Following years of soundtracking dance floors across the country, Sydney/Eora-based producer Willo has finally released her debut EP…

And it’s full of feeling and euphoria, the four-track effort filled to the brim with a meditative mix of minimal house, breakbeat, and pretty much every dance sub-genre under the sun. It’s definitely an EP for the dance purists out there, breadcrumbs of veteran genre-benders like DJ Seinfeld, Logic1000, Bicep and more on full display as she unearths notions of nostalgia, memory and eclecticism between every kick, hat, synth and other ingredient she paints her sonic canvas with.

And it’s all embodied in the visuals for the title track. Made up of lo-fi videos ranging from the suburbs of the North Shore to the creative-hub of the Inner West, the ‘Past Time’ clip really does justice to the creative heartbeat of Sydney/Eora; and more specifically, that of the Eora dance scene. And with the added entanglement of hazy effects with clips of her nearest and dearest, it’s a total collage of memories. So much so that you feel like you’re sharing those moments with her, utterly and truly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hflNTqB43bk

The rest of the EP carries on such sentiments. From the minimal calm of ‘He’s Mine’ to the rushing swells of ‘Think’, it’s a chasm of feeling; one that totally enthrals. So, we figured we’d catch up with the Eora producer to get the drop on the five moments that inspired the new EP. Check it below.

Past Time

‘Past Time’ was inspired by the emotional roller coaster of 2021. I was riddled with nostalgia and longed for time to speed up so I could get back to seeing my friends. In the track I wanted to add something raw – so I recorded my own vocals. I was humming some melodies over the bass line and came up with “Dream just to pass the time. Dream when to call you mine”. Everything felt so out of reach during this time, I found myself daydreaming of memories which helped pass the time. I missed the small things like driving through the burbs and getting kebabs with my friends after a night out. I wanted the track to still hit so I layered some classic break-beat samples over my drums, cranked the BPM and dreamt I was feeling all of these things in the club.

Sense Of Self

‘Sense Of Self’ evolved from an idea that manifested at a doof in April 2021. It was the first ‘festival’ and even dance that I had been to in so long. The vibe, music & people were amazing. I had almost forgotten the feeling of liberation and freedom you get when you just let go and connect to the music and dance. I wanted to capture that same feeling in the song, so the track starts with minimal acid plucks and stripped back drums and builds to epic classic ‘amen’ breaks. 

He’s Mine

‘He’s Mine’ is directly inspired by Sydney’s minimal & house scene, particularly Greenwood at 6pm on a Sunday evening – the sun’s setting over the terrace, rays peeking through the buildings of North Sydney. The crowd bubbling away with excitement as the bass lines keep on rolling. The next day I really wanted to recreate the same energy that was in the air that afternoon. To emulate this I created a slow building foundation with sustained notes, a bouncy bass line and a strong groove. I’d say ‘He’s Mine’ is a song that’s not quite the main character but key in subtly taking you from dusk into the night. 

Think 

‘Think’ and ‘Past Time’ relate to each other in a unique way. It’s slower than the rest of the tracks and rounds the EP off nicely. It’s less clubby and more of an introspective journey that evolved once again from being cooped up indoors for what felt like an eternity. There are still undertones of nostalgia but more so utter frustration – the vocals build to “I think I’m losing it”. I really wanted to express this frustration in the instrumentation so the last minute of the track is filled with chaotic synths, glitched out repeated vocals and a 4 on the floor punching kick.

Willo’s new Past Time EP is out now. You can buy/stream it here. Be sure to keep up with her on Instagram to stay up to date on all of her latest projects.