Category: Interview
0 10 questions with Paragon
November 22, 2013:
I had never met this magical, wonderful being. His name is Paragon, and he came to Kansas City, MO to teach us a thing or two about the world he lives in. I never thought the night I met Paragon would change my life forever. His knowledge of magic, love, and doughnuts inspired me. This was a brief conversation I had with him before we traveled into the world of wearing underwear on the outside.
What mystical land do you come from?
The Land of OnceUpona
Are there more of you out there?
I am the only Cyber-Unicorn-Tron that I know of
What is your time with The Fungineers like?
AWESOME! best not job job in the universe! I love my posse and being able to travel to new worlds and get crazy with amazing people and tings
Where do your sounds come from?
First my imagination, then they travel to my lungs and threw my heart and get shaped by my throat and licked by my tongue before I kiss them out to the world
Why did you get into Electronic Music?
I love how technology can be a extension of creativity and the oh so many ways that you can use it to shape the sounds in yer head into sounds bumping threw speakers. When I first heard what people were making here on earth and how it made my body feel, I was a believer
How long have you been beat boxing?
33,000 days 14 hours and 46 seconds
What were parents like? (Mother: Majestical Unicorn spirit Father: Kind dad of the robot monkeys)
Well, I grew up a orphan and have never met my mom, I met the spirit of my dad in a crystal once, he seemed super cool! hoping to find my mom one day
Where can one find a guide book to “Funosophy”?
Well, we have talked about writing one, but are still Funosophizing about things and stuff so it might take awhile
Are you single?
Heck yes! I am in my experimental sew my wild unicorn sparkle mode, don’t think I am gonna settle down anytime soon
What do you eat for breakfast?
Things and stuff, mac and cheese, donuts, Tea and crumpets with ooozle berry jam
1 Meet DYNOHUNTER
The Boulder based power trio, DYNOHUNTER is well on their way to carving out a niche in the ever-expanding universe of livetronica, pushing the boundaries of their sound with every new track produced. Comprised of Clark Smith (sax/production), Justin Ehmer (drums) & Fred Reisen (bass/synth), DYNOHUNTER flawlessly meshes aspects of both a conventional DJ performance and a live band. Click “play” on the Soundcloud link below, and enjoy.
Where does the name “Dynohunter” come from?
The name is an adaption of a title for a composition Clark did while in college. The name Dynohunter represents the archetypal journey of the hunter in unknown lands. For us it comes to fruition through a soundscape created with a tribal heart beat and modern electronic inspiration.
Where did you all meet?
Justin and Clark met while attending music school in Denver, CO. After moving to Boulder the musical called for soulful live bass and asked Fred to join the tribe.
Whats life at home like?
Home life involves lots of writing and playing music. We love life in the fertile Boulder/Denver music scene. There are so many great artists to see and be inspired by it can almost be overwhelming. Besides music we spend our time mountain biking, hiking, adventuring, and eating dank healthy food.
What was the highlight of your summer?
The highlight of our summer was Justin kicking the shit out of cancer. After 10 months of treatment he is cancer free and at full strength. As a band and family we could not be happier to be back doing what we love and moving it forward.
How do you feel Colorado has shaped your sound?
This state has so many talented artists and so many great places to see nationally touring acts that there is not shortage of inspiration. We love seeing unreal hometown acts like The Motet to international electro artists like Porter Robinson. We listen to everything from singer/songwriters to 8 piece funk bands to progressive house and get to see it all right in our own backyard.
Dynohunter tunes are always free to download. Why?
Dynohunter music is free because we want the most people possible to hear our sound. The Dynotribe is not an exclusive group and we give our music away for free just like some of our favorite artists do.
If you could colaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Does it have to be one? A few are Erykah Badu, Madeon, and Paul Simon. We could go on forever on that one.
You could pick one place in the whole world to play, where would it be? And why?
Ibiza, Spain, some of the best shows in the world go down there and music fans from all over the world gather there in a celebration of life. Tomorrowland would be quite dreamy as well. Our new EP Megawatts & Monoliths (out on Oct. 8th) is inspired by the energy of the huge European electronic music festivals.
We are really excited to be playing Visual Orgazm 4 in Kansas City for one of our first dates on the Dynohunter 2013 Fall Tour and debut some new big tracks from Megawatts & Monoliths.
0 Skrillex and Riff Raff collaborating on a new album?
The 6x Grammy award winner will be teaming up with 3Loco and Mad Decent’s Riff Raff. In an interview with MTV Australia, Riff Raff “accidentally” spouted out about his new album coming out with Skrillex.
“Yeah? Me and Skrillex have an album coming out. I mean we have a song coming out. Oh sh*t. That’s what I do when I speak too soon. I can’t tell you more than that.”
Seems as if Skrillex has been getting his feet wet with Hip Hop infused with his music as of lately. I wonder what’s in the works in the OWSLA camp? But when you throw Mad Decent in the bunch, you can only believe there is going to be madness.
0 DCarls…. Need we say more?
Not too many artists of DCarls caliber live to tell their tale. But, he did. DCarls is a master of the craft. Coming up from playing Jazz piano, he has shown his true power through Simplify Records. Fueled with bass, and love, DCarls has shown few how it is suppose to be done. In 2013, DCarls will show the world his musical caliber. For sure, one of the most respectful people I have ran in to. I didn’t even have to ask him, he just grabbed the microphone and said “Let’s do it!”. This was the recorded portion of my time with this young producer. Don’t blink on this guy! Because once you do, you will miss the beauty within.
How was it playing in Lawrence, Kansas tonight?
It was Fu*#ing unbelievable! One of the most fun stops so far on the tour.
Has this stop been different from the others?
Yeah, the crowd was surprisingly really wild at the beginning! On this tour, I’ve been playing early, and my job is to get everyone to move to the dance floor, but everyone was already out there just going. It was nice.
This is a major tour with Minnesota and Protohype, how does that feel?
It’s very inspirational I’ve never seen Minnesota or Protohype spin before. Seeing them play has inspired me to make my music more dancable, and more DJ friendly. It’s opened up a whole new spectrum of Electronic music for me. Not just headphone music, it’s like DJ music.
You are attending the University of Maryland, what kind of studies are you doing there? And have you takin a break from school to focus on your music career?
I studied English, just basically doing that to get a degree. And I bought Ableton my second year in college. I ended up just deciding to carry on with that. I think it worked out for the best.
You joined up on the roster over at Simplify Records with a pretty amazing roster. How does that feel?
Simplify is great! Aaron, who runs the whole thing, hooked up so much for me. I found him super early in my music career. He has helped me out so much.
What is your musical back ground?
Well, I played Jazz piano for years, like before I actually got into any of this. I’d live to integrate that with the live stuff that I’m doing now, because Electronic music is so live, so much fun to be in the crowd, but occasionally there is some down time. So, I’d like to put in a little Jazz piano improve.
What producers/musicians have inspired you? Who are you favorites right now?
In Electronic, I’d say Nosia is my love. Love Griz, Grammatik. I think that anyone who integrates live instruments into their live set is fu*$king awesome! Way back, I loved Chick Corea, Ahmad Jamal, and Arnaud de Buchy. The jazzy, classical piano type stuff.
If you could do a colab with anyone on the planet, who would it be? And why?
Either Bassnectar, because he’s genius or Koan Sound. I love Koan Sound. They have a real techy sound, really respectable. I have much love for those dudes.
What cities on the “Eternal Frequency’s Tour” are you excited to play?
Honestly, tonight was the one that all of us were looking forward to, and we are doing Flagstaff as our last state. I got a bunch of friends coming from L.A. So, I am really looking forward to that one.
What can people expect from a live DCarls show?
Just expect a lot of energy, and a lot of musicality. A lot of flavor basically. That’s the only thing I make sure is in my music at all times. Just flavor of some sort.
Coming from the view of a new up and comer, what is your view on EDM artists such as Skrillex, and DeadMau5 getting into the Grammy’s and winning awards? Does this push you harder?
Yeah, absolutely I think Skrillex is a fu*#ing genius A lot of people hate on him, but so many people listen to his music. So there has got to be something going on about it. And as far as production value goes, and the musicality in his music. It’s unbelievable.
Any last words?
Tonight was awesome! The Granada was awesome! I’m really looking forward to the future.
0 The Mind of Kill Paris
When I heard that we were bringing Kill Paris (AKA Corey Baker) to Lawrence, Kansas, I jumped around like a little school girl. His fusion of different musical backgrounds and his style of mixing is not comparable to any. The way he made everyone move at Abe and Jake’s landing was incredible. Truly a Hy-Tekk event. A man of few words, and got straight to the point. Out of all the artists I have met, he was hands down the funniest. We talk about his Country past, and his future. Also a little bit of Sponge Bob. So if you were at the show, sit back, relax, and remember the feeling you had when Kill Paris destroyed Lawrence, Kansas.
Where did you get the name “Kill Paris”?
So, I was 16 when I came up with that name. At the time, Paris Hilton was really famous for nothing. So, the whole name just means kinda kill the mindset of putting people up on pedestals that don’t do anything. You know what I mean? It’s kind of not really inspiring other people. I mean, it is inspiring people, but in a bad way.
About the age of 16, you started learning how to play guitar. What inspired you to play the guitar? And is there anyone in your family who is also musically inclined who inspired you to play music?
I picked it up from my dad. My dad had a guitar my mom gave him as an anniversary gift, so that’s where I picked it up. And my uncle plays bass in a Jazz band. So I’ve always had a few people in my life that are really musical.
How do you feel your guitar playing skills reflect on how you make your music?
If anything, it’s a different way to write a song or to start a song. Instead of starting it on the computer, I just sit down with the guitar and strum something out the old fashion way. The whole thing that I’ve always tried to do is to blend the technology and the acoustic live aspect together.
Did you get to perform with anyone notable?
Nobody I’d like to mention . Nothing ever ended up turning into anything. I played for a couple bands and practiced with them all the time. Did the Country thing.
What’s it like being on OWSLA?
Its amazing! Its like being on the Lakers, I’d imagine.
How did that come up?
Sonny actually sent me a message on SoundCloud like a year ago, just randomly. He said he really liked my stuff. I don’t know how he found it or anything. So, I just kept sending him stuff over a few months. Eventually, he was like “Hey, do you wanna put out an EP on Owsla?”
What mindset were you in when you produced, “To a new Earth” ?
Well the name “To a new Earth” actually comes from a book by Eckhart Tolle. It’s called “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”. That kind of had something to do with it. Around that time it was Summer, so it was just feel good, funky music.
You put out Ableton Live tutorials on youtube. What motivates you to do this? Why share your knowledge?
I went to school for Recording Arts, and they never taught Ableton Live. I paid a lot of money to go to school. Protools, Reason, and Cubebase. So, doing tutorials is kind of a way to use what I learned in the real world. Like real things you would actually use when you want to make music and not just the bull crap on, “How to make a Dubstep sound”, or something like that, and just the fact that there are so many bad tutorials online. I feel like that discourages people that are trying to learn how to make music, or who are trying to express them selves musically. So, that was kind of my whole reason behind doing tutorials, and making them really fast, to the point, and very useful.
I noticed you like to use the Novation LaunchPad when you perform? What makes you choose that as your main weapon?
I just stopped. I think this is actually my first show not playing with it live. The LaunchPad is great. The main thing I used it for was sending midi to the LaunchPad and make it light up. And I would actually have a whole midi track filled with scales in them. So you are sending the scales to the LaunchPad, and the lit up buttons are the scale. Then you can play in key with whatever song you’re playing with. So I was using that for a long time. I actually just got the Push from Ableton. Im starting to get into that. It does the same thing just in an easier way.
How did you and Sponge Bob become such close friends?
I’ve always loved Sponge Bob! Always, always, always loved Sponge Bob.
Does Sponge Bob love Kill Paris?
Not always. There’s been a few mishaps. I actually watch Sponge Bob on a regular basis. I really enjoy it. But yeah, he got out of line that one time. That one time….
When seducing the ladies, what’s your favorite pick up line?
I already have a girlfriend. But, how much does a polar bear weight?
Enough to break the ice!
How was touring with Big Gigantic and Manic Focus?
Oh my god, I wish I could go back! So much fun, man. We had such a good time. I miss them. I’m playing with Mantic Focus in a few weeks in Chicago. Which is going to be great! All homies. All really talented guys. It’s fun to be apart of that.
What are a few necessities for you on the road?
Things that I want and don’t get…. Sleep… And socks. That’s like the biggest thing. Because after you get done playing a big show, or maybe you don’t have time to shower. Putting on a fresh pair of socks is just heaven!
What kind of food do you eat on the road? Do you just get gas station hot dogs? Or do you go out for your meals?
I try to eat as healthy as I can. I fall off every once in awhile.
If you could tour with anyone right now, dead or alive. Who would it be?
God, that’s a hard one. That’s kind of a loaded question. James Brown probably. That would probably be insane, because he is a crazy mo’fo. There would be many good stories to come out of that.
How did you feel about the vibe in Lawrence, Kansas tonight?
It was great. Like, I’m from the Mid West originally, so it’s good to come out and play.
How do you feel about the scene in the Mid West compared to the coast?
It’s better. Definitely catching on. Michigan is really gaining some speed and momentum. As far as the fans are and the shows are going, it’s Electronic music and people just supporting, and the music is spreading all around. So, it’s getting better.
Any big updates you can share with us?
I have a new single coming out in like a month. It’s going to be really awesome. I’m excited about it! Its got vocals on it, both male and female. Going to have a full music video. It’s going to be sexy. Lots of sexy.
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0 10 minutes with Krewella’s Yasmine Yousaf
The moment time stops… When Gent and Jawns are slaying the venue with over 500 attendees. Kill Paris is setting up his gear, getting ready to finish off the crowd. And you look over to your side, and Yasmine Yousaf from Krewella is walking towards you. That’s when you know, Hy-Tekk is throwing a party. Krewella is a group formed by Jahan Yousaf, Yasmine Yousaf and Rain Man. They are a three person EDM group from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 2007, their mixture of Electro and Dubstep has been hitting blogs and airwaves all across the country. After playing a paint and mud filled show right down the road from us, she decides to hit us up. Through all the madness, she still had 10 minutes to get some questions in.
So you just got done playing across town at “Life in Color”, how was that?
It was crazy! We actually played our first “Life In Color” last weekend, so tonight was our second one ever. It was nuts! It was raining, kinda. It was super muddy, but people stuck around and got crazy! All covered in mud, and paint. It was awesome!
You guys are from Chicago, Illinois, right? How do you feel it has inspired your music?
Its funny, everybody talks about Chicago, Illinois being the birth place of House. And obviously, so much respect for that. I am so proud I am from that city, but we actually came up from a few different scenes. Chris came up from the metal scene in Chicago. I was in an Indie band, so I was in the Indie Rock band scene. And Jahan was doing choir stuff. Its so weird. We are all from three different places and some how when we are all together, we form “Krewella”. But honestly, I think the Metal and Rock scenes in Chicago are awesome!
Do you miss Chicago?
Yeah, my parents are in Chicago, and I am such a little Mama and Daddy’s girl… I am still a child at heart; I miss them everyday. So that is really hard. My cats are also in Chicago, which is heart breaking for me. But, as an artist, its probably the most rewarding thing to tour, see your fans, and see them all sing your lyrics back to you. But also, getting to meet your fans and give them sweaty hugs! So there is good and bad in it, ya know? I love doing it, and you gotta sacrifice for what you love to do!
What’s it like to put the three of you in a studio?
Honestly, some times it is just complete pain! We are all like jumping down each others throats, trying to kill each other. “Your idea sucks!” we will say. Honestly, we have some of the worst conversations. Plus, you put Jahan and I in a room…. We are siblings, and we love each other. Honestly, I’m so happy she’s the one in the group. But siblings have their moments. Plus, Chris is like our brother. So you throw three siblings in a room together, with completely different ideas, and three different point of views; it can be madness! The best thing is when we come up with a song, you know that three heads going into it made it a better song; rather then if it was just one of us. So that is the best part!
What big festivals are you pumped up about?
We are playing a ton of amazing ones! Some I can’t talk about yet. The ones I can not announce are, actually, the ones I am most excited about! The ones that are already announced are “Spring Awakening”, in Chicago, Illinois. We played it last year. It was like the first year for “Spring Awakening” and it was one of the best shows I have ever played, ever, in my whole entire career in Krewella. And it was one of our first plays on a main stage at a festival, so I am really stoked! We are also playing “Ultra Music Festival” in South Korea!
Are you afraid to play in South Korea?
Na! I think it will be all good…. Yeah… I hope.
What are some things you absolutely need to travel with?
Clif bars are what we live on. It is kinda gross how much we eat them. They are like an all natural bar. I love them, but I might get tired of them after awhile, because I will eat like three a day some times. What else? Extra socks! We go through extra socks like a mother f*&ker!
That’s exactly what “Minnesota said!
Hahaha!
Do you have any kind of pre-show preparations you have to do before a show?
No, not really. For lack of a better word, it’s pretty chill. We get to the venue, Chris starts chugging Jameson. Johan and I are just having a good time, looking over tracks. Then we go on! If we are singing live, we will do all of our vocal warm ups. But if it is just a DJ set, we just chill out.
Anything big in the works you can share?
Yes! We are actually almost done with our very first album! Its really exciting! It will probably be out in about Three to Four months. But between now and then we will be releasing singles, remixes, and videos. It’s exciting. It is different, but very Krewella. We went on a little bit of a journey with it. It was very cool! About a year in the making!
