Over the past few years, SnellVillain (aka Corey Herrin) has emerged from the Atlanta dubstep scene to become one of the most sought after electro performers in the Southeast. He’s constantly bringing his bass-heavy beats to Atlanta stages and recently performed at Alex and Allyson Grey‘s Visionary Arts Fair in Asheville. Come to think of it, Wrestling with Pop Culture and SnellVillain actually have a lot in common. While we won Best Local Blog in Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta voting in 2012 and 2013, SnellVillain was voted Best Local DJ the same two years. And even though I’ve seen him perform a few times, it was at a WWE event where I actually met Herrin, who happens to also share some of my enthusiasm for professional wrestling. But as successful as SnellVillain’s year has been, he’s heading into 2014 with even more momentum. He performs tonight at Iris Presents‘ Christmas party before returning for Iris’ New Year’s Eve event. With new music on the horizon (including a remix that’s, uh, a Pretty big deal), SnellVillain chats with Wrestling with Pop Culture about his recent ascent and where that is taking him in the near future.
Given the stage name you use, I certainly hope you’re from Snellville.
Yeah, man. I went to Brookwood High School and lived in the Oak Road and Five Forks area. I lived there until I moved to Athens to go to school at Gainesville State.
How did you get into performing electronic music?
I went to my first alternative bass show while I was in Athens. I saw Bassnectar at the 40 Watt. I saw how open it was, people were doing their thing and there were different styles of music. I was already into a lot of music, so it piqued my interest. That was probably in late 2010 or 2011.
So, you’re still relatively new to performing. But you’ve gotten your name out there in Atlanta really well and consistently perform at the top venues for electronic music.
Yeah. Definitely, man. It’s come together really quickly in the last six months or so, even though I haven’t been doing it as long as some people.
I’ve seen you perform and seen your name around, but you and I actually met at a WWE SmackDown event at Philips Arena. Are you a wrestling fan?
Yeah. My uncle used to really be into it, so I got into it through him. I used to love Stone Cold and all that stuff back in the day, so I definitely paid attention to it until I got a little bit older. I still know who some of the wrestlers are and stuff, but I don’t follow it as much as I used to.
You were recently voted Best Local DJ by Creative Loafing readers. Atlanta has a lot of well-known DJs and electronic musicians. What would you attribute your success to?
I actually won it 2012 and 2013. But I don’t know. Things have just been going crazy since my birthday last year. I’ve been playing a lot of big shows and my production’s gotten a lot better than it used to be. I learned new techniques and better mixing abilities. I got better at mastering, too. I wasn’t really good at getting a solid product together and putting it out there before it was completely done. I’ve just been taking my time on things.
You have, of course, made a name for yourself based on live performances. But do you have any recorded releases available yet?
I’m about to release a new EP on Beatport and iTunes in early February, and I have an official release coming out with Pretty Lights. He just got nominated for a Grammy and he’s been playing my remix on tour. That’s going to be officially released with him next month, then shit’s going to get really crazy.
How did that opportunity come about?
My buddy from Atlanta just moved out there and became Pretty Lights’ assistant and got him the song. He really enjoyed it and I actually ended up winning a remix contest for him. I don’t know the exact release date, but his engineer is mastering the song right now.
It looks like you have a bunch of big shows lined up to close out 2013. Where all will you be performing in the next few weeks?
I have some really awesome shows, actually. Tonight I’m playing for Iris with Protohype from California, who is a really big bass artist. Styles&Complete are also on the bill. The weekend after that I’m playing with Adventure Club on the main stage at Opera. The following Tuesday is New Year’s Eve and I’m playing with Ott, Mantis and lots of other people at Iris. Then I play with Archnemesis, which is a really awesome electro-funk group, in January at Masquerade. Then I’ve got a bunch of music festivals lined up that I can’t actually talk about yet.