Daily Inspiration: Meet Austin Whitworth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Whitworth.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
It all begins in a small blink and you will miss it, a town in Northwest Oklahoma called Woodward. Since I was young, some creative outlet was essential to survive in a community where I never felt fit. With music, I had some friends of mine in a local (metalcore?) band that was on the heels of their first album release, and I began dabbling in GarageBand in my first gen MacBook Air to try and pitch some electronic, atmospheric elements to their next batch of releases. (My biggest inspiration at the time was Underoath, and the sound Chris brought to that band was something I thought about constantly.) Fast forward some years. I’ve stepped away from metal music, discovered dubstep, bought myself a cheap deck, and started exploring DJing. I’m still in my small town, playing in my living room for friends, or I’m playing top 40 hits and country songs at a local bar that had to spend too much of their time telling me to stop playing dubstep in their bar. (Haha)

If I wanted to keep my sanity and see where this DJ thing could take me, I had to leave my little town and get to Oklahoma City. My best friend growing up, Blake Burkhart, was located in Norman, just south of OKC, and told me about all the chances I’d have to get into the college town and started networking around my djing. Going by Status Quo at the time, I began playing locally but never connected with any sound I was playing. Sure, I loved the music, but none of it felt like my own. I had a deep connection with Drum & Bass, but to say there was no scene for it in OKC would be an understatement.

Sometimes, when you feel like you are taking a gamble on your future and it’s not going your way, the universe can show its helping hand. My day job is how I ended up in Kansas City. I sent a DM one day to a fellow DnB artist here in KC (shout out DrewZilla, love you, brother), telling him a bit about myself and was just looking for a friend I could spin and connect with. Not only did I receive that from him, but he also began putting me on some shows with his promotion 4/four Drum & Bass, as well as put me in touch with the crew that I can confidently say now are not only the best team in the game, but the best friends in the game as well. The Impakt crew has taken me in with open arms as not only an artist but has also helped me get a dream of mine off the ground (more on that soon).

Since taking on shows here in Kansas City and leaning into my passion, Drum & Bass, I have had the pleasure of supporting artists like Justin Hawkes, Reaper, X&G, and Winslow & with the High Nün side project with the boys SLVR FOX & Reign, we’ve been able to play support for Barely Alive and Hi, I’m Ghost. I have spent the last year diving into production, finally putting to sound all these ideas I have collected and not acted on over my years as just a DJ. My support system has fueled my fire, and I am sure you (cliche incoming) big things are coming from the Air Quotes project.

Now that’s what I have been up to for myself. Still, my baby is the Kansas City Rollers Club, a passion project with my friends where we have started a monthly Drum & Bass showcase event, bringing local and national talent to the heart of the Midwest to show that this is a must-stop for any DnB traveling the states. In just 3 months of this project, we have seen outstanding support from the community. It is exciting to see so many people just as fired up about this genre as we are. Hearing other locals who don’t play it, starting to build collections to maybe one day “join the club,” makes me smile.

I must shout out the muscle behind this because it would have fallen flat quickly without my manager, the promo ring leader, and our North Star for how this scene works, Sabby Sadler, aka the boss man. We have the Human Penguin, Alfredo Martinez, the booking master, the event coordinator, and financials. We also have Emerson Hodes, aka Saul Gucci, the party bringer, and my partner in all things creative. We have so much planned for this coming year through the Rollers Club.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The Midwest is not most people’s first pick when trying to grow as a creative, especially in dance music. However, what I would call a struggle, I’m glad I learned more from them in this community than others. I regret that I may have hesitated too long to explore production. I taught myself the hard way about DJing, never exploring tutorials for some reason. So opening a DAW to get into production felt so intimidating. I feel blessed with how my journey has gone externally, but most of my struggles have been internal. I can easily talk myself out of trying to grow. It’s been tough to face that shadow that keeps telling me there is no reason to practice because it will not amount to anything. However, once you can find people that see you facing those struggles and can help talk you through it, it’s surprising how much you can get done. My wife, Peyton, has been the biggest support for that. She shows me that the doubt is only my own.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a music producer and DJ specializing in Drum & Bass. I’m also a 10-year, self-taught graphic designer, with most of my work being inspired by traditional tattoo flash shared through the art company with my wife called W&W Art Co. With my production still being a new journey for me and only two bootlegs under my belt on SoundCloud, I’m currently known for my DJ sets. I keep things fast and aggressive on the dance floor, playing new doubles and triples at every set. I get to play here in town often, so I try not to make it feel repetitive through my track selection. I bring a balance of DnB everyone knows and loves, stacked with tracks I hope are new for most. Currently, what I’m most proud of is the current body of work I have that I’m bringing to completion as well as the Kansas City Rollers Club, for us to bring artists like Winslow and CLB in just our first season on top of who is planned for the rest of the year. I never expected it to take off like this. It is a dream come true.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I’ve struggled with trust for most of my life. I never had the most secure group of friends besides a small handful growing up, so I assumed you must do this alone for it to work out. But that’s far from the truth. Find your people, and I don’t mean anyone, a group you want to support as much as they want to support you. They are out there. It might take you 10 years to find them, but they are there. And lastly, the thing I’m still trying to learn from only compare yourself to where you were yesterday—no one else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wwartco.square.site/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/airquotesdnb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airquotesdnb/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/airquotesdnb
• SoundCloud: www.SoundCloud.com/air-quotes
• Other: www.instagram.com/KCRollersClub

Image Credits
Ed Wong – Shots by Ed Andrew and Dang Mariah Selena