Walker and Royce.
Myles Heidenreich @2ndnaturephoto.com
It’s more than just a tech house. It’s more than just weird beats. It’s more than just funky sounds. That’s funny. It’s multi-faceted. It’s progressive.
It’s Walker & Royce.
Gavin Royce, one half of the project, says they started out listening to underground music and felt they needed to get “everyone dancing.” For this reason, their music is vocal-based, which appeals to people who don’t usually listen to house music. Royce notes cases where people who don’t even like the genre have claimed to like the project’s music.
“I try to cultivate openness and (try to) attract people,” he says. “Our music is unpretentious. I think there’s a lot of pretentiousness in dance music that just doesn’t belong here, and I feel like our idea is to create an open door and say, “Everyone is invited – no matter what.”
But Sam Walker, the other half of the duo, says this creates the challenge of consistently impressing viewers. Each studio session is a blank canvas for them because they have discovered that copying what they have done in the past doesn’t work. Walker & Royce, on the other hand, continually reinvent themselves, which is a notable feat because they never release music that sounds the same – something that isn’t often seen in today’s dance music world.
“Some people are good at rinsing and repeating. I don’t think we are,” Royce says.
Walker & Royce released their debut album “Self Help” in 2017.
Myles Heidenreich @2ndnaturephoto.com
The project’s sound not only evolves, but also transcends genres. This dynamic duo is best known for tech house, but it doesn’t stop there. From Drum’n’Bass to deep house, neo-disco and more, they certainly weave a diverse tapestry of sounds. They may be referencing the sounds of dance music from the past, but they are doing more than just imitating them: they are reconceptualizing them. Indeed, Walker & Royce continually demonstrates their ability to create different sounds while adhering to the signature eccentric style that has propelled them to the forefront of the scene.
The project did it once again with the release of their second album, No big dealwhich dropped earlier this year.
It’s a big deal though.
The 10-track album, released on the renowned Dirtybird label, takes listeners on a sonic journey through quirky and funky rhythms, booming and fun bass lines, memorable melodies, penetrating and swirling synthesizers, computer-like sounds, Drum’n’Bass, weird beats, techno tracks, edgy melodies, buzzing soundscapes, festival radiators, progressive elements and a sense of boldness, authority and entertainment. Certainly, No big deal proves to be the complete opposite of its name, as the LP exemplifies the project’s ability to create songs designed to dominate the dancefloor and its ongoing commitment to representing the future of contemporary house music.
According to Royce, the album contains more dark and intense sounds, which is best seen on “Fatalistic Groove” The inclusion of dark melodies wasn’t as prominent on their previous releases, but now they’re doing it No big deal showcasing techno, a genre that Walker says is often considered serious. But in true Walker & Royce style, he still finds a way to live out his “weird and stupid” personality.
“Make techno fun again,” says Royce.
Techno is one example of sound designers who have expanded their sonic footprint beyond house music, as they have also produced two long-play Drum’n’Bass tracks. Walker notes that they had “never really gotten around to playing drums in a DJ set” before, but these two songs show that they now have the skills to do so. Taking the risk of creating songs in this genre, he says, turned out to be great fun for the duo.
Royce further states that artists who upload their albums are advised to categorize themselves by a specific genre. Although in his opinion they would usually choose house or tech house, they chose electro pop No big deal because the LP boasts many genres. Despite the numerous songs that can be heard on the album, one thing is certain: coherence, allowing the tastemakers to tell a seamless story.
Notably, the LP featured several impressive collaborations, including Indian-Canadian hip-hop artist Harm Franklin, South Central singer Barney Bones, comedy musician Reggie Watts, and Newport Beach native VNSSA.
The album was released in four parts, with the final release including all parts. Royce says streaming has made listeners hyper-focused on singles, shortening their attention span on albums. He adds that the four-part release not only made the LP more digestible, but also allowed Rules do not apply label heads to tweak the songs that came out later, which they did based on how they performed live. He says this plan also allowed more songs to gain attention, citing that releasing an album in today’s streaming era can result in just one record becoming popular while others remain lukewarm.
“I think it helped because with the first set of songs we released four things and that got people’s attention,” Walker says. “Then when we started releasing additional songs, I think people were already very tuned in, and when those songs came out, they got a lot of direct attention, which was really good. We like to spread the available songs, so we released “I Don’t Remember” with “Tha Tea” because we didn’t want two more house songs to come out at the same time.
Walker & Royce’s first EP was “Escapade” released in 2018.
Myles Heidenreich @2ndnaturephoto.com
No big deal marks the project’s return to Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird label, as his last release on the esteemed imprint was in 2022 titled “Feel the Vibe.” According to Royce, the famous record company “saved” the duo because they felt they had reached the top. While they were still playing, people mainly came for the headline act, as Walker & Royce were billed as support acts for the show. Walker adds that they also felt like they didn’t connect with the audience at that point.
They were then asked to play Dirtybird Campout.
Royce says they were under the impression they were booked for the festival “accidentally.” He speculates that they were invited to perform because they performed on Pets Recordings, the label run by Catz ‘n Dogz, and are American, so the festival didn’t have to pay for them to get visas.
Additionally, Royce claims that Dirtybird was gaining popularity around this time in 2018. Walker & Royce, he says, “came up with something new” sonically while the label was looking for fresh and creative sounds.
“It was just a perfect marriage,” Royce says. “We thought we would be done for the most part. Dirtybird kind of changed everything. Once we’ve done that Self-helpI feel like things have really taken off for us. It’s good to be back (on the label).”
Dirtybird has changed since its debut. Claude VonStoke, founder of Dirtybird, took a break to pursue a bass-based side project called Barclay Crenshaw – his legal name. Walker & Royce became part of the crew that helps lead the Dirtybird herd forward.
As for the biggest challenge the couple has ever faced, it’s “pure stubbornness,” Royce says. He adds that people even asked when they would abandon the project. Walker says time helped heal the problem, which was necessary because he was having problems with his wife because they weren’t making money on the project, so she wanted him to leave. Although Walker was close to giving up, signing with Dirtybird changed everything.
If it weren’t for the famous label, the world might never have enjoyed the funky, weird, fun and forward-thinking music released by this duo. Considering that the project was supported by renowned artists – such as Sasha, Adam Beyer, Eats Everything, Maceo Plex, Gorgon City and Loco Dice – one may wonder how Walker and Royce’s resignation would affect dance music. However, one thing is certain: the project’s commitment to his craft is pushing the tech house and house music scene forward, proving that he made the right decision to continue creating music.
Catch Walker & Royce will perform on Friday, October 18 at Caw Palace in California, where they will support John Summit. Tickets are available here.
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