Meet warner case

A fantastic chap with two wonderful cats. warner case is an NYC producer firing out hard-driving deep house music and all kinds of positive vibes. To their recent 2020 single “can you feel it” I answer yes. Feels good.

Get to know this charming person as we discuss routines, social media, and strange sounds.

A self-portrait by, warner case

Some questions with warner case

How did you and Subrinse connect for your latest single? What is your process like when you create a new sound?

we were introduced on email through a college soccer teammate of mine. one of those “oh you do music? my friend does music!” kind of things that almost never work out. this one did. I’d like to thank everyone who’s played and shared impeccable so far… the support has been amazing, and we’re very gratefu!

i don’t have a particular way i start a song or sound. sometimes i’ll click around through some weird samples and mess with them to see what sparks, sometimes I’ll just be playing keys and something pretty happens… then I follow my gut.

You’re quite active and personal on social media; you share stories of your cats, your home life, and you were very open about your recent attack while abroad. How do you feel this enhances the connections you have with your listeners? (And especially during the lockdown)

i try to be active without being obsessed, which is unfortunately really difficult. that’s the downside of social media: the addiction to “likes” and constant feedback which we all need to wean ourselves from. but the genuine upside is what I get from being honest and real: actual social interactions and connections with people around the world who are just like me. as soon as I dropped the “act” or “focus on brand” i used to think was necessary to succeed, i started truly connecting with people. my online friendships are genuine, because i’m showing the true me… good, bad, and ugly.

this has never been more important than during this pandemic. imagine doing this without facetime, zoom, phones ... or the internet. it’d take forever to find out if a family member or a whole country died. in summary: call your mother.

What is the one sound you can not stand to hear?

complaining (we all do it sometimes, myself included). every day I try to get better at practicing positivity. no matter what you’re going through, it could be better, or it could be worse. you choose.

Most of your releases are singles/ EP; do you find that you prefer this format, or do you have plans for a full album in the future?

the internet has shortened everyone’s attention span to 15-second IG-story clips… so I feel an album is only worth an artist’s while if the album itself is a true, cohesive, singular piece of art and/or the artist has a big fanbase. otherwise, an album is a great way for the world to hear two songs, and throw the other ten into the woods, right next to that tree that fell for no one to hear.

in my lifetime, an album went from being the only way to release music, to a statement piece. i don’t have a statement to make yet.

If you could compare your music to one dish which would it be and why?

potato salad. one day you eat it to carb-load before a marathon, to give you energy. another day to bury your sorrows in its gooey-crunchy goodness.

Are you looking forward to, or did you have plans to play live once the lockdowns lift? Are you working on anything in particular right now?

I can’t find the words to express how much I miss performing. the feeling you get when you’re connected with a crowd in a sweaty room of lust and release is truly unique. ever since i started playing music in front of people (when I was 8 or so?), i don’t think i’ve gone this long without doing it. i’m experiencing a form of withdrawal for sure. live streams will never replace it.

i’ve been writing like a madman. I guess that’s my salve. most of what I’m writing is terrible, but that’s not new. it’s a mix of raw energy, ecstasy, and melancholy. also not new.

Do you have any rituals or routines before a live performance?

unless i’m on first, I like to watch the crowd during the set before mine to get a feel for them. no crowd’s the same, so by studying what did and didn’t work for the DJ before me, I can better tailor my set to the crowd and their energy, to give them the best performance I can. of course, as is the crux of DJing in general, the crowd’s energy evolves throughout the night, throughout my set, even throughout a single song… so I have to be nimble and perceptive. it's a conversation, not a speech.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

don’t be an asshole: listen to science and experts. this pandemic will be over faster if everyone just listened to the proper scientific + governmental authorities. you’re not an epidemiologist… reading the headline of a fake article your racist uncle steve posted doesn’t make your opinion on COVID-19 relevant.

sorry for venting. my parents aren’t the youngest and I get so angry at self-righteous morons.

but we’ll get through this together. we are all truly in this together. viruses don’t care about borders, and luckily, neither does music.