Philadelphia Freedom: Dirty Bodies

With Isolation Drills, MAGNET has been checking in with Philadelphia-area musicians during the pandemic, while Where We Belong shines a light on our beloved local venues. Now that our city is opening again, MAGNET has launched Philadelphia Freedom to explore what happens next with our music scene, post-quarantine. Photos by Chris Sikich.

A CONVERSATION WITH DE WILD

What were you working on at Headroom Studios when we did these photos?
I was working on a song called “Back To The Crib” featuring an artist known as Orion Sun. A great artist to have feature on my first EP. It’s a song for the hopeless romantic. 

What project was it for and how/when are you looking to release the music? 
It’s for the EP that I’m working on. I’ll probably release it around mid-August, hopefully, along with music videos as well.

How did your approach to writing and recording change as a result of the pandemic? How did it impact how you worked in the studio?
Well, it’s been so long that I just wanted to have fun when I got in the studio. The pandemic slowed things down for a while. No studios were open, and the ones that were open weren’t of quality. So when I got to finally record with my engineer Danny (Murillo), it was all about getting back in and having fun. And the writing process, well, I was already writing for a while. It was more getting myself back on the horse and picking up where I started.

How much time do you plan to spend—or have you spent—in the studio working on this?
I spent about a week. Woke up, like, 11 o’clock in the morning, then left the studio around midnight, sometimes one o’clock in the morning. The process was very hard, but I’m no stranger to hard work. I was very determined to get it done. Once I did, I felt relief, but the hard work isn’t over.

Anything else you can think of to give MAGNET readers a behind-the-scenes look at your process, offering them a better understanding of what you’re working on?
I’m an artist outside of Philadelphia. I just want people to know that I’m coming and I have great music and a sound that I think will change the demographics of what we hear today. But I guess a lot of people believe that they are different, but I know, indeed, I’m very cocky but confident in my music. My sound mostly consists of hip-hop-based music, but I feel with this EP, I showed a lot that I didn’t even know that I had. I will say this project is very versatile. 

Musically, what are you looking forward to as restrictions are lifted in the city?
Well, once I drop my EP and the restrictions are lifted–which is happening now—I am looking forward to shows and booking shows and just doing a lot of groundwork to get my EP heard. To get myself heard. And to work with more artist like myself.