It seems like everyone has been raving about electronic dance music recently. EDM has become more and more popular, and there have been plenty of new artists jumping onto the scene. AJ Salvatore, who goes by the name Wolfe, is one new EDM artist who fans of the genre should keep their eye on.
Wolfe launched his EDM career Sept. 15, 2014 with the release of his first EP album “Oceans.” The album included four songs.
On Aug. 25, this year, Wolfe released his first single, “Lost Ones,” with Carlos Martins and Eric Brenner as a signed artist for Monochrome Music in France. Monochrome is a company Martins had signed other songs to in the past, and they loved the track.
“It took around eight months to finish the song, music video and signing to Monochrome,” Wolfe said. “We are very happy about how well our track is doing!”
EDM is a very specific genre of music and can be  time-consuming. It can take artists a very short time or an incredibly long time depending on the song.
“When it comes to spending time in my studio, my schedule is very erratic,” Wolfe said. “I can spend eight plus hours working on music and not talking to anyone all day, and then spend 30 minutes the next day. It all just comes down to my personal schedule. If I know I won’t be able to sit down and work on music, I’ll try to write lyrics on my phone when I have time throughout the day. I also find myself recording melodies and ideas by humming them into my phone to use later.”
Each artist spends a different amount of time creating songs. Wolfe’s songs can take anywhere from one to three months. “Lost Ones” was a different story. Wolfe and Carlos Martins would meet for sessions about twice a week for four to six hours.
Once “Lost Ones” was created, the next step was making a music video to capture the essence of the song.
“The music video for ‘Lost Ones’ was definitely a team effort,” Wolfe said. “Working with Kris Truini [director and editor] was an amazing experience. He was so full of creativity and great ideas. The main storyline came about by me meeting up with Kris whenever we had time, usually around midnight due to our schedules, and just working off of each other’s ideas. The plot kept changing even when we were on set filming and up until it was done being edited, due to the creativity of the crew and everyone involved. It was a great atmosphere and team of people to be around.”
You can find the “Lost Ones” music video on YouTube.
Performers tend to pride themselves on their live shows. Like any DJ, Wolfe started out performing mainly at house parties. However, recently he has had shows at clubs, events around Orlando and has even shared the main stage with headliners. Wolfe spends anywhere from 20 to 30 hours preparing a new set for performances by working on mash-ups and creating new transitions.
“My signature trait is definitely something you can only experience live,” Wolfe said. “I enjoy throwing plenty of surprises, unexpected turns and unreleased tracks in my live sets.”
Wolfe is currently finishing up a three-track EP that has another collaboration with Martins and a feature from a member of the A$AP Mob. The EP should be finished in early fall and should be released shortly after. As for Wolfe’s plans in the near future, he will be going on a Florida tour after the release of his upcoming EP.
Producing music is a tough job that takes a lot of dedication. As Wolfe shows, if you put in the work and have the passion and drive, it will pay off.
“The two most important things I could share would be network and thrive,” Wolfe said. “Producing isn’t something you pick up overnight. It takes many years and great sacrifices of your time and effort to really grasp. You need to surround yourself with creative people and befriend anyone and everyone along the way. All it takes is having a friend who knows the right people to really start your career.”
You can find Wolfe on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud and all music platforms (iTunes, Beatport, Spotify, etc.) under AJ Salvatore or Wolfe.