Dave Winnel has released his new dancefloor anthem, 'Alegria,’ a song that has only solidified his position as a true powerhouse in the Australian and global electronic music scene. We interrupted the Sydney DJ and producer, who is renowned for his infectious beats and energetic performances, during his preparation for a show with Stace Cadet on the 19th of July at NSW snow destination, Jindabyne, to chat about the new track, remixing vs originals and that time he saw Martin Garrix.

For those that haven’t had the privilege of seeing you play, what dance music genre box do you put yourself in?

No genres but anything ranging from 120 to 135bpm. Anything slower is too slow and anything faster is too fast to dance to. Expect lots of tribally rhythms, big drums, lots of throwbacks and yada yada yada.

Dave, you have just released your new track 'Alegria' tell us about the new song?

Alegria plays homage to 90s cheesy dance songs, done with a modern 2023 take, again with those tribal grooves and big drums.

Will 'Alegria' feature on an album or will it stay a stand-alone single?

Stand-alone single. I am working on an album for my side project ‘Little Foot ́ but that’s another whole different conversation.

“Tiesto was one of the reasons why i got into Dance music and DJing way back in 2003.”

— Dave Winnel

You have very successfully remixed song such as Tiësto's 'Traffic,' what makes you decide which tracks to re-invent?

So, for this one my buddy Kryder, who I remixed ‘Traffic’ with hit me up and asked if I wanted to jump on the remix with him. We’ve worked on a few tunes in the past, in fact one of my most played tracks was a collab with Kryder...so yeah, he hit me up and of course I wanted to jump on the remix with him. Tiësto was one of the reasons why I got into Dance music and DJing way back in 2003.

To answer your question which tracks I decide to re-invent, I actually have soooooo many ideas and I normally write them down or add them to a Spotify playlist and then I also do this thing every day where I start a new song idea every morning first thing in the studio. If I don’t know where to start, I browse through one of my many song ideas in the playlists to start something off.

Who in the music world would you like to see have a crack at remixing one of your originals? Who would you like to see remix 'Alegria ‘and why?

I think it’s only fair to get Tiësto to have a crack at remixing it? LOL. Seriously though I ‘d love to get an Odd Mob remix of it, his tunes are levels above everyone else’s. He has his own distinct sound even though each of his tunes sound different. It’s just the way he processes his sounds

“I really want to get into film score composing when I’m too old for this DJ thing.”

— Dave Winnel

Who would be your ultimate Collab Partner be?

Hans Zimmer. I really want to get into film score composing when I’m too old for this DJ thing.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of remixing someone else’s track as opposed to working on your own original pieces?

A remix I can normally finish pretty fast. There’s way less pressure, it’s almost like making a cake with a packet mix and recipe. You know how the end result is going to sound and you know how you’re going to get there as there’s already a foundation to start with.... but making an original is like having a bunch of ingredients and making something new. It takes me way longer to finish, I’m second guessing every step. What if I add too much of this, what if I didn’t add enough of that, will it be too spicy? or too sweet?? It’s kinda like that.

We are rapidly approaching Australia's Festival season. Will fans be able to see you on the festival circuit this summer? Can you confirm any festival appearances for our readers?

For Sure... I can tell you about some of the cool shows coming up... I’m playing Jindabyne 19th July. Cult Sydney Aug 11, Salt House Cairns 21st Aug, & Auckland 2nd Sep.

Do your festival sets differ from your club sets much? Is different preparation needed?

100% festival sets are normally bang, bang, bang from start to finish, so I normally prepare a setlist with a few tracks more just in case some won’t work out. Club sets I never really prepare too much for because you never know what you’re up against till when you get there. For a club set I normally have a playlist of about 90 songs that I could choose from... whereas a festival set I ́d have like 30.

“I’d love to play Splendour in the Grass!!! Please Please Please”

— Dave Winnel

What's the one festival you haven't played yet but would love to and why?

I’d love to play Splendour in the Grass!!! Please, Please, Please.

Without naming names what’s the craziest or funniest thing you have seen happen backstage at a festival?

I can name names because it’s not bad... but once it was so funny. My GF and I were just chilling in a green room by ourselves. I can’t remember which festival, then Martin Garrix walked in by himself. Did a bottle flip with his water. It landed perfectly then he proceeded to the fridge got himself a different drink then walked out again. My GF and I looked at each other like “what the fuck just happened.” It’s probably not even that funny, it was just funny because she had like a celebrity crush on him so we couldn’t stop laughing.

“We Are Sunset with Sunset Brothers...was a cool gig for me”

— Dave Winnel

We've seen you play at Festival X and We Are Sunset just to name a couple, so what is your favourite memory? Do you have an event that has been particularly special to you?

I’m glad you mention We Are Sunset with Sunset Brothers because that really was a cool gig for me. I really could just play whatever I wanted for an hour to a strong 8000 people crowd just pumped and ready to go for the Sunset Brothers.

Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?

Everyone at TMRW Music. They are all such legends and work so hard to put out my tunes and get me to my gigs on time. Chris, Meg, Rory, Anna, Jordan, Paul, Ebonie. The list goes on and on!

What's next for Dave Winnel? What's in the pipeline?

I’ve already mentioned the gigs coming up but also sooo many cool tunes coming. I’ve made fun of my socials, as to how music is getting faster in 2023, but I’ve also conformed to convention, so expect some faster stuff form me too coming soon.

Catch Dave performing:

July 19 – with Stace Cadet @ The Station, Jindabyne, NSW

LISTEN: https://davewinnel.tmrw.to/alegria

WATCH: https://youtu.be/TIE2GUTKFrM

Follow Dave on Socials