
Whethan
Photo by Daniel Mendoza / The Recording Academy
Chicago DJ Whethan Talks New Music, Working With Longtime Faves STRFKR & More
It's not every day that you play a major music festival in your hometown, but that's exactly what DJ/Producer Whethan is up to this weekend at Lollapalooza 2019.
Stopping by to chat with the Recording Academy, Whethan offered a glimpse into his forthcoming debut album, which he says will be rife with exciting collabs. "I have one song dropping pretty soon coming up in a week or two," he revealed. "That's the last song I'm going to drop until the long-awaited album that I've just been grinding preciously for the last year and a half [comes out].... [It's] some of my favorite music ever. Very futuristic, alternative kind of vibes mix. I don't want to say too much, but it's definitely going to be different from everything I've put out."
In terms of said album's collaborations, Whethan definitely has a few he's psyched for. "I'm working with STRFKR, which is an awesome, indie alternative group that I've loved forever," he says. "I have Awolnation kind of things going in the works too. A lot of exciting stuff. I don't want to brag too much more. That's kind of the vibe."
The DJ also touched on how he got his start in music and the electronic figureheads he's been influenced by: "I was really into skateboarding when I was younger," he says. "And I would always watch videos and there was always music playing. I was super into some of the songs I would hear that were very electronic-leaning. I found out later that they were Skrillex and Daft Punk and all these legendary things... I was very inspired by their stuff and just ended up finding my own little path, and here I am now."
Watch Whethan's interview in full above, and stay tuned for more exclusive Lollapalooza 2019 coverage on GRAMMY.com.
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