Interviews Tag

Sketchy Bongo
It’s early on a Friday morning and I’m sitting in my studio apartment in Denver, waiting for a text form across the globe. The message I’m looking for comes through and I press “call” on my phone. It takes a number of shaky rings for the call to connect, but eventually, I hear a surprisingly clear, “hello,” come through. With that, I start into conversation with South African producer/DJ Sketchy Bongo who is currently in Botswana. Producing from a young age, Sketchy Bongo is finally seeing the fruits of hisRead More
Scandinavia is often regarded as the birthplace of the World’s hottest DJs, but producer FTampa is proving that great dance music is also created in the heart of South America. Hailing from Brazil, FTampa has erupted onto the dance music scene.   Producing since 2010, FTampa has really come into his own over the last year or so. The young DJ has not only released multiple tracks that have broken the Beatport Top 10, but he also played the mainstage at Tomorrowland Brazil last year. Now, with the support ofRead More

Posted On January 30, 2016By Cat HauslerIn Artist Interviews, Music

Writtalin Artist Insider: Julian Calor

With electronic dance music (EDM) gaining popularity everyday, we see more and more would-be producers throwing their hat in the ring to compete with names like Calvin Harris and Avicii. Not everyone can hang with EDM royalty, but one young producer is well on his way. Dutch-born Julian Calor is only 21, but has accomplished much in his years. Calor got off to a hot start as his first single was released on EDM heavyweight Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings. Since then, nothing has seemed out of reach for Calor. The young DJ hasRead More

Posted On November 11, 2015By Brian WrayIn Artist Interviews, Music

Writtalin Artist Insider: Chill The Giant

CHULA VISTA, CA – No matter your age, it’s always a great time to follow your passion. This is a mantra many of us forget as we grow older, but not Ruben Montoya. Since his early 20s, Ruben has been selflessly producing and engineering music for a variety of other bands, helping them gain notoriety in the local San Diego music scene. But now, in his late 40s, Ruben is finally embarking on a new type of project. His own. This is Chill The Giant. Chill The Giant In 2015,Read More
JP and Sam of Cash Cash stand up and immediately Dave of Tritonal sits down. Let me refresh your memory- I’m in the “green room” (nook under the stairs) of the Bluebird Theater in Denver just before seeing Tritonal and Cash Cash play back to back on the Colorado leg of their “Untouchable” tour. Having finished up chatting with Cash Cash, it’s time for me to talk to Tritonal. It’s my first attempt at consecutive interviews and I’m hoping I can keep my composure as well as my questions interesting. MadeRead More
The green room at the Bluebird Theater in Denver is not so much a room as it is a little nook under the stairs that lead down from the stage. There’s a small couch wedged directly under the stairs and a few chairs, but little room to move when you add in two DJ groups, their crew and tour manager. So when I sit down on the edge of the couch to speak with Cash Cash’s JP Mahklouf and Sam Frisch, I’m maybe, at most, four feet from either ofRead More

Posted On October 23, 2015By Izzie ButlerIn Artist Interviews, Music

Artist Insider: Infected Mushroom

I was recently fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Erez Eisen of legendary Israeli psychedelic/electronic act Infected Mushroom at the Gothic Theater in Denver, CO. Erez comprises one half of the core of Infected Mushroom, along with Amit Duvdevani. The two have been performing together for almost 20 years, making new and entrancing music. Both Erez and Amit had a deep love for music at a very young age. Erez is classically trained on the organ while Amit grew up playing the piano. As the two grew older, their loveRead More
Every time a major dance music event goes on in Denver, we put out multiple interview requests, hoping that a producer or two will want to chat with me before or after their performance. Going into Skylab 2015, we’ve sent out five to seven requests, knowing that chances of even an answer to one is slim because of the big names on the lineup. But the morning of night one, I get an email from Amsterdam – Laidback Luke’s people are reaching out with interest in an interview. I’m ecstatic.Read More
At 19 years of age, most of us have no idea what we want to do for our weekend, let alone a career. And virtually none of us are traveling the world performing music. In the ever-populating suburb of Temecula, CA, lives a teenager who is already turning these ambitions into reality. Welcome to the life of Hunter Pea. The talented guitarist might be young, but he has the musical IQ of a person twice his age, and a drive for success that some people never attain. Since his early days of youth,Read More
Benny Benassi is a dance music pioneer. A key part of the electronic music scene since the 1980s, the Italian producer shows no signs of letting up as he continues to do massive world tours and put out hot new music. Known best perhaps for his 2002 EDM anthem “Satisfaction,” Benassi has experienced all aspects of the dance music industry and has seen how it has grown and changed over the years. Today, having worked with pop superstars like Madonna and Chris Brown as well as having headlined almost every big name EDMRead More
The Hi-Dive in Denver, Colorado is quiet as the opening band packs up their own equipment and exits the stage. A quiet electricity hangs in the air; the sounds of clanking classes and friendly conversation replacing the music that was just being played. In the small, standing-room-only venue, you won’t find any top-40 artists or teenaged fanboys and girls waiting around to meet their idols.The Hi-Dive is a bar, and half of the patrons are just there to drink a few beers and check out whatever artists happen to be performingRead More

Posted On May 18, 2015By Cat HauslerIn Artist Interviews, Music

Artist Insider: A Chat With DJ ETC!ETC!

When you buy tickets for a show at Red Rocks in Denver, they clearly say in bold print, “RAIN OR SHINE.” I’ve been to many a concert at Red Rocks, but have yet to put that rain or shine thing to the test. But today, it’s torrentially down pouring and has been for the last 48 hours in Denver. All the same, I head to my interview with DJ ETC!ETC!, hoping for the best. ETC!ETC!, or Jose Guerrero, has been producing for years, but has really hit his stride inRead More
While Taking Back Sunday finishes up their VIP acoustic set and meet-and-greet at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado, Greg Barnett, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, hangs around by the merchandise table. The twentysomethings who have come to relive their high school years and the eyeliner-clad tweens who have come to meet their idols gather around John Nolan and Adam Lazzara. Meanwhile, Greg and the rest of the Menzingers, a four-piece punk band from Pennsylvania, chat and laugh, fairly anonymous figures to the fawning group that has gathered. But whatRead More

Posted On January 31, 2015By Anthony KozlowskiIn Miscellaneous, Ramblings

Phoenix Skylark: A Man Paid Not to Write

Phoenix Skylark needs no introduction. As the world’s foremost non-author, he’s made headlines since his first foray into the literary community some 5 years ago. Now, it’s hard to imagine a world without him. Our News Feeds are so cluttered with articles from “10 Reasons Traveling is Right for Your Relationship and You Won’t Believe What I Say” to the “Puppy That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity” to the tides of BuzzFeed quizzes that the barrage sometimes threatens to overwhelm us. Luckily, pioneers like Skylark have stepped forward andRead More
Joachim Garraud has been making electronic music for decades. The DJ and producer first began his foray into dance music in the late 1980s and has been going full steam ahead since then. Known both for his unique sound as well as  for his one of a kind video shows, Garraud has seen the ebb and flow of the dance music scene and taken it in stride. As a producer, Garraud has been behind some of the biggest dance anthems of the 2000s (“Love is Gone” and “Love Don’t Let MeRead More