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    Company Of Thieves Interview


    2011 - 10.03

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    Posted in Alternative, Interviews | No Comments »

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    Company of Thieves has been around since 2009 when they released their first album, Ordinary Riches (which was excellent) but we need to focus on their newest album, Running From A Gamble. This was one of the most unique indie-rock records of the year which really took me back to the 90’s. While keeping a poppy feel, these tracks are HEAVY and the instrumentals are great (not to mention the lead singer’s voice). You can buy their latest album, Running From A Gamble, HERE. Check out our interview with leader singer Genevieve Schatz below.

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    1. First of all, your voice is ridiculous Genevieve.  When did you first start singing?

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    I started singing when I could talk! My mother used to sing me to sleep so I learned from her. Also, Judy Garland was my first big influence! There is video footage of me singing along to ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ from The Wizard of OZ while still a baby with a bottle in my hands.

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    2. When/How did the band get together?

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    Serendipity at Union Station in Chicago a few years back!

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    3. Running From A Gamble has one of the most refreshing and unique sounds of the year. How was the recording process?

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    Thank you! The recording process was refreshingly experimental, sonically and internally. Also, our producer, Rob Schnapf, was a great communicator and helped bring out the best in us during the most challenging moments.

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    4. What has been one of the most memorable moments while touring or recording?

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    Meeting people in different cities all over the country on tour is the most incredible, memorable gift!

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    5. What’s next for Company of Thieves?

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    Who knows! Company of Thieves is a circus, so anything could happen. We’ll be seeing you around, one way or another!

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    Payin' the bills...

    French Horn Rebellion Interview


    2011 - 09.20

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    Posted in Alternative, Interviews | No Comments »

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    First of all, if you haven’t seen French Horn Rebellions’s website or read their bio, check it out HERE. It is an excellent view into their unique creativity. Milwaukee born Brothers Robert and David Perlick-Molinari tour with groups such as Hot Chip, Sleigh Bells, Cut Copy and Sebastian and have recorded one of the most unique albums of the year. I, stupid as always, was lucky to get this interview months ago and forgot I had it. This takes place while FHR was touring in China and they were nice enough to respond to my questions. So please please please read it now and listen to the album, “The Infinite Music Of French Horn Rebellion.” You won’t be sorry.

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    1. How did French Horn Rebellion come to be and how did you start making your music?

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    In 2005, I was an upset french horn player.  I spent the entire summer after my freshman year of college interning at a post-production house in New York City that David was working at.   At that time, I was going in to work an hour before, and an hour after so that I could keep my chops up on the horn.  I was a french horn performance major, and it was very important that I sound great when I returned in the fall.  However, for all the extra time I was putting into my instrument, not once did the post house (making music for tv, film, and commercials) ever call in an instrumentalist for a project.  All the music was being made by one engineer/composer/sound designer on his computer.  I started thinking, why am I working so hard to sound great on this instrument, when it seems to be so useless in a modern world?  I mean, when I bring it on the subway, strangers ask me if I have a tuba in my bag!  So, I started my own project in reaction and called it “French Horn Rebellion.”  From there, it’s been quite a ride.
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    2. Who has inspired you to make music?

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    French Horn Rebellion dives deep into our favorite kinds of music, and we’re always finding new things that inspire us.  We attempt to uncover bits of the mystery behind our unconscious minds, and use sounds, melodies, and harmonies that we think are interesting and unique to us as individuals.  Right now, we take a lot of songwriting inspiration from Frank Zappa, Burt Bacharach and the aesthetic sound inspiration from Sebastian, Jan Hammer, and Brian Eno, as well as harmonies from Pink Floyd, and Miles Davis.  It’s pretty diverse.
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    3. What is your recording process like?

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    R:  Usually I’ll start out with the initial kernels of ideas for our material.  On a song, I will write and record, do a quick production on it, and then send what I have recorded to David.  He then takes the recordings, changes some of the lyrics, harmonies, and arrangement to his liking. From there, we meet together, or he’ll send it back to me to work on more depending on the song.  We both have our own unique workspaces so exchanging recordings is really quick.  It’s a really modern way of collaboration, and I think is very healthy for us.
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    4. How has your tour been so far?

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    Tour has been amazing!  We have never been on such an extensive tour with a bigger band.  Usually, if we get these kinds of offers we turn them down.  It’s hard to make ends meet on them, and usually you only want to go if you really like the headlining band, and if there is a reason for you to go on tour.  So, we love Yelle, and are releasing our brand new album at the same time, so it’s perfect!
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    5. What has been the most exciting moment of your career thus far?

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    I think playing in front of 3000+ people in Hong Kong.  That was pretty rock ‘n roll!
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    6. What’s next for French Horn Rebellion?

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    3 words.  Adult Contemporary Opera.  Think Peabo Bryson singing on an opera by Verdi that is scored for an electric piano and a 909.
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    Keep reading to hear David and Ryan’s favorite tracks from the new album and some fun questions.
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    Payin' the bills...

    New G-Eazy Mixtape, The Endless Summer (With Interview!)


    2011 - 08.09

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    Posted in Interviews | No Comments »

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    It has arrived! And with a big bonus, we snagged an interview with G-Eazy and asked him a few questions about The Endless Summer (brought to you by Pigeons & Planes and Mostly Junk Food).  Download the mixtape below, read the interview and chill to the oldies-based beats.

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    THE ENDLESS SUMMER (DOWNLOAD)

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    1. Speaking of endless Summers, how was your first Summer as a college graduate and how has it influenced the mix tape?

    It’s given me the freedom to finally dedicate all my time and energy to music. It’s been amazing. The ironic part is that I feel like I’ve worked harder in the studio this summer, than I ever did in class during the school year. I feel like this project kinda represents a culmination of everything I’ve learned throughout the past 4 years, from my experience with music to what I’ve learned in school, it’s like me stepping forward as a more mature artist and person.

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    2. How’s the recording process been for The Endless Summer?

    It would sound pretty boring to most people lol – but most of my summer days went like this – I’d wake up at 7:30, make coffee sit in front of the computer and listen to music. I built up this huge compilation of songs I felt I could work with, so when I heard something I liked I would throw it in there. When I was ready to chop something up and build a beat around it, I would throw it into Protools and go to work. I typically spent around 2 – 3 hours shaping the track, cutting it up, laying down my drum tracks, then I would go on to spend at least 5 more fine tuning it. When I had the track sounding how I wanted it to, I would write my verses, record them, and mix the song.

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    3. How much of the album did you produce yourself?

    I produced the bulk of it (8.5 / 11 songs). I had it all pretty much done, and my homie DJ Jive sent me “Hang Ten” and I flipped out when I heard it so I just had to add it to the album. “Acting Up” was kind of a last minute joint I co-produced with a good friend of mine named Tyler Ginsberg. And lastly “Outta Pocket” was a track that was originally on my last album, and we just decided to do a remix for this project so I went and added in a loop I chopped out of the TRON soundtrack by Daft Punk and mixed it in there. Other than those songs, I did all the beats.

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    4. What’s your favorite song on the mix tape?

    Probably the title track “Endless Summer” which features a stellar hook from miss Erika Flowers.

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    G-Eazy – Endless Summer ft. Erika Flowers

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    5. What’s next for G-Eazy?

    After dropping 2 albums in a span of 4 months, I have to admit that I’m sort of looking forward to taking just a liiiittle bit of time off lol. But I’m usually pretty bad at that, so who knows, I might be back working on a new record before too long. But we’re def gonna shoot some more videos for songs off the album, and do another tour soon.

    Payin' the bills...

    K. Flay Interview


    2011 - 07.12

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    Posted in Alternative, Interviews, Weekend Music | No Comments »

    [Photo by Emily Ibarra]

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    1. Your music seems to go across a wide spectrum of genres, from producing your own beats to going over songs by the XX, Grizzly Bear, and Magnetic Man. What songs have you have been playing on repeat this summer?

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    “Oh man i’ve been playing ‘Wildfire’ by sbtrkt, ‘Babies Are The Future’ by Kids & Explosions, ‘Motivation’ by Kelly Rowland (which is my JAMMM right now), ‘Swear’ by inc, ‘BTSTU’ by Jai Paul, ‘I Can’t Go For That’ by Hall & Oates, and a little Britney for good measure.”

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    2. What are the influences that drive you to write the lyrics that you do?  Tell us the process you go through when making a song.

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    “My lyrics are driven by two forces — the musical backbone i create for a song & my state of mind that day.  Lately i’ve been in a very introspective and sardonic place, so i think my songs reflect that.  When i’m writing i’ll start out by getting a 16-bar loop going, with drums and a basic riff.  then i’ll put that on repeat for like an hour and just write, allow the idiosyncrasies of the track to nestle in my brain and help inspire different rhythmic and melodic patterns. For the most part, though, i like to write when i’m feeling sad.”

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    3. Tell us about your hip-hop origins – what was your first album and when did you start writing/rapping?

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    “The first hip hop album that i really got into was ‘Doggystyle’.  my brother bought it on cassette when we were 8 years old and i remember thinking it was so dangerous, so raw.  I listened to a fair amount of hip hop growing up, but i didn’t start writing & producing until i moved to california for college.  Writing my first song was this totally capricious thing, but it blossomed into something real once i figured out that (1) I liked making beats (which were, admittedly, incredibly shitty at the time) and (2) I could rap very fast.

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    4. What was running through your head when you made “Less Than Zero”?

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    K. Flay – Less Than Zero

    “I was actually super hung over.  I had just puked twice and was trying to stomach some toast so that i could drive my car to Oakland and work on music. It was one of those mornings where you’re actually like ‘it might be ok if i died with my face over this toilet.’”

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    5. What program(s) do you use to produce your music?

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    “I compose all my beats in Logic & Protools, but i run my live show with Ableton. I use Logic for all my midi stuff, export it, and then fuck with it as an audio file in Protools. Ableton is great for structuring songs in an on-the-fly way but i also love all the midi mapping capabilities, since i use a couple different controllers in my live set.”

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    There you go. I’m sure you’ll agree K. Flay is one of the most original artists out there right now and is definitely one to be watched. Check out her website HERE and download her music.

    BetaTraXx Interview


    2011 - 01.31

    Posted in Interviews | No Comments »

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    Our first interview of 2011 is definitely going to make your Monday better. We’ve been huge supporters of BetatraXx for a long time and we can’t wait for his new EP,”X,” to come out Feb. 14th. It will include 5 original tracks, all of epic proportions (See previews below).

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    BetatraXx – “The X EP” Intro

    BetatraXx – Panzer 320 Demo (From ‘The X EP’)

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    How did you start remixing and making music?

    I’ve been a classical piano player since I was about 6, but didn’t start composing music until later in high school.  My senior year in high school I got into making indie electro, which was really the start of my technology obsession.  The concept of remixes never really crossed my mind since I listened to mainly punk, ska, and bad 90’s techno that I found on Napster.  My sophomore year in college I got really into electro and wanted to hear it when I went out at nights so I started DJing.  Of course like every DJ in the word I started making bad mash-ups, which developed into GirlTalk style electro mash ups, which developed into remixes, which finally developed into my Redlight project that started about 16 months ago.

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    What programs/controllers do you use?

    I do all of my sequencing on Pro Tools.  I really don’t need anything else, and don’t plan to switch any time soon.  As for DJing I use M-Audio Torq.  Occasionally I’ll use Torq as a host and re-wire ableton to expand my sample capabilities.  As for controllers, I use an M-Audio Xponent.  I used turntables for a while but found that it just slowed me down because technology is so beyond wasting 30 seconds to beatmatch.  As for production controllers…. I use a mouse sometimes.

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    Who/what has inspired you to make music?

    While there are so many producers that make amazing music, I say my inspiration is almost purely on the technical side.  I am a technical junky and love learning about new technologies and ways to implement them into my music.  What also excites me is doing something that hasn’t been done before.  Consciously incorporating actual music theory and writing scores to techno music is just really interesting and creates a different sound than other people.  Not that no one has done it before (in fact one of the first ever published synthesized music was a Bach piece).

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    Do you enjoy creating or performing more?

    I think every real producer will say he/she is more passionate about producing, but no one can deny how addicting DJing can be.  They go hand in hand though.  There is no better feeling than seeing a crowd going wild to an original track and knowing that you did something right.

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    What has been the most exciting moment in your career thus far?

    Hearing about some of the big DJs playing my tracks is definitely up there.  Hearing Tiesto’s radio show and have him talk about my track was a really surreal experience.  As for live shows, the HARD Pre party with Nick is up there for great shows.  I love small packed venues with great crowds.

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    BetatraXx Live At HARD Mansion Pre Party Video

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    What’s next for BetaTraXx?

    After the release of The X EP i’m not going to slow my production down at all but I really want to start playing some more shows.  I’m really hoping to get to play in some big events this year. Gotta get the right people backing me, if you know what I mean.

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    What are your goals with the new EP and what do you want your audience to take away from it?

    My goal for the EP is to expand the possibilities of EDM (Electronic Dance Music).  Even as EDM becomes more mainstream, I think it is amazing that there are so many untouched aspects of music that still have not been incorporated into EDM.  Variation in tempo and especially time signature have rarely been experimented with and the possibilities of chord progressions are endless, yet I can’t think of one dance song that modulates out of its key.  I think if these elements are carefully incorporated into dance music it makes a more powerful statement both intellectually and physically for a the average person just trying to dance.

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    DJ Philistine Interview


    2010 - 11.04

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    Posted in Interviews | No Comments »

    Dj Philistine is an up and coming DJ out of Trinity College. He is an FNT affiliated artist and has been steadily gaining buzz over the past few months with notable shows opening for Kinetics and One Love at Santos and headlining at Bucknell University for Halloween. He has also reached the top of the Hype Machine charts with his remix of Better Off Alone. In a world where DJing is becoming an almost household activity, Philistine has set himself apart through the diversity of what he plays. From Dubstep to Lo-fi, he essentially captures all types of dance and party music in his sets. Become a fan of DJ Philistine on facebook: DJ Philistine Facebook Page and check out his sound cloud account for more tracks: Sound Cloud. With out further ado DJ Philistine; in his own words.

    Dirty Gold: California Sunrise (DJ Philistine Lo-Fi Remix)

    Far East Movement: Like a G6 (DJ Philistine Dubstep Remix)

    How did you start remixing and making music?

    I’ve always loved producing music, but I really got into electronic music about 2 years ago. I went abroad to Rome for a semester last year and started djing at 2 clubs there. It was really out of nowhere and my career started to grow from there.

    What are some inspirations that go into making your music? Other artists, aspects of life?

    I love the creative ability of music. It’s one of those activities where you are not hindered by very much To be honest I am not one to say I have specific artists that inspire me because I listen to all kinds of music.

    There seems to be a new wave of DJ’s emerging right now. How would you say you separate yourself from everyone else?

    I think it’s great that people are interested in djing and producing electronic music. It creates more competition to be in the lime light and if you are truly talented you will stand out from the rest. I would say what separates myself from others is the fact that I produce all kinds of electronic music like dubstep, mashups, house, lo fi. You have to be versatile to make a name for yourself these days. Atrak is the perfect example of someone who is versatile in his production.

    What was the process behind the making of your very popular song Better Off Alone?

    My buddy came to me with the idea.He had the idea mapped out in his head but wasn’t very experienced with production. We sat down and made the track overnight. A hit should come naturally and this remix is a perfect example of that.

    How is it being apart of the FNT family with artists like Sam Adams and The White Panda?

    The FNT family has been so good to me. FNT gave me a platform to start my career on blogs and I have had the opportunity to play with many of the members. It’s all about networking and the FNT family is all about that.

    Do you get more satisfaction out of creating a song or performing live?

    I love when a song I produced takes off on blogs and people love it. I am just as satisfied when I drop a song of mine during a set and people go wild.

    Where do you want your music to take you?

    I’d obviously love to be on the level as Deadmau5 someday. Who wouldn’t you know? I am not going to bank on that to happen though haha. For now I’m going to keep doing what I am doing for now and see where that takes me.

    How do you want people to be influenced by your music?

    There are so many people out there that see these famous Djs and think they have no business trying to make electronic music or spin. That is simply not true. You have to look at untapped markets. I found college Djing to be very lucrative and there is a huge market for it. I want people to think outside the box; that is what I try to do on a regular basis. Just keep on the grind even though you have no idea where your hard work is taking you.

    What is next for DJ Philistine? Upcoming shows, new mixtape?

    I come to realize I don’t like mixtapes. I don’t listen to DJ mixtapes so why would I make one myself? I made one and that was enough. I just played Bucknell homecoming/halloween last week and it was awesome! I just released two remixes yesterday. One is a dubstep remix of Like a G6 and other is a Lo Fi remix of this song called California Sunrise by Dirty Gold. They are completely different from each other, but so far people dig them. I also released on October 19th a remix of Addicted by a rapper named Panama. You can find all my tracks on my soundcloud page (soundcloud.com/djphilistine).

    Fairytale Production Interview


    2010 - 10.20

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    Posted in Interviews | 2 Comments »

    I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan last weekend where I got to meet and party with one of the members of Fairytale Productions–Jesse Martz.  It was a sick weekend, but even cooler to be introduced to a sick mixtape with some fresh lyrics and smooth beats.  Yes…there are a ton of college hip-hop artists out on the music scene right now, some suck, but some are dope where you just feel all the lyrics.  Fairytale Productions just recently dropped their first mixtape Brain Food and are blowing up.  The album name is self explanatory so go ahead, get some food for your brain and throw this mix-tape on the speakers, you won’t regret it.

    This song was already posted, but just in case you were not paying attention, the song samples John Mayer’s “I Don’t Trust Myself”

    I Don’t Trust Myself Remix (feat. Sal Saatchi)-Fairytale Production

    Here are a few songs from the mixtape:

    All Black Everything-Fairytale Production

    Twist Up-Fairytale Production

    Surviving the Times-Fairytale Production

    Hope and a Mic-Fairytale Production

    Like them on Facebook by clicking HERE

    Here is the link to DOWNLOAD THE MIX-TAPE

    How did you guys start rapping/get into the hip-hop game?

    We’ve always been big fans of guys like Nas and Jay-Z, so growing up that’s who we listened to. The whole thing really started with me and my brother just sort of freestyling off the top of our heads to each other in our free time. We would just go back and forth and see who could come up with the sickest lines. It wasn’t until almost a full year of that that we ever even started writing anything down.

    What is the story behind the name Fairytale Production?

    The name Fairytale Production comes from what we used to rap about. At the beginning, we would really just rap about anything, even if what we were saying was bullshit and had nothing to do with us because we loved just playing around with words and seeing what we could come up with. We weren’t focused on keeping it real or anything, it was really just a thing between me and my brother to see who could come up with the most creative lines. When we started getting more serious about it we decided to keep the name because it reminded us of what we started from and how different we are now.

    What has been the reaction to your music in Long Beach, NY and on Campuses?

    We’ve been getting a real solid reaction to the music that we’re making so far. Obviously in Long Beach people are feeling it a lot, but these are the kids that we grew up with, you know? I think the coolest thing for us has been being able to take our music to Michigan and Penn, where my brother’s at, and see it get the same positive reaction there.

    How would you describe your sound?

    I think we have a very new-school hip-hop sound, but something that’s unique, too. A lot of rappers today sound the same and kind of get grouped into one category, and that’s not what we’re trying to be. We’re just trying to do our own thing and make music that we would like to listen to ourselves. A lot of the songs we’ve made in the past have just been us going over some of the best instrumentals in hip-hop, which is what makes it so fun for us to do.

    What are some inspirations that go into writing your music?

    Probably the most important thing for us when we’re making songs is that we’re having a good time. FTP is me, my brother, and our two best friends, and we just wouldn’t keep doing it if it wasn’t so enjoyable to make cool music. There’s a lot of people right now, like J. Cole and Kanye and Big Sean and Lupe that are just killing it right now. Guys like that, and there’s obviously more that I didn’t name, definitely have a big influence on the music we’re trying to make.

    What was the process like making Brain Food?

    Making Brain Food was like nothing we had ever done before. We went to this audio shop over the past summer and bought Pro Tools 8, and then it was like, “Now what?” We actually had no idea what we were doing at first. We made a bunch of unreleased tracks before we ever recorded a song that would be on the mixtape, just so we could get the hang of things. Once we started recording the tracks for the mixtape though, we knew we were gonna have some real good music on our hands. The whole thing took about 14 weeks to finish, but there’s nothing that I can think of that I would have rather been doing. It was amazing.

    Where do you want your music to take you? What are your goals?

    Right now, it’s sort of unclear where the music might take us. Me and my brother are both away at different colleges, so we only have so many days during the year where we can get together and record at the same time. We’re taking everything one step at a time, so for right now our goal is to just get this mixtape out to as many people as we possibly can. We’re very confident that when people hear it, they’re gonna really like what they hear. We’re in the process right now of trying to get the music in the hands of some people at record labels with the power to do something with it.

    What is next for FTP? Upcoming shows? New Mixtape? New Singles?

    FTP has a lot coming up soon. Nothing official yet, but we may be doing a show opening up for Chiddy Bang this coming January, so we’ll see what happens with that. We’re working on a couple concepts for our newest single, but we definitely plan to have out some new music in the very near future.

    Closing Words?

    Make sure to give the mixtape a listen. We put everything we have into those songs, and we have a great fan base that helps to spread them around the entire country. Fairytale Production has some big things coming very soon, so make sure that you stay tuned.

    Matt Clark Interview


    2010 - 10.06

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    Posted in Interviews | No Comments »

    Matt Clark is an upcoming Hip-hop artist from New Jersey who is killing it.   The kid is 20 years old and has some serious potential as an artist.  He has his first EP Album coming out October 8 and is even performing shows with Hoodie Allen and SoS artist Chris Webby.  Checkout his myspace for more tracks HERE and you should definitely like him on Facebook HERE.  He has some fresh freestyles and other tracks.  Also don’t forget to show love and buy the album!  We’ll be seeing more from this kid…

    Standing Tall-Matt Clark

    Take Off-Matt Clark

    Advice-Matt Clark

    Feeling Good-Matt Clark

    How did you start rapping/get into the hip-hop game?

    -  I got into hip-hop when I really started understanding the beauty behind the art form of words.  Listening to artists like Lupe and Kanye, and dudes even outside of hip-hop like Conor Oberst that paint pictures is so dope to me. I’m hoping with another year I can really dabble on my canvas.

    What has been the reaction to your music in NJ?

    - It’s dope, the reaction has been pretty positive… A lot of my fans have been rocking with me since day one, but it’s becoming more serious now. Its been local, but it’s really starting to catch wind now.

    What are some inspirations that go into writing your music?

    - Everything man. I know it’s cliche to say but life’s crazy and this is the way I clear my thoughts in a positive way. I try to write from things I feel, as well as stepping inside other people’s shoes and trying to take on their life for a day, to expand my audience; while I try to understand this place a little more. It’s all a learning experience man.

    What are your thoughts on your new EP coming out? How has the process been?

    -The new EP is kinda nuts man.  We legit put it all together in like a month and I was running with mono the whole time, which made it hard to stay focused. It kinda ties “The Progress” within me on a higher level, showing other kids that with drive you can do whatever you desire to do. As far as the sound, it’s super diverse in every aspect- emotion, instrumentation, and content.

    Where do you want your music to take you? What are your goals?

    I got into music strictly to become more at ease with myself, but actually visually seeing potential in it, my goals have increased. The core still remains though, I want it to open doors so I can better this world man.

    What is next for Matt Clark? Upcoming shows? New Mixtape?

    -Just honing my craft man. I’m linked up with an incredible team Cafe Society. These dudes are like my brothers and I’m just the young one who flows, but within the next year we really want to start making some serious noise. As far as shows, I’m kicking it with Chris Webby and Hoodie Allen at School of Rock October 8th, and Webster Hall October 10th. I’m definitely excited to meet those dudes they’ve been on their grind for a minute.

    New projects, I’d look out for a little mixtape or some leaks and ish to keep the people chatting and then we have some crazy ideas brewing man. We’re trying to generate a fan base with all that ish they want to hear and once we have them we’ll get into what we are all best at, and combine our powers.

    Closing Words?

    - I just want to be an image for the youth man. I mean I’m young as hell too, so I’m hoping kids can relate to me and we can do some great things together. I never gave up on my dream to be an astronaut so I want kids to take it back to when they dreamed and go get em.

    GUTTSTAR Interview


    2010 - 09.30

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    Posted in Interviews | No Comments »

    Guttstar is an electronic producer/DJ from Burlington, Vermont who dropped his debut EP, “Battery Hues,” on August 31st. If you haven’t already downloaded it, you’re missing out. His glitch-hop and “purple” sounds have been remixed and talked about by many artists including Big Gigantic, Dev79, Figure and Kastle. You can buy “Battery Hues” HERE and listen to many of his other tracks HERE.


    Ludacris: How Low (GUTTSTAR Remix)
    GUTTSTAR: Lunar Stick Shift

    How did you first get into making music?

    I have always been into making music, from playing in a school band as a kid to jamming with friends on the guitar. My first exposure to production was in a Music Technology class in high school. I didn’t really get deep into production until 2005, when I used Reason for the first time and suddenly had a studio on my G4!

    What programs do you use to make your music?

    I make all of my tracks in Ableton Live 8 along with a variety of VST’s.  Native Instruments and Rob Papen are my favorites, they are pretty much on every track I make.

    What/who has inspired you to make music?

    All types of influences.  I see live music often and many of my friends are in bands, so that is a huge inspiration. Some of the artist that I feel inspired by right now include El-B,  Digital Mystikz, Loefah, MJ Cole, Mount Kimbie, Gemmy, Modeselektor and various dub reggae producers. Burlington is also a big influence on my tracks, whether it is the distinct seasons or an experience I have in town.

    What was your most exciting moment in your career thus far?

    Hearing a beat on a big rig for the first time and watching the crowds response is always the most exciting for me. Besides that, playing my first show at Higher Ground will always be a memorable experience.

    Who are some artists/producers you would like to work with if given the opportunity?

    To name a few: Bassnectar, El-B, Mala, Diplo, Joker, Mimosa, M.I.A, Bun B, Erykah Badu.

    What’s next for Guttstar?

    I plan on writing as much as possible and Winter is the time to do it.  I hope to release a number singles over the next 6 months and hopefully have another EP for the spring. I’ve been exploring a variety of styles lately, I’m really just trying to push things forward and have fun.

    D. Bridge Da Kid Interview


    2010 - 09.23

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    Posted in Interviews | 1 Comment »

    D. Bridge Da Kid is an up and coming hip-hop artist from Milwaukee, WI who just released his latest mixtape, Past Due. If you haven’t already heard Fresh Air, you’re missing out. It’s hard to find young new artists with great production value and amazing lyrics but with D. Bridge on our radar, we don’t need to look any further. Check out more at D. Bridge Da Kid’s Facebook page and download Past Due HERE.

    D. Bridge Da Kid: Money Trouble
    D. Bridge Da Kid: Plan To Hate
    D. Bridge Da Kid: The Streets Interlude
    D. Bridge Da Kid: New Beginning

    When did you start rapping/realize you wanted to become an artist?

    I started writing at a young age. Before I was rapping, I used to write poems for the girls I liked in middle school. I was always looked at as a cool kid but I just wanted to be known for my words. So I used to write poems. It wasn’t until around 8th or 9th grade when I realized music was what I really wanted to pursue.

    How would you describe your sound?

    My sound is unique in my eyes. I feel like I can make a song for the radio that will still appeal to the true hip-hop heads out there. But if I had to classify it I would want it to be classified as soulful.

    How’s the Milwaukee rap game?

    The rap scene in Milwaukee is actually alive and well. We’ve made a lot of progress. The country may not remember but we had a face in the music industry a few years back. His name was Coo Coo Cal. He was on BET and everything. I’m trying to be the next up. With each mixtape I gain a stronger following based in Milwaukee which expands throughout the world. I’m hoping all this hard work pays off. Only time will tell.

    There’s a lot of deep tracks on Past Due. Which one meant the most to you?

    Past Due as a whole is very powerful to me. It captures different moments and experiences that I went through during the making of it. Each track is significant to me but my personal favorites are Money Trouble and Job Well Done. Those both are very meaningful. In Money Trouble, I talk about my right hand man who was recently incarcerated. He faces up to 75 years and it was all over money. That song is deeper than just a catchy hook and great instrumental to me. I shed tears writing that first verse. And Job Well Done is just my way of thanking my parents for making me who I am and allowing me to pursue my dreams. It’s deeper than rap.

    What has been the most exciting moment of your career so far?

    I’ve come a long way since I began rapping, so I’ve had many moments of joy but I would have to say the most exciting moment thus far was opening for Wiz Khalifa. Even though the show didn’t go how I planned it to, just to be performing in the same building with one of today’s most popular new artists was amazing. Also just watching my brother-from-another, G-Eazy, travel and perform his music is exciting for me. He inspires me.

    Past Due just came out and is already a hit. What’s next for D. Bridge?

    My next move is taking this show on the road. I’m trying to book as many shows as possible to spread my name throughout the country. As far as the music goes, my next project will be an ALBUM entitled “Virtuoso,” but there’s no telling when its going to drop. I plan on gaining more fans, or “Legendz,” as I call them, before releasing any more full length projects. A single here and there yes, but before I release a full project again, gaining fans and doing shows is a priority.  Hopefully things will work out in my favor.

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