Artist Spotlight
What genre would you describe your music as?
Melodic house and techno
Where are you from?
Yorkshire, UK
What age did you start DJing?
23
If you weren't a DJ, what would you be doing for your career?
I would have followed in my dad's footsteps and become a farmer.
What's your favorite artist/style of music outside of dance music?
Alicia Keys without a doubt.
“I was 11 years old listening to this trance classic, counting bars, listening differently. I remember thinking, is this how 11-year-olds listen to music or is it how producers in the making hear music.” Luke Storrs, AKA Franky Wah, has many musical moments from his past for which the memories are so vivid, he can recount who he was with, what he was wearing, and where he was. Despite seeming to have a brain built for music, Luke tried out many other things in life before determining that success in music gave him the greatest feeling over any other type of success.
“I’ve gone in and out of all sorts of stuff in my life. I did football, bodybuilding… I came in seventh in mister universe. I competed on world stages at bodybuilding, I played against Manchester United in football in a stadium at age 16... none of it filled the purpose I was seeking in music. You strive towards these goals… but compared to playing the main stage of Creamfields, it just didn’t feel the same.”
Luke’s first release came in 2017, a proper tech house EP heater called ‘House Party.’ Although the track was received well and has high-quality production, Luke’s sound has changed tremendously over the years. As he has matured, the music he listens to has changed and he has fought to define his own identity. “I think age had a lot to do with it. When you’re younger your musical palette is less influenced and you’re playing/making more what you hear outside. As I grew, tech-house didn’t stimulate me enough in the studio… I took piano lessons for three years and wanted to put it in my music. I couldn’t do that with tech-house.”
It took Luke time to fully realize where he wanted to take his sound. There were many moments over the years that helped push him across the line. He described attending Sonus Festival in Barcelona as a pivotal moment for his sonic transformation. “I had one of those moments to a record by Bicep (‘Opal - Four Tet Remix). I remember coming back after thinking I needed to play and make music like that. It was a sign from the universe. The feeling I had on the dancefloor, I had to replicate that in my sound.”
Luke’s sound began to transform in 2018. Although he was not producing the type of melodic house that he is now, the seeds of growth began to show. His ‘Motives EP’ was highly experimental and felt melodic for something in the world of tech-house. He followed this with the track ‘What Have You Done’ and ‘Disco Inferno,’ all of which strayed from his earlier sound and incorporated melodies and deeper bass sounds.
For Luke, it was about slowly breaking the mold. “Tech house can be formulaic. I was trying to stay in the boundaries of the genre while also pushing and staying fresh. One of the EPs was with Steve Lawler and it helped open doors for me. The work rate was so high, in 2018 I put out 48 records. I wanted people to see my stuff. Eventually after ‘Get Me High’ (January 2019) I wanted a fresh start where we worked to be more strategic about rolling out music.”
‘Get Me High’ turned out to be the pivotal track of Luke’s career. It launched him into different conversations and allowed him to start 2019 with a fresh perspective. “So many different people were able to play it. Tale Of Us and Solomon were hammering it, but so was Tiesto and Nervo… Annie Mac supported it and premiered it first.” The support felt universal and led to a collaboration that to this day, still blows Luke’s mind.
Legendary DJ Sasha told Luke that the track was a staple in his set, and when he was building his entire sets around when he would play it out. Eventually, the two linked up in the studio to produce the incredible ‘Haunted EP.’ “For anyone aspiring to climb that ladder… I’m from a village with 800 people. There’s no scene… Anything is possible. [Sasha] is an icon. To work with him, it was so career and life-affirming for me. Am I really at this level where I’m worthy of working with this kind of artist?”
The inspiring moments kept coming for Luke. In 2019, he was booked to play the main stage of Creamfields. He describes the experience as one of the first moments where he truly felt like his career was on the right path. “I always joke that the stage is pretty much the same size as the village that I come from. We live for those moments as artists. I had flown in from Ibiza playing at Hi. It was the first real feeling of wow this is going somewhere… It keeps me going, looking forward to these moments.”
Since conquering the main stage of Creamfields and releasing music with Sasha, Luke has been on an absolute tear. He has since released music with Anjunadeep, collaborated with Lee Foss, and taken the Beatport #1 throne with his biggest song yet, ‘The World You See.’ The Cristoph collaboration released on Pryda was just another moment of recognition for Luke. “We’re great friends now. We’re planning a tour together with you guys over the pond. WE’ve got more music coming. Some are more universal sounding, but mate we’ve got some absolutely disgustingly dirty warehouse records coming too.”
For Luke going forward, it’s all about continuing his climb up the ladder while remaining humble and self-critical. He is working on a visual component to match his plans of a live performance, and will be launching his own label soon full of “big dark dirty warehouse music.” 2021 is looking to be another landmark year for this rising star, and per Luke’s instructions, we best keep our ears to the ground for his coming releases. “Believe me when I say, you are not ready for the next collab with Cristoph. Just remember this conversation”
