[INTERVIEW] WonkyWilla On His Meteoric Rise, Hulaween Set & Wonksgiving

With a top hat like Willy Wonka and self-made visuals that mirror the surreal charm of the films, WonkyWilla has experienced one of the fastest rises of any DJ in recent years.

Just one year ago, he was playing renegade stages hidden deep in the campsites. This year, he commanded one of the festival’s largest stages, drawing a sea of fans that spilled nearly to The Meadow Stage and into the nearby vendor area. Conservative estimates put the crowd between 10,000 and 15,000 people, though it may have been even larger given the scale of the festival.

Based in Jacksonville, WonkyWilla has been rapidly gaining attention for his wonky, bass-heavy sound infused with hip-hop influence. Born Nicholas Olivieri, the 23-year-old producer is currently touring nationwide and stepping onto increasingly larger stages. His Hulaween set quickly became one of the weekend’s most talked-about moments, signaling a trajectory that shows no signs of slowing.

Long-time writer, interviewer, and bass music fan Michael Fritz Jr. had the pleasure of catching up with WonkyWilla at Hulaween following his massive Thursday night performance.

Check out this exclusive interview with WonkyWilla below.

What part from Florida are you from, and are you from here originally?

WonkyWilla: Yeah, so I live in Jacksonville, Florida, right now. I’m actually originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I moved to Florida for school—I went to Jacksonville University—and then about a year in, I dropped out to make dubstep. Florida’s the best!

What’s your favorite venue that you’ve played?

WonkyWilla: It was a hard question until tonight. By far, Hulaween.

Is this your first time at Hula?

WonkyWilla: It’s my second time at Hula. I attended last year, but it’s my first time playing this year.

Did you do any renegades last year?

WonkyWilla: Yes, I did a renegade at Wooksville. That was deep in the woods, really hard to find, but we made it happen.

When you go to make a track, remix or original, what’s your production process like? Where do you start?

WonkyWilla: I feel like 99% of the time I start with the drop, and then I’ll shape the song completely around that. Usually I open with drums, bass, and then effects, and go from there, just keep building it. That is how I typically make my songs, but not every song is the same.

Who are some artists you’ve worked with that you were really excited to collaborate with? And who would you like to work with in the future?

WonkyWilla: I would definitely say smith. and Buku were amazing to work with. And some I would love to work with in the future would be LSDream, GorillaT.

It is a hard question, there are so many talented producers. Jantsen, Ravenscoon, Liquid Stranger, the list goes on.

You dropped a lot of new music tonight. Who were some of the artists you collaborated with on those, and when are those songs coming out?

WonkyWilla: So tonight you heard some collabs with SoDown and smith. There was one with Blacksmith, different guy. I played one I did with Homemade Spaceship and my good buddy Sloth.

So that Homemade Spaceship and Sloth collab, and the Blacksmith one, will all be coming out around Thanksgiving time, on my Wonksgiving EP. For Wonksgiving, we are going to basically donate all revenue for the show back to charity in order to give back to the community. We are going to throw a very cost-effective show and just have a great time.

I saw that you are on tour right now. Can you tell me about some of the shows you have coming up?

WonkyWilla: I feel like there are too many to even list. Tomorrow I will be headed to Austin, Texas, to do a special WonkyWeen show, and I am super excited for that. There are lots of other things that are not even announced yet that I am very hyped for, so stay on the lookout for that.

What has your trajectory been like in your career so far?

WonkyWilla: It has been insane. I'm super thankful. I would not be able to be in this position without the fans that are in front of me, and I couldn’t ask for more. Words can never describe it.

Would you pick the original Willy Wonka film with Gene Wilder or the Johnny Depp version?

WonkyWilla: Johnny Depp! I’m an ’02 baby, so that is what I grew up on.

Did you see the Timothée Chalamet one that came out recently?

WonkyWilla: Yes, it’s cool. I respect it. I’m a music man, but I am not big on musical movies like that. And I feel like the one closest to the book will always be that Johnny Depp one. It’d be hard to do it better.

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Photos courtesy of @mfotoflix.

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