Waze & Odyssey Interview: A journey of discovery and influence

Serge Santiago and Firas Waez, better known as Waze & Odyssey, formed back in 2011 and over the following two years they would waste no time in cementing their reputation, powering through a string of high profile releases and key gigs.

They launched their own label, W&O Street Tracks in 2012 and since its inception it has pushed out massive productions from the likes of Ejeca, Bodhi, Mella Dee and of course, Waze & Odyssey themselves. 

Things escalated even further when the duo uploaded their remix of R. Kelly's 'Bump & Grind' back in 2014. The track was played at clubs of all sizes around the world and still to this day, its unmistakable makeup gets a massive reaction from ravers.

That said however, they are a pair that shouldn't and haven't been defined by one track, and since then they've put out standout tracks on Steve Lawler's VIVa MUSiC and the rising ElRow Music imprint recently. Always fun yet forward-thinking, their productions are as dancefloor ready as they come.

We caught up with the pair ahead of the ANTS showcase at The Warehouse Project to talk about the evolution of their sound, UK raving and extended sets.

Find upcoming Waze & Odyssey events

A lot of artists can tour off the momentum of one big track, you guys have really made the effort to keep the productions coming though, do you think that's key to longevity in the business?

Definitely, though some DJs have great careers having never released a track. If you live it, and love it, that really comes across to fans and the dance music world so being genuine is one of the key things in this. We have lived and loved this from a very early age, we're just getting our heads down and cracking on.

We do also want to progress and see this as very much a journey of discovery and influence. 

Certain flavours of dance music become more or less popular as time goes on, do you ever feel pressured to change your sound? Or are any changes down to a genuine progression/evolution in what you're making?

Our sound is really house and techno and all the influences in between. Things will change naturally, a new bit of kit you buy, a new track you hear you dig, different production techniques, it can be anything.

If you listen to our back catalogue you can see a whole range of influences in there, and you can see where we've got to. As mentioned before it can be down to a range of factors, but where we are at now is the culmination of the last four years and our trips around the globe. We've been very lucky to have been able to travel so much checking out many different scenes and getting inspired. 

You've got a fair few all night long or extended sets pencilled in, what do you enjoy most about being able to play for longer?

Before either of us got together for Waze & Odyssey, we both came through local club scenes starting off by flyering to getting our first DJ gigs for those clubs, to putting on parties and making music. The warm-up DJ is one of the biggest pillar stones of the whole club. They set the mood and tone of the evening and can mean the difference between boom and bust.

We have been really inspired by our sets at Panorama Bar in Berlin; we'd get the opportunity to play four hours to an amazing crowd and we saw just how much it helped us to develop our DJ skills. It also reminded us that we missed those longer sets in general and so we decided to take it on the road in Europe, to smaller more intimate venues, to give fans a chance to come check us out in a smaller setting. It's been great so far and there's no beating being face to face with the crowd!

Outside of London, what are your favourite places to play in the UK and why?

Having travelled extensively around the world, the one thing we realised is just how amazing our scene is in the UK. We knew it was great before but being able to compare it to other scenes has made us realise how amazing it really is. The whole of the UK is great, genuinely up for it crowds - you could be anywhere from Glasgow to Brighton and it'd rock. 

What's the scene like in LA?

The first time we ever played in LA we had massive preconceptions about what it might be like. We played our first gig for Cooper Saver's Far Away party - downtown in a warehouse, it was one of the maddest experiences ever.

We've been spending a fair bit of time out there and exploring and there's a great underground scene going on which feels really exciting. We've made some great friends out there and can't stay away from the damn place! The last time we were there Four TEt was doing an all night long set for Cooper at Far Away while The Martinez Brothers etc were playing for the guys at Rhonda. It's definitely one of the hottest places in North America for clubbing. 

You guys have been involved with elrow quite heavily, why do you think that the party concept is so well recieved by ravers? 

We love elrow because they take you places that you can't compare with other events. There's a lot to be said firstly for their attitude and way they work. They're genuinely great people, who have been so incredibly hospitable to us from day one and that really resonates with clubbers. The event is incredibly mad, colourful and makes you want to lose your shit! 

How's things for W&O Street Tracks at the moment?

We just hit our quarter century release a little while back so that's incredibly the exciting. Wicked 2017 releases coming from Krywald & Farrer, Citizenn and more! But instead of us whining on about how great it is, we suggest you head to our Soundcloud to let the music do the talking.

You're playing at the ANTS showcase at WHP, what can we expect from your set?

Rip roaring rib shakers! 

Find upcoming Waze & Odyssey gigs.