SPL Interview October 11, 2014Summer 5 CommentsI recently had the pleasure of sitting down with SPL in the studio during production of his Son of Kick remix: Hours, featuring Paigey Cakey and Lady LeShurr. We dicuss the launching of his career in Europe, the Smog City winter tour and his long awaited return to Drum & Bass. Check it out and grab the new track on Beatport! Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Songkick Discogs Huge thank you to Collin Johnson of Maven Artist AudioMolly production & crew Yonis Ramati, Matthew Wachter & Darin Leach Natalia Iswara of The Galactic Featheration & Mike Russek of 1028 Designs Specto Entertainment & Adam Jaffe Productions Drum&Bass, INTERVIEW"Los Angeles", AudioMolly, Drum, Hours, Hours Remix, Hours SPL Remix, interview, Lady LeShurr, Maven Artist, Paigey Cakey, sam pool, Smog, Smog City, SOK, Son of Kick, SPL, Summer Perry, Warpath GroupShare : Tweet
Lucent Dossier Experience: Interview July 24, 2014Summer 2 CommentsFounder/leader, Dream Rockwell and producer/live percussionist, Frankie Metaphase of Lucent Dossier Experience so generously took the time to answer a few questions for AudioMolly before their last two US tour dates this weekend. Summer Are there additional elements you’d like to add to Lucent? Dream We are excited to stay still for a moment, so all the dreams we have can be born into reality. We would like to have our own room again, our own space to create inside of. Metaphase Musically speaking, we’re always bringing in special elements for different shows. One thing constant is Atla on Guitar and myself on Drums. We tend to bring in guest musicians that inspire us, and we would like to do more of that. More Strings, Brass and Tabla would be nice. Dream We would like to deepen our connection with the audience. We want to spiral us all together in a big cuddle puddle. Can we do that? Summer That would be amazing, I’m in. I find some of the subject matter in your songs profoundly moving and cathartic. I view it as what I like to call conscious content; is there any particular message, objective, inspiration? Metaphase To me, it’s a feeling of celebration, of our ancient existence in this universe and the realization that we are all one, amidst the chaos and mystery of life. I love connecting people through rhythm, and heavy bass. It has a primal feel to it even though it’s very futuristic sounding. With bass music I feel like you can really loose yourself in the chaos, and realize life is one big celebration. Dream The message for us is always coming from the same place… What if we are all much bigger and more glorious then we have been acting, then we have been allowed or allowed ourselves to be? We are all addicted to pain and drama in different ways; it’s part of our culture isn’t it. What if we decided to be addicted to Love and gratitude? Pleasure and joy? Understanding and compassion? What would our earth experience be like then? Let’s try that! Summer Agreed. Yes, that sounds like a great plan! What are three emotions that you wish for your audience to walk away feeling after a show? Dream Love, Joy, Radical Acceptance. Metaphase Oneness, Abundance, Joy. Summer Who composes your music? A few core members, or is it way more complicated? Dream The current music has been created by Atla Gadret, Frankie Metaphase and myself. We also have collaborations with David Block, Stephan Jacobs, Kraddy, Imagika Om, Nikita Sorokin, Maggie Lally [& Sygnal.] On this tour Sarah Llewellyn did a lot of the singing with Linda Borini and Shawn Barry. My mom also joined us on back up vocals for our LIB show. That was special. Summer Who has side projects going on? Fill us in, so we can check it out! Metaphase I recently launched 2 new projects. Frank Royal, a solo Trap / Bass music project with a recent debut release on Play Me Records; and Bottle Service, a house music project with Stephan Jacobs and Henry Strange. I have a duo with Sygnal called Trowa and I’ve produced Drum ’n Bass and Dubstep as Metaphase since 2004. Dream Atla and I are talking about doing a little side project called Love Is A Wild Thing. It’s still pretty conceptual at this point because every time we create something for it, ends up in Lucent! My real and true side project is Cuddle the World. Summer Well this interview has certainly left me feeling abundant and joyful. Thank you so much, Dream, Metaphase and to the entire Lucent team. Wishing you the very best on your travels, much love and gratitude to you all. Lucent will be performing at the House of Blues, Las Vegas this Friday night, July 24th and Club Nokia, L.A. Live this Saturday Night, July 25 th Before they take off to Canada for the Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo, BC! http://www.lucentdossier.com https://www.facebook.com/LuCentdoSsieR INTERVIEW"Lucent Dossier", interview, LDE, The Lucent Dossier ExperienceShare : Tweet
INTERVIEW: Stephan Jacobs June 13, 2014Jules 3 CommentsSo I finally got my greedy little paws on Stephan Jacobs, just in time for the release of his glorious remix of Gold Skies! I must say, this is one of my all time favs of his. I first became of a fan of Stephan when a lot of his music was melodic bass and echoey voices, but since then he’s dabbled everywhere into house, trap, club bangers, and hybrids of everything in between. This latest remix is just simply gorgeous… from the beautiful intro with haunting vocals, smooth riser and build to a shimmery explosion of emotion. NAILED IT!!!!!! When I first heard it in his studio pre-release, I thought my heart stopped. This gloriousness premiered on The Untz a few days ago so check it out! BUT! Who gets to barge into his studio and harass him for answers?!!?! IIIII DDDOOOOO!!!! So be sure to check that out and hear his thoughts on his latest and get a little insight on Bottle Service. I did get to hear a little secret from him which is not included..but don’t you worry, you’ll find out soon enough. I’ll let you ponder about that… 😉 Rooftop of Stephan’s studioLefevrephoto.com Getting all up in his bubble!Lefevrephoto.com The Untz: www.theuntz.com www.facebook.com/TheUntz www.twitter.com/TheUntz Stephan Jacobs: www.stephanjacobs.net www.facebook.com/stephanjacobsmusic www.soundcloud.com/stephan-jacobs twitter/instagram: @Stephan_Jacobs beatz, doorn, download, exclusive, Free, fresh, INTERVIEW, jacobs, Lovestep, Martin, Premiere, Records, Remix, sander, stephan, the, untz, Vanaleesia, beatz, doorn, download, dvbbs, exclusive, Free, fresh, garrix, gold, jacobs, lovestep, Martin, Premiere, Records, remix, sander, skies, Spinnin, stephan, the, untz, VanShare : Tweet
PHUTUREPRIMITIVE INTERVIEW May 30, 2014Summer 2 CommentsWe are big fans of Phutureprimitive here at AudioMolly. His Lucid Dreams track was one of my earliest posts, entitled String Theory (page 7 if you want to go check it out.) So obviously I’m stoked to have an interview with the man himself right before his headlining set at this Saturday’s, May 31st A~Bun~Dance at Lure, Hollywood! This time the theme is the Future, my favorite era! http://gratefulgeneration.com/events Summer First off, your music blows my mind, for reasons other than it sounds great, and to say just “music” is an understatement. Each song is a story, a taste of Déjà vu like moments in time that are still somehow yet to come, the recorded memoirs of a billion year old consciousness downloaded into a spaceship dwelling cyborg, the soundtrack of our welcoming of the coming singularity. Your moniker, Phutureprimitive is probably the most interesting I’ve ever heard. I feel like the current electronic music scene is a perfect specimen of Future and Primitive. We fully utilize and embrace our technological evolution and combine it with the deep need for human connection and tribal expression through dance and costume. “Phutureprimitive” fully embodies the vibe your music portrays, or vice versa. How did you come up with it? Phutureprimitive The name Phutureprimitive came from a love of duality, and those words convey just that. I like that the name somehow has a cinematic quality to it. I think those two words together are very intriguing. They create a framework of contrast (something I think good music also does). I think it also conveys where we’re at as a species – we’re living in the future, so to speak, but still behaving in some primitive ways. Summer Who are your musical influences? Phutureprimitive I’m inspired by melodies that tickle my insides and evoke an emotional or physical reaction. I’m inspired by simplicity, by life experiences, and by the space between the notes. I’m inspired by music that creates an environment for my imagination to run wild. I’m inspired by polarity, and by music that creates a soundtrack for how I think and feel and move. Summer What are some of your “go to” synths for that ripping Reese like bass? Phutureprimitive My go-to synths are Logic, Predator, Gladiator, Massive, Omnisphere, Alchemy, lots of re-sampling. Summer What is your favorite track that you’ve created? Phutureprimitive I don’t have just one favorite track that I’ve created, but I do have a top 5. Elysium, Spanish Fly, Burn, Hi Rez, and Dusted Compass. Summer Noyice! What other topics inspire you as an artists and individual? Phutureprimitive Having new experiences. I love to learn. Genuine connection. Nature. Technology. Spontaneity. Travel. Summer Same here. One last simple question; any thoughts on the future of humanity? Phutureprimitive I think between financial collapse, peak oil, global warming, global corporations, and our diminishing fresh water supply, we’re in for a bumpy ride. But humans are also amazingly resilient. I think we’ve got a long way to go in learning how to live harmoniously, in a way that guarantees we will not only survive, but thrive, for many more years to come on this planet. I think peoples’ and nations’ beliefs often get in the way of connection and compassion. The intensity of your beliefs can sometimes equate to the strength with which you resist questioning yourself and the world around you. A little more open-mindedness will go a long way. Summer Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. I am over the top excited about your headlining set at A~Bun~Dance, can’t wait to dance out my demons with you! Phutureprimitive Thanks for the love and support, I really appreciate it. Your descriptive experience of the music was freakin’ awesome to read! Beautifully articulated. http://www.phutureprimitive.com https://www.facebook.com/phutureprimitivemusic @phutureprimitiv https://www.youtube.com/user/Primitivephuture Dubstep, IDM, INTERVIEW"Lucid Dreams", A~Bun~Dance, dubstep, future, Grateful Generation, IDM, interview, Lure, phutureprimitiveShare : Tweet
KRADDY INTERVIEW May 20, 2014Summer 2 CommentsI first got down to Kraddy when Jules posted his sultry Wrecking Ball remix back in January. He continues to impress with tracks like the Flosstradamus remix that I posted last week and his new album Be a Light, on presale today! Give the first single, The Prestige a listen on SoundCloud and check out the interview below: https://soundcloud.com/kraddy/the-prestige Summer First off I just have to say that your set at the April A~Bun~Dance was awesome and I’m really enjoying the Flosstradamus remix. Super stoked for your set at Lightening in a Bottle this weekend as well, (Saturday night, 11pm- 12:30am at the Bamboo Stage) and LIB in general, the line up is so insanely good! Kraddy I’m really glad you liked my set and the new remix. Thank you! I’m very excited for LIB too. Summer Which bands and/or producers do you consider to be your musical influences? Kraddy So many. It’s impossible to list them all but here’s a start – Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Aphex Twin, Tipper, Si Begg, DJ Premier, Public Enemy, Pink Floyd, Pixies, Sepultura, Black Star, Rick Rubin, Meshuggah, Mono, Phish. Summer I’m very interested in your merging of live bands with electronic music. We are definitely seeing heavy electronic influence in pop and rock. I feel that when it comes to electronic music, resistance is futile. Kraddy I agree. Summer What are your thoughts on the future of traditional live music? Kraddy Traditional live music will always exist. But it’s quickly morphing with electronic music. Most music will be a hybrid but there will always be an interest in musicianship and the skill of playing an instrument well. Summer I’m eager to discover more hybrid genres, the blending of traditional genres with electronic as well as the merging of electronic genres. The possibilities are endless, it’s exciting. Kraddy Agreed. Summer What are you looking forward to in this realm and how do you plan on contributing if so? Kraddy I like what the XX is doing. I want to hear folk music with a simple electronic beat. I want to hear jungle metal. I want to hear dubstep love ballads. I’m contributing by making all of those styles. You can hear that on my upcoming album Be A Light. iTunes pre-sale starts May 20th [ TODAY! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/be-a-light/id869689436 ] and includes the first single for free. The full album comes out on June 3rd. Summer I read that you advocate listeners obtaining music for free. (Torrents, piracy arrrg) To quote you: “[Piracy] It didn’t necessarily kill the industry; it hurt the infrastructure that was already pretty much weak.” Assuming that this is correct information; I agree and I’d like to know exactly what you meant about the infrastructure being weak in the first place. Kraddy Mp3 and the rise of digital music wasn’t sudden. Everyone saw it coming and the major record labels completely slept on (or ignored) the changes happening in the industry. That is what I mean when I say that piracy didn’t kill the industry, it just hurt the an already angling and outdated system. Major labels are so far behind when it comes to music innovation – they’re dinosaurs. The real taste makers are indie labels like Fools Gold, Mad Decent, OWSLA, Alpha Pup… The record labels are looking to these indie labels to try and find something cool because they have no idea what cool is anymore. Summer When did you start producing music? Kraddy I started writing music when I moved to SF in 1996. I was an intern at a studio called DataStream Studios. I learned to DJ and produce music at the same time. Summer Do you prefer remixing or creating an original track, and why? Kraddy Both are very fun. I like remixing because I don’t have to start from scratch. The idea is right there and I only need to manipulate it. But I love writing original music because I’m always surprised by what comes out when I sit down to write. Its invigorating to come up with something thats fresh. Its like a magic trick and I don’t even know how it works. Summer That’s awesome. Do you have a particular work flow to which you stick in your creative process, or is every track different? Kraddy I have a flow I try and stick to but I don’t always stick to it. I try and lay out the basics of the track right at the beginning. Intro first verse, chorus etc… I make myself do that before I even pick out sounds. Its like building a frame for a house. I like to see if a track has the basic elements that make it worth continuing to work on before I put too much time into it. But sometimes I do just write an epic drop/chorus and then try and figure out the other parts after. Summer What software do you use? Kraddy I use Logic Audio and sometime Ableton. Summer Why do you prefer it over Ableton? Kraddy I think the low end sounds better. And I really like all their built in plugins. Summer Any new software/tools or tech emerging that you’re excited about using in production or live shows? Kraddy I’m thinking to going back to good ‘ol playing instruments rather than bringing more tech on stage. At some point after the album release I want to do a show with a full band and play a set of all my music live. Summer Wow, I really look forward to seeing that and can’t wait to check out the new album. See you at LIB, thanks for your time! INTERVIEW, TrapA~Bun~Dance, Be a Light, Do Lab, Grateful Generation, interview, kraddy, LIB, lightening in a bottle, trapShare : Tweet
MEET OIKI February 25, 2014Summer 7 Comments First off, I would just like to say that it has been an awesome experience interacting with Oiki. Not only is he an exceptionally professional, talented musician/producer/DJ, but an extremely cool human being in general. Ratchet is out! Lasers galore and growls that swallow you whole, leaving nothing behind but the ping of a harp .38. We’ve got a super interesting exclusive interview with Oiki himself to go along with it, enjoy! Summer: I’m dying to know, where did you come up with “Oiki?” Oiki: I’m not sure about sharing that… it’s a secret. Summer: Okay. You’re based out of Moscow, Russia. Is that where you grew up? Oiki: Yeah. I grew up in Moscow. Summer: Did you always know that you wanted to make music? Oiki: I’ve been making music since school, so I think to be an artist was always a dream of mine. Summer: Only electronic? Oiki: I have played the piano since school. I only really make electronic music, of course I also make some piano sketches, but the most part of the material is electronic. Summer: What turned you on to Trap? Do you enjoy it, or are you just answering the call of duty as a musician to give listeners what they want? Oiki: I’m not exclusively into Trap music. But still, it’s something fresh and it is interesting working with something that’s new for me. Summer: Did you make a different genre before? Oiki: I’ve got so many different tracks; Drum’n’Bass, Electro, Dubstep, Moombahton, so there’s always a place for something new. Summer: I notice a recurring dark, frightening theme in your music. (One of my favorite things about it, besides the fact that it’s just really good.) Can you elaborate on that? What inspires you? Oiki: I can make sad music, and always wanted to make some rave/festival stuff, so I am working on that at the moment. I think I can create something different for big festivals. The first thing that inspires me is music. I love the Dubtechno sound and old Drum and Bass tunes. There was something special about them. Summer: I can’t wait to see you perform at a big festival. I think you have the potential to be like Skrillex. Has anyone ever told you that? Oiki: Yeah people tell me that sometimes. I like what Sonny is doing but I don’t like when someone tries to compare us, because there’s always something different in any artist’s music. Summer: I think the sincerity of the darkness in your music is something that makes you unique. I am crazy about your scary samples; gunshots, explosions, etc. They’re different from other artists’ samples because they’re more mid range and low end (or at least that’s how they sound to me.) Like in Groove, for example. What do you look for when eqing/compressing a sample? Oiki: Well, this is about experience. I don’t think it matters what plugin you use. It‘s all about your feelings. Half of the samples you hear in my tracks are self-recorded sounds. Even drums and some explosions, percussion, voices. It’s always cool to design your own sounds that no one else has. Summer: Also, your 808s and sub bass are out of this world! Do you do any special processing/layering to create them? Oiki: My favourite part is drums. I spend days layering them, I really love the process. I don’t use 808s because it looks too simple for me. So I produce my own samples for the bass kicks using fm8, Massive etc. Summer: What types of songs do you like to use as references if ever when doing a mix down of a track? Oiki: When I mix down I always look at Pop, Hip Hop and Rap songs from the most famous artists. This is the best way to understand the idea of mixing down. Summer: What gear do you like to work with when mixing? Oiki: I only use my headphones – Sennheiser HD-25. I don’t like using monitors much. So I’m always sitting with my headphones on. Summer: Do you build a track in any particular order? Oiki: They all start with some idea. A melody or like the whole conception of the track. That was the case with my Are You Scared track where I tried to make the atmosphere of a horror movie. Summer: What production technique would you say that you’ve benefited from the most? Oiki: Sidechain compression is my favourite. You can make such unique sounds using it. And of course EQ automation. This is a kinda difficult part but the result deserves the time you will spend on it. Summer: What is your DAW program of choice? Oiki: I use Ableton LIVE. I used to make music in Fruity Loops, but after I changed from PC to Mac I decided to install LIVE. It is just perfect for me. Summer: If you had to delete all of your plugins except for one, which would you choose to keep and why? Oiki: I think that would be Massive. I’ve spent too many years working with it, so I’ve got a bunch of nice presets for it. But also I want to say that Sylenth is just amazing for growl bass lines. All the “Get It Now” EP growls were done by Sylenth. Summer: I love the loudness and width, (I guess that’s how it could be described) of your tracks. What’s your mastering process like? Oiki: I make them loud before mastering and then EQ and compress them. I think a crystal clear mixdown is the secret of a good mastering. Summer: So about your handle/DJ name, any commentary at all? Oiki: Nope. That will be kept secret. Summer: A mystery it remains. Thank you SO much for doing this interview, I’m so excited about it, and I can’t wait until you come to the US! http://bit.ly/DP097iTunes http://bit.ly/DP097Beatport http://bit.ly/DP097Juno http://facebook.com/oikioikioiki http://twitter.com/oikioikioiki http://dubpolice.com INTERVIEW, Trapoiki, Oiki Interview, ratchet, trapShare : Tweet
Patrick Reza Interview February 19, 2014Jules 3 CommentsOh you knowww.. just havin a spot of tea with Patrick Reza… If you had to pick one instance memory or moment that influenced you to start producing music, what would that be? July 21, 2007 seeing Daft Punk’s Alive Tour. Them and Aphex Twin really got me introduced into the electronic music scene. As far as dubstep I was really pulled into the genre from my appreciation and love for Bassnectar and Zeds Dead’s early productions, for example Timestretch, Magical World, and Eyes on Fire Remix. What do you think is the most challenging part of making music for you? I think one of the most difficult parts of producing electronic music these days is trying not to get caught up in the wave of those who are riding on some bandwagon. It’s really important for you to have you’re own unique sound. Additionally, as far as my production the hardest part for me is trying to glue opposing sounds together, i.e. huge chords and a face ripping bass to sound cohesive in the overall tune. When you aren’t slaving over a song, what else captivates your attention? Who is your biggest supporter? As far as personal supporters I’d have to give it up to my family, girlfriend, and friends. They’re always there pushing me to better myself and my productions. As far as professionally, I’d have to say one of my biggest dreams has come true in that I was able to work with and gain support from Bassnectar. What song of yours is most personal to you and why? I think Take Me Away is the song I am most proud of as it is my first fully original song in which I was happy with the lyrics, vocals, vocal processing, and instrumentation. Lyrically speaking it really captures the essence of my mindset while producing. Shout out to my girl Jilian for killing it on that track! Do you have a favorite set of plugins you typically tend to use when processing basslines? I tend to use a lot of the stuff that comes Native in Ableton. As far as baseline synthesis I usually stick to Operator, Massive, and Sylenth for the midrange bass stuff. I use my Analog Arturia MiniBrute for my sub bass. Your snares are always so fat and bottom heavy. Could you tell us some of the steps you take when processing snares? The key to making good snares is really in working with good samples to begin with. As far as processing I usually tend to do minimal compression, eq notch at anywhere from 180-220hz (depending on the key) to beef up the initial punch/ring of the snare. Lastly I always throw a low pass filter around 150hz to keep room for the subbass and the kick. Your drums are very punchy and translate well on any system. Could you give any tips on how to maintain your drum transients so that they punch through a mix even if its heavily limited? Side chaining is really a key factor on making room for everything in the mix. Additionally, I use fabfilter pro-q on almost every channel doing very precise harmonic eking to get rid of all the “muddy” frequencies. At the end of the day the real trick is knowing how to mix down a track and create room for everything. That way you can get great dynamic range and volume with minimal smashing/limiting. And lastly, where would you like to be in 5 years? A Headline Tour with full stage design and production, work on some more movie soundtracks and establish my own label to help out up and coming producers get started. Thank you Patrick, we are so excited to see you at your next show in Los Angeles: Alive! A music festival teaming up with nonprofit organization We Are The Movement to create an INSANE experience filled with crazy performances, live painting, art installations, interactive art and amazing beats by Epoch Rises, Tristan Hendy, DJ Miss Dust, Baaze and Bullet Made Statues! You’ve gotta come!! https://www.facebook.com/events/246991765462366/ INTERVIEWAlive, baaze, bullet made statues, dj miss dust, epoch rises, interview, Patrick reza, tristan hendyShare : Tweet
