We were lucky to catch up with A.J. Vincent recently and have shared our conversation below.

A.J., thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I’ve been making EDM for a long time, and I still can’t figure out what genre Party Wolfe is, and I just had a friend tell me they think calling it EDM is selling my sound short when compared to other EDM. I make electronic music, but I’ve always had some sort of rock element in it, and I think that may be the reason people don’t know how to classify it.

I used to make hybridized EDM with live drums and other live instruments, then I started making drum machine only drums in my tracks which made the sound much more EDM-esque, but I still arrange my songs similar to rock songs but not exactly like rock songs, so it gives the sound a cinematic/driving/journey feel to the EDM elements.

I don’t want to make overly standard/boring songs that mimic other artists, so after I get through making a song, the arrangement always has a story-feel, and I guess there needs to be a name for EDM that isn’t just a few layers from records like a DJ, but also not pop-style arrangements that actually start somewhere in a scene, and end somewhere else in another scene like a good story.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Professional musician that plays keyboards, I am a vocalist, I produce EDM, and I perform as a DJ as well. I am the keyboardist/vocalist of the band …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, and I am the producer of Party Wolfe.

I’ve been playing piano since I was five years old, and I turned it into my career because I love it more than everything.

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead just released a new album we put together called, XI: Bleed Here Now.

I have a new Party Wolfe album, Astral Heat, coming out sooner than later, and I have released one music video for it, and there’s another on the way. The “You Feel About Me” single/music video is out right now, and “When Stars Collide” is coming soon, and then full album after that.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Realize when the tech industry takes advantage of artists, and don’t play their game when they’re actively trying to capitalize off artists in a way that is ultimately bad for the artists making the art.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Make people dance.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.partywolfe.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/partywolfemusic
• Facebook: facebook.com/partywolfemusic
• Twitter: twitter.com/partywolfemusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx9RGcxZgYEoI7W3uMjgVrw
• Other: www.trailofdead.com

Image Credits
Stephanie Bujold Tmak World