WheelUP

“The new album on Tru Thoughts is a major statement for the Bruk Renaissance!” – Gilles Peterson
“WheelUP never misses!” – Jamz Supernova (BBC 6Music)
“The epitome of the West London sound” – Jaguar (BBC Radio 1)
“A fat, funky and bass-charged cut” – DJ Mag 

WheelUP is the moniker of West London producer, DJ and “bruk renaissance” torchbearer – Danny Wheeler. Having held down radio residences on stations such as Balami, Worldwide FM and 1BTN, WheelUP has had releases on CoOperation Records, Jamz Supernova’s imprint Future Bounce, his home label Tru Thoughts, plus boasting remixes for Goldie’s Fallen Tree 1Hundred and Wah Wah 45s. All in all Danny has cemented the WheelUP name as part of the new school of bruk. 

WheelUP’s debut album ‘Good Love’ released in 2021 via Tru Thoughts, featured the likes of Afronaut (Bugz in the Attic), Abacus (Pola & Bryson) and label-mate Tiawa, and followed with remixes from Daz-I-Kue, Anushka, Yadava and Thijsenterprise. The album was heavily praised for its resurgent broken beat sound by the likes of Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music), Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), Benji B (BBC Radio 1), Bonobo, Ben UFO, Emma Jean-Thackray, Laurent Garnier and many more. “Take Me Higher feat. Tiawa”, the second single from the record, was playlisted on BBC 6Music.

‘We Are The Magic’ (2023, Tru Thoughts) is the sophomore album from WheelUP; built around concepts such as the law of attraction, humanitarianism, and spiritualism – the record adds to the broken beat canon while showcasing WheelUP’s most mature and forward-thinking work to date. The LP boasts contributions and collaborations with a host of talent: Kaidi Tatham, Sam Interface, Abacus, Victoria Port (Anushka), Toya Delazy, Spaceship Coyote, Destiny Will, Brint Story, Steelo and more. The album garnered support from all corners of the electronic world, such as Mary Anne Hobbs (BBC 6Music), DJ Mag, Jaguar (BBC Radio 1) and DJ Marky. 

Third album ‘Inner Light’ marks WheelUP’s evolution, spiritual and sonically, breaking from his celebrated broken beat legacy to explore new frontiers in his production. The album’s title track, ‘Inner Light’, sits centrepiece in the album, pulling together its dynamic, high-spirit threads with global groove overtones and sax-led strut. With features from Sio, Abacus, Steven Bamidele, Victoria Port, Liv East and Sean McCabe, ‘Inner Light’ is centred around “the guiding life force (what is called Chi energy in Eastern cultures),” WheelUP explains, emitting positive energy through thoughts, decisions and actions. He adds “The project represents a musical vibration that aligns with my own inner light.” ‘Inner Light’, ventures into house and disco cuts, alongside WheelUP’s signature mastery of broken beat production, showcasing his resourceful artistry and genre-spanning vision. “I think my sound is in constant evolution,” he adds.

As an artist, producer and DJ of dual Zimbabwean and British heritage, growing up in the epicentre of bruk that is West London, it was only natural that Danny, aka WheelUP would gravitate towards the ‘West London Sound’; as WheelUP puts it: “It’s in my musical DNA”. Originating from the drum and bass world as Danny Wheeler, WheelUP follows the footsteps and lineage of 4hero, evolving from jungle/D&B to broken beat/bruk and was knighted an “honorary Bugz” by the original dons of broken beat, Bugz in the Attic, due to WheelUP’s work in pushing the bruk sound to new audiences, as well as Marc Mac who thanked Danny for putting broken beat back “at the forefront”. 

WheelUP has lit up iconic venues and festivals such as Hootananny Brixton, Shambala, Lost Village, Love Supreme, We Out Here, Kendal Calling, and Worldwide Sète. As a DJ, he has headlined at Spiritland and Café 1001, with appearances this year at Brick Lane Jazz Festival, Worldwide Festival, Glastonbury, Everybody Loves the Weekend, Stowaway Festival and support for Groove Armada at KOKO. Through his club night, ‘WheelUP Presents,’ he’s hosted broken beat icons like Jamz Supernova and Ben Hauke. A former Balamii resident, WheelUP continues to make waves on the air, with recent mixes for Mellotron, Defected, Radio 1001, and The Boat Pod, alongside a guest appearance on Rinse Radio with Drifty, from which blossomed a new, regular night hosted by the pair under SameSame.