The bass music scene has been chock full of talent lately and Corey Wythe, AKA Marvel Years is one producer who is making a name for himself. Always continuing to release fresh new music and a healthy dose of collaborations has jumpstarted his career in the bass music scene. Before his show at 1904 Music Hall I touched based with Corey on his progress and future endeavors.
Courtney: You climbed the ladder of notoriety in the live electronic community pretty much overnight. What do you think separated you from every other artist trying to get discovered?
Corey: I think a lot if it has to do with luck. Just getting opportunities to really get in front of large groups of people. There’s so much competition out there now-a-days. It’s all about skill and you have to be good at what you do. But also, you have to get lucky every once in a while and just hope you catch a break. I feel like that’s what helped me out a lot.
Courtney: Do you think that’s what happened with Derek [Vincent Smith]? How did getting invited on Pretty Lights tour [An Episodic Festival] come about?
Corey: My manager was working with Pretty Lights’ manager so it was all kind of like an in-house type thing, and that’s how it all worked out. I feel like that helped me out a whole lot, the whole Pretty Lights run. Big crowds and obviously festival scene too.
Courtney: I remember you playing Suwannee’s Roosevelt Collier’s Summer Splashdown in 2016 (thank you Vlad) and was blown away at your talent, especially having never heard your music before.
Corey: That was cool because it was actually before I played Hulaween, and that [Hula] was one of my favorite festivals ever.
Courtney: Do you find any obstacles hailing from Vermont, a more jam driven city?
Corey: Yeah, flying in and out sucks. But, I just moved to Charlotte, NC for that reason to make travel a little easier. Vermont is very inspiring. It’s nice to be on tour for a long time then come back to Vermont and chill in the woods, work on music, and decompress.
Courtney: Have you ever considered relocating to a city with a scene more driven towards your repertoire?
Corey: I have thought about moving to Denver for a while. I haven’t done it yet, but it will probably happen.
Courtney: I mean you just did the collab with Maddy O’Neal, and you’ve done other collabs with other artists who are out there.
Corey: And everyone assumes I live there anyways because it’s just a very tight-knit scene, and most of us are in Denver.
Courtney: Do you think the scene has become flooded out there in any way?
Corey: I mean there’s obviously a lot of producers. I don’t know if flooded is the right term, but maybe flooded in a good way. We all drive each other. There’s no competition, but friendly competition. You’ll hear your friend make something dope and that drives you even more. I love it.
Courtney: Who’s on your radar to collab with next?
Corey: I want to collab with SoDown. He’s cool and my manager reps him so it makes sense. I would love to collab with Clozee. Or just some weird artist that has nothing to do with electronic music.
Courtney: Would you be open to bringing more live elements in your music with a live band of sorts?
Corey: Oh yeah, f*** yeah. I’ll play with Colby [Buckler] from Emancipator Live on drums every once in a while. I want to get keys and a horn player or something.
Courtney: You should do something with Russ Liquid.
Corey: Oh yeah Russ and I have talked about it and I really want to make it happen. Manic Focus does it sometimes and crushes. Or work with Borahm [Lee – Break Science].
Courtney: Tell me about your evolution as a musician and the influences you’ve had that make you the producer you are today.
Corey: I started playing guitar in bands and stuff and then obviously got into the hip-hop thing and started making that. Recently, more of the bass-type music has been inspiring me. My new stuff is a bit heavier which I dig. And all these new up and coming artists are really inspiring me to step outside my comfort zone.
Courtney: What are some of your favorite guitars and pedals?
Corey: My favorite pedal is the one I have now, the thing’s awesome. It’s called a Digitech RP360 and it has everything I run my guitar through and I can just fit it in my backpack. Guitars overall, I stick with my [Fender] Stratocaster, just because it has that blues-y feel and it’s what I started playing on.
Courtney: So you can put a check next to Red Rocks and The Gorge, what’s another venue on your bucket list?
Corey: Madison Square Garden.
Courtney: What do you think the future holds for the electronic music scene?
Corey: As a whole, it’s not going to go away and I think it’s really starting to grow at this point. You have these sub genres that come in waves of popularity, but the electronic scene as a whole is here to stay.
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The future is bright for Corey Wythe so definitely be on the lookout for his name on an array of festivals this year. Marvel Years will be hitting Coachella, Shaky Beats, Summer Camp, and both weekends of Electric Forest. Check out his newest release, “Switch Up” below!
