Dutch DJ and producer Dyro (legal name Jordy van Egmond, has grown from a small, undiscovered producer making beats in his bedroom to a global phenomenon with his own label and performing at some of the biggest clubs and festivals in the world in just a short four years. He was discovered by Laidback Luke as a promising producer on his forum and was quickly snatched up by Hardwell for his Revealed Records label.
His sound evolved outside of Revealed and van Egmond started his own imprint Wolv in August 2014, named after the first song released on the label. Despite being only 23 years-old and only just hitting his stride musically, Dyro is already using Wolv as a platform to help out new and undiscovered artists who might not have had a chance to release their music through other channels.
We had a chance to speak with Dyro before his set at EDC New York over Memorial Day Weekend and discuss the vision for his label, some of his upcoming collabs, which include tracks with Milo & Otis, Conro, The Bloody Beetroots and more, as well as playing down the talk of a possible "supergroup" with Hardwell and Dannic that was brought up in a prior interveiw with DJ Mag. Check out the full Q&A below and purchase his new song "Pure Noise."
MT: Were your parents supportive of your decision to drop out of school and be a DJ?
Dyro: Well you know how parents are...they'd rather you have a secure future then something that's really unsecure so of course they'd rather have me finish my school then be a DJ. But they were fine with anything as long as I finished my school. I started touring when I was in my exam year so at first I would miss every single class and I would just fly in to do my exams, fly out again, fly back for my midterms and fly out. Obviously I failed at first and then they tried to tell me I had to redo a whole school year. I was like 'no I'm not doing that' and then they told me I could do it in one month. I redid everything, got my degree and bounced. My parents are really supportive now obviously, but they just wanted me to be secure for the future.
MT: What did you get your degree in?
Dyro: Engineering
MT: Would you ever do something in engineering?
Dyro: No, it was cool to study. It was more designed base engineering and pretty creative but I don't think I would. I would have done something with it if I wasn't a DJ, but you know.
MT: What is the future of Wolv?
Dyro: So when I first started out I got a lot of opportunities and a lot of people supported me and granted I could do whatever. First example Hardwell. I was allowed to do whatever I want on this label so that gave me a really creative-like environment to work in and develop myself. I want give back to young artists and upcoming DJs, and I want spot them myself and do what other people have done for me. Wolv should be like a platform for both established artists but also upcoming artists who help and develop themselves.
MT: You mentioned you wanted to be like A$AP Mob. Is that what you really see it as?
Dyro: They're a really cool clan of people and they do whatever the f*ck they want. Its kind of like the environment I want create definitely.
MT: Do you have any artists in mind you would want have on Wolv like that?
Dyro: All these guys that I am working are new. Nobody knows them yet. They are not touring, they're just making music in their bedroom still. That's cool you know I started out like that too and that's how it works nowadays so I can drop a couple of names. There's Conro, we're going to be releasing a collab with him. He just released one song on my label. You have Loopers who I've known for the longest time since I started producing, as well as Nadan. We have ten songs already of just unknown kids and they make really good music but there hasn't been in a label for them to release their music on because I jumped into a really niche market, knowing that it was going to be niche. Chart-wise its ok but you know like we're going to be underneath the what's actually popular we're doing pretty good we have good releases ready. I don't know...I'm very excited for the future
MT: You've signed two songs so far from people just handing you music at other festivals and events like Dancefair and Paradiso Festival. Do you look for people with that type of drive?
Dyro: I used to do that too. Hardwell doesn't remember this but I even went to a Harwell show back in 2011 before I actually started working with him and gave him a CD. Never heard anything about it but like if this song on that CD would have been what I am making today...it shows a certain type of..
MT: What song was it?
Dyro: Really old song, never released...it its still in my computer. The thing you know these people that come to your show to give you their music personally they have like a certain drive. They really want it and they want to work for it and that's what it shows to me. That Bally Bandits song I found that way and they're coming up with new music on my label. I found this new song "Horror" from JuicyTrax & Switch Off. They came to me on a panel in Holland. They gave it to me listened to it on the spot and signed it right there. I think its cool, its personal and it shows they're really passionate and driven and but obviously e-mail helps to sign a lot of songs too.
MT: You said there was a possibility of a supergroup. Is that for real?
Dyro: Its funny how certain quotes are being taken out of context. You know for instance YourEDM only took the quote of me saying 'yes it's possible' but they deleted the quote within that said 'for right now I want to focus on my own label rather then a supergroup.' Um you know there have been talks and ideas but I think Hardwell is really busy and he's like in the big like booming point of his career at the moment so for him it wouldn't be really interesting to be like another thing on the side. But you know it's definitely possible...we might definitely do something in the future of that but I don't see it happening very soon.
MT: What's up with the top hat?
Dyro: I enjoy being in fashion too. I like to dress well and like we recently went to Tokyo and I go to these alternative areas to mess around and I think top hat just looks cool.
MT: Would you ever do something more in design.. possibly start your own brand?
Dyro: Definitely but for now I think I am busy enough with running the label and like putting that on a foundation.
MT: What is something people might not know about you?
<His tour manager chimes in:> I think people would be really surprised to see how much you look into socials. When people tweet he looks at every single tweet that people send. So in Tokyo this girl did a beautiful drawing of Jordy and handed it to him. Jordy was like 'yeah I saw this on Twitter.' She almost cried, she was so happy, but he really takes a lot of time to look through what everyone's saying and responds to a lot of them.
MT: What do you have coming up personally?
Dyro: We teased "Pure Noise" today. I actually am going be releasing a more progressive song for the summer so that's coming up on Revealed, not on my label, which is going be with Conro too. There are a lot of collaborations. I am working on something with The Bloody Beetroots and working on something with Headhunterz, I have something with Milo & Otis and a really cool vocal on it.
MT: Who's the vocal?
Dyro: I'm not sure I can say it right now, but it's a cool. [Looks nervously at tour manager]
MT: Male or female
Dyro: Male. I'm trying to get into a little more into the rap, hip-hop-influenced electro. I'm going be doing more of that soon.
MT: That's part of your sets now. What was the point of doing that in your sets?
Dyro: The most honest opinion is I just got a little bored with the 128 constantly. I just started looking around what are my interests and I've been listening to it for the longest time and 'I'm like why don't I use this for my sets?'
I just started like searching for new music making new mashups, trying to fit them in my set test it out in clubs. I'm actually going do a short ten-minute thing of more hip-hop, trappy tracks, which kind of breaks up the vibe too in a positive way. People can chill for a bit, vibe and then go back into the harder stuff and it works. I like it.
