Interview: Summer Heart

  Hold On by SUMMER HEART 

Summer Heart is a one man band from Sweden that makes gorgeous chillwave.  Every song has a nice nostalgic feeling, but still retains coherence and driving force.  Unlike some projects, Summer Heart makes sure to always keep your attention.  I talked to him about how he makes music, Sweden, and social media apps - check it out!

Interview: This Will Destroy You

This Will Destroy You by Monotreme Records

This Will Destroy You make big music.  Sounds big, big thoughts and just general large stuff.  This makes the for the inevitable "everything is bigger in Texas" refrence.  Appologies, for the lazy writing on my part, but it is accurate. This Will Destory You talked to me about the new record, upcoming tour, and their progression as a band.  Check it after the jump!

Girlfriends Interview

  Eat Around the Bad Parts by Girlfriends 

Girlfriends are a band from Allston who play punkish rock n roll.  They recently were on the cover of the Boston Pheonix.  You need to know about them.  Check out the interview below.

The Parsons Red Heads Interview

The Parson Red Heads - "It Never Snows" LIVE [Mondays (in Spaceland) Vol. 6 - January 28th, 2008] by spacelandrecordings

The Parsons Red Head are a band based out of Portland, Or.  They play a very compelling brand of indie x pop x folk music that is extremely joyful and pleasing.  Their first record King Giraffe  was unfortunately slept on despite being a consistent and pleasurable record.  I can not wait to hear the new record.  Their song Punctual as Usual is currently sound tracking a Blue Moon commercial.  I spoke with Evan Way about the new record, the Blue Moon commercial, and LA vs Portland.

Millionyoung Interview

  Millionyoung - Hammock by bkrenzer 

Millionyoung is  ambient surf project of Mike Diaz.  I have no idea if that is how he would actually describe his music, but I think that is a great description.  His songs recall the beach, the warmth of summer, and good times.  His new album, Replicants, is out now and he is on tour.  Check out the interview below!

Interview: Unouomedude

Birthday Party by unouomedude

Unouomedude is a one man band from Jacksonville creating hazy lo-fi indie pop that works perfectly for the spring days. The tunes have a great feeling nostalgia without ever losing forward momentum or becoming overly sentimental. Unouomedude is definitely one of my favorite new discovery's and I eagerly await new music from him. Check out the interview below:

heRobust

heRobust is a young producer out of Atlanta, Ga and he is ridiculously talented. His beats combine the best of electronic, hip hop, and various strains of bass music. I really can not praise his music enough, check the interview below and tracks at the end.

What are your inspirations and goals for your beats? Do you hope people will rhyme over them, are they just little stories that come out in your head, is just something you do cause you love making beats?

Everybody gets that feeling when they discover a new artist with some crazy unheard-of style. Like your just completely dilated, taking it in. I love that... Its what keeps me growing as a producer. So I guess the goal is to help others grow like that. I want to give other people that feeling.

As for inspiration, its mainly music itself. I used to produce hip hop growing up, and got sucked into electronica via Prefuse73, Squarepusher, Chris Clark (now known as Clark), etc... If I go too long without hearing some new, groundbreaking stuff, I start to get kind of deflated. But as soon as I find that next level-up stuff, its on! I didnt realize it until I wrote it out, but that sounds like an addiction.

Do I hope people rhyme on it? I guess. Whatever people do to enjoy music, I hope they do that. And yeah, I do it because I love it. When Im excited about some track I got in the works, Im just happier in general. Im certain I'l continue to produce for the rest of my life.

How would you classify your music? I know that no artists wants to be confined by a genre, but I have trouble describing your tunes. There is serious funk, some wonky-dubstep-y stuff, hip-hop all blended into one big mix.

My beats are definitely rooted in hip hop, but its a little more bugged out that that. I throw in enough glitches and bleeps to fit in with the electronica beats crowd. The most consistent aspects of my current tracks are the slow tempos and soulful chord progressions I use. The resulting sound is like a dense sludge bleep soul.

Who are your inspirations? I can hear similarities between you and guys like Flying Lotus, Gold Panda, even the neptunes, but you still maintain your own unique flair.

The artists that inspire me the most are the pioneers. The ones who go out on a limb and show people something new. Like I said before, I owe a lot to Prefuse73. His album, One Word Extinguisher, got me into electronica single handedly. More recent artists include James Blake, Paul White, and Leonard Dstroy. Dstroy actually reached out to me after hearing some heRobust tracks on 92bpm and we've been collaborating ever since. I listen to a wide variety of music though, and there are some serious lo fi dudes out there who will expand your mind. Try C Powers, Jar Moff, or Dem Hunger. Its a grimier, more obscure sound, but its all about charting new territories to me.

What is Atlanta's scene like? Obviously Atlanta is a mecca for Hip-hop, but less has been made about its beat scene. When I think about US music like yours I instantly think of LA (I am originally from southern california) and then about NY, does Atlanta have a pretty strong scene?

Honestly, beats haven't quite caught on yet in Atlanta GA. Its pretty lonely out here for producers like myself. That being said, Im pretty optimistic about the future. Groups like pnuma trio and STS9 have exposed a lot of people to electronica, and fans have slowly made the transition to glitch and dubstep. Im hoping beat beats will be next.

shawty swing my way (BUSTED) by heRobust


Boss frog by heRobust

Insects vs Robots - redux

Insects vs Robots are a stellar psychedelic band from Los Angeles, that I learned about this summer. These guys unleash awe inspiring jams at their concerts and are super cool. By buddy Tom turned me on to them, one of the best recommendations I have gotten in a while.

Cloud (Beats)

Cloud is a producer from New York who makes beats for bombing. The beats are reminiscent of early hip hop where tearing down whats around was a necessity. He keeps the sound and style at street level for the common people, he is not making big spacey synth style music. Check out below for a review of his Self Law beat tape.

Whats your goal for beats? Do you make them for artists to rap over? Are you trying to tell stories? I have read that Madlib makes beats for films in his head. I get the similar vibe from your tunes.

My goal is to destroy. I consider myself as more of a bomber than an "artist" or "producer". I am presently working with a Brooklyn emcee with whom, by the grace of the universe, I have discovered a genuine basis for collusion. But by and large I do not make beats for strangers to appropriate, although that is a freedom afforded to anyone that can access my music. For me, producing is not about money or notoriety or ambition; it's about an institution of the self, and it's about sending a message.

When did you start making beats? You have a bunch of beat tapes, all of which are solid. Do you find you make beats in fits and sprits or do you produce at a steady flow?

I started making beats six years ago. I made hundreds of tracks before really showing anyone anything, and hundreds more before I began to self-release material. Personally, I don't believe in composition, so an abstract style of production for me is an incessant channeling of my milieu. I am making beats all the time, even when I am not in the lab.

My favorite song is all city, its got some serious space vibes. Is space and futurism an inspiration for you? What serves as inspiration for you? Which artists do you vibe on?

I'm not really down with an academic or aesthetic idea of futurism, but I am interested in an idea of the future as a function of the past. I identify with Sun Ra in the film Space Is The Place; a messenger of the future sent to you by your ancestors. I am inspired mostly by the daily grind: taking the train to work, doing laundry, buying groceries. The artist I patronize most heavily as of late is Phonte.

Who does the art for your tapes? When making a tape are visuals a part of the process?

I've worked with a couple of artists, namely, Infamous Jean Claude, and this kid Eric Lopez from California. It's cool to be able to put trust in an artist to illustrate my music but ultimately that style of representation becomes arbitrary; the music produces its own images for every listener, and that can never be predetermined.

Part of what I like about music blogs are looks at local scenes. What part of New York City you from? Whats the scene like in your area? Are there any new artists that you are really stoked on?

I am originally from Long Island and then moved to Brooklyn where I plan on staying indefinitely. To be honest, I don't really connect to 99% of the musicians here. I don't really understand what they are trying to accomplish, nor am I even interested most of the time. The "scenes" I am most interested in are that of ordinary people and community; walking on the street, the faces of strangers, certain graffiti that catches my eye, etc.

*BONUS* - The Self Law - Cloud

This is my favorite beat tape from Cloud. These are beats for street level life. The occupy New York city streets and buildings, not the cosmic sounds of LA. The rhythems and sounds of modern life are inspiration for the tape. A personal favorite is the "All City" track with its spacey synths and serious groove. The tape features lots of classic soul samples and style. Self Law is reminiscent of early Pete Rock and J Dilla. A very good tape for beat fiends.

Dengue Fever

I like unique music. I listen to tons of all types of tunes, but every once and a while something is played that makes me stop and really listen. Dengue Fever is one of those bands. The band blends rock with 60's Cambodian garage music. It makes for a unique and pleasurable sound. Check out the interview below with Dengue Fever's Zac Holtzman.

What are the plans for this year? I know that you are on tour this summer, is there any plan for a new record this year?

There's more than plans. The last couple months we've been fixing up our studio was some amazing gear. We'll be laying down the drums and bass on to tape and we've got an arsenal of microphones to make Nimol sound like the angel she is. We've got about twenty tunes that we've been working on and actually need to whittle it down a bit.

I saw that you all released a compilation of Cambodian garage tracks, how were these selected? What is particularly unique about Cambodian garage rock?

Ethan and I picked most of the tunes from tapes, cds, that we collected in Long beach and Cambodia. We also found some of the songs on line. I think we we're first attracted to Cambodian music from the late 1960s and early 1970s because of the exotic vocal performances over familiar garage/surf/psychedelic elements. The singers do this "ghost voice" thing where they crack into a higher pitch. They also do a lot of snakey bends and quivers that I love.

Part of what I try to do for this blog is document regional scene. What is the current Cambodian scene like? I know that you all were the first western band to play the country since the fall of the khmer rouge, what was that like?

It was a trip. You should check out the documentary that we made while we we're there. As far as the current scene, I'll let you know in a week. We'll be back in Cambodia on the 10th of this month. I've heard there's also a few bands doing 1960s Cambodian revival type music.

Reading Rainbow

The awesomeness of Reading Rainbow should not be overstated. Besides for having a fantastic name, they put out great buzzsaw pop. They make the type of doo-wop fuzz punk that I love. Check out the interview below.

What is on the horizon for Reading Rainbow?

We just finished our 7" recordings for the second round of the HoZac Hookup Klub, and we are wrapping up recording for our full length album also coming out on HoZac this Fall. We pretty much just want to keep writing and recording more songs and play lots more shows.

Any plans for a tour anytime soon?

We are doing a mini-east coast tour with Woven Bones in July, and then we gotta tour this Fall to promote the album, which we are stooooked about!

You all about to release an album, how is that going? What can we expect from it?

We recorded 12 songs in a weekend last February, but since then we have changed our minds about the tracklist. So we are going to finish recording a few more songs at the end of this month and tweak some things. We are really looking forward to an upgrade in quality, since we are recording this album with The Magic Twig Community in Roanoke, VA. They have a super nice set up. It's still analog though! We used to (and still do) record ourselves on ree-to-reel.

Whats the philly scene like? Part of what I like about blogs is that you get to learn about regional scenes that you wouldn't get exposure to normally. Are there any bands that you are really stoked about? I know philly has a pretty cool beat/electronic scene, have you heard any of that?

We don't know anything about the beat/electronic scene, but there's tons of bands in Philly. We live in a part of Philly with a ton of venues and it rules. U.S. Girls, and The Spooks are our bros.

The band has a kinda lo-fi punk sound mixed with dual harmonies, how did you all come up with that? I really like how up tempo the songs are, do you find it easier to write faster songs? What bands do you look to for inspiration for the sound or style?

We arrived upon the whole "lo-fi" thing as a result of recording things ourselves. Rob was in a band years ago and they recorded on an 8 channel reel-to-reel and those songs were scuzzy as shit! (They sounded really tight though) He also recorded his solo project Sprained Ankles that way right before we started Reading Rainbow. Like we said above though, We are really looking forward to an upgrade in our sound. It's true that we like the aesthetic of things sounding muddy and fuzzy. But it's even more important to hear everything! So we're keeping some fuzz for the viiibe most definitely.

With a 2 person band, we try to be as full sounding as possible, so one way to achieve that is by singing in harmonies. As for the punk thing, thats just how we do. we punk as fuuuuuuck. haha! But we don't just have fast songs. There's a lot of variety on our full length album "Mystical Participation". (there's also a super chilled-out "Stephanie Says" " VU cover on the b-side to our Restless 7") We love bands like The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, DEVO, The Urinals, Sun Ra, The Beatles, Everly Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Nirvana, Wire...

The Soft Pack

The Soft Pack are a fantastic band from LA by way of SD. If you like your garage rock with California cool then Soft Pack are the band for you.

What are your plans for the year? You all released your self titled debut, that must have been nice to get out. Any plans for further recording? Do you know what day you are playing Coachella? I am coming back to see Coachella and I am excited to see Soft Pack.

Brian: Once we finish up the current tour we're on in a week or so, we're going to be taking a bit of time off to get started on writing our next full length. We're really excited about doing some new stuff, and we already have a heap of new ideas to work with. Maybe even do an ep or something in the next few months? We'll be playing Coachella on Sunday, which we couldn't be more stoked about. Pavement is one of our favorites, and we are certainly looking forward to some other bands as well. I personally am extremely pale-skinned, and am not particularly looking forward to the sunburn situation. I am going to be as red as a lobster, I'm sure of it.

Who do you all look to for inspiration? The band has a classic garage band sound. Where the songs are urgent and fast, but they are also fun and have serious hooks. What goes into recording? Does the band like to play the songs live for a while then record?

Brian: We all have our personal favorites, but the band was formed out of huge inspiration from Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. Matt Lamkin is a Fall fanatic, Matty is a Replacements maniac, Dave is a Sly Stone psycho, and I am kind of a Bowie freak. Whether or not that comes out in our sound is debatable. We also like a lot of garage stuff as well, but spend much more time listening to Grace Jones and Big Boys lately. Recording the record took a lot of love and attention to being faithful to our live sound. I guess we achieved something there. We definitely captured a nice little document of where we were at as a band last summer. If we can help it, we will have songs kicking around in the live set for a while before they're recorded. Sometimes, we have to finish them for the record in the studio though, which can be either a good or bad thing depending on the end result.

You all are apart of the San Diego scene, can you describe that? Seems like SD has a great scene with bands like Wavves, Crocodiles, etc. coming out with fantastic music. I heard you all are now living in LA is that true? How is LA different from SD?

Brian: San Diego has always had something going on, even if the rest of the world wasn't noticing. It's a great town. Three of us were born there and spent a long time living there before we moved to Los Angeles. L.A. has been really great though--great bands, great friends--I still miss S.D. though, and we all have some really great friends there as well. I used to play in bands with the Crocodiles boys for many years, actually. We have spent a lot of time in a van together, and know way too much dirt about one another.

The band has put out fantastic videos, how did these come about? Did you all come up with the concepts yourselves/direct the videos yourselves?

Brian: I believe Matt is mostly responsible for the "Extinction" video, but I wasn't in the band yet. The one for "Answer to Yourself" was shot at Matt and Matty's old work, a pizza place in Del Mar, CA. That was kind of more collaborative with us all, but with Matt and our good friend, Felipe Lima doing most of it. Felipe also shot us on the beach for "Down on Loving" and has done a lot of other incidental videos. The most recent one for "C'mon" was done with our buddy Michael Reich of Videothing.com fame. We have some very talented friends who have been cool enough to help us out with all of that stuff. I myself don't have the technical know-how to take care of it.

Panda Teeth

Panda Teeth are an electronic group from Milwaukee. He oozes summer ambient/chillwave/lo-fi electronic awesomeness.

What goes into making a song? Do you find your self humming at tune and develop it into a song or do you sit down and consciously try to come up with something?

Sometimes I will end up humming a tune or coming up with a melody, but I haven't really used any of those for panda teeth songs yet. Usually I'll just sit down with my gear, put on some headphones, make some sounds and see where I think the songs should go from there. The writing process for panda teeth was born out of necessity. I moved to Milwaukee and had no band mates, but I did have a few effects pedals, an old casio CT-310, a Gameboy I got from a friend, a delay pedal with a looping feature and some drums. I just started looping parts, adding drums and going from there. It was all just experimenting with nothing really to go on. I'd never even heard of Fuck Buttons back then.

The songs I have heard have a definite lo-fi/glo-fi/chillwave sound, but aren't really any of those style. Which to me is refreshing, because if I hear one more song that is trying to be nostalgic I might go out of my mind. What do you think of these scene and where your music may fit into it?

That's really flattering, thanks! Trying to fit my songs into any certain style isn't part of my writing process at all, so it's good to hear that they come out sounding a little all over the map. If my music fits into the lo-fi chillwave scene I'm cool with that. I haven't listened to much chillwave yet but I've definitely dug what I have heard.

What goes into naming your songs? I could be reading too much into it, but on Fuck Mountain you have references to Life Aquatic, Pulp Fiction, and Arrested Development. I personally always like references bands make to other songs/tv shows/movies.

You're actually reading into the song titles perfectly. Not all my songs are tv/movie references, but Fuck Mountain definitely has references to Life Aquatic, Arrested Development, and Arsenic and Old Lace. What did you think was the Pulp Fiction reference? I'm pretty sure there's no Pulp Fiction reference in there, but there should have been. That's a great film. When it comes to naming the songs I usually like titles that read like quotes that have been taken out of context to the point of being absurd. Only some of them are actual references though, the rest of them I just come up with.

How have you released most of your music? It looks like you have mostly released stuff on tape, is that true? Do you like tape releases? Any plans to release stuff on vinyl? I have recently started to buy tapes again because bands are putting out awesome limited run tapes and they are way cheaper than vinyl.

I've only released two albums so far, but they've been released in both CD and cassette formats. I love tape releases, and definitely plan on releasing some vinyl, and probably even re-releasing the past albums on vinyl as well. Tape and vinyl just have this really warm, organic sound to them. I usually don't like CDs as a format because they've always just felt cheap to me. The only time I'll usually buy a CD is if it's the only way I can get a band's music, or if it's got some really unique limited run qualities to it. It seems like far too often people just upload the CD, listen to the music on their computer and take a glance at the album artwork, while the CD itself gets put on a shelf. If that's how someone likes to listen to music that's fine, it's definitely convenient, but when I'm at home I'd much rather put on a record or put in a tape. Going through the motions of physically looking through and picking out what you want to listen to is pretty satisfying.

Whats the Milwauke scene like? I haven't heard much from the city with the exception of Rhymesayers rap and the Hold Steady. I can not imagine that those two bands are much of an influence on you. Is there a big electronic/art scene?

Rhymesayers and the Hold Steady are actually from Minneapolis, MN. Believe it or not I love the Hold Steady, but they haven't really influenced anything I've written so far. As far as the Milwaukee scene goes I'd say there definitely is a pretty strong music and art scene, but I'm not really associated with it at all, mainly because I haven't met many people in the area. When I moved to Milwaukee most of my previous musical connections and friends were in the Minneapolis area, so I play all of my shows either there or far out of town. It would be more convenient to play most of my shows here, but I love being on the road and meeting new people, so needing to travel to play shows is actually kind of nice.

Teebs

Teebs produces great dubbed out beats. These are the sounds of 3 am Saturday nights. I can not wait for this full length to drop!

How was the Kode 9 show? I saw that you were playing with Kode 9 and Dr. Strangeloop. It looked like that show was epic.

The brainfeeder show a bit ago was wooooow. amazing line up. so many inspiring people in one place. the energy was so high even before the show started..like planets aligning or something.

What inspires you to make music? I have read that FlyLo is very influenced by his family and that Strangeloop seems to try and create the sounds he sees. Your sound is similar to theirs, but still retains its own unique identity. I know that you teamed up with Jackhigh, how did that come about? Are there any other releases on the horizon? Do you prefer to play producer or DJ?

a lot of things are inspirational to me...could be anything but i feel as though i make music because i love the way it feels when your making it. You get to enter a place and when you leave you bring back a part of it into the sound

jackhigh and i got together by mutual friends 1000names and we just started making tunes together from there. Yeah theres some compilation stuff coming and also my first LP for Brainfeeder.

between playing music producing or djin...i dig them all. It just depends on what mood im in i suppose.

You are a becoming a well known artist around LA, which came first music or art? To me your art and music are complimentary. The patterns and colors you use are what I imagine what the sounds would look like if it were a painting. Who are your influences in painting? Which do you prefer to do or do you find both equally satisfying just in different ways?

painting n drawing came first...and my influences are always changing there too. Lately ive caught myself eying twomblys stuff...or even just random kid drawings.

and i love doing both music n art...they kind of hit in waves due to work loads or just feeling but i go back n forth not painting for a while and thinkin of new things while i make tunes, or vice versa

I have read you are a skateboarder, is this true? Do you have any particular areas or styles you like to skate? I am a pretty awful skater, but have always found just cruising around the city on a board to be a lot of fun. A new natural rhythm develops as you push around and you start to see life in a different way. Has skateboarding influenced your music? I am currently listening to sunrise remedy and can imagine it being used for a skate/snowboard video.

yeah i enjoy skating a lot..i dont have as much time to do it though these days but its definitely always in the trunk of my car when opportunity strikes.

Screaming Females

According to reputable sources, Ted Leo, the Screaming Females are one of the best live acts around. If the live show is at all like their recordings, then we are all set. The Screaming Females are opening tonight for Ted Leo in Boston. I will for sure be there and get pictures for the blog. Below is my interview with them.

How is the tour going? Whats its like to tour with Ted Leo? I met him once and he is a super nice guy. He seems very supportive of his opening bands, tweeting photos from sets and similar stuff. What are your plans for the rest of the year? It looks like you have been recording how is that going? Can we expect a new album in the near future?

Jarrett: Tour has been great. Ted Leo and the guys in the Pharmacists are amazing people. They have been so great to us and we are truly excited to play with them every night. Also they fucking rock! They put on an unbelievable performance every night. We are going to be doing a lot more touring through June and then hopefully taking it easy for a little bit. We just finished up our fourth full length, called Castle Talk, which should be out in late summer. Then we will hit the road again.

What inspires your guys sound? There is some punk rock in it, but there are also hooks and melodies that seem closer to brit-pop, ie the Jam, Squeeze, stuff like that. I also can definitely hear a 80's hardcore influence and some riot grrl style. Then again I could be totally off base.

Jarrett: Our sound is what happens when the three of us get together in our basement and play music. We have no preconceived notions about what this band should sound like. That allows us to draw on all of our influences.

You all are from New Jersey, whats the scene like there? Part of this blog is to document regional scenes, so I am always interested in hearing what people have to say about where they come from. It seems like New Jersey's proximity to New York has meant there is always a fresh crop of new and talented bands.

Jarrett: Jersey's proximity to NYC definitely has an effect on the scene. New Brunswick, NJ, where we are from, is a college town that for an outsider would look to be completely lacking in young culture. There is only one legit venue and it is a 21+ bar. So most of the students can't go there. What has happened is that New Brunswick has one of the best basement show scenes in the country. Touring bands come through multiple times every week and there is a show almost every night. Because all of the shows are officially illegal not a lot of people outside the town know how awesome it is. I also have a feeling that there are a lot of people in town that don't know how awesome it is! Lots of Jersey people think they have to go to NYC to see a great show but it totally isn't that way. I think New Brunswick has some of the best shows I've ever been to.

What is your preferred venue? On your blog you have a bunch of youtube videos of the band playing a basement show in Philly. It looks like that show was awesome. Do you prefer smaller shows where everyone goes nuts to bigger more traditional shows where people act

appropriately?

Jarrett: Recently our label Don GIovanni Records ran a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC. The label exists because of the New Brunswick basement scene and only releases bands that are connected to that. The idea was to run a show at a very traditional venue and show off how many people love these bands that don't often get attention from hip blogs and places like that. The crowd was amazing. People were dancing everywhere and our friends kept jumping up on stage and singing along. The point of this is that people having a great time and traditional venues can go together. We prefer to play all ages shows but for a number of reasons that isn't always possible.

Thanks!

Interview: Drug Wars

San Diego is the new hotbed for Southern California bands. Last week we profiled Crocodiles, this week say hello to Drug Wars. Drug Wars play fantastic post-punk recalling a noisier fugazi. They have a great sound and I can not wait for the new record.

Drug Wars has a very post-hardcore sound, what has influenced the bands to development? I know that San Diego had a rich history of post-hardcore from bands like Drive like Jehu to Plot to Blow Up Eiffel Tower to you all.

Well, all of us in the band come from different music backgrounds and when we started playing we kind of wanted to go outside the comfort zone of what we were all used to. Cory (Drums) grew up playing in rock and pop bands, whereas I grew up playing in punk and metal bands, and then tommy (vocals) and Brandon (Bass) always seem to be a tag team in every band they're in from Oi! to hardcore. When Cory and I started this project we kind of had to have a middle ground. We weren't exactly going for any specific style or anything, it all unfolded beat by beat as we went along. Now, it's very natural.

How do you like the SD scene? I found out about you all from Crocodiles who recommend the band. It seems like the scene is very supportive of each other. Have you found this to be the case?

It's funny that you mention Crocodiles because Welchez actually came up with the name Drug Wars for the band name when we were at a bar one night. I was kind of weary at first because I thought of the video game, but then I settled on it and was like, "Fuck Yeah. Drug Wars? Fuck Yeah". San Diego isn't really even a small city, it's like a big town. Everybody knows everybody. For the most part, it is pretty supportive because you're usually always going to see your friends bands play with whoever else happens to be coming to town that night. Plus, everybody is around all the time. For instance, you'll stop by a thrift store and see Rob Crowe dropping off physics books, then you'll get to eat dinner at a restaurant and John Reis is sitting at the table behind you, followed up with a trip to the bar where you run into a bunch of members from a myriad of other bands from around town.


What are your plans for the year? Any plans for a tour? It looks like you all have been recording an album, when would that come out?

So far this year we're working on album that's almost done. We're supposed to record a live session at the studio where we did our 7inch because he wants to start his own Peel Sessions type thing. And for touring... we all work full-time so anything thats more then a week or two has to be planned out far in advance. In june we're going to have a nice extended weekend trip up the coast, and then there have been talks about going out for a week or so in the fall, possibly on the east coast.

Crocodiles

Crocodiles make R&B music, if R&B bands were backed my Jesus and Mary Chain and drank a gallon of cough syrup before recording. This band is seriously great and everyone should check them out!

What have you all been up to? I know that you put out your first album - Summer of Hate - last year. And it looks like you have spent most of the early part of this year recording. How have those sessions gone? What can we expect? Are there any plans for touring later this year? If not a full tour, will there be shows around southern California?

Brandon: We took mid-December to March off to write our record. Neither of us are very good at writing much on tour, and since we were gone so much last year we needed a few months to get a record together. It still needs to be mixed, but we've finished recording it. We're going to start playing live again in late April, after we rehearse a new line up. We're going to play a couple shows around Southern California and then we're going to the UK and Spain in May. In June, we'll be doing a west coast tour with Dum Dum Girls. That's all we have set for now, but we'll be touring a lot again now that our record is done.

What would you guys list for influences? Its always fun describing the band to people who haven't heard of crocodiles because I am always tempted to describe it as Velvet Underground and Suicide had a baby and raised it to be Doo-Woop/Soul star. Which usually gets a lot of strange looks, so I just end up describing you all as awesome. Is that a goal though, to have deffinite hooks and melodies beneath some of the noise and grit? Because your songs have serious hooks and a catchiness that can not be ignored.

Brandon: Thanks for the nice description, that's very flattering. The melodies and hooks of the songs are definitely the most important part to us. Noisiness and weirdness are all cool but if the song underneath sucks, then the song sucks no matter what. I think bands like Suicide and Velvet Underground are very inspiring because at the very base of them, there are excellent pop songs on par with any famous "pop" songwriter's but they execute them in very clever and experimental ways. It's the best of both worlds. We really look up to that and strive for it.

How do you like the San Diego scene? From a slightly further north perception (Orange County) it seems like SD has a really cool scene, that is supportive of local music. Are there a lot of other local bands that you guys dig? I know that Wavves is from San Diego, and ignoring personal feelings about the publicity/backash that has engulfed him, has his success brought increased attention to the area?

Brandon: There are quite a few great bands in San Diego right now, more then there has been in a long time. Ale Mania, Heavy Hawaii, Beaters, and Nude Boy are some newer bands we're really enjoying.

Sonnymoon

Sonnymoon make music to float down to Earth to. That’s the description they used on facebook and that is really all I can think of when I listen to their tunes. The mix stream of conscious Jazz vocals with some serious space beats.

So lets start with the basics: when and how did you all form?

We met a little over a year ago because we moved into the same apartment with a mutual friend. We started making music together almost immediately.

Who do you look to for inspiration?

On a micro scale we’re inspired by the people around us, some of our closest friends are filmmakers and artists in addition to musicians and its really exciting and inspiring to see their art develop and collaborate here and there. On a macro scale I think we’re inspired by artists and people in general who aren’t afraid to do their thing. There’s a billboard we saw in Austin recently that says “Keep art weird.” That’s inspiring.

On your facebook page you list of a bunch of rap producers from LA (J Dilla, Madlib, etc.) do you find LA's style of beats more inspiring?
What specifically attracts you to that sound? I am a huge J Dilla fan so I am always interested in hearing what people say. I can definitely hear the LA sound in the music and I love it.

D: I’m definitely a huge fan of that scene, but not because of any affiliation with LA or Detroit (where Dilla’s from). I liked Dilla first and gradually moved through different artists by association. There is definitely something to the music though. It doesn’t just sound good, it feels good. It feels fucking great. That’s why I like it.

How do you like Boston's scene?

D: What scene? Outside of a few of our friends, most of our connections seem to be through twitter or email in NYC, LA. The internet makes the world your scene in a way. But sadly nah I don’t feel like there’s that sense of community here for whatever it is you want to call our music. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of weird going on here. Maybe we just aren’t looking, but it always seems like we’re the weirdest band on the bill. Maybe we’ll start a scene.

A: There are a hefty amount of bands, singers, DJ’s, and everything in between in Boston, everybody wants a piece. Also, since the whole city is practically college students, there are a lot of “student bands.” It’s easy to get caught up in your own grind, but also easy to find a show if you want to see some music on a whim. There are a few collectives of musicians who meet every week and perform for/with each other, but these groups seem to be genre specific.

I am a student at BU, but feel like I can never find a cohesive Boston scene. I don't know if I am missing something or if I just don't know the right people. There seems to be a particular lack of groups putting out beat oriented music.

Agreed. We don’t really know of any other groups putting out beat oriented music in Boston, but we could be looking in the wrong places. It seems like almost every person who could be in their bedroom making beats is rehearsing a band whose members are in 10 other bands at the same time. The “traditional” band style seems huge in Boston.

When I listen to Sonnymoon, you guys remind me of a more lyric oriented LA sound. The beats and atmosphere would sound at home in a Flying Lotus set. Who produced the back tracks for the album? Was it a mutual collaboration or did one of you come in with a tape of this goodness?

D: Creatively, we both are 100% responsible for the beats/music/lyrics/everything. On the technical level though, I got cut from the vocal squad and Anna didn’t make the production team, either.

Anna your singing style reminds me a lot of old Jazz singers, are they of any inspiration?

A: My influences aren’t limited to one style, but yes, I am inspired by a few different jazz singers, mainly The Real Group and the amazing Sarah Vaughan, who actually didn’t consider herself a “jazz” singer even though that’s how she is labeled.

What inspired the lyrics behind the album? They are at once familiar, but also unique and not completely straight forward.

Observing other people and ourselves, we write prose mostly, stream of consciousness type stuff, dreams are a big resource for us. We try not to think about it too much.

Free the Robots: Interview

Free the Robots are fantastic. They have evolved from a more jazz-y electronic project to more of the Low End Theory/dubstep style over the past couple years. Yet, they have always maintained a sound that was unique. Free the Robot's new album, CTRL ALT DLT, is out today!

So we will start at the beginning in general how do you make your music?

My process of making music is a mixture of manipulating sounds from synths, instruments, effects and obscure records. A good amount starts from improvisation, re-editing and re-construction. When I let things flow, without thinking too much, is when the ideas come naturally.

Obviously all producers have their own tricks and secrets, but as someone who wants to start making beats what programs do you recommend? I myself try to keep it as simple as possible. Reason, Record, and Ableton Live.

What do you look for in a sample?

It really depends on what kind of song I want to make. For the most part my goal is to find open parts; Rhodes, drums, sounds that can be altered as an accompaniment to other samples and original composition.
I also have an attraction to music from the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s. Theirs a certain type of grittiness that just sounds right with my music.

As your records have progressed you seem to have gone from more Jazz-y samples to more dusty space sound. I like both, but when creating them do they take different mindsets/things you look for in samples?

Just a little experimentation in different sounds and melody. I came up on some fresh vintage & modern synths, took a piano class and starting writing. Unlike my previous works, the use of samples was not meant for the melodic content of most of the songs on this record.

What artists inspire you?

I can find inspiration from almost anything. Diversity in my record collection is what keeps me interested. I go through different phases that rotate in my headphones. Over the past month all I’ve been listening to is Dub Reggae, Oldies and Doo-wop music. Who knows what next month will be like. No matter how unrelated the music I choose to listen to is, somehow it influences me to make what I make.

You have been associated with a bunch of cool labels including Obey Records and AlphaPup, what has that been like. If I remember correctly you were putting stuff out with Obey right about when Shepard Fairey was blowing up, what was that like?

It’s definitely been a blessing to be in the Los Angeles area right now. There is so much talent, and synergy between the artists here. We’re generally all fans of each other, and the fact that everyone is so productive, it keeps everyone inspired.

You are about to release an album on Alpha pup records who have one of the best collections of beat makers in LA, how did you get involved with them? I thought that Nosaj Thing's Drift was last years best LA album, and looking ahead I think you and FlyLo are going to duke it out for that title this year.

Between Flylo and Nosaj, those are some huge shoes to fill. It’s really not about competition. Were all friends who bring our own flavor to the table working separately, but collectively in the larger scheme of things. That’s how LA works so well. There’s a mutual respect between the artists and no matter how large anyone gets, were all people on the grind.

I got involved with Alpha pup after a few shows at the Low End Theory. The Gaslamp Killer was the one who initially brought me on board, but after the first show, I became an instant regular. The more I played, the more I showed up, the more I became part of what was going on. Daddy Kev saw my progress as an artist and brought me on.

Lastly, I wanted to know about you restaurant. How did you get involved with it?

The Crosby was created from a diary of growing ideas that my friend Phil and I kept while we were working at a, now defunct, art gallery. When the spot went down, we had all the ideas ready, brought on our other partner Marc, and made it happen. The opportunity presented itself, we took it.

Are you there most days?

If I’m not on the road, I’m at the restaurant. It’s almost got a “Cheers,” vibe to it now. A lot of friends and family are always showing up. Its work, but it keeps me sane.

Are you involved in the Menu selection and stuff like that?
We have employee/management tastings, and give input. Other than that, we pretty much give free range to our kitchen staff. They always seem to surprise me with new ideas.

When I read that you were apart of it and held weekly live music events, I was surprised that so few artists did something like that. Do you think your restaurant has helped create an electronic music scene in OC?

I know LA has a strong electronic music scene, but Orange county is usually over looked. Electronic music has always been apart of OC, but it was generally confined to House, Electro, and Disco dance music. When it comes to “Low End” type future beats, LA beat makers & DJs, The Crosby is the only place it exists.

THANKS!

Dr. Strangeloop

Paging Dr. Strangeloop…Strangeloop is the mad beat scientist of Brainfeeder. He goes beyond the normal beat/ambient work of Brainfeeder/La scene and pushes it even further into the ambient unknown.

How did you get into making music and how long have you been doing it? What can you recommend for people who want to get into making beats and other music? I have been trying to make music with garageband and have been frustrated with the controls. Do you have any programs you suggest?

Everything is music, I've always been into it in one way or another. Even modern physics is on that tip, the whole sha-bang is vibration, emanating into the infinite.

I think we're all making music all the time, neurological music, physiological music, we just have to tap into that and let it flow. I suggest moving away from a purely beat-centric view of the sonic universe, there is a whole universe beyond just beats.

Its not the tools you use, its how you use them. If you have a bucket and a stick, you can make some serious crazy stuff happen. hahaha.

What inspires your style of music? Your sound is pretty distinctly your own. While you can definitely hear the Brianfeeder/Low End Theory elements, your songs seem to be less inspired by Hip-Hop/Jazz. You seem to have a more experimental/noise/drum and bass style. Is that this is a fair description?

Philosophy inspires my music most fundamentally. I try to take everything in and just run with whatever I'm feeling. I do have a background in math-metal and noise-music, so your description makes sense ... and the first artists that got me excited about electronic music were Aphex Twin and Amon Tobin, some of which could loosely be describes as experimental jungle / drum and bass, so that was kind of my jumping off point.

If I've done my job right, the music should defy labels and descriptions, though I love trying to describe really obtuse music for fun : "Its kind of like IDM-ey experimental drill and bass, with some dubstep influences, avant-noise pop, touches of abstract musique concrete .... " hahaha, you can get lost in that stuff and stop actually fully listening to the music.

Your first official release, Are We Lost Mammals of an Approaching Transcendental Epoch?, is over 17 minutes long. Do you find making long songs easier than making short songs? The song has definite sections/movements, were these created individually and then placed together or was the song composed roughly chronologically?

The whole thing was created in three days, chronologically. Its kind of a conceptual record, not because I was trying to express a specific concept, but because something conceptual kind of arose out of it. I can see myself almost learning to make music the way I want to over the course of the album, it starts very naively and ends in what I feel is a more refined series of crescendoes.

It is still probably the most experimental thing I've ever made, and in part was about dealing with a lot of psychedelic trauma and overwhelm. The title, the style, the length, it all points to kind of overload of ideas and questions about our place in the Universe, and the future of our species on this planet. It is an expression of this, existential frustration, confusion, revelatory insights ... all put into a cannon and shot into space.

When is your new record coming out and what can we expect from it? Are the songs posted on your myspace page songs from the new album or are they something else?

I have a lot of projects coming out this year, but I can't yet be too specific about release dates and what-not, I've got to lock it all down first. I'm going to release a media-package of my science-fiction film 2010, a short / free breakcore album on SoSimple records called Self = Self^2 + Other, a series of remixes for Are We Lost Mammals ...featuring Shlohmo and Seven Saturdays, an ambient EP called Balance created with my friend Timeboy, and a full-length LP on Brainfeeder that I'm almost done with called Easy Listening for our Future Children. Some songs from these releases are on MySpace, but most have not been put out there yet.

You are an accomplished artist, how did you get into visual art? Do things that inspire your music also inspire your art or are they somewhat separate? I have heard that you will be doing Flylo's visuals at Coachella is this true? If it is true, what can we expect from the show?

To me its all patterns and philosophy. Visual art, sound, I'm still dealing with fundamentally the same desires, ideas, etc. I am semi-synaesthetic, and can very easily visualize music, and vice-versa. I think this is also a sense we can learn as a culture, and it should be taught in school.

I will be performing with FlyLo for Coachella, and you can expect some new shit. We will be utilizing some of the visuals works I've made for him in the past year, but we will be pushing it up a notch and adding a lot of new material, maybe some more of the music-responsive elements he has been innovating, maybe some more narrative elements as well. Should be fun :D

Thank you for talking to me!

thank you!

Strangeloop will be preforming Tonight (3/28) in LA at Brainfeeder with Kode 9, Kutmah, Jeremiah Jae and Teebs.