scene in LA different from NYC?
Gavin: I actually think there is a lot of similarities to the scenes. However the west coast has better weather and more festivals so I think that people approach their party time management differently. In NYC we cram as much time into one day as possible. People will go out at midnight and not come home until midnight the next night. Also in LA people are much more into being healthy. In NYC we hate everyone but hate ourselves the most…. :-/

What do you think is a crucial element staying fresh in the game?
Sam: Be your own artist and try to stick out as much as possible.

What is your creative process in the studio? What benefits and/or challenges are there being a duo act compared to a solo artist?
Sam: The biggest benefit is having a second opinion, it allows you to not be overindulgent.

Gavin: I think as we work together more and more we have a lot more trust in each other opinions. We aren’t always together or at least not as much as we used to be, but it doesn’t mater that much because we are on the same page when we are in the studio.

What’s on the horizon for 2016? Any releases, labels or gigs that you’re particularly stoked about?
Gavin: We are expecting to have our biggest year yet… We have a EP dropping on Waze & Odyssey Street Tracks in April. Our fingers are crossed for another label we really love. We have some great gigs already lined up across North and South America as well as over in Europe.  Really looking forward to the CRSSD Fest in San Diego and we are headed back to the UK for Lost Village Festival!!! It’s gonna be a great year…

Dream gig…
W&R: A Space Station…

Dream collab…
W&R: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

What is the hottest track in your arsenal to get the party started?
W&R: Mike Meds “Jackin’ Drunk” We play this all the time and have been for years. It’s made by our buddy Mike who also had some dope stuff as Michael & Mattis.

Tell us about your mix…
W&R: We always find it difficult to do mixes when we aren’t in front of a crowd so for this we just tried to pick some of tracks we are finding the most interesting. We like weird stuff…

Drink of choice…
W&R: Jameson Soda’s all night long!

 

CHEERS!

digicandy
Crystal Helman
Editor

.