Last summer, I saw Nick Winholt and Austin Woo, aka Win and Woo, open up for Borgeous & Grandtheft at Volleywood Corona Electric Beach. It was this huge beach party hosted by Corona at North Avenue Beach in downtown Chicago.

Anyways, while Win and Woo were one of the earlier acts, it was such a fun set! They mixed some of their original productions with a few of their remixes, and dropped in a lot of bangers between.

I got to chat with Nick and Austin about their production style, and how they met in college and started making beats.

I’m also giving away a pair of tickets to see Win and Woo at Lincoln Hall, next Thursday, March 1!

Full line-up: Win and Woo, jackLNDN, IKON, GoodSex

Enter the giveaway here:

A playlist of my favorites:

Onto the interview:

When Nick Winholt and Austin Woo met in college at Illinois State a few years back, Nick was DJing at a few college frat parties, and Austin wanted to learn how to DJ. They got together, starting mixing and subsequently played a few gigs at parties.

When Nick moved to Chicago after college to be a musician, they started taking music more seriously and began venturing into music production.

Win and Woo were really prepared to give it their all, with Austin moving into a music studio and living there for 3 months, finding a serving job to help sustain him while they got their start.

The duo brought their musical energy to a few shows and clubs downtown, officially branding themselves Win and Woo in 2014. Over the next few years, they would come to traverse the city’s music scene, mingling with some great talent from Chicago and the ‘burbs like Louis the Child, Whethan and Cofresi, to name a few.

Their story demonstrates how producers are constantly exploring and fusing different genres and styles. Their live sets are generally more energetic, and incorporate some fun trap and dubstep tunes, while many of their tracks have more of a breezy, house-esque sound.

My favorite production of theirs is undoubtedly their Phoebe Ryan remix. It’s a feel-good tropical house track that positively warms you up. Maybe that’s why I was such a huge fan of their performance at Corona Electric Beach.

Their newest track (just days old), “Chasing Tail,” is a lyrically-strong, slow and synth-fueled tune that apparently carries a hidden message?

Their catchy track with Bryce Fox, “Chicago” follows a rocky relationship set against a slower and more melodic song, interspersed with playful drum beats.

There’s also “In Love Again”, the track that inspired their headline tour – it’s an intense, dance worthy track that would be perfect if you’re just the right amount of drunk.

Lightning round!

What’s the inspiration behind the track and tour name, In Love Again?

We wanted to go back to some of our electronic roots. It’s mostly just about truly having fun with everything we do.

What kind of music did you grow up listening to?

Oh man, we grew up in the punk era – the pop punk era. I have an Angels + Airwaves tattoo (Nick said this, I think).

The first thing electronic I heard was The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, industrial techno music from the 90’s.

What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t doing music?

Nick: I’d be a scuba diving instructor probably, if I weren’t doing music. Livin’ on a beach.

Austin: If I’d never started in music, I think I’d probably be on Wall Street right now. That was always my goal, when I was first starting out.

What music have you been loving lately?

Keys N Krates, new song with Tory Lanez – Music to My Ears

Justin Timberlake – Say Something ft. Chris Stapleton

Quinn XCII