Interview de Drivepilot

Could you please introduce yourself ?

Hey, I'm Drivepilot. I make noise.



Where does your nickname come from? How did you get where you are now ?

The name Drivepilot references "drive" as in gain or distortion, which my music is based pretty heavily around. Before Drivepilot, I was in several bands, and did production work mostly on the Rock/Metal/Alternative side of things. When I started to write music for this project, it naturally had that influence.I love how strongly music has the ability to elicit emotion so I I think a lot of the time a major component in my sound comes from taking a lot of distortion and trying to harness it, but balance it with non-agressive component and navigate between those sounds and basically jump around emotions a bit.



Which tool do you use for producing your sounds ? How do you compose your sounds ?
In the studio I usually use FL Studio for composition, and bounce the final mix into Cubase for mastering. I have been using FL Studio for nearly as long as it's been around and I find that it just works the way my brain does- I don't like fighting DAWs when I'm trying to be creative. I think that finding something you like, and just learning the shit out of it though is the way to go. As far as VST's and that sort of thing, most of the time I use the usual suspects like Native Instruments, Arturia, FXpansion. I like to use a lot of 80's synths and drum machines but run them through a lot of distortion. I do all my mixing/engineering/etc... I like being able to be in full control of the sound from the beginning to end so that way it stays as intended without outside influences.



How do you prepare your gigs ? How did the audience reply on your music ?

My live gig setup is done through Ableton Live.. I have tried many other different programs, CDJ's, etc- and I think that running Live as the core of my live rig has just allowed infinite flexibility, and I don't even use half of what it can do. I try to bring it hard live and so far the response to my music has been overwhelming live and otherwise.




Could you give me a list of your current favorites tracks ?

One of my current favorites is Skrillex - My Name Is Skrillex (Skrillex Remix) -- I love the 'euro-'electro sound he initially had, especially with the original of this cut, but the new dubstep-infused electro stuff he's doing is just unreal. This track has so much energy and is so meticulously produced and engineered it makes me physically ill. His La Roux remix is sick as well.

Some other favorites right now are Crookers - No Security, Daladubz - Pink Elephants VIP, Pance Party - Kim Jong Thrill, Cyberpunkers - OMG, and I never get tired of the classic shit.




How did your met your label TRACTION RECORDS?

I started Traction Records with Yushood Rockmore in Dec of last year.


Why have you chosen to name your last EP : “Savages” ?

We are all savages.


What can we expect of you in the near future?

FUCK YEAH! EP is out October 2010... It's got remixes from The Boomzers, F.O.O.L, The Mastertrons, NEUS, and Noize Generation. It's going to be pretty crazy. Lots more music on the way. Stay tuned.

Interview du groupe Partysmartie

Could you please introduce yourself one by one ?

alfy from Los Angeles California and matt from Austria vienna

Where did the band name come from? Has it a special meaning ?

haha no special meaning just partysmartie

How did you learn to produce trash music ?

well i learned from watching my homie Richard whos also a really talented and dope producer called KRFTKDS and matt well im guessing he just not human haha its in him.

How two Dj can compose an unique sound ? How do you share the work ?

haha our own secret recipe

Which tool do you use for producing your sounds ?

raw heavy material!!

What are your main influences?

girls!! na haaha im not gunna lie krftkds converted me and matt always told me mustard pimp inspired him but between me and you thats a lie matt is a machine haha

Could you give me a list of your current favorites tracks ?

justin bieber hhaah just kidding

How do you prepare your gigs ?

getting drunk! thats what happen last time and time flew by we forgot to play so by the time we were up the pigs rolled up

How did the audience reply on your music?

they left !! hahaah just kidding well i hope they are banging their brains out

How did you meet your label SHAKEYOURASS RECORDS?

on sound cloud

What can we expect of you in the near future?

rich! haha you never know 

What do you think of American trash electro scene?

well my opinion its just getting started over here over there where matts from well i mean like all of like Austria and Italy is where i pretty much think it was born.

I loved it for so long and now its building up over here

its different if u ask me but there is no big artist yet they are all underground foos but to me they should be bigger than the Beatles .

If you have some final words to add, please do it here.

I love you Katy Perry.

Interview du groupe HavocNdeeD

How did the band get formed? How did you meet?
 -We (OB-one & J.Paul) originally met from dj'ing together @ a club in Salt Lake. We were both doing production on our own & realized that we had similar musical interests, musical backgrounds, & work ethic so we decided to collaborate...the rest is history as they say.



Who made up the band name? Has it a special meaning?

-It was a name that I (OB-one) had on ice for years that I had always wanted to use. We both agreed that it seemed to fit what our goal was musically, to create havoc indeed!!!



How do you prepare for your gigs?

-Our live show is very important to us so we rehearse every chance we get in between our track deadlines. Our ultimate goal is to have a complete live show where we create all the elements to our tracks.



How does the audience react to your music?

-We have gotten great response to our tracks. We try not to limit our tracks to a particular style so we can reach a broader audience. We try to create something for everyone, if you will.



How did you meet Skaught Perry and Theresa Joy?

-Skaught and I (J.Paul) have worked together for almost 10 years in various musical projects. We originally met in 2001 when Skaught's band came into the music shop I was working in and his former guitar player stole a guitar from me. After some ass kicking, we all ended up jamming together...

   -We met Theresa through my (J.Paul's) lady, Mary Mahan. Mary was serving Theresa at RA (Sushi restaurant) where they began to talk music. Next thing ya know... "Vindicta."



How did you meet your labels?

-I (J.Paul) have been doing various remixes/originals for "Dance Music Label Carrillo Music" for 3 years. When Ben and I started going full force, I hit up Rod (CEO of DMLCM) and "suggested" no more "J.Paul" remixes and that he needed "HavocNdeeD" instead. Thankfully, it only took 1 remix to twist his arm.

 -We started the "Play Me" relationship through Ben's hustle. When we started putting out tracks, Ben started blasting and when we eventually met with Play Me, we loved their overall drive, honesty and game-plan.



What can we expect of you in the near future?

-We have a lot of stuff in the works...tons of original tracks & remixes...& hopefully from those many shows will come about. We're just trying to get our name out there & pay our dues ya know.



What do you think of american dubstep scene?
-The American dubstep scene is young & unique. It's very exciting to be a part of something in it's infant stages & see it develop. It's definitely growing quickly & breeding many great artists each with a unique sound.

Interview du groupe Trash Yourself

Could you please introduce yourself one by one ?

HEIDI ROSE CANNON, nice to meet you!
Hi I'm John Bourke, DJ and noise maker of Trash Yourself.




Who made up the band name ? Has it a special meaning ?

HEIDI: John made it up on a whim. We were debating the damn name for too long with music we were dying to share with the public on myspace, you can't start a band page without of course , a band name. He threw it out and I agreed. I think the name has a kind of bad ass appeal yet does not take itself too seriously. It has no meaning accept the obvious which is go fucking trash yourself and live life with no regrets.



How did the band get formed? How did you meet yourself ?

HEIDI: Oh well anyone that is cool in the state of Oklahoma (middle of United States), knows each other. I am a very vocal and social girl, it is kind of hard to miss me. People know John Bourke as kind of the guy that throws the dance parties.. and me as the girl you won't forget at all the parties. We quickly became friends and the rest is history. We are both really weird unique individuals who were destined to do weird and unique things. Nature and natural chemistry bring these types of people together!


May you describe your music ?

HEIDI: A sexy girls voice paired with crazy talented beats.. leaving you both confused and turned on.



Which tool do you use for producing your sounds ?

JOHN:
Ableton and a extensive list of VSTs.
Avalon preamp and u87 for vocals
Krog MS-20 run through a culture vulture for some crazy distorted sounds
Talkbox sometimes
Mainly I do everything "In The Box".. on the computer.



How do you compose your sounds?

HEIDI: once again JOHN... and I can say that of course part of the sound is me just being creative on the microphone.. sometimes I yell something like die.. and the emotion behind it is enough to create a whole song around!!! go listen to die!



What are your main influences?

HEIDI: van she, unckle, sebastien tellier, maps, sneaky sound system, junior boys, glass candy, green velvet, heads we dance, the knife , our good friends ladytron and so so much more!! I love in particular many french sounding dance music! Of course old school dj shadow, depeche mode, portishead
JOHN: Some of my influences for Trash Yourself are Nine Inch Nails, Shiny Toy Guns who are dear friends of ours, Atari Teenage Riot, The Toxic Avenger, Ladytron, etc..



How did you meet The Toxic Avenger and Kill Hannah ?

HEIDI: Toxic was referred to John Bourke by a buddy of ours and simply made connections with him online from France.. Since then he has visited me a couple of times in Oklahoma and you would not believe how close we have become. Simon and I are practically soul mates and we are instantly transformed into best friends if not more (wink wink), when we see each other. Simon brings out an amazing energy in me that I can not describe. I met Kill Hannah guys through John Bourke and I can only guess that they met because John has a tendency to book performers to DJ his party that come to our home state of Oklahoma to perform concerts.



How do you prepare your gigs ?

HEIDI: We do not prepare accept to look within ourselves and say .. "I'm here to serve the purpose of blowing minds, this I will do as my natural duty as a bad ass human being"
JOHN:  Well put.




How did the audience reply on your music?

HEIDI: UM.. during concerts we are well liked.. people seem to really enjoy me adding an extra element to the boring dj scene. Online we are mega loved!



Could you give me a list of your current favorites tracks ?

HEIDI: I love the XX remix of Florence and the Machine you've got the love and also I love the dragonette and van she song pick up the phone
JOHN: Armand Van Helden's remix of "Dance the Way I Feel" is at the top of my list.  I'm liking a lot of disco house and minimal right now.



What do you talk about in your songs ?

HEIDI: arrogance, sex and youth revolt.



You are currently working on an album, what can we expect of it ?

HEIDI: Maybe that you might want to fuck someone. You can't expect anything because all I can tell you is prepare for the unexpected.



Having played in many different venues, and countries, you must have some crazy or embarassing stories to go with it?

HEIDI: No comment .. There are too many... I have done everything from watch a peeping sex show in Amsterdam with a Ladytron member to hmmm why don't I just not tell you .. because you don't deserve to know unless you come to a show and create a memory with me.  




If you have some final words to add, please do it here.

HEIDI: No I mean one day I wish to live outside of America and I'm still growing as a young girl.. I just hope you enjoy the evolution of my band and I hope that you truly take time to enjoy yourself as well and your talents.. so that I can continue to be inspired by life's artistic and confident contributors to counter culture. Thanks!
JOHN: We love to hear from you.  Become our friends here:
myspace.com/trashyourself
myspace.com/johnbourke
facebook.com/johnbourke
facebook.com/heidicannon
twitter.com/johnbourke
twitter.com/heidicannon
Hope to see you in your town soon!
<3 Trash

Interview de Star Eyes

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Vivian. I DJ and produce under the name Star Eyes, and I'm one-fourth of the Trouble & Bass crew. I live in Brooklyn, New York, where the magic happens.

What does your nickname mean and where did it come from?

I learned to DJ when I was 15, and that's when I picked the name. It comes from this old breakbeat hardcore track (my favorite era of dance music) called "Star Eyes" by Cosmo & Dibs. The remix has a sample of a girl singing "I control the party," and that always appealed to me. I also used to wear a lot things with stars on them as a young raver.

How did you get where you are now?

Lots of hard work, some luck, many late nights, being crazy about music, making goals, keeping my head up, good friends, having a sense of humor, and never forgetting that you only live once.

May you describe your music?

My music as Star Eyes is a bit different than my DJ sets -- a lot of it is dance music, but my concept is "haunted house," mixing elements of goth, industrial, punk, and other things that I like musically and aesthetically with the current heavy bass sound. Lyrically, most of the stuff I'm writing is based around adventures, alternate universes, autonomous zones, ecstasy, agony, psychic drama, late nights, and what happens after the party is over. As a DJ, I would say things are a bit less serious. I like bass music (dubstep, grime, electro-house, Baltimore club, Miami bass) -- the dirtier and  sassier the better.

How did the audience reply on your music?

DJ-wise my goals are to make people dance, to make them feel as excited as I am, and hopefully expose them to some new things. That seems to be working pretty good. As for my own stuff, I got a really good response on my first EP, Disappear EP (Trouble & Bass). It helped that I got great remixes from Mikix the Cat, Dexplicit, Cardopusher, UFO!, and more. I think it surprised people to hear me singing. I was surprised as well. We'll see what people think of the next stuff!

How did you join Trouble & Bass and Syrup Girls?

Syrup Girls was started in the early 2000s by myself and DJ Siren. We had been playing a lot of drum & bass gigs together and wanted to do something that was specifically a duo and geared towards party-rocking and having a good time -- something not as hard, as serious, and as rule-driven as D&B was at that time. At the same time, we were liking a lot of two-step garage and breaks records coming out at that time and wanted to mix them with our influences from Miami bass, electro-boogie, 80s, and house. Siren opened a really popular bar called Home Sweet Home which is quite busy, so we rarely DJ together anymore, even though we still cause trouble. In 2005, Syrup Girls did a mix CD with Drop the Lime for Tigerbeat 6's Shotgun Wedding series (Vol. 4). That's how I met DTL. We discovered a mutual obsession with grime, bassline house, Fugazi, old-school rave, and espresso, and when he was putting together Trouble & Bass crew he asked me to be a part of it. We started throwing wild renegade parties at this underground bar in Brooklyn called Boogaloo and you know the rest!

Could you give me a list of your current favorite tracks ?

Drop the Lime: Set Me Free

Dave Nada: Apocalypse Theme (12th Planet & Flinch Rmx)

L-Vis 1990: United Groove

R1 Ryders: Rubberband

The Boogaloo Crew: Days Go By

The Distillers: Dismantle Me

Star Eyes: Happy Haus (UFO! Remix)

Kingdom: 26You

Mayster: Sorry I'm Late

Newham Generals: Pepper (AC Slater Remix)

Little Jinder: Youth Blood (Chateau LaTeuf Bass Remix)

Dre Skull feat. Vybz Kartel: Yuh Love

Plastician: Senate

X-Mal Deutschland: Orient

Are you currently working on any other original tracks?

Yeah I'm working on a remix for Hanuman (Sleazetone), my own stuff, and a new track called "Saving The Best" that I hope will be done soon.

What can we expect of you in the near future?

Madness.

Which tool do you use for producing your sounds?

I use Ableton, which is a great tool for laying things out and easy to get around, but I'm also trying to learn Logic; most of the people I'm working with use that and the sound quality is richer. Vocals I use a Shure mic or sometimes a Blueball USB mic. Ultimately, I would like to do some stuff with live bass and effects pedals.

How do you compose your sounds?

All different ways I guess but usually the melody is what grabs me first and makes me write something. But when you're making dance music, you usually start with the beats and the bass.

what do you think of american electro scene ?

I think it's really strong right now. America has a lot of great DJ/producers and promoters and it seems a lot of eyes are on what we're doing right now. I think the U.S. has contributed new influences to electro, dubstep, house, etc., and I think the American attitude has freed up a lot more DJs to play multiple genres within their set. Just New York itself has an amazing scene with so many really interesting, clever artists. It's nice to finally have a dialog with the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world about electronic music after so many years of us just watching what was being made in other countries.

Having played in many different venues, and countries, you must have some crazy or embarassing stories to go with it?

Sometimes it's hard to say what's crazy anymore. Here's one: Drop the Lime and I did a UK tour a few years back, and we ended up at an afterparty in Oxford, which is a nice university town. At 5 a.m., two drunk thugs busted the door down and beat up the three guys who lived in the house, all of whom were peaking on Ecstasy. People were running through the house screaming and bleeding, the cops came, and I had to hide the promoter's bag of E in the freezer and stand in front of it. Then we went back to the hotel and watched House Party 2.

If you have some final words to add, please do it here.

Make your own reality.

Picture credits : Shawn Brackbill (with the pink boots), Adam Schneider (with the skull)