WEDIDIT isn’t the first label to make it on the Internet but it’s impossible to imagine a set like this existing completely separate from it. Maybe it’s the deliberately shitty web.0 aesthetic or the fact that they came up almost entirely on blogs and message boards, but to me the LA-based collective will always be the musical equivalent of that early 90’s concept of the “world wide web” – which isn’t to say that their sound is in any sense regressive. Despite an obvious appreciation for throwback R’n’B and hip-hop, they’ve managed to constantly position themselves on the front lines of those genres. It seems dismissive to box their sound into classifications like trap, cloud rap or lean music, so we won’t do that, but know that their ability to traffic in trends before they’re trends is a large part of what’s been turning heads.
What started as crew of high school friends producing music for themselves quickly developed into fully-realized releases. Probably the first WEDIDIT disciple to achieve widespread recognition was Shlohmo, who’s full-length debut Bad Vibes came out in 2011, effectively establishing his brand of textured, emotive, and sometimes-so-thick-you-could-drown-in-it instrumentals.
A solid EP and a dozen remixes later he’d catch The Weeknd’s attention with an impromptu “Crew Love” flip which was promptly made official. So far this year he’s released the Laid Out – EP as well as an incredible collaboration with “Birthday Sex” guy cum indie blog darling, Jeremih.
Next on the roster is young Henry Steinway AKA Clockwork AKA RL Grime.
The relative ease of that one betrays the kinetic Lex Luger-inspired dance music he’d go on to pioneer. His “Mercy” and “Satisfaction” remixes were big room and EDM festival staples last year, thankfully he’s found a way to keep developing those sounds without devolving into formulaic †Ɍ∆Ƥ ȘĦ݆.
Groundislava is the crew’s gentle giant – a big ass dude with a taste for video game sounds and more traditional strains of dance music.
The lead single off his latest, Feel Me, is absolutely massive – with a Chrono Trigger sample, leading up to a Trolls 2 sample, giving way to some dangerous sub bass.
Last but not least is Ryan Hemsworth, probably one of the only dudes out of Nova Scotia specializing in rap remixes.
Besides a string of stellar EPs and production credits, Hemsworth regularly puts together incredible mixes which showcase his taste in the stranger sides of hip-hop, R’n’B and electronic.
That brings us through about half the team, which is rounded out by co-founder D33J, a growing roster of young upstarts – CZ, Arnold, Purple – and graphic artist SuS Boy, whose style’s most recently been co-opted by Skrillex, the dark prince of dubstep himself. Those powers combine to form WEDIDIT – one of the most talked about labels of last year. From we’ve seen so far, 2013 is gonna be another 365 full of big things.
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