Wilza on Crafting ‘I Like’ and His Plans for the Year Ahead
Having kicked off 2025 with the release of ‘I Like,’ Producer and DJ Wilza sits down to give us
Having kicked off 2025 with the release of ‘I Like,’ Producer and DJ Wilza sits down to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the track’s creation. From selecting the perfect sample to crafting its high-energy groove, Wilza breaks down his production process, influences, and the role ‘I Like’ plays in his larger vision for New Jack House. Having been working to integrate the nostalgia of the genre into the modern Electronic Music space, Wilza continues to appear as a motivated force on the scene, passionate about introducing his unique fusion of sound to new listeners around the globe and bring back the dancefloor-ready vibes of the genre.
Today, we learn more about his approach and the direction he is taking with his music as Wilza breaks down his creativity and what he hopes for next in his ever-evolving journey.
Hi Wilza, how are you? Congrats on your new release!
I’m very well, thanks and thank you!
To start, can you tell us what inspired you to sample Guy’s classic anthem, ‘I Like,’ and how did you approach reimagining it within a House music framework?
Whilst shortlisting potential reworks for my New Jack House project, I listened to hours of classic tracks from the genre. I remember putting this track on and after about 15 secs of listening to it, I had already decided, not only that this was going to get reworked, but also what sample I would take for the track. Add to that the knowledge that this is one of Guy’s most famous tracks and a beast in the New Jack Swing genre. It simply made sense in so many ways.
Can you share how your love for New Jack Swing influenced the direction of this track?
The genre overall is generally high energy, up-tempo, uplifting and positive mood music. The kind of music that instantly makes you want to hit the dancefloor. I wanted to ensure that my rework followed the same blueprint, and this significantly influenced the direction of this track and my thinking around how the track was put together.
The production features shuffled percussion and a funky bassline. How did you craft these elements to keep the track’s groove dynamic and engaging?
In line with it being an old-skool genre, I wanted to create an old-skool House sound for the track. It is a different direction from the previous New Jack House tracks I have released but I had a lot of fun doing it this way. I took elements from the original, like the bassline, and layered them with other basslines to make them pop out. The percussion and drums overall had a groovy old-skool feel which I felt was perfect for the mood and energy level which I wanted the track to have.
What was your creative process like when building the vocal layers and integrating them with the instrumental?
I had to extract vocal stems from the original song in order to layer them on top of my production. There is not a lot of vocal on my track, it’s just three short vocal samples which are looped at various points. The ad-libs contribute to the crescendo and the build-up nicely with the bar drops and stab samples brought in to really give the track an energy boost around 1/3 of the way through. I have made a decision to release a dub version of the track. I have not done this before with any of my New Jack House tracks however this one I feel sounds just as good without the vocal sample as it does with the sample. The dub version will be released sometime in March ’25 onto all DSPs so look out for it!
With such a bold soundscape, how do you envision ‘I Like’ fitting into your live sets? Have you had the opportunity to play it live yet, and if so, what was the crowd’s reaction?
‘I Like’ fits in very well with my sets. It is a peak-time, high-energy track which relentlessly ensures the dancefloor is rockin’ when played. The vocal sample is a trigger for all those who knew the original and even those who didn’t; there was a recent ‘I Like’ viral TikTok dance challenge that happened a few years back so many know the original track from there. I have been very pleased with the reaction, and I have had great feedback from other DJs who have also used it in their sets.
What tools, gear, or plugins were essential in creating the intricate layers and textures in this track?
My Novation Launchkey keyboard and Ableton 12 sit at the heart of all my music production. Diva was used for the bassline, ANA and Serum were largely used for the synths. I also used some percussion samples obtained from Loopcloud.
The brass motifs and vibrant synth work stand out. How did you decide on these melodic details, and what role do they play in shaping the track’s energy?
As mentioned earlier, I wanted to amplify the energy of the original track and just make the drops and stabs really pop out. I wanted to pay homage to the original whilst at the same time really making the track my own. I added several different melodies which I felt brought about a warmth which shaped the track nicely to fit into an entirely new genre.
You’ve said you want to introduce a new generation to New Jack Swing. What do you hope younger listeners take away from this track?
I hope that younger listeners will enjoy hearing the track on the dancefloor and more importantly take any intrigue they have and use that to go and listen to the original tracks which inspired it. There is so much great music in that genre which is timeless.
It’s a genre in which, even when modern-day artists like Bruno Mars, make songs from, they still dominate the charts. When Bruno Mars brought out ‘Finesse’ featuring Cardi B, I lost my mind. It was a New Jack Swing track, and it worked so well. Everyone loved it. It was played in every RnB club all over the world and didn’t sound out of place. It was a high-energy, uplifting up-tempo, peak-time dance track. This is what all the tracks from that genre brought to the dancefloors back in the 90s and it can do again at any time it is brought back, as Bruno Mars proved.
I am simply trying to do the same but through House music. Raise awareness of a slept-on genre and hopefully bring that vibe to House music dancefloors everywhere.
Finally, as your first release of 2025, how would you say ‘I Like’ sets the tone for your artistic goals this year? What do you have coming up next that fans can look forward to?
‘I Like’ sets the tone nicely for the first half of 2025. As mentioned earlier, I have the dub version of ‘I Like’ due out later in March, and I then plan to release one more New Jack House single in April/May. I will follow that with another EP, ‘New Jack House Vol.2.,’ New Jack House Vol.1 did really well. Vol.2 will have a different angle to it however as Vol.1 was a Tech House-focused EP. Vol. 2 will be a more Jackin’ House-sounding EP.
As ‘I Like’ marks the start of an exciting year for Wilza, it is clear that his mission to bring New Jack Swing into the Electronic Music space is only gaining momentum. With a dub version on the way, another single in the pipeline, and ‘New Jack House Vol.2’ set for release later this year, Wilza is showing no signs of slowing down, maintaining his creative focus as he continues working to bring fresh and engaging sounds to listeners. So, be sure to stay tuned and follow Wilza across social media to keep up with his latest news, updates, and upcoming music.
Listen and Buy ‘I Like’ Here:
https://www.beatport.com/release/i-like/4915970
Wilza Online
