Exclusive inV Interview with DJ Wesley Spengler

Wesley Spengler is one of Second Life’s most popular and notable DJ’s. DJ Wes as many of us like to call him has been spinning the decks for as long as I can remember since joining SL. He’s worked at all the top clubs and most recently, he setup his very own called the Pavillion Nightclub. I’ve known Wes for a considerable time now and I’ve also had the pleasure of working with him. He is one person who you never hear a bad word said about from anybody and he’s a consummate professional in his work. Many aspiring DJ’s look up to Wes and watch his work ethic in creating their own unique style of DJing. I managed to catch up with Wes earlier this evening about his brand new exciting venture at iDanceRadio.fm as documented on the Daily earlier this week.
inV: Hi Wes, thanks for chatting with us. We've learned the exciting news that you will be a regular part of iDanceRadio.fm's exciting new Friday lineup. iDanceRadio.fm is generating a buzz in the online world as being one of the hottest new dance Internet Radio Stations. How does it feel to be a part of the new radio station and what can your loyal Second Life DJ fans expect to hear from you there on Friday nights?

Wesley Spengler: It feels great to be keeping company with some of the top DJs in the country, frankly. The line-up on the station includes DJ Sticky Boots, was voted one of the Top 10 DJs in the U.S. by DJ Times Magazine, plus we've got the very well-known Chris the Greek on-board, along with Dom Armano, Darryl Owens, Harry Towers and more.

As far as what to expect, for starters, I don't talk on-stream like I do in an SL set. ;-) But beyond that, more aggressive mixing (since I can focus better on that part of my job!), and a more aggressive club sound overall than I typically do in SL.

inV: We understand that your new Friday show will be a live simulcast at iDanceRadio.fm and also in world at The Pavilion Nightclub in Second Life. Is this your first simulcast of this nature that you have done before and what prompted the idea of a jointly broadcasted simulcast?

Wesley Spengler: It's a new thing for me. iDanceRadio.fm is sponsored by indie dance label CAPP Records (although the station plays great music from all labels, of course); they also sponsor The Pavilion in Second Life; and of course, I still DJ in SL too. So it really just all fit together in a pretty obvious way. Dom Toulon, who's the CEO at CAPP, is really big on experimenting with and leveraging technology, so this really is an extension of that.

One Cool Cat: DJ Wes

inV: You are undoubtedly one of the longest and well respected veteran DJ's broadcasting in Second Life. Unlike many DJ's who broadcast in SL, you have a vast amount of RL DJ experience. Do you think DJ's in Second Life who have had prior RL DJing experience gives an added advantage to succeeding as a DJ in Second Life?

Wesley Spengler: While it worked in reverse for me (I DJ'ed in SL before moving it to RL), I think being a RL DJ does give someone an edge in terms of technique. That being said, most RL DJs I know are not comfortable speaking on-mic. What I (and many others) do in SL is sort of a unique combination of radio style DJ'ing and club style DJ'ing that not everyone is comfortable with -- not that there's anything wrong with doing one or the other in SL, either. Above all, DJ'ing is really about entertaining people and having fun, and in SL, that can be accomplished a number of different ways.

inV: Finally, we've learned that you've recently completed your first commercial remix project. Can you tell us a little more about this and do you have any other exciting projects lined up that we can look forward to?

Wesley Spengler: Word gets around, huh? ;-) Yes, I just finished a remix for Worldwide Groove Corporation, a chill act out of Nashville, Tennessee. Remixing a very jazzy chill track was a bigger challenge than I expected, but I am pleased with what turned-out to be an ambient-style result. The song, "You Still Give Me Butterflies," is getting several different remix treatments, and will be released on iTunes and Amazon.com in the next month or two. In terms of new projects, I am working unofficially on a new remix project, and I've got two of my own projects underway as well. I have no idea how quickly any of them will be done, but production has been a long-term goal, so you can expect to see more of these projects over time.

iDanceRadio.fm

inV: Thanks for your time as always Wes. You can catch DJ Wesley Spengler on Friday nights at 7pm SL time (PDT) at iDanceRadio.fm and also in world at his Pavillion Night club at the following location http://tinyurl.com/pavilioninsl