W Kuala Lumpur throws its first-ever Wet Sessions party this September. Make a splash at the first of their WET Sessions series on the 29th, with an exciting mix of the best international and local DJs.
Kicking off the season they welcome special guest DJ Jody Wisternoff, who makes another return to KL after some years, an Anjunadeep label honcho and one half of the legendary electronica duo Way Out West (along with Nick Warren), who will be rocking WET Deck on 29 September 2018. Setting the scene for a good night out, because the city's nothing if not known for our after-dark nightlife, the party will begin at 9pm. Come dressed to impress, all the while surrounded by movers and shakers who bring with them the cosmopolitan of the city – think flirty fusion of cocktails and ‘gram-worthy views overlooking the city’s beautiful skyline.
Jody Wisternoff has been pushing the envelope his entire career, which started at the very early age of 13 years when he and brother Sam prodigiously reached the finals of the DMC HipHop Championships. This success was compounded two years later when they found national fame as Tru Funk, landing themselves on the pages of cult magazine The Face and Tim Westwood’s Radio 1 playlist.
These formative years were influential too, for it was this background that underpinned the ethos of Way Out West, which Jody founded with Nick Warren following a chance meeting in a local record shop. Fusing Bristol’s dub roots with club beats Way Out West captured a sound unlike any other at that time and burst onto the mid-nineties dance scene with seminal hits such as ‘Ajare’ and top ten smash ‘The Gift’, which they even performed on Top of the Pops (RIP). When not appearing on nationally treasured TV programmes they could be found remixing the likes of Roni Size, M-People, Orbital, Tiesto, Sasha, BT, UNKLE, James Holden and Fatboy Slim’s Freak Power alter ego; touring the world alongside dance titans Faithless and The Prodigy and collaborating with Trevor Horn, arguably one of Britain’s most successful and revered producers. How many can boast a CV like that?
But perhaps most remarkable of all is that, in this highly disposable world of dance, Way Out West continues to this day. Having released their fifth album last year, Jody explains the key to their longevity, “It’s because we don’t live in each others pockets and take long breaks between WOW projects. In other words, we keep it fresh. It’s a cycle of about 4 years focusing on solo stuff, followed by a year back together, which is great because we bring all our new experiences from this time apart time and feed it back into the band. It’s not something we planned, or rather, do plan, it’s a schedule and process that’s developed over time and works.”
So what of Jody’s solo endeavours? Well, if you think these are fallow periods living off the echo of past Way Out West achievements, you’d be very, very wrong indeed. Once again Jody’s incomparable ability to succeed with production and DJing has seen him climb to the highest heights of Beatport (and we’re talking THE overall, not genre chart here) and iTunes, gain a healthy Spotify following, remix Above & Beyond and Lane8 plus many others , and maintain a steady solo release schedule . It's his alliance with Anjunadeep both as A&R (signing Lane 8 for starters) and priority artist which has been his most significant career move in recent years . The annual Anjunadeep compilations which he has been mixing alongside label boss James Grant since 2015 have all hit the iTunes USA Dance No1 jackpot and it this profile boost especially in the USA which has helped maintain a constant touring schedule.
Also featuring for the night: Meliha and Adam Khan.
WET® Deck at W hotel Kuala Lumpur: 121, Jalan Ampang, KL: Complimentary Entry, but reservations are encouraged. Call 03-2786 8888: 2pm onwaards. Get on the list or show off with your own VIP table. RSVP: rachel.fred@whotels.com
