The Chainsmokers, Slander, David Guetta, Afrojack and Flosstradamus. All of these Wynn Nightlife resident DJs have been incorporating the hard trap sounds of SayMyName into their Vegas club sets for years. French superstar DJ Snake even brought the LA native (aka Dayvid Lundie-Sherman) into the booth as a special guest.
But the time has come for SayMyName’s official Wynn debut at EBC’s Nightswim Saturday night. I caught up with the pioneering artist during his 11-day tour in China to talk about his trademark sound, his big Vegas gig and his love of bacon.
You played EDC, but this is your first Vegas club performance. How special is this Encore Beach Club Nightswim show? I’m stoked. I can’t wait. There are artists there like Snake and The Chainsmokers that have been showing love for my tracks at Encore and XS, and I’m super grateful that my music has been in constant rotation there.
You’re known as the godfather of hard trap. What is it that draws you to that sound? For me it’s just the energy behind the sound design. It’s the intensity of hardstyle, that super-aggressive [sound] with the grooves of hip-hop. You can still dance to it, but it’s intense. It still has that flavor, but it’s not too much so that you can’t handle it. My father was a hip-hop DJ in the ’80s, so I grew up on Dr. Dre and a lot of West Coast rap and started producing hip-hop before I got into dance music. When I discovered hardstyle, that’s when I thought to blend the two with my own twist.
Who’s inspiring you right now? I would say Headhunterz is still a huge inspiration and has been from the start. He [Willem Rebergen] just dropped a crazy album, and I’m always watching him. Also Snake, Carnage, Skrillex of course is an icon, as well as Tiësto and Martin Garrix lately. Tiësto and I just talked about doing something; in his words, “a festival banger that’s going to surprise everyone.”
You’re also known for your love of bacon. Other than its obvious deliciousness, why? In college it was one of my favorite treats. I use to make bacon memes and puns and jokes for my friends and fans caught onto it. Basically it’s extra-crispy—that’s what I used to say about my basslines.
SAYMYNAME August 25, 10:30 p.m., $25-$35. Encore Beach Club, 702-770-7300.
