VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Karl Wolf On His New Dance Music Sound

Many people took the COVID-19 lockdown as a time to reflect, start a new business or cultivate a new hobby, and musician Karl Wolf was no different.

Wolf, best known for his rendition of Toto’s “Africa,” turned his career in a whole new direction during the pandemic. He recently sat down for a conversation with uInterview’s Erik Meers to discuss his recent JUNO nod, how he decided to join TikTok and his new music style.

“I haven’t been nominated in 11 years,” Wolf said in his exclusive uInterview. “It’s my fourth JUNO nomination. The industry hasn’t recognized me in that way in a long time. I’ve also made the shift in genres from pop and R&B to dance music. I’m very happy that they’ve recognized me for that.”

The DJ shared how the lockdown gave him a break from his routine and how the isolation and lack of concerts led him to seek interaction with his fans in a different way.

“Prior to the pandemic, we were averaging about 156 concerts a year, whether it was events or concerts. That’s been consistent for the past 10-12 years. Then the pandemic hit. Nothing, there was nothing, obviously,” he said. “I didn’t like the virtual concert thing. I felt like you couldn’t hear the quality properly, you’re not interacting with fans, there’s a delay … It’s just so ugly. I said you know what, ‘Let’s go to some other platforms and show people how I make and produce my music because a lot of fans don’t even know that I produce my own records. A lot of artists get producers, mixers, and mastering guys. I literally do everything in-house. I thought, why not show them through an educational platform. TikTok blew up. I went viral with it. I’ve been consistent ever since. Whatever I produced live for TikTok, we actually released them all on Spotify and are monetizing it.”

The DJ’s new music is different from what fans are used to hearing from him.

“It’s a blend of deep house, future house, slap house and some pop sentiments in there. It’s just a bunch of energy,” Wolf said. “It was a total mistake that I got into dance music, to be honest. I was just messing around and I’m like, ‘Okay let me try a hip hop song, let me try an R&B song, let me try a dance record, let’s put 122 BPM.’ It’s not like I’m a connoisseur of dance music. I never went to the festivals but I’m a musician and I heard the kind of kicks, snares and basslines they’re using and I was just sort of trying it out.”

Listen to Wolf’s new song “Getaway” on all streaming services now.