Stumbled upon this interview that Pioneer DJ did w/ Drew Ressler aka Rukes [Official]. You may know his photography work with the likes of Deadmau5 + Skrillex + Tommy Lee + Swedish House Mafia + others. It's goes over how/why he started and he gives a few tips as well, mainly to ask for payment with your services. Click below to check out the interview.
No Doubt is one of those iconic So Cal bands that everyone grows up listening to. For us here in Long Beach it was Sublime, Snoop, Warren G. In Orange County there was No Doubt, Suburban Legends, and a whole slew of other acts that emerged from the Ska community that later grew into their own in many different shapes and sounds. Last year we heard news of No Doubt FINALLY getting back into the studio to work on their next album. The video above [First in a series of webisodes] gives us a brief look into their studio sessions as we patiently wait for the September 25, 2012 release of their sixth studio album.
Extremely informative interview with producer/dj/human being Theo Parrish. He explains the importance of digging [Searching for music at brick and mortar record shops], his thoughts on djing and technology, and even further explains the importance of culture. If you learn something from the interview we highly encourage you to pass the video along to someone else who can learn from it as well.
All i got to say is what a great video, and to the point interview from k7 Records on Maya Jane Coles such passion she has for music that she produces, I also got a free track from dj-kicks (click link for download) called " Not Listening" an absolute amazing track for FREE, I also have another track that's not free, sorry but it's under her alias name called "Nocturnal Sunshine- Meant to be", i had to share this track because its so damn good, a very dub tech house/bass beat that makes my music player stay on repeat. Once again Enjoy! - semA
Jonti: Official | Tooths: Official
"Tooths is a newly born website dedicated to creating and presenting arts & culture content. Our focus is on the Australian scene but we will give the internationals some love too." Check out Jonti on Tooths' ADSR series to see how he creates and what he uses.
The following Feature Interview has to be the easiest + fastest I ever went from meeting an event organizer to getting the feature published. As lady luck on my side I met Adam Weiss aka AdamantiumMC|Dirty Daddy this past weekend during the Truth Seekers program right before Dank Radio broadcasted live on air. I'm pretty sure I set a record for introducing myself + explaining who Dank Radio is + what we do for event organizers + agreeing upon a type of Feature + exchanging contact information. It took all of 2 minutes for this to happen while the whole time I was mentally prepping for our In-Studio guest and the uncertainty of what songs to play during our show.
Enough back story. Below you will learn about Hipster Heart Hip Hop from one of it's founders and what it will evolve into. Not only that, but you'll discover how luck comes into play when locking down some of the most talented artists in the current Hip Hop|Beat scene. You'll also find a special mix by DJ Stereotype comprised of music from all the artists performing...
Digitalism channels their inner Dr. Who + Sci Fi + Star Wars for their official video of 2 Hearts. Some of you who grew up during the 90s may be reminded of the Cross Fire commercials when watching the video. Regardless of where they drew inspiration for the video's theme, the album is definitely worth your time. Be sure to grab a copy of I Love You Dude @ [iTunes | Amazon | Beatport] If you're wondering what processes led up to the recording of I Love You Dude you can check out an Interview they did with AllSaints below...
Over the past year it has become even more apparent to me that the city of Long Beach is becoming more and more organized in terms of quality music events. Sure you can say I'm biased because I'm involved with a handful of events. I'm also biased because a good number of my friends are creating/nurturing these events. Regardless of my ties to the city it's safe to say we have something to say and more importantly we stand for something. Whether it be for music, fun, family, or the benefit of our fellow human beings.
Recently through various circles of music heads I met a man who also stands for something. To trail it back a couple steps we clicked because we liked the same music. Whenever I meet another being who diggs what I digg then we automatically click. Enter Steven Kerns, who gave me a heads up about this event he was organizing for a fallen comrade. I asked him who was performing and he told me. I asked him where was it going to be held and he said, "Long Beach." That's more than enough info for me right there. I'd go into greater detail, but I'm just going to let him do most of the talking...
UK producer and DJ Nic Phillips aka Phillysoundsystem is a huge up and coming producer from the rising bass scene whose dubstep tracks have been featured prominently on Beatport. At 27 years old, he’s had his share of experience (about 15 years worth) in the world of music production and DJing. With two EPs released under LU10 Records, his tracks have a wide variety of sounds and influences that set his tracks apart from many contemporary dubstep producers. We were fortunate enough for him to take the time to give us an insight into his productions, what’s coming up in the near future for him, and more. -fabricated
fabricated: Before I begin, thank you for doing this interview with us. First thing’s first, how did the name Phillysoundsystem come about? PhillySoundSystem: PhillySoundSystem came about for 2 main reasons, My surname is Phillips and I wanted a name that would represent my own sound. Back in the day music was heard on “SoundSystems” so get there particular sound across, which this combination of names I was hoping to get the same vibe across to people who buy/listen to my music
fabricated: I read Beatportal’s “The Frontlines – Dubstep November Edition” from a couple months ago and I noticed that you started producing over 10 years ago. How did you get your start into production and how did you find your way into the bass scene? PhillySoundSystem: Yea its near 15 years now, I was in school about 11-12 and my music teacher allowed me to stay after school in the studio and try and figure out how 2 make my compositions onto a computer. I started of on Atari Notator, then progressed from makin white labels (vinyl) and my 1st genre I started making was Jungle and Speed garage. Dubstep is like a new form of Drum and bass in the fact that all types are covered and are accepted. I like to make music away from the norm and Dubstep has allowed me to do this.
The first time I heard a Siriusmo track was from one of Jack Beat's mixes a while back. The song was High Together and upon learning of who the creator was, I instantly dove deep into the digital realm to search for more from this funky producer. There wasn't a whole lot to find, other than a couple out dated promo shots, an EP released here or there, and zero interviews. The closest thing to an interview would be someone else commenting on how he wasn't interested in touring or performing live. And so I kept on searching for whatever track of his I could find. Finally word was received that he was in the process of making a full length. You wouldn't believe how happy I was to read the news. I continued the search for more information on his upcoming release and this is what I found. Mosaik will be released on February 25th on Monkeytown Records [created by Modeselektor]. You can stream clips from the album below. I've also included the only Interview I've been able to find on him. He invites us into his creative space and talks about his artwork, his music, and why he just doesn't like leaving home....
It seems like I've been seeing Free Moral Agents around town a whole lot these past couple months. I did a review on their show with LBPP.net back in December and I keep running into Dennis at local events. So much so that I brought up the idea of interviewing him for Dank Radio. I always wanted to know how he got involved with the band and how many projects he's involved with and how he keeps them all in order. Not only were my questions answered but he even shared some info on how their upcoming show with Yann Tiersen at The Luckman Fine Arts Complex came to be...
Nativity: First off, a big thank you for taking the time to do this for us Dennis. You and I met not too long ago at a local show where you were spinning some really great non-conventional [in a good way of course] records. And later down the line I discovered you played bass in Free Moral Agents and you also work at the local record shop Fingerprints. Can you please shed some light on who you are to our readers? How did you become involved with Ikey[The Mars Volta] and his project Free Moral Agents? And more importantly how do you keep track of all of your projects? Dennis: Looks like you already got some of the basics covered! In addition to what you just mentioned, I also promote and deejay a night here in Long Beach called The Good Foot. It happens every 2nd Friday of the month at a club called Que Sera. I also promote and deejay a night called Space Is The Place Rollerdisco. It's every 4th Saturday of the month at a venue called World On Wheels in L.A. I started playing in Free Moral Agents back in May of 2004. Ikey called me up one day and asked me if I wanted to jam with him and the rest is history. How do I keep track of everything? Um.....I guess I have a good memory! It's not that difficult, really.
Nativity: Sounds like a lot of time management skills are necessary. Speaking of time. Free Moral Agents just finished up a week of amazing local shows. Spanning the home of Low End Theory at The Airliner, to local intimate saloon The Prospector, and to the latest underground venue to make itself known on Pine ave, The Blue Cafe. How has the reception been? Are you guys seeing an increasing growth of attendees? Do you see more and more people singing along to the songs? Dennis: The reception at our recent local shows was great! It seems like more people are getting into what we're doing.
Nativity: Great performance at The Blue Cafe by the way! All of us here at Dank Radio play a varying range of instruments and we're all total gear heads. What's your preferred baby for performance and what do you have going on in your bass rig? Dennis: My set up is very basic. I play a Fender Squire from the '80's (don't know the specific year) fitted with custom-made pickups made by Don Mare, who is a local musician who hand crafts excellent pickups for guitar and bass (www.donmare.com). I use an Ampeg SVT Pro 4 head and a Gallien-Krueger 410MBX 4 X 10" bass cabinet. I use a simple Boss distortion pedal and that's about it. I'm keeping things simple for right now.
Nativity: Steering things back to FMA. The album Control This [Purchase @ Amazon | iTunes] has been out for a bit and you guys have shared some personal videos through youtube about the making of. I'm starting see posts on Facebook about another release being worked on. Can we expect another album by the years end? Dennis: I hope so.
Nativity: FMA is set to leave in less than a month for a EU tour with Subtitle. How did the tour come into fruition? Was this something that has been in the works for a while? Any specific cities on the tour that you're looking forward to the most? Dennis: We met the right people and they made it happen. I've never been to the EU, so I'm just looking forward to the overall experience of going to a bunch of places that I've never been to before.
Nativity: You all went on a US national tour last year and now with the upcoming EU tour coming up, Is there anything you're doing differently to prepare? Is the approach with song selection and maybe set order different for the overseas audience? Dennis: I don't think we're going to do anything different to prepare for this tour.
Nativity: Thanks again for taking the time to do the interview Dennis. Is there anything else you'd like to add. Any messages to the fans and friends of Free Moral Agents? Dennis: Thanks for the interview. :-)
Tour Dates:
1/29 The Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Cal State University Los Angeles, CA | More Info 2/16 Vera in Groningen, NL 2/17 Winston in Amsterdam, NL 2/18 Ouvre Boite in Beauvais, FR* 2/19 PMA | La Poudriere in Belfort, FR* 2/20 Usine | KAB in Geneva, CH* 2/23 Spazio 21 in Torino, IT* 2/24 Circolo Degli Artisti in Rome, IT* 2/25 Unwound in Padova, IT* 2/26 Mikk in Murska Subota, SL* 2/28 Kset in Zageb, HR* 3/02 Klub Re in Krakow, PL* 3/03 TBA in Pozn, PL* 3/04 Hafenklang in Hamburg, GER* 3/05 Zorro in Leipzig, GER* 3/08 Madame Moustache in Bruxelles, BE 3/09 Vooruit in Gent, BE
We posted Jakwob's Smokers Delight Mixtape 1.0 about a week ago and it came as a delightful surprise to see Jakwob share our link with his fans on his Facebook page that same morning. And as the thankful fans we are we contacted him and his team to say how grateful we are for the love sent back to us and that we would be open to helping spread his music in any additional way possible. A couple emails went back and forth and below I present you the result of one brief post and the power of the internet. In addition to the Interview below Jakwob has cooked up a special mix for us that we will air on this weekends edition of Dank Radio. So be sure to tune in this Saturday Jan 15th [4:00am-6:00am PST | 12:00pm-2:00pm GMT/London] on KPFK 90.7FM LA|KPFK.org Streaming Worldwide [More info HERE].
Nativity: First off, thank you for taking the time to do this interview and Happy New Year. How did your holiday go? Did you do anything fun aside from snowboarding? Finish COD? Jakwob: Still haven’t pretiged on COD, I’m not THAT nerdy. Apart from boarding (which was sick), I spent time in solitary confinement watching old films and also seeing old friends.
Nativity: It's been quite a while since we heard a proper update from you aside from your tweets and facebook posts. Now that it's a new year how does it feel when you look back at all the progress from 2009-2010? Any favorite moments or performances that really stand out to you? Jakwob: Yeah it has been an epic journey so far, I notably enjoyed Glastonbury and Bestival and working with some great artists. Very shortly you will hear the new record along with remixes from other people of my own material which is exciting me greatly!
Nativity: Last year you set up your very own record label, Boom Ting Recordings. Can you explain how that came about? Was this something you and Neil always wanted to do from the start or did the need for your own outlet grow as your music started to reach more people? Jakwob: It’s something I have always wanted to do as I have a really passion for all types of music and working with artists and developing them and I thought as soon as I get into a position where I have an audience for my sound I can give other artists a platform they might not otherwise have. The label is acting as a catalyst label pushing and developing new artists – there are going to be some amazing things happening in the next few months.
Nativity: I see. With that said, what type of music are you looking to release? The company overview on the facebook page reads, "To expose you to the freshest, tastiest and most talented artists from across the board!" I know you have influences of all varying types. Can we expect any hip hop releases? Jakwob: Definitely. Hip hop has been a major influence in what I do and I have already been given a few CDs at gigs from hip hop producers and I am looking forward to making some collaborations with artists and producers who have approached me.
Nativity: Speaking of Hip Hop, you've expressed in many interviews and through a handful of your mixes your love and respect for Hip Hop. You've played tracks from The Fugees, Busta Rhymes, Jurassic 5, and more. If you could book your own show with your favorite Hip Hop artists[living and deceased] who would you pick for the bill? Jakwob: In no particular order it would be Mary J Blige, Q-tip, Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, The Pharcyde, Moss Death and Madlib on drums - ahhh too many!
Nativity: Are there any producers you'd love to work with [Hip Hop, Dubstep, etc.]? Or currently working with that you'd like to share? Jakwob: I would love to work with all of the above, plus a cheeky session with Snoop.
Nativity: A handful of us in Dank Radio create music ourselves and are curious as to what you use in your creative process[software/hardware/instruments]? From the moment you start a track up until you master it out do you primarily stay with Reason or do you use different DAWs for different needs? Any word on when the video you recorded with Propellerhead will be released? Jakwob: I produce all sounds either with real instruments or Reason and then I mix in Logic but I primarily use Reason/Record to write my songs. No idea when the video comes through but as soon as it does I will post it immediately!
Nativity: I really enjoy the video for Here With Me[And the making of video as well]. The story matches up quite perfectly with the cinematic vibe of the song. What was it like teaming up with your friend Lucy Bridger to help bring out the visual aspect of your audible creation. Are there any plans for a video of Scare The Snare? Jakwob: It is always a pleasure working with Lucy, she is always in control of anything visual to do with Boom Ting and Jakwob. The video was a really really fun project to work on and Lucy and I are currently working on the next few videos and just about to shoot the next. But there is no talk of a video of Scare The Snare – sorry!
Nativity: Just got word that the San Francisco date of your USA & Canada tour is sold out. Congratulations. Are you looking forward to any specific dates on the tour? A lot of producer/DJs tend to throw in some LA favorites whenever they're in town. Can we expect any Dr. Dre or 2pac at your Cinespace gig? Jakwob: Yeah is pretty mental that it is sold out. I can’t wait to play LA, it is going to be a good half way house and I am going to have a good time meeting and working with people there and maybe have some time to produce some hip hop dub! The possibility of me playing a cheeky tribute track is quite high!
Nativity: What are your plans for after the tour? Is it back to the studio to work on your next release? Or is that and a whole new batch of remixes already on it's way to the public? Jakwob: After the tour the next record will be out along with videos, the first other artist released from Boom Ting and whole load more dates for the US!
Nativity: I can't wait for the next batch of songs. Thanks again for doing this Jakwob. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers or your fans? Any tips for aspiring producers balancing their course work and production duties? Jakwob: Music…work…music…work…MUSIC!!!!
Tour Dates: 1/15 Eve in Miami, FL 1/17 The Social in Toronto, Canada 1/18 The Roxy in Orlando, FL 1/20 Club Disco in Scottsdale, FL 1/22 The Factory in San Francisco, CA 1/22 Vital SC Presents: Wobbleland 2011 w/ Nero, Skrillex, 12th Planet + More @ The Factory in San Francisco, CA | Event Info [SOLD OUT] 1/ 25 Dim Mak Tuesdays Presents: Jakwob @ Cinespace in Los Angeles, CA 1/27 L.E.D. Presents: Jakwob w/ PeaceTreaty @ Voyeur in San Diego, CA | Event Info 1/28 Dickens Pub in Calgary, AB, Canada
For some of us locals here in Long Beach, we've begun to notice the slow and steady growth of more events provided within our great city. The Summer and Music festivals put on every summer by Rand of Fingerprints and his team have been a great addition to the downtown area as well as the neighboring East Village. But what about us who still prefer a good band at a bar, or maybe a whole line up of bands playing at a local warehouse. Here's where Black Boot Productions comes into play.
Nativity: First off, thank you Eric for taking the time to do this Interview. I know you're a busy man with lots of fun ideas/events that constantly need to be worked on. Let's begin with the origins of Black Boot Productions. When we ran into each other at a local show and you told me about the conversation you had with your partner in crime about your call to action. Why don't you share the Black Boot origin story with our readers?
Eric: My Partner Maribel Banuelos and I have been living here in Long Beach for the past 4 years. Both of us are originally from Southern California but had a chance to live in Portland, Oregon for a while. While living in Portland we quickly discovered a huge underground “D.I.Y.” music scene. Our nights bar hopping and enjoying local talent in downtown Portland was truly an eye opener. Here was a community chalk full of talented musicians sharing the same goal in organizing in order to bring in the people. Relocating to Long Beach we found the potential to do the same. We thought to ourselves there is a lot of great bands in Long Beach why is no one really pushing this? I, Eric play in many local bands (Bird Mad Girl) (D-Strutters) & one bigger touring act (Pastilla) so I have been in the scene for awhile & have seen how bands get shitted on & we wanted to change that.
Nativity: Like we discussed that night we both agreed upon the need for all the locals to stick together and really just get organized. I'm glad you're starting to do that with your shows. How do the bands feel about what you're trying to build? How have the shows been so far? Any fun stories/moments that stand out?
Eric: The local bands have been really responsive to what we are doing and they are excited. The Black Boot shows have been gaining a lot of momentum over the last three months and are only getting better. As far as moments at the shows, for us it's every time we see someone rocking out with a huge smile on their face. Like the satisfaction one gets when seeing a kid get the toy they wanted on Christmas day, priceless.
Nativity: And it's not just bands that you're working with correct? You have this weekends event at Que Sera called The Hold Up and you're working with DJs for that event. What kind of music can people expect to find and what kind of vibe are you building?
Nativity: Looks like it's going to be a fun event to check out. For all of the bands and/or DJs who feel like they have what it take to lace up and perform for Black Boot, where/how can they get in touch with you? Is there anything specific you want from them? Press Kit? EPK? Soundcloud links? Etc?
We have also been asked by the Long Beach Party Project to write a couple of reviews for some local acts that you can check out. Expect to see more in the near future.
Nativity: Awesome. Thanks again for doing this Eric. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers or your fans? Teasers of what's to come for 2011 maybe? Future events? Bands they need to check out?
Eric: Black Boot will be doing events every week and weekend. Make sure to visit us at facebook.com/blackbootprod to see what shows we have lined up. Black Boot is expanding to bigger locations such as Alex's Bar and Blue Cafe. Expect another all ages warehouse show coming up in March. We will be spreading our wings out to a venue in Pomona, Ca.
A little over a week has passed since our good friend Nightfox started her Dank Radio infiltration mission with her interview with Sound Of Stereo and she's already putting in work with her next installment. To be honest with you, it's a welcome surprise and boy is she putting me to work with these deadlines [It's all good! You know how we work. 24/7 365, all day, everyday, until the end of days.] The interview that follows entails her encounter with the funky producer/dj Treasure Fingers [Fool's Gold]. Keep on reading to find out about album updates, the status of Evol Intent, and his hometown of Wewoka Oklahoma.
Hey Dank Radio! In a recent conversation with DJ Shaun P, we discussed the pros and cons of my job. He told me that although I was extremely lucky to be able to meet the people I get to meet, he would never want my job in fear that his love of music of a certain artist would be marred if he turns out to be a dick. Luckily, I’ve been blessed in that every artist I’ve met so far (minus one, I won’t name him here but you can ask me later) have been the nicest, most humble people I’ve met, welcoming me into their rooms, backstage, and going out of their way to lend me twenty minutes of their time. Probably means little to them, but it means the world to me. My impression of an artist has yet to be marred (thank God). So here’s a recent interview with Treasure Fingers, and thanks to my friend Jack Daniels, probably the most random interview I’ve held to date. Thanks again Treasure Fingers. Enjoy, Nightfox
Nightfox: So I see you’re in the middle of a big tour, how are you enjoying it so far? Treasure Fingers: It’s been good. I was actually off for three weeks so it’s good to be back again.
Nightfox: Do you find yourself finding the time to produce and work on tracks while touring? Treasure Fingers: Not really when I’m touring. I try to but I really like working in my studio, and when I’m on the road I only have my laptop so it’s a big difference. But I like it though because when I’m on the road I don't have a lot of time to produce but I have all these ideas in my head. Then when I actually get home I can get a lot of stuff done.
Nightfox: So does that mean we can expect the album anytime soon? Treasure Fingers: Yeah hopefully! I need to just take a break and actually finish it when I’m not doing gigs.
Nightfox: And are you still working with Evol Intent through all this? Treasure Fingers: Yes. We have two new singles almost done. Four tracks broken up into two separate 12" single releases, and maybe an album in the works? I don’t know, we’ve been really productive lately.
Nightfox: When it comes to producing, are there any rules or codes of ethics in your opinion? Any do’s and don'ts? Treasure Fingers: Um, not really. I mean, I’m not a fan of just ripping stuff off, you know. If I sample someone I try to do something creative with it. I just try to be original. Besides that, no rules, I guess.
Nightfox: Describe the differences between your live set and your DJ set. Treasure Fingers: I’ve never actually done a live Treasure Fingers set. We’ve done live Evol Intent, and that’s still less on computers and controllers and stuff, but it’s kind of programming on the fly, just doing effects and stuff like that. But if I wanted to do a live Treasure Fingers show, it would probably be with a band but I’d kind of like to stick to DJ’ing for now.
Nightfox: I see your doing Korea for New Years! Have you ever been there before? Treasure Fingers: No! I’m super excited! Well, they put in the offer and I was really excited and then North Korea bombed them so I thought the gig was off and my agent was going to cancel it. But the promoters came back and promised it was all good and things would be safe.
Nightfox: Interesting, will there be any extra security or anything like that? Treasure Fingers: I don’t know. I’m not too worried about it actually. I’ll go anywhere. Like, I feel like I could die here tonight as well as I could there, so I’m not really afraid of anything. I’ve always wanted to play crazy places. I don’t know if they’ll have extra security or not but it will be super fun, I’m sure.
Nightfox: What do you expect from Korea? Treasure Fingers: I’ve played Asia a couple times, like, Taiwan, Singapore, and Jakarta, places like that and it’s always really cool but I’ve never played Korea before so it’ll be a new experience.
Nightfox: And after Korea you head to Australia. How do you like it there? Treasure Fingers: That’s probably my second home. I would live there if it wasn’t so far from everything.
Nightfox: What do you like best about it? Treasure Fingers: It’s just really nice. It’s got a nice climate, you know. The continent is big so it’s kind of like America, you could go to a really nice beach or you could go way out in the wilderness. It’s just a cool place with laidback people.
Nightfox: So I see you used to play in punk and hardcore bands as a teenager, and when you were younger you were into hip-hop. Why make the transition to dance music? Treasure Fingers: Well, lately, the Treasure Fingers stuff is definitely the most dancey I’ve ever done. I did Evol Intent before that and before Evol Intent I did even weirder experimental glitch stuff so it’s just been sort of a progression. I’ve always liked and made house music but I’ve never focused on producing it heavily until recently.
Nightfox: Do you plan on keeping up with Treasure Fingers? Treasure Fingers: Oh yeah, yeah. I’ve thought about starting a couple side projects just because I have all these ideas for new songs and they don’t fit within what I like the Treasure Fingers sound to be. You may see a new project from me soon. But, Treasure Fingers is top priority right now.
Nightfox: Care to elaborate? Treasure Fingers: Um, I really shouldn’t (laughs). It’s really just sort of the brainstorming stages now so I’ll keep it under wraps until it’s ready to launch.
Nightfox: So what city are you from in Oklahoma? Treasure Fingers: Wewoka. It’s ridiculously small. About 4 thousand people.
Nightfox: Oh wow. So what was your first big gig that got you out of Oklahoma? Treasure Fingers: When I was coming up there were these big raves coming up in Oklahoma City. And they also had an underground club that went until like, ten in the morning or something. They have been playing house there since like, 1989 or something crazy. Which, I wasn’t around of course, back then but that was my influence for the whole club scene or rave scene. So I guess I was 16 when I started going out there for raves and getting into the clubs. I met Jeremy Dawson who is now in Shiny Toy Guns, and he booked me for my very first rave. After that I started playing neighboring states and it kept spreading from there.
Nightfox: Growing up did you always have a feeling you would go into music or did you have a Plan B? Treasure Fingers: I feel truly blessed to be this successful but I always knew it would be a hobby. I actually went to school for graphic design. I have a degree in that and I worked in that until probably about four or five years ago. Then I would freelance on the side. As of the past three years, it has been all music.
Nightfox: Do you ever design your own stuff? Treasure Fingers: Sometimes but I don’t even like to touch my own stuff. I just got burnt out. I like art directing and having someone else do it now (laughs).
Nightfox: So who are your favorite 90’s hip-hop artists? Treasure Fingers: I was all over the LA west coast stuff as a kid. I liked Eazy E, Dre, Snoop. I liked all the San Francisco stuff too like Spice 1 and E-40. And I don’t know, there was all this weird underground gangster rap stuff I was super into when I was 12. And even now I go on last.fm sometimes and stream Spice 1 radio and they play all these amazing artists that never really made it big. It’s amazing. That was definitely the big golden era of rap for me.
Nightfox: So what’s your favorite 80’s funk artist? Treasure Fingers: Oh man. Zapp and Roger. No question.
Nightfox: Any music makers you’re especially diggin’ right now? Treasure Fingers: I love all the new guys coming up. Bit Funk in Chicago. Le Zebra, who’s actually from out here I think. Night Riders, from Boston.
Nightfox: What are your plans after your tour? Treasure Fingers: I have a heavy schedule up until May I think. I’ll probably take a couple weeks off and chill then. I haven’t even thought about it really.
Nightfox: Are you going to rest at all? Treasure Fingers: (laughs) I should but I’ll probably just go into the studio. That’s kind of relaxation for me. It would be nice to just take a month off and just go into the studio.
Nightfox: I hear a lot of complaints from artists about airlines. What is the worst airline in your opinion? Treasure Fingers: Aw man. There’s a lot of them. I’m really not a fan of Continental. So definitely Continental.
Nightfox: Ever lose anything? Treasure Fingers: Oh yeah. I was on a Delta flight and the panel next to my seat was broken and I had a little bag with all my important stuff like my passport and my iPod and it fell all the way under cargo into the belly of the plane. They said they couldn’t get it until they did maintenance there so I had to file report and do all this stuff. I think I was going to Canada a few days later so I had to expedite a passport and replace all my stuff. But I sent them the receipts and they paid for everything. So thumbs up to Delta. But they need to fix their planes up (laughs).
Nightfox: What do you think of the explosion of dubstep? Here in LA, it’s developed a huge underground following. Treasure Fingers: I like a lot of it. There’s some that I can’t stand but there’s a lot of really good stuff out there. And with the Evol Intent project we do a lot of dubstep too.
Nightfox: Ever thinking about going into dubstep? Treasure Fingers: Not as Treasure Fingers. I thought about doing some collaborations with people and just blending some funky kind of synths & talkbox vocals so there might be a collaborations with that soon, I don’t know. I’ve been talking with 12th Planet so we'll see where that goes..
Nightfox: What’s your favorite track that you released this year? Treasure Fingers: I would say Keep Up, which just came out on Fool’s Gold, because it was the first full song released where I wrote and played all the music, no samples, and co-wrote the lyrics with a friend. We took about a week cutting the vocals and had an engineer mixing them. It’s more of a process than I’m used to. I’m used to just doing everything myself so for that one we put the most time into and I’m really proud of the outcome. Aside from that, probably It’s Love, the B side to Lift Me. That one came about because they wanted something else to release with Lift Me so I kind of had to make it under pressure. And it all just kind of came together. I wanted some female vocal samples, yet without sampling, on it so I slowed it down and sent it to Haley Small, who sang on Keep Up and gave her a rough idea [of what I wanted]. Then I pitched her vocals back up and chopped them a bit. It was kind of unexpected how well it turned out.
Nightfox: Well, I loved it! So do you like playing bigger gigs like raves or do you prefer smaller, more intimate settings like Avalon? Treasure Fingers: I like the big raves but I feel like it’s hard to read the crowd sometimes, so you kind of just do your thing and hope it’s going over well. Whereas Avalon or smaller clubs, you see peoples faces and really see how’s it’s going. Also with the smaller clubs, well, tonight it’s me and Burns so hopefully everyone who came out either came to see him or I or both of us. But at a big rave you don’t know who is there for you. They could have came to see Tiesto and just wandered into your tent. If you’re playing funky house and their into trance, they might just stare at you for an hour waiting for whoever is next.
Nightfox: So when you play do you read the crowd mostly and see what they like? Treasure Fingers: Well mostly. I try to do my own thing, I never compromise as far as what music I’m going to play. I go between really synthy, kind of melodic stuff to really funky house or whatever. If I can sense they are ready for something else and or not feeling it, then I'll start switching it up a little. I'm helpless in the "pop and rap requests" type clubs though, I don't even have that sort of stuff on my laptop or CD wallet.
Nightfox: What is your favorite gig or venue so far? Treasure Fingers: Well, Avalon has actually been amazing every time I've played here. Tonight I think someone hit me up at 11:30 or something and told me they were at capacity already, so it’s amazing to fill a venue this big. Also, Voyeur San Diego where I played last night, there’s always really good shows there.
Nightfox: Oh yeah, I have yet to make a road trip down there. Treasure Fingers: Oh, you’ve got to go check it out. They’ve made it slightly bigger since they took down a wall. It’s still a very intimate venue and the people there are super into the music.
Nightfox: So you do you know Harvard Bass pretty well then? Treasure Fingers: Yeah I met him a long time ago, I think before he was even doing Harvard Bass. Then I started hearing his tracks and he pretty much blew up overnight. He's awesome though. Good guy too.
Nightfox: When you’re in LA are there any places you need to visit or people you need to see? Treasure Fingers: I try to hang out with all my friends when I’m out here and eat good food. Definitely try to hit up Roscoes and In N Out.
Nightfox: So when you wind down at the end of the day, what do you like to listen to? Treasure Fingers: Probably my favorite band is Mono, this band from Japan that’s all instrumental. Like, 12 minute tracks, all super melodic and moody, really beautiful music.
Nightfox: Well, thank you Ashley! As a writer and a fan I want you to know that this has been an awesome experience! Treasure Fingers: Yeah no problem! Happy I could help.
Tour Dates: Dec 18, 2010 - Brooklyn, NY (US) @ Public Assembly - BEMF Dec 31, 2010 - Seoul, Korea @ Club Rococo Jan 5, 2011 - Washington, DC (US) @ U Street Music Hall Jan 12, 2011 - Las Vegas, NV (US) @ Ghost Bar Jan 21, 2011 - Byron Bay, (AU) @ The Great Northern Jan 22, 2011 - Canberra, (AU) @ Trinity Bar Jan 25, 2011 - Brisbane, (AU) @ The Bowler Bar Jan 26, 2011 - Adelaide, (AU) @ Shore's Complex Jan 28, 2011 - Melbourne, (AU) @ Colonial Hotel Jan 29, 2011 - Wollongong, (AU) @ The Grand Hotel Jan 29, 2011 - Sydney, NSW (AU) @ Civic Hotel Jan 30, 2011 - Gold Coast, (AU) @ Titanium Bar - Dirty Sundays Feb 5, 2011 - Perth, (AU) @ The Bakery Feb 12, 2011 - Auckland, AUC (NZ) @ De Club Feb 25, 2011 - Salt Lake City, UT (US) @ Salt Palace Convention Center
Had a chance to sit down with Shea from LBPP.net to talk about what he's doing for the local Long Beach music scene and his upcoming 2nd Annual Secret Santa's Toydrive show with Free Moral Agents and Repeater. Shea is definitely someone you want to link up with if you're a local musician. We at Dank Radio are very grateful for the support he showed us in the past with our former projects and his continuing support with the ever evolving music activities of the Dank Radio family.
Nativity: First off, Many Thanks to Shea from LBPP.net for taking time from his busy schedule to do this interview. Before we talk about The 2nd Annual Secret Santa's Toydrive, let's talk about LBPP.net. How did it all start back in 2003 and how has it developed over the years? I remember when I used to play your shows back in the day[Many thanks for being crazy enough to book us back then]. Shea:The original inspiration for Long Beach Party Project was the movie Old School. After seeing it a few times in the theaters, my friend and I argued over the backyard house party with Snoop Dogg scene and if something like that could actually be pulled off. Well after much debate we decided if you had the right connects and timing you could pull it off in real life. That was the original "project" we embarked upon, hence the name Long Beach Party Project. Lots of things have changed since then though, going from just a blog where we posted pictures from our house parties, to club promoters packing hundreds of heads into local spots, to a failed party bus idea, and now booking and promoting local music. Your old band Sun Doominal was always one of my favorites... I still rock the cd!
Nativity: With that said, How do you feel about the current climate of music in Long Beach? What has changed from from 2003 to 2010 and do you feel Long Beach is ready and more willing to expose it's hidden musical gems these days? Shea: I really love the Long Beach music scene, it can be clicky sometimes, but in general everyone tries to support each other I think. The best thing about it is the diversity of music in the city and how well rounded the music tastes are. Since 2003 I have seen quite a few great bands come and go, as well as some crappy ones, and I think with the slew of recent popular acts coming out of Long Beach it is definitely encouraging to the closet musician to get out and get some exposure because there is so much support.
Nativity: Speaking of musical gems, What local bands/artists are on your radar? Any favorites you can suggest to our readers that they need to check out at a show local show a.s.a.p.? Shea: Man, there are so many good up and coming bands... The Fling, Eugene & The 1914, Centrevol, 60 Watt Kid, Armchair Generals, Pebaluna, Hot Minute, We Barbarians and a bunch more. Most of these bands are still playing local but not for long, so make sure to check them out at your favorite LB venue.
Nativity: One local band I'm very excited to finally check out live is Free Moral Agents which is performing for your 2nd Annual Secret Santa's Toydrive. How did you get the band involved with your event? Shea: Yeah we are pretty excited to have them play! Originally we were invited to do a behind the scenes video of the shooting of their new single called "Little Trouble Girl", after that we had talked about doing a show and it just worked out that they were just getting back from national tour with 2Mex.
Nativity: It's good to see LBPP.net giving back to the community with the event by giving the un-wrapped toys and donations to Coalongbeach.org. Not very many parties tend to have a social awareness. Is this something you've always wanted to do with LBPP.net? Shea: We noticed a few years back the trend of lots of promoters or event organizers to use donating to a "charity" as a way to attract people to their event, but the problem is you never know where the money goes. Did it ever even make it to the charity? Most organizations [try] to think about this but that is what prompted us to do this party last year and we created a video piece to show everyone the impact they made locally with their toy donations.
Nativity: Thanks again for doing the Interview. Anything else you'd like to share? Maybe even a brief summary of what's to come in the new year for LBPP.net? Shea: Yeah, its great to connect again! We are going to be doing it big in 2011, bringing back one of our signature series The Punk Rock SiDeShOw which features local punk & rockabilly acts with a vaudevillian style circus performer supporting at the Puka Bar starting the Last Friday in February at the Puka. Also have a big St. Patrick's Day show that is in the works that is going to be epic!
12/16 LBPP.net presents: The 2nd Annual Secret Santa's Toydrive with Free Moral Agents & Repeater | More Info Here & Here
There must be something with the month of December but there are quite a number of Anniversary Celebrations shows going on in Long Beach. To continue this weeks string of quality shows we sat down with Dan Kawai from White Denim and Imonni[voted the Best Vintage Store in Orange County by the OC Weekly and Best Shopping on Yelp] to talk about their one year anniversary celebration with local band We Barbarians.
Nativity: Congrats on White Denim's One Year Anniversary. Can you start off by shedding some light on what your role is with White Denim and Imonni? How did the White Denim & Imonni shows start? Dan: White Denim started as a strictly party jam party last year, and it has grown a lot since then. I work over at Imonni and a lot of different types of people roll through the store. I was looking at cooking up an event that could clique bust and take down the usual walls criss-crossing the Long Beach scene. Imonni was a perfect catalyst for this, so we decided to join forces and throw fun, hyped, and far reaching parties.
Nativity: Aside from maybe fashion shows and smaller type events, I don't know too many independent clothing shops throwing together events like these at venues. Is this something you've always wanted to do, bring the clothing element and the music together? Dan: Yes yes yes. Long Beach has it's own unique flavor/style. You've got the mods, the hip hop heads, hipsters, the bustling skate scene, fixed gear kids, punks... basically everything. Musically, the DJs at White Denim have to be able to mix everything, and mix it well. Adaptability is sorely missing on the turntables these days, and you've probably experienced it at a party where every one is a mod and the DJ is blasting hard house.
Nativity: With We Barbarians on board with the show, it'll sure be a fun party. They just finished a tour with Cold War Kids, and are currently on tour with Passion Pit at the moment. How did you get them on board w/ the show? Dan: I've always thought that We Barbarians are SUPER underrated, and I'm glad to see them touring with national acts and getting the cred they deserve. I used to do a lot of shows with Sparrow Love Crew, who are close to all the Cold War Kids, Delta Spirit, and We Barbarians guys. One of the SLC homeboys hooked me up with the guys from We Barbarians and now I'm super hyped and looking forward to the show.
Nativity: Do you tend to look for more local talent for your events or are you open to anything just as long as you like the music and it fits with the party? Are you open to receiving music/demos for future events? If so, where do they send them? Dan: Local talent is always good. From a promoter perspective, Long Beach kids are sometimes apprehensive towards outside talent, or aren't tuned in to say, the LA scene or DJs that are killing it in Orange County. I'm always open to new talent, and am always hunting for bands to feature. As far as demos, they can come by the store at Imonni and drop me a CD. I'm open to anything, but it has to be banging.
Nativity: Speaking of music, you also DJ. What type of music can we expect from your set that night and for the whole night as a whole? Do you tend to lean on a specific sound or do you let the crowd dictate which direction you'll lead them to? Dan: At White Denim we try to cover a large spectrum of music to keep the night interesting. You can expect a lot of party jams from the 80s and 90s, electronic, 90s house, electro etc. Basically like Marky Mark said, it's all about the good vibrations and the sweet sensations.
Nativity: Thank you for doing the interview. Is there anything else you'd like to share? Any other special info we need to know about the event? Dan: Come. Grab a Colt 45 tallboy. Eat Korean BBQ tacos. Listen to We Barbarians.. and bring your dancing shoes.
In celebration of the upcoming anniversary of Los Angeles based independent record label Beatrock Music I had a chance to talk to founder Eric "Fatgums" Strand about the origins of the label and it's associated with local clothing company Beatrock. For those of you who may not be familiar, Beatrock Music is home to artists such as: Bambu, Power Struggle, Otayo Dubb, The CounterParts, BWAN, and the DJ crew Mass Movement. In addition to speaking with Fatgums we had a chance to hear some words from Beatrock supporter Manila Ryce and Mass Movement DJ ReVision on what Beatrock means to them.
Nativity: First off how did Beatrock Music Start? How is it associated with Beatrock Long Beach? Fatgums: After the release of the Beatrock Presents: FATGUMS X BAMBU A Peaceful Riot EP, I was at a crossroads. At that time I was on a leave of absence from medical school and was trying to figure out where my heart and mind were truly at in life. Other than my family, my friends, and a commitment to social change, I knew that music was something that would be a part of me forever. It wasn’t only making beats and scratching that I was in love with, it was the entire process of creating physical things that could become timeless pieces of art. I asked David Araquel, the owner of Beatrock, what he thought of expanding upon what we started with A Peaceful Riot. He told me that his vision for Beatrock had always included a musical component. I love Beatrock. I love what they represent as a company and I love the image and style that they have created. It was clear to me that by becoming a part of the Beatrock family through establishing a music wing of the brand, I would be able to realize my own personal vision for a record label – to create and spread music that is rooted in social change. I am forever grateful that the Araquel family entrusted in me the Beatrock name. It is and will always be my priority to represent it well through the music we make.
Nativity: Have there been any struggles over the past year to get everything going? Fatgums: It was my objective from the beginning to create a label that is for the artists and in many ways run by the artists. Given this approach, getting Beatrock Music started has been a very team-like effort. As with anything in life, working as a team or collective has made the whole process much easier. It has been a blessing to work with artists who have more than their own self interest in mind. We all are striving for something bigger than our music and our own self recognition. There have been struggles, but together we have been able to rise above any obstacles that have faced the label thus far
Nativity: Why Long Beach and San Francisco for your celebrations? Fatgums: Long Beach is the city where Beatrock started. The Beatrock Clothing Store/Art Space was a cultural magnet for many activists, musicians and artists. From the grand opening celebration to the final show, artistic creativity, political discourse, and live music oozed from its doors. Beatrock became more than a safe space for artists to show their work, it became a community that we all became a part of. Now that the physical space is no longer there, it became very important for me to bring the anniversary celebration back to Long Beach and to the community that Beatrock inspired.
We chose San Francisco because many of our artists, like Power Struggle and Otayo Dubb, are based out of the Bay Area. I wanted to be sure their fans and supporters could join in on the celebration.
Nativity: What is your favorite Beatrock moment so far? Fatgums: My favorite moments have to be back at the Beatrock store when we’d take shots of Lori’s crazy drinks with like 30 folks at a time.
Nativity: What's in the future for Beatrock? What are your hopes? Where do you see Beatrock in 5 years? 10 years? Fatgums: I want Bambu to become the next Jay-Z, Bwan to become the next Nas, Otayo Dubb to become the next Biggie (but alive), and Nomi to become the next Chuck D.
Nativity: How can an artist get in touch with you if they feel their music fits with Beatrock? Fatgums: The best way is to visit the contact page on our website. There is a Soundcloud dropbox and an email form that sends emails directly to me.
Nativity: Do you have any special thank you messages for your supporters? Fatgums: I’d like to thank everyone who has supported us. From the young kid who told his or her friend to check out one of our videos to the family and friends that have helped us realize our dreams of making music, we thank you all.
Bambu - Who's That?!
Nativity: What does Beatrock mean to you? Manila Ryce: To me, Beatrock means community. It is truly communal in the sense that there is no one person leading the charge and calling the shots. Every artist; be they musician, painter, or designer; helps to advance the Beatrock brand and philosophy in their own way and on their own terms. Beatrock is a collective of friends, old and new, whose primary motive is to bring a certain level of consciousness to the neighborhoods they live in. Without that social bond, Beatrock would just be another failed establishment in a collapsing economy, but since it is so much more than a business it continues to flourish.
ReVision[Mass Movement]: For me, Beatrock Music is synonymous with Community. Not only is it a close knit community of artists, but the artists themselves are people who are FOR the Community as a whole. When you listen to any of the MCs on the roster, it's clear that each one has a genuine love for the People in the positive messages that they convey. It's not just art for art's sake...it's art with a purpose. It's art with a progressive message.
At the same time, the Beatrock label is passionate about the Music itself and won't settle for mediocrity. Whether it's beats, lyrics or videos, everything is always top notch quality. There are tons of conscious artists out there, but they're so focused on their message and not the quality of the music that it ends up falling on deaf ears. Since its inception, every single record that Beatrock puts out is just damn good music, so the listener gets the best of both worlds.
Beatrock Music is a true representation of Hip Hop culture. This label isn't going to sacrifice quality in exchange for commercial success. It'll stay true to its vision while carrying on the tradition of its predecessors. Beatrock Music pays homage to the Golden Age of Hip Hop while maintaining its own fresh style instead of simply trying to emulate the sounds of the past.
12/10: LONG BEACH – The Cellar (201 East Broadway) | More Info Live Performances by: · Bambu and DJ Phatrick · Power Struggle · Otayo Dubb · The CounterParts · Bwan · L.U.V · K-nine Host: Mass Movement DJs: DJ ET and Krissfader
12/11: SAN FRANCISCO – Pier 23 (Pier 23 on the Embarcadero) | More Info Live Performances by: · Otayo Dubb · Power Struggle · Dirty Boots · Kiwi · Rocky Rivera and more Host: Bambu DJs: DJ Roza, DJ Fonz and Fatgums
The events will also celebrate the birthdays of Nomi of Power Struggle, Rachel and James of Dirty Boots, and DJ Phatrick!
Everyone here at Dank Radio loves it when our family and friends get involved with our creative processes. Not just with our music, the radio program, but this site as well. With that said, we will be featuring a piece from one of our trusted friends every so often [haven't worked out the schedule just yet]. To start us off, I would like to introduce you all to my good friend Nightfox. Here she is to explain how she managed to secure an interview with Sound of Stereo by the use of modern day technology.
Dank Radio: Here’s my not so recent interview with Sound of Stereo from their show at the Avalon on October 22. I had so many other questions I wanted to ask, but with the limited amount of time I had and the excitement of it, I found it hard to formulate coherent thoughts and focus long enough to create a through interview.
I was already in Hollywood that night to cover the wrap-up of LA Fashion Week, along with a fellow writer.
I didn’t even expect to interview them that night. But much to my surprise, the guys responded to my request to speak to them- via twitter. It’s a good thing Mando Fresko was spinning at the time so no one could hear me screaming my ass off.
I met up with the duo right next door at The Redbury hotel, the newly refurbished hotel adjacent to the Avalon. The duo was in the US for about two more weeks before heading back to the motherland (Belgium) to play the fifteenth annual I Love Techno Festival, the music event that kicked off the duo’s careers. In March they’ll be headed to Australia for Future Music Festival. Hopefully by then their album will be finished and they’ll head back to the states!
I want to note one of my favorite parts of the interview was when my forced partner Cherelle got up and started moving a coffee table around in their room, in order to get the voice recorder in prime position for picking up sound. It made me cringe when it happened (moving other people’s furniture around during an interview doesn’t exactly put the interviewee at ease) but I laugh at it now, and hope that Vincent and Jochen forgive me for that, haha.
Nightfox: How different is the Belgian music scene compared to the music scene in the U.S., specifically Los Angeles? Vincent: I don’t know, I think the European crowd is more used to having dance music around, so they’re more snobby about it, I think. So when we play in the U.S., it’s more fun, and we can do whatever we want. Jochen: It’s not more fun then playing in Europe, it’s just different. It’s a bit more over the top, especially in L.A. It’s different, but it’s both a lot of fun.
Nightfox: What is the ideology behind your band’s name Sound of Stereo? Vincent: Where did the name come from? I have no idea. We were thinking about changing it but we just kept it. Jochen: I was making music, producing electronic music, and I was like, we need a name. And that was it. So there’s no real nice story to it.
Nightfox: As far as your sound goes, do you find your musical style still evolving, or have you pretty much found your voice? Vincent: Oh no, it’s evolving like, everyday. We’re getting inspired all the time by different artists. If we pick up a CD from someone, well, I don’t know, it’s constant. Jochen: That’s the cool thing about DJ’ing. When you play in a band it’d difficult to make rapid changes to the style you play. Playing so many different places and meeting so many different people it’s nice to pick up other stuff. Like, yesterday we met some people and today we got some tracks from them that were really cool so we may play them tonight. Vincent: It’s all really instant.
Nightfox: I know you guys have been doing this a long time. Do you still get excited playing venues like Avalon and traveling? Do you still get that thrill? Vincent: Absolutely. Jochen: Sure. Vincent: It’s cool to play all these different places all the time, yeah. It’s always exciting because every club is different, every crowd is different. Jochen: Even every night in the same club is different. Vincent: Yeah, we’re still excited as much as we were years ago. Years? Yeah years. Two years ago. (laughs)
Nightfox: How did you guys meet each other? Vincent: Uh, I got some music from him through a friend and I was like, we have to meet up! We did a party together and after that it just took off. Jochen: He was already DJ and I was already playing in rock bands before I started producing electronic music. He picked up a track that I did and then we kind of decided to work together. Vincent: And it’s funny because we live really close [to each other]. Jochen: Yeah, we didn’t know and we live like, I don’t know, 5 kilometers from each other. And we say kilometers, it’s like 2 or 3 miles. Like 15 minutes.
Nightfox: What motivates you? Would you say one of your goals would to be to gain international stardom or do you just do it for the passion? Vincent: You have to do it because you love the music. Jochen: I hope it’s the second one. At this point, it still is. Vincent: Definitely the second one. Yeah, if you don’t like it you’re not going to push yourself. Jochen: Stardom is not something we pursue at all but it’s fun to be able to get rooms like this and talk to people like you. It’s just fun you know, and I don’t consider it stardom it’s just so much fun to be able to travel and do what you love. Vincent: Yeah! Jochen: It’s cheesy but that’s what it is.
Nightfox: So what have you guys been up to lately? Anything the fans should know? Vincent: Album, album, album, right? Jochen: Yeah. It’s all about the album at this moment. Vincent: And trying to tour in between, playing gigs and just trying to combine both and get things moving. We are really trying to think about what we’re going to do with the album. It would be stupid to do all club bangers on an album because no one cares. We were trying to find a sound. I think now we found it, or kind of found it, so now the process has started. Jochen: And like, playing wise, we’ve been in the states for three weeks now and we’ve got one more week playing shows. Then it’s every week somewhere else in Europe and then in March it’s Australia and probably U.S. again. Vincent: By then the album should be wrapping up.
Nightfox: How do you feel about electronic dance music and the direction it’s headed now? I know EDM is a big thing in Europe but here in the U.S. they are starting to play it a lot more on the radio and it’s kind of becoming more mainstream. What do you think about that? Do you think it’s a good thing? Vincent: It’s cool because it gives us a bigger platform to do our stuff. And more people are getting more into dance music so that’s good. We get a bigger fan base, I think. But when something gets mainstream, the whole charm of the underground goes away. Jochen: It’s always difficult to make that crossover. Vincent: Yeah, you have to find something in between, but it’s cool exposure for dance music, really. Jochen: It’s cool because it’s fresh in the U.S., fresher than in Europe. Yeah, at first it’s strange to have it now on the radio here cause… Vincent: …our radio station plays it all the time. Jochen: Yeah. Like, our national radio plays it all the time, even during day rotation. But it’s good. I like it.
Nightfox: Who are your biggest influences at this moment? Jochen: I think the guys we listen to and the guys we meet a lot are our biggest inspiration, like the other DJ’s we meet on tour. We really like Harvard Bass, Wolfgang is doing really well too. The guys from MSTRKRFT, we talked to them too. Erol Alkan, Brodinski and Boys Noize are still DJ-wise and production-wise the guys who… Vincent: And there’s some cool new guys coming, these guys called Mumbai Science. They’re on the same record label as us (Lektroluv) and they’re like, blowing up right now. Then there’s another guy from Scotland, his name is Clouds. It’s like, those guys, they keep it alive. Jochen: It’s like, they’re friends, we know them so it’s not like when you say it’s Daft Punk and you really look up to them. It’s just friends and we keep each other fresh. Vincent: Yeah, we unintentionally push each other to do better stuff.
Nightfox: So you motivate each other? Vincent and Jochen: Yeah!
Nightfox: So when you produce music, what is your artistic process? I know a lot of artists like to ‘put themselves on lock down’ so to speak, for a couple weeks to focus on their album. Do you find that you need that as well? Vincent: He’s on lock down (laughs). Jochen: He locks me down (laughs). Vincent: I have a chain (both laugh). Jochen: No, uh, [all my stuff] is at my house so whenever I feel like it. Like, the last few months, I’ve been doing more and telling myself “Okay, now produce.” Otherwise if you’re just doing EP’s, when you feel inspired, you go to the studio and you make some tracks. Now I’m sitting in the studio more and really making ideas and keep writing. It’s a different process but it’s fun. I don’t lock myself down yet. There’s a lot of demos and I think once we’ve chosen [them] then we’ll be on lockdown to mix down everything.
Nightfox: What makes you stand out as DJ’s? What makes you different? Jochen: We want to make everyone have a good time. We just like to play stuff we really like and adapt to the public that is in front of us. We never have a steady tracklist. We always have our CD’s and our music with us. We have our selection of what we like and try to match what the crowd likes without making too many compromises. You wanna have a good time but you want the crowd to have a good time too so the interaction is important. I think that’s the thing about being a good DJ that makes a difference. I’m not saying we’re really good at it but I think that’s something that’s really important to do.
Nightfox: So where are you off to next after LA? Vincent: We’ve got a couple days off. Jochen: Then Sacramento, Calgary, London, Canada. And then back. Rest for a couple days. Vincent: And then an extra show on Sunday. Then it’s back home for I Love Techno. Jochen: We’re doing a big Dim Mak show in Vienna, too. Vincent: Yeah, just back to Europe for touring.
