It takes a certain amount of strength and character to bounce back from the
brink of a musical abyss. One band who have managed to recover their nerve are
Way Out West. Only now with their album 'Intensify' due for release on Distinctive
Breaks can Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff relax and reap the critical rewards
they so richly deserve.
There has been many a column inch dedicated to the 'difficult second album'
but when the difficulties are through no fault of your own fragile confidence
can be shattered in an instant. Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff fortunately
don't fall into this category. As Way Out West they've graced the dance music
scene for years, their reputations cemented in dance music's hall of fame, thanks
to their very personal and special bran of progressive house. However, for a
while things looked to be taking a turn for the worse. With Deconstruction having
already gone to the wall, BMG, their label at the time, decided to put a line
through the Way Out West project three days before Christmas last year. One
man in a suit held the future of one of our country's finest acts in his grasp,
yet he decided to let them go. Tosser.
There are many theories why. Money, being and obvious factor, probably accounted
for this curious decision, but according to the lads themselves, the investment
in Way Out West was minimal compared to most other acts, as Jody and Nick were
99 per cent self sufficient thanks to their own extensive studio set up. So,
with the industry locked down over the winter break, Way Out West were a band
with a finished and mastered album, but with no label to bring it out on. Thankfully,
Nick and Jody's uncertainty was short lived, as Distinctive Breaks stepped in
to provide the boys with the spiritual and financial home they deserved. For
a few week though, things were stressed. Having put so much time and effort
into one project, then having had the carpet pulled from under their feet for
no apparent reason, it's easy to see why Nick and Jody were concerned.
Deconstructed
"You can imagine how we felt at the time," begins Jody. "Here
we are on the very edge of getting our album sorted-we even had the artwork
done-and we get a phone call to say forget the whole thing. I'm a confident
person, but having spent over two years working on this project, Nick and I
were more than a little concerned.
"Looking back on that time now, we never panicked. We knew we had made
something we could both be proud of. Unfortunately we couldn't contact any labels
for a month because it was Christmas so we just had to keep our nerve. We knew
things would sort themselves out…but if I had my way I would have shot
the cunt who made the decision."
These sentiments are echoed by Nick whose recollection of events are still
crystal clear. "In our minds, the whole project at the time had come to
its end. We spent days on end editing the finished album down from what was
a massive, sprawling piece of music into something which people could listen
to and also use as a soundtrack to their weekend's clubbing." And if you
ask anyone who's tried to accomplish this trick, they'll tell you how difficult
a task this is.
"Our friend Cheeky Paul came in and literally ripped the thing to shreds,"
laughs Nick. "We left out 10 tracks, for a multitude of reasons, edited
the rest down into easily digested pieces, cutting out more 'up your own arse'
moments while taking a whole new slant on the finished work. Only then were
we completely satisfied the album was complete. So when we were dropped, I couldn't
believe it. But, and credit to Jody, we knew that somehow we were going to get
this album out. We were always confident in what we had written. If we had doubted
our work, who knows what might have happened."
Indeed, lesser bands would have crumbled at the thought of having to start
the wheeling and dealing process all over again, but to Nick and Jody it gave
them the opportunity to find the spiritual home for the project. As Jody quite
rightly states: "Now we're working with Distinctive Breaks we have the
best of both worlds. They are an independent label, with major backing. In the
office there's a team of five people breaking their backs to make sure we get
as fair a crack of the whip as possible. When we phone them for something, we
know who we're dealing with. It's so much easier this way, and it makes it feel
like there's a real team effort going on."
Future Perfect
With their future sorted, and the album out now, Nick and Jody are at ease
with their situation. Nick continues to travel the world playing some of the
finest progressive house sets you're likely to hear. Jody on the other hand
continues to live his life through music and production, continually pushing
the envelope of the Way Out West sound. It's these individual purposes within
their team that make them gel so well. Nick will bring influences from all over
the planet back to the studio and Jody will translate those images into finished
pieces of music. Their musical umbilical cord may be stretched at times, but
it never breaks. Way Out West function as a tight and efficient unit. Only occasionally
do certain 'unusual influences' creep into their music.
"One of my favourite tracks on 'Intensify' is 'Call Me,'" says Jody
of this rather dirty slice of tech funk. "It came about in rather bizarre
circumstances. The night before we wrote it, it had been my best mate's birthday
and we'd gone out to celebrate. Nothing unusual there, but I went back to my
place with two other girls. One thing led to another and we ended up having
a threesome.
"So after they left-whenever that was, I can't remember-I went into the
studio, not having slept a wink, and proceeded to write 'Call Me.' When you
listen to it, you'll be able to understand where the slightly more sordid approach
comes from."
If you're going to take inspiration from your life, you might as well go the
whole hog. Move over Aerosmith, Way Out West are coming through. Jody continues:
"The really crazy thing was, two days later I was in Russia and the same
thing happened again. Twice in three days. Unfortunately it's never happened
since, which is a bit of a shame."
Nick on the other hand cites 'Activity' as one of his standout moments, for
somewhat less disgusting reasons. "That's one of my favourite tracks on
'Intensify'-it has an electronic edge to it which hints at some of our influences.
Some of the tracks we ended up scrapping were even more edgy, but it was important
for us to remain doing what Way Out West do best, and not lose sight of that
goal.
"I also like the single 'Intensify' because Jody and I set out to make
it into something we'd both like to finish our DJ sets with: a real end of the
night, peak-time floor-filler.
"The thing about progressive house at the moment is that the boundaries
are so blurred. Everyone from Danny Tenaglia to Matthew Roberts, Anthony Pappa
and Armand Van Helden play a similar sound. Years ago there would have been
more of a difference. Now the typically darker and tougher UK sound is working
its was into more DJs' sets. You'll hear tracks on the album which will fit
into this style no problem, because the tempo is fairly steady at around 130bpm,
so I want to lift a track from the album and drop it into my sets, I can-even
though some will create a slightly different feel in a club. It's excellent
to be able to use our music to influence the crowd."
The Next Chapter
It's easy to describe the 'Intensify' album. The greatest compliment I can
pay is to say it sounds just like Way Out West. In this industry their name
is synonymous with quality, originality and dexterity. Don't expect cheesy trance
music, described by Nick as "responsible for making people stop dancing,"
or hard house, which Jody so rightly reasons is, "the easiest to make and
the most unimaginative form of dance music today."
In fact, throughout their long player the standard of production is incredible.
Having spent the best part of two and a half years creating something as ethereal
and fluid as 'Intensify,' you can hear every single production element bristle
with pride. Nick and Jody can rightly be satisfied with their work. Very rarely
will an album sound as complete and involving when you're sitting on the bus
going to work, and still have the ability to lead you onto the dancefloor. The
sound of Way Out West will forever be stamped in the minds of dance music lovers-'Intensify'
will see to that.
