Fresh Kicks 84: Wax Wings

Wax Wings has had quite the year. Having closed off 2017 with the dark and anthemic ‘Gravedance’ EP, the Brazilian-British DJ/producer – real name Joseph Icaro – has continued to propel forward in 2018, hitting a number of incredible landmarks on the way.

Under the wing of deep house innovator and UK stalwart Maya Jane Coles, Wax has, in recent months, made his debut in Fabric’s Room 1, become a resident at the influential HE.SHE.THEY parties, played a closing slot at Pacha, Ibiza, a six-hour sunrise set at Watergate and released his fourth EP, ‘WHISPER’.

“So far so good.” he says. No doubt.

His introduction to electronic music was a trial by fire in Leeds’ underground club scene, one that was built on a blur of techno and DIY energy. 

“I was taken one night by a group of my troublemaker friends from my hometown into the depths of Chapel Town, Leeds to a ‘club’ called The West Indian Centre,” he remembers. “RIFF RAFF (RIP) would descend as a neon overdose monthly, in what was really a dressed up community centre. But, it was so amazing! Wall to wall techno from entrance to exit, swirled up on a cocktail of 303 and 909. I went straight home and started producing the electronic music.”

Raised on a diet on dark, industrial music though by the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Deftones and Marilyn Manson, that spectral, brooding atmosphere resonates in Wax Wings productions, though never interfering with their danceability.

“Rather than the industrial sounds alone, I am more heavily inspired by a feeling that these bands create,” he explains. “I like the somber chord progressions, the eerie, melancholic and troubled emotions they explore. That’s not to say when I do make heavier music I go for the clanky and distorted noises. You know, retain some of that angry teenage attitude.”

A visual artist as well as a musician, Wax Wings’ work in that sphere is very different, focussing on the lighter, more blithe and tongue-in-cheek side to his personality.

“I have been working on a series of paintings that express a more fun side of my character - still terribly unsettled of course,” he says. “Currently ‘Untitled’, this exhibition showcases how much I - believe it or not - love using colour and have a massive sense of humour. I find it hard to convey this through music alone and wouldn’t necessarily use these as album artworks. But need to express them nonetheless. Expect dicks out, despair, devils, demons and debauchery.”

Looking forward, the future is delightfully dark and loud for Wax Wings. With a series of gigs lined up for the remainder of 2018, including HE.SHE.THEY’s debut in Dublin and Maya Jane Coles & Friends Halloween party in E1, London. Not only that, there’s an album in the works and a Bronski Beat remix on the way while work continues in earnest on a live show he’s been dying to put together for some time – “vocals, lots and lots of vocals!”.

In the meantime, Wax Wings has delivered a superb 60-minute mix showcasing his distinct, dark and dancey sound. Check it out below.