No Genre Boundaries, Just Rhythm, Melody, & Love are what encompasses American artist Wicked Gloves. Fresh off the release of 'Eclipse', a prelude to his debut album due out this summer, we speak to the Seattle resident about his forth coming long player, growing up in the USA and much more. Enjoy!
Hi WG, thanks for talking to us today. Now that we’re into the third month of 2025, how has the year started for you?
This year, 2025, has been so much fun. I’m thrilled to be producing music every day, going hard after a dream and trying to work for it, and getting opportunities like this interview.
Let’s look back on 2024, what is a track or tracks which came out last year that have impressed you the most and why? (Not your own)
I listened to a lot of jazz fusion last year, and one of my favorite albums was Cory Wong, Live in London. These songs, the ones featuring Antwaun Stanley in particular, are immaculate live jazz/funk fusion tracks. The energy, emotion, and musicianship are top quality. It’s not electronic music, but it’s very danceable, it has electric keyboards sometimes, and it’s got disco vibes.
What is a song/track you’ve never stopped listening to since childhood? And why has it stuck with you this long?
“Kid Gloves” by Rush – many hard rock fans have heard “Tom Sawyer” or “Limelight” but their 1984 album Grace Under Pressure is underrated. In particular, the song “Kid Gloves” – the verses are in 5/4 time but the chorus goes to 4/4 – it feels off-kilter but catchy and euphoric at the same time, and Alex Lifeson’s guitar tone is classic. And when Geddy Lee sings, “handle with kid gloves”, it sort of sounds like “Wicked Gloves”. It makes no sense, but somehow my love of this song and misinterpretation of the lyrics led to my moniker.
Talk to us about growing up in the United States, how was that and how did you discover electronic music for the first time?
Well, I guess my first discovery of electronic music was my parents giving me a Casio electric keyboard for Christmas at five years old. I attempted to compose and record multi-part synth tracks on a handheld tape recorder... I doubt any of those tapes survived and that’s probably good. My second discovery was buying my first CD in third grade (around eight years old) – Europop by Eiffel 65.
Who from the United States inspired you the most early on and why were they inspirational for you?
Oh, gosh. As a teenager, my three favorite American bands were probably Coheed and Cambria, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and TOOL. All three groups have strong melodies, catchy hooks, powerful vocals – but the styles are all different.
What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?
You know, I haven’t gone out to clubs all that much. I’m shy and sometimes afraid to socialize. But I love going to concerts and festivals, and I did that a lot in my 20s. I have one specific concert memory that absolutely cemented my desire to become a musician... my sophomore year in college, and I was 19 years old, at Brown University Spring Weekend 2010, a huge multi-day festival on campus. It was absolutely insane that we got to see such amazing music as college students, yards away from our dorms – The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, Major Lazer all played – and MGMT. I remember their lead singer’s words, he told us, and I’m paraphrasing a lot: “You all have no reason not to follow your dreams. You are all privileged and have the power to succeed, you just need to free your mind and work hard right now for what you want, and anything is possible.” I never forgot those words, and even though I neglected to follow them much until now at age 34, they impacted me.
For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? And what advice would you have for new producers just trying to find their way?
I’m so new to this, I don’t have much advice. Just to keep working. And keep listening to lots of music and keeping an open mind. Follow your emotions and what you love, and be true to yourself, and your voice will shine through. Not always, but the more I follow this approach, the easier I can find original ideas.
You have a broad range of musical interests from Jazz to Funk & Soul to Metal, so please tell us how all these styles have made you a more well rounded producer and how you might incorporate some of it in your own productions.
I like to step out of the normal range of sounds and timbres in any given genre – for example, if I’m making a deep house track I might throw in some rave stabs that belong more in a trance song. Or if I’m making techno, then I’m likely going to add some subtle dubstep-style bass wubs, or some house-style organ or piano. I also add synth guitar and slap bass, sometimes… I guess that’s where rock, funk, and jazz come into play a little bit.
Your self-titled debut album is due out in June, please tell us about the collection and the single which will be leading up to the release.
I’m releasing at least six singles, one every Friday, starting with ECLIPSE on 28 February, followed by IT’S NOT FAIR on 7 March. There’s also a second track featuring more amazing vocals from ODARKA, coming on 4 April, called LIGHT ME UP. My album experiments with all sorts of electronic dance styles, from melodic techno to deep and progressive house, breakbeats, and dubstep. Every track has vocals – two with ODARKA, one with my own voice (which makes me really nervous), and the rest featuring synth vocals produced with Dreamtonics Synthesizer V which I’m new to using.
Let’s look a bit closer at the first single ‘Eclipse’, which is a collaboration with Odarka, tell us a bit about the track and what sort of vibe you were going for on it.
ODARKA’s vocals reign supreme here. She makes the track. It wouldn’t be as popular without her, not even close. I think I did a pretty good job showcasing her amazing performance and helping it shine even more than it does naturally. The music is dreamy, energetic melodic techno that could fill up an arena.
Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on your ‘Eclipse’ single?
I have an M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini keyboard to help compose my songs, but I draw every note and automation lane into FL Studio’s playlist and piano roll using my computer’s mouse and keyboard. I don’t record the synths live. I patch the melodies through FLEX, Sytrus, Harmless, and Harmor for the most part, and I love UVI Falcon for pads and other rich, organic sounds. I rely on my Sony MDR-7506 headphones to help me hear the subtle issues in my mixes – simple and relatively cheap, but with astonishingly accurate audio reproduction.
Tell us about the choice to self release this on your own label, let us in the decision making process there and was there ever a consideration to shop the tracks to a label?
I’ve been producing the album only since January, and I didn’t expect to receive much attention. I figured I’d have no choice but to self-release when I first planned the album. So I’m sticking to that plan now, but I’d love to work with other labels on some future projects.
Current Top five tracks
I make a lot of “Inspiration” playlists on SoundCloud which show my absolute favorite tracks – here’s my current top five tracks:
- KTW - INTENSE FEELINGS
- Sovathany - NIGHT AWAY
- CAŁĪZZĪ - KEEP DANCIN'
- Arielle - How Do I Feel
- Lady Gaga - Abracadabra
- Here’s an awesome remix by Apes on Acid: https://soundcloud.com/apesonacid/lady-gaga-abracadabra-technotrance-remix?in=wickedgloves/sets/inspiration-viii
If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?
I work from home as a web developer, writing code and helping make websites. I live with my beautiful wife Megan and our very energetic 2-year-old puppy Olive. I like riding my e-bike around the local park trails, to get out in nature and away from screens, every day in the spring and summer if I can.
If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists? (Do not include yourself)
This is a fun question. I wish I could do this in real life :D Here goes…
- Animals As Leaders – 30-minute warm-up set
- I saw them play and absolutely casually crush a warm-up set for Devin Townsend and Dream Theater a couple years back… all I can say is, more please
- Meshuggah – 45-minute set
- To keep the intense fusion-y metal vibes going for a while. I’ve never seen them play live but I really want to. I love Meshuggah
- Devin Townsend – 45-minute set
- He can help us bridge this gap from metal to EDM, and he sounds AMAZING live. He sings better than any other rock/metal vocalist I’ve heard recently
- Giuseppe Ottaviani - 1-hr set
- Again sadly I have NOT SEEN HIM live but this would be a killer set. Been really enjoying his live work I’ve heard and seen online lately
- Above & Beyond - 90-minute set
- Because what better way to end the night, and get us into the morning??? I have seen them and it was very good. Legends.
If you were not a producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related)
Haha ok, I was going to say DJ or radio host – but you said that it should be not music related. That’s harder… I would probably be doing some kind of visual art, but I’m not very good at it, so that might be a hard existence…
What’s something people do not know about you?
I often appear very introverted but I love socializing and meeting new people, if they’re nice and they like music. I’ve spent most of my life being shy, but I’m trying to break out of my shell of anxiety a little more, starting this year.
What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?
I’ve been into watching Ink Master with my wife. The artistry, intensity of the situations, and the interesting people make it a fun show. All-time… I love sitcoms. Some of my favorites are Seinfeld, Community, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Apart from music, what makes you happiest?
Spending time with my wife Megan and our puppy. We love going to local jazz shows together. Riding my bike through the forest and breathing fresh air and looking at the beautiful nature around where I live.
What can we look forward to from you across the remainder of 2025? Any releases aside from the album which you are looking forward to?
YES, I’m glad you asked. Behavior Recordings releases my new single “Suspended” on 16 March, to Spotify, Beatport, and elsewhere – listen to a preview here: https://soundcloud.com/behavior-recordings/wicked-gloves-suspended
This song is different from anything else I’ve done – it has more of a progressive edge, but also kind of a classic 80’s synthpop feel, with a bit of deep house soul. I’m really proud of it and I hope listeners will be pleasantly surprised by how the tune develops.
'Eclipse' is available now via Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ffj6bwfn
