Will B takes us behind the scenes in Q&A surrounding EP, "Seme"
Following the release of ‘Shy’, producer and DJ Will B recently returned with another collaboration alongside Kobina Akin — this time joined by Vocalist Idd Aziz for their new single, ‘Seme’. Released via Will B’s own label, Spirit Animal Records, the track brings together vibrant Afro House production, powerful vocals, and a message rooted in self-belief and resilience. With the track arriving alongside a music video, a dub version, and a remix by East London’s Ebz Agg, ‘Seme’ offers listeners multiple perspectives on a shared creative vision, highlighting the evolution of Will B’s creativity and continued strive to refine his voice and grow his reputation on the Electronic Music scene.
Today, we sit down with Will B to talk through the journey behind the track, the collaboration with Idd Aziz, and the process of building music that balances emotional depth with club-ready energy.
Hi Will B, how are you?
I’m well thank you. Keeping busy with releases, label admin, production, gigs and life stuff but I can’t complain. 2025 has been a great year so far for me.
Can you share what sparked the production of ‘Seme’? Was it a natural evolution from ‘Shy,’ your previous collaboration with Kobina Akin, or did the idea originate from a different place entirely?
‘Seme’ originated from a different place entirely. ‘Seme’ was actually created before ‘Shy,’ however when looking at the release schedule and the backlog of tracks to release, I felt that ‘Shy’ was a better candidate for a 1st release due to the fact it was sung in English and had a slightly more commercial feel to it.
At what point did Idd Aziz step into the process, and what does working with him mean to you on a personal and artistic level?
Once the beat was created, I was going to release it as an instrumental. However, I had amazing initial feedback on the instrumental, so much so that I felt that this was a good track to take to the next level and turn it into something truly special. What better way to turn something with huge potential into something that could realise and manifest that potential than to get one of the biggest names in Afro House vocals onto the track? So that’s what we did.
The first hurdle was getting him the track, the second one was hoping that he liked it and wanted to be part of the project. Thankfully, once I was able to get the track to him, he loved it. He then took the time to write a full vocal to a 7-minute track, recorded the vocals and sent them to me. The guy was a consummate professional throughout. He was a joy to work with and has been really helpful in promoting and supporting the release.
'Kamili’ is probably my favourite Afro House track of all time so to be able to release a track with the vocalist who performed on that track, is a real honour on both a personal and artistic level.
Your collaborator, Kobina Akin, described ‘Seme’ as a journey of self-improvement. What kind of emotion or message did you aim to convey through the track?
‘Seme’ is a track which is supposed to invoke that empowering feeling of being able to overcome obstacles placed in your path; being able to achieve through graft and dedication and adversity; and ignoring the naysayers to stick to your game plan and ensure you are one step closer to your goals today, than you were yesterday. It is an uplifting track which is reflected in the chord progression and the dynamism felt when you hit the peak of the track.
How did you approach the balance between authenticity and innovation when fusing traditional African vocal elements with forward-thinking Afro House production?
I initially started off building the track as more of a Melodic House track, however when I started laying the percussion a little thicker through iteration, it felt more Tribal in sound. I softened the kick drum to give it a more Afro House feel and laid the atmospheric sounds to really help transport the listener to an entirely different place from the one they were most likely hearing the track from.
The vocal Idd Aziz wrote for the track was symbiotic as it synced so well. The emotion was clearly evident and there was power and presence in his vocal throughout, especially during the key phrases of the track. When reviewing the track in its final form, I realised we had collaboratively created a monster of a track.
And there is an additional point to note; don’t sleep on the dub version. The dub version is truly special and allows the track to flourish and blossom in ways it cannot in the vocal version.
‘Seme’ is an evocative title — can you share the meaning behind it and how it connects to the track’s overall message and vibe?
‘Seme’ translates as ‘Say’ in Swahili. The chorus of the track is saying ‘Let them talk, Let me do action’. It’s a calling of conviction, a calling to overcome, a calling to focus and a drive towards lifting up those who need it.
The release comes with an official music video — can you explain the thought behind this decision? Did you feel it was important that visual storytelling played a role in how ‘Seme’ was experienced by listeners?
I produced a music video for my previous track ‘Shy’ which did very well. I find that with tracks that are 6/7 or more minutes long, when it comes to YouTube, it can be hard to keep the watchers/listeners engaged past a certain point unless you can visually capture their attention as well as sonically.
I use YouTube a lot on a personal level so the platform and my use of it as a marketing tool for my music is important to me.
In terms of the opportunity to visually tell a story with such a positive uplifting track, I felt this was an opportunity to celebrate everything about Africa, the home continent of Afro House, and try to showcase all the beauty, charm, and character of the amazing home of the music I love so much. I featured as many landmarks, natural wonders, flags, culture, infrastructure, and landscapes as I could think of. The video went through a tonne of edits, but I am truly happy with the outcome. It makes me smile every time I watch it, and I hope the viewers feel the same when they do.
Africa as a continent, regardless of what adversity it has faced over the decades and centuries past has continued to grow, thrive, and give the world so many great gifts including music. ’Let them talk, Let me do action’.
The track blends driving percussion with emotive atmospherics. Were there any particular instruments, samples, or sound design processes that became essential to crafting the overall sonic character of ‘Seme’?
My go-to plug-ins for this track were Diva and the Nexus Library. I used Diva for the bass. Sounds from the Nexus library were used for the atmospheric sounds, the synth sounds, including the arpeggiator synth which is the lead synth on the track, and the keys used at the crescendo points to bring in that dynamism. For the percussion, drums, and FX, I’ve used a combination of one-shots and loops from Loopcloud, which includes that snare roll used for the peak of the track.
Was there anything you intentionally wanted to do differently in ‘Seme’ compared to ‘Shy’, either sonically or conceptually?
The two tracks were very different both sonically, and conceptually. Conceptually, ‘Shy' was a love story, whereas ‘Seme’ is a story about having the strength of conviction to reach your goals regardless of what others say.
Sonically they are two very different tracks, in terms of energy, mood, chord progressions and arrangement. ‘Shy’ has a softer edge to its sound, with largely a descending chord progression at its key points. It’s overall a more chilled track with a medium-energy vibe, which I feel suits the tone of the lyrics. I wanted something very different when creating ‘Seme'. As mentioned before, it started off as a Melodic House track with ascending chord progressions but I then decided to align it more with the Afro House genre. As it felt so right there, I decided to layer my favourite Afro House vocalist on top of it to take it to the next level.
The Ebz Agg Minimal Remix of ‘Seme’ allowed the vocal to be expressed in an entirely different way sonically. Ebz Agg is an incredible producer who I have worked with before in various capacities and I was really excited when he joined the project. The scene Ebz Agg generally DJs, produces and promotes for is largely a non-vocal style of Afro, Progressive, Melodic or Minimal House and Techno music. He took Idd Aziz’s vocal and really turned it into something which suits that scene perfectly and it’s been supported by a number of big-name DJs during its pre-release campaign. It has a darker tone, with a rolling baseline that’s hypnotic in nature. Make sure to stream or purchase the track, check out his back catalogue and make sure to look out for his future releases.
There is a sense of deep movement in ‘Seme’—how did you approach the groove and rhythm in a way that would carry both traditional influence and club energy?
I felt the dynamic build of the track would take the listeners on a journey whether in the house, in the car, or in a club at peak time or even at closing time. I feel the track can be played in a variety of environments and where the vocal might be too heavy, there is always the dub or instrumental version for those club nights that do not play vocal tracks.
Finally, what’s next for you? Do you have any releases already lined up?
After this release, I have the remix of ‘Seme’ due out on May 9th. This will be a remix by a producer from the US called Greg Elenis. We connected as he was the only other producer I found who had also produced an Afro House version of Frank Ocean’s ‘Novacane’. His version was really good, and his back catalogue of Afro House tracks were also excellent. He has produced an amazing remix of ‘Seme’ which I can’t wait to release on my label, Spirit Animal Records. It has a very different mood and feel to the original and personally, I feel it will be a peak time track that will do very well in the clubs. I’m expecting it to get huge DJ support when it is released, so bookmark May 9th for its general release, however, it will have a pre-release exclusive run on Traxsource from the 25th of April.
I have a few more singles lined up over the summer after 'Seme’, all to be released on Spirit Animal Records so make sure to follow myself and the label on Instagram to keep up-to-date on what’s happening.
As ‘Seme’ continues to resonate with Afro House listeners, it’s clear from our conversation that the track marks an exciting step for Will B — both as a meaningful collaboration and a reflection of his creative direction. With more music on the way and remixes already lined up, Will B is continuing to shape his vision for the year ahead, sure to keep refining and elevating his artistry as he builds his catalogue with unique music and crafts engaging sonic experiences.
So, we wrap up our conversation by thanking Will B for taking the time to reflect on the making of ‘Seme’ and look forward to seeing the next phase of his journey unfold.
Listen and Buy ‘Seme ft. Idd Aziz:’
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