Armin van Buuren is coming back to Jakarta with his Armin Only Embrace tour. We got the chance to talk to Dany Setiawan as the Founder of Euphorics Events and Yudha Budhisurya as the Managing Director of Livescape Indonesia about the event this March 31st 2017.

I: I would like to know the concept behind this event, how is it different from his (Armin) other concept?

D: Armin has three concepts as a matter of fact. First, just as Armin Van Buuren, A State of Trance, and Armin Only. It is Armin’s headline show. Where, he is the main act, playing his own songs, mostly from his albums. Armin Only is actually an old concept to support his new album. His newest album is called ‘Embrace’ with a lot of collaborators, from different genres, from hip-hop, rock, jazz, pop. He will bring all of his collaborators to this tour. So basically, he’s bringing the whole album on tour, including all the featuring artists.

I: So not all the performers are DJs?

Y: There’s not going to be any other DJ. He will be the only DJ. He’ll perform for 4 hours at the event, alongside other featuring artist in that album. There’s going to rappers singers, and also a  full band complete with drums, bass and all. And we’re lucky because at the end of his set, he’s going to do a vinyl set for an hour.

I: How many supporting acts are going to be at this event?

Y: There are a lot. But Mr. Probz is quite known. He’s a rapper. Then there’s Cimo Frankel, a 4 piece band called Kesington, a saxophone player. For singers we got Betsie Larkin, Eric Vloeimans and Angel Taylor. Many more and they all have different genres.

I: This is such a big event, is there any difficult or strange requests from Armin?

Y: Surprisingly no. For a concert this big, they don’t request anything strange. Because Armin’s management team is very accommodating.

D: Very easy compared to any other artist.

I: It’s stated in the website that this is a merge of theater and dance music, so what can people expect from this concept?

D: I went to the Armin Only show in Taipei few months ago and basically it’s really different. Don’t expect a festival, cause it was really a show! There’s a catwalk on the stage, there’s going to be dancers, a trumpet player, the band. When I saw it in Taipei, I didn’t expect it to be that spectacular. Especially the opening, I had goosebumps.

I: How is it different from previous Armin Only concerts from his Mirage and Intense album?

Y: From the album alone the genre varies. his previous albums were more specifically trance. So for music and performances will be clearly different. Also with Armin, every time he goes on tour, he keeps developing his concept. The concept for his tour for every album has been getting more and more spectacular.

D: We can say that it’s improving. This is the peak of years of improving Armin Only.

Y: And we’re lucky that Indonesia has never got the chance to see this but once we got it, it’s the most improved version of it.

I: What about his set? Will it be the same as any other places?

D: It will be different. The differences between Armin and any other DJs is that other DJs, from what I see, plays the same set everytime. I compared Armin’s set in Taipei and Ziggo Dome, the set are different. Especially the vinyl set, he can do whatever he want. You can check on Youtube, you’ll never see the same vinyl set.

Y: And with a DJ  veteran like Armin, unlike new DJs who only play for 1,5 hours, almost like a joke.

D: Well, maybe a not a joke. That’s because they don’t have enough songs to play. Armin has been in music for a long time, there’s a lot of songs he produced.

I: Will Armin open the show?

Y: Armin will open and close the show.

I: So Armin will be on stage for five hours full?

Y: Yes, four hours  playing with supporting performers and an extra one hour playing a vinyl set.

I: There won’t be any solo performance from the supporting acts?

Y: No. The supporting acts came to really support and collaborate with him.

D: So, don’t be late cause the opening will be great. The opening will give you goosebumps.

Y: Dutch people know how to create that.

Take these guys words for it. Armin Only Embrace is going to one spectacular show that you sure don’t want to miss. For more info click here.

1. You said in an interview that you make music by developing from a simple idea, but it’s harder to work together on a song from scratch together because it’s hard to find the right spark. How difficult it is to find that right spark?

   - El Gusto: I think sometimes it’s just really depending on how you’re feeling that day as well, sometimes it’s really about the mood or if we really got a strong idea that we really want to try kick off with, and some other times, we might get in the studio and both of us might get a little bit tired or blank and we just go home, cause there’s nothing here.

2. But is it difficult to try and create a song from scratch together?

   - Luke Dubs : Not really, it’s also thinking outside the box a bit. It’s easy when you’re doing it everyday, to approach it the same way everyday and sometimes it can be a mistake. You have to come in everyday fresh and thinking in a different mindset. So you then start an idea that is fresh and something that you wouldn’t normally try and it pushes you outside your comfort zone.

3. What do you think of this kind of festival (WTF16) that combines different types of music? How do you see EDM will fit into this scene?

   - El Gusto: I really love festivals that has a lot of different genres. It makes it more interesting for me personally. I like to see lots of different style of music from different areas and places around the world. Sometimes a festival is just one genre all day or for two or three day and it gets a little bit repetitive. I prefer it like this.

4. We see that a lot of EDM artists or musicians like to do remixes of other EDM music. In the past you’ve remixed Flume’s ‘Holdin On’ and Flume did the same for your ‘HyperParadise’. How hard is it to remix another EDM song?

   -El Gusto: I was actually thinking about that the other day. I think remixing is the easiest when you’re remixing a really good song. I feel like it’s easier for me and for us if the original song is a really strong song. But at the same time, remixing a more electronic, EDM song, can be really fun and challenging as well. But it’s really good when you got a strong core elements to work with.

5. In remixing an EDM song, do you aim to make it sounds like a completely new song or just to make your version of the song?

   - Luke Dubs: I don’t think we will ever be going to a remix with the intention that it has to be different or to have our signature. Like we were saying before, we want the song to develope itself and given the freedom to become what it wants to become. With remixing, you definitely want to give it your own stamp. I think it’s kinda cool to be able to keep some elements of the original song, so that people know it’s a remix. You can’t just completely change the whole song. Well, you can. People do that. But it’s kinda cool to just kinda flip it but still have some original elements of the original song.

6. Let’s talk about Frank Ocean for a second. How stressed out are you that his album hasn’t come out yet?

   - El Gusto: I mean common, lets bring it on!

   - Luke Dubs: I’m not stressed at all. I just feel like there’s so much hype and it will be great when it comes. But, just gotta let the man finish the record. There’s just too much people pressuring him. I’m really excited about it. We’re both massive Frank Ocean fans. I can’t wait to hear it. I really hope Frank comes with a really great record. Which I’m sure he will.

7. Last question, what’s your favorite thing to do to beat boredom on tour?

   - El Gusto: Reading is good.

   - Luke Dubs: Reading, listening to music. Sometimes when you’re on the road, you don’t feel like doing anything, it’s good to make yourself do something. Write some music, when you don’t feel really productive. But once you start, it kinda snowballs into something really cool. So it’s good to just force yourself a little bit.

Dried Cassava has been in the industry for over a decade. With over 10 years of experience, it’s safe to say that they know a thing or two about the music industry and market. Now this four piece band from Jakarta are currently in the middle of making their new album. We got the chance to catch up with the band about music, the industry and career, after they took the stage at the 6th Music Gallery on March 12th 2016.

Can you name 5 overrated and underrated musician?

Baskoro: There was a band called Swimming Elephants. This is a trick question! It’s so hard!

Nandie: I once listened to a song from a band called Strawberry Wine but they have not been heard for a while. Then I think Silverchair needs to be bigger, but they broke up so *sad face*

Bana: I think us (Dried Cassava). Well, I think us.

Kago: I think Jojo Mayer, well he’s a drummer.

Kago: I think Dadali band.

Nandie: What is that? Maybe only Tangerang folks know them (laugh)

Kago: They got 20 million view on youtube.

Nandie: Justin Bieber for me. He’s good, but I’m getting sick of him, it’s been years.

Bana: I’ll just say One Direction.

Baskoro: Silento. The one with “Now watch me whip..” It’s a good song, but when I went to his youtube channel and there’s only that one song. So yeah, overrated. Also, because Barasuara are all my friends, so Barasuara is overrated.

Baskoro: This is nuts! The bands are our friends, I don’t feel right about this

Bana: Yes, Barasuara only plays at Java Jazz Festival.

Kago: What do you guys think? Are we (Dried Cassava) underrated or overrated?

Us: Well… underrated, cause you guys are good but lack of hype.

Dried Cassava in 2005 and 2016, what’s been different?

Nandie: The difference lays in time. It’s hard when it comes to time. It was easy to find time back in high school. But now everyone has their own thing. But it’s incredible how we still find time to practice, to prepare songs, for brainstorming. I think those differences will create something different in the end. We hope it’s different but still good.

So when you guys rehearse or practice, do you like to play your own songs or cover someone else’s?

Baskoro: Yesterday, three of us practiced. We used to play RATM or Incubus songs. We practice for about 2 hours and the rest are just for jamming. But we mostly play our own songs.

What song do you cover the most?

Baskoro: All the Small Things by Blink 182

Do you have any embarrassing stories that happened on stage?

Baskoro: There was that time we played intro. After the intro was over I thought we were going to play our new song. So I screamed. That was supposed to be for that new song. After I scream, Kago that was supposed to come in asked “What now?”, but I screamed already. I was so embarrassed, it’s like I was just screaming for no reason.

You guys said everyone has their own thing going on. Have you ever thought about being a band as your full time job?

Nandie: We see ourself as a full time musician, but we’re not dedicated in only this. What concerns me is that if we forced ourself in to only doing music, we’re afraid that we’re forcing something that we should not be doing anymore. So I’m happier this way. When I want to play, I play, when I want to write songs, I write songs. There’s no pressure of having deadline for a new album.

Baskoro: And it’s fun for me to have a career.

Please describe yourself in one word. Not as a band, but as an individual.

Nandie: I am “Alim” (typical good boy). I’m not high maintenance. Straight edge.

Kago: I am dedicated. Maybe because I have a lot of things to do that pushed me to be a dedicated employee.

Bana: Sleep. I can sleep anytime, anywhere.

Baskoro: Mediocre. I always thought I got a lot of chance. But there’s nothing special about me, but I’m happy with it.

Have you heard Kanye’s statement that he’s planning on not releasing any physical album anymore, so he’ll release everything digitally through Tidal, Spotify and such. What do you think about that?

Baskoro: I think that’s fine.

Nandie: I’m an analog guy. If there’s no physical album, it’s just not right. Kanye in terms of business, has some major company behind him. I’m guessing in 20 years, there will be no more physical album. But I’m sure the value of cassettes, CDs, and vinyls will be 200 times higher in 20 years.

When we’re about to release Sensitive Explosive (Dried Cassava’s second album), there was an internal discussion whether we will only release only as digital copy or not. Our label suggest that we only release digital copy on iTunes. But for me personally, there’s something missing if there’s no physical copy, even tough in terms of selling, we don’t really get any profit because a lot of music store are closing.

Baskoro: If market says A, everyone will follow. We make music for people to listen.

Kago: Digital copy makes it easier for people to listen through gadget and stuff not like physical copy that you need to find at a music store. Kanye’s intention is just to make it easier for people.

On your youtube channel, there’s someone asking for your album for free. How do you feel about that?

Baskoro: We’re okay with that. I found someone shared our one album on Rapidshare and Fourshare. As band we just want our music to reach people. We want to get something from this, but we can’t get a lot then it’s fine. Because our goal is to have people listen to our songs and we want to keep playing music. But, if it’s possible, don’t copy it illegally.

You guys are musicians, have you ever illegally download music out of the internet?

Baskoro: I used to download free songs all the time. But since there’s iTunes and youtube, I buy songs from iTunes. But I buy less now.

Kago: I have and still do it.

We are excited about the new album! From their previous albums, we know it’s going to be a great one. Dried Cassava will be playing at this year’s We The Fest. Make sure you check them out!

P.S: The interview was conducted in Indonesian and translated to English by Svana Paper’s team.

Photos courtesy of UpfrontMY

As Oye and the Rainbows climbed to the stage, the quickly got to setting the tone light-heartedly, simultaneously garnering and warming up the crowd with twinning vocals and paired melodic saxophones and trombones, with synthesizers subtly complementing the atmosphere. Oye and the Rainbows smoothed the atmosphere for socialites to sip their beers and have light conversation under the hub of his live music.

Cue into their second song ‘Gravity’ as the bassist slides in, picking a groovy bassline, (not something you’d expect of a bassist playing for a Norwegian-influenced reggae artist), something long-time fans of 311 would enjoy and find familiar.

Photos courtesy of UpfrontMY

Erlend Oye is an all-natural performer, displaying cheeky antics onstage, showing himself to be a natural band coordinator. At one point, Oye curtly took a minute off-stage to get his scarf before wrapping it around his head, cheekily pointing to a fan wearing a ‘tudung’ (headscarf for Malay women) telling her he now understands the practicality of the headscarf to protect against cold winds (which were apparently blowing directly unto Oye).

We find couples, hand-around hips and necks, swaying and bobbing their heads to the infectious charisma and energy of Erland’s tunes while he introduced the band before aptly taking off his scarf, perfectly timed before the drummer ended his solo, and heading back to the mic again, impeccably reaching his cue to the chorus. I was personally impressed with his control of the band onstage in possessing the crowd response.

Reverbing synthesizers catch you with a steady, maintained drum-beat cueing the crowd for Oye and the Rainbows’ version of a ‘bass drop’. The crowd got pumped, made space to dance, then a daft-punk-ish guitar riff enters. Erland leads the crowd like a pied piper into imitating his movements. He then breaks into an unexpected scream, inviting a guitar solo before he hops around stage in a musical euphoria, facing the crowd and instigating them to flail their ‘jazz hands’ toward him. Oye even got the crowd to chant a few ‘woop woops’ with him!

Photos courtesy of UpfrontMY

The Rainbows then hit descending musical scales that avenue Oye’s Italian lyrics. The band then ends in a semi-high tone, leaving the stage hungry for an (prepared) encore, to which Oye obliges a few minutes later as he gets back on-stage with an acoustic guitar, kindly requesting patrons in the room to hum the intro guitar line for ‘Rule My World’, a title most Kings of Convenience fans were more-than happy to hum along to.

The first to join Oye in his encore was the drummer, followed by the rest of the band as they hit the first notes of ‘Say Goodbye’. Amidst the twangy-raggae beat, Oye holds a fist and starts pumping toward the crowd, urging solaced fans to slowly crouch and rise to the descending and ascending sounds. Oye then takes to the mic to explain how their music is made as each member takes a few bars each to solo before heading back into a musical frenzy with the rest of the room. Ultimately got 3/4ths of the room to crouch to the ground before they hit their last notes, received their due praise, and descended off-stage as true artists.

By Adriel Chan.

Purchase Discount Medication! Doxycycline Nhs Price. Express Delivery, I Need To buy doxycycline .
doxycycline hyclate in spanish doxycycline wellbutrin xl cheap doxycycline
generic for advair diskus price advair diskus Flonase without prescription

Cialis – buy Female Cialis USA, buy cialis 20mg. CT generally uses a six to eight week rehearsal cycle (with six being closer to the norm). This sample schedule could …
Cheapest prices Pharmacy. prednisone online Order . Approved Pharmacy, Generic Prednisone Order.
buy estrace Vaginal Cream Without Prescription. Jumpei began his Kjope Estrace Vaginal Cream pa nett, kopa Estrace Vaginal Cream online. Trackbacks

As rain poured and overcast shadows hovered over the city of Jakarta,it was a completely different world inside the 56^th floor of the BCA tower last Friday night. The warm,rich bamboointerior coupled the anticipation of the patrons within. Crowded,you could taste the anticipation as party goers, expats and models waited. The fashion show by ARTURRO was stimulating,as patrons mirrored the stylish collection proving that the night was more than justabout music. As the sky begun to clear and the city’s skyline w came into view, Daley Padley, better known as Hot Since 82, begun his set. Talented, charismatic and insightful,I had a chat with the British artist on how he became a DJ, his thoughts on Jakarta and the biggest downfall we humans possess.

What’s your name?

Hot Since 82

How long have you been performing for?

Fifteen years

If you were to describe your music to an alien, assuming that you could speak their language, what would you say?

If you were to give it to a bloody alien? I would say that at times it can be repetitive but it’s a way to take peoples mind somewhere else. It’s a release, I try make people relax.

Why become a DJ though?

I was shit at everything else, this was the only thing I could do. When I was younger my older brother had a set of turntables but he never used to let me play them so when he went out I would use it, and that’s how I learnt.

So your success is due to your brother?

No, he’s an idiot (laughs).

So, how do you like Jakarta?

It’s my first time here to be honest. It’s hard for me though because it’s the same in every place, you never get a chance to see anything. You land, go to the hotel, eat, perform and the next day you’re straight out of there.

But from what you’ve seen?

The foods really good so is the hotel… a lot of nice women as well.

And what do you see in the future for yourself?

I don’t know,I want to be somewhere nice. I mean in this game you’re hot one minute and you’re not the next so you have to enjoy it while it lasts. You have to work hard, same as any other career, and that’s what I do.

Do you think Indonesian people are ready for the type of music you’re producing?

You see in the UK we’re really blessed because electronic music is kind of a religion. You walk into any club or bar and its dance orientated music, I can play at underground clubs for up to eight hours. But sometimes when I play short and sweet gigs like tonight, I just smash out the records and make people dance.

And how did you feel the performance went?

Ultimately electronic music is supposed to play on a really loud, good system. When it’s too quiet or not proper you don’t get to hear the amazing elements that the producer puts in. The weird, tiny little frequencies that you hear and go ‘what the fuck is this record’, that’s what you want. I also want to rock out to it, but on that note, yeah it was good.

Would you put your music under EDM?

EDM is really just fucking noisy horn shit… wait I shouldn’t say that (laughs). It’s really whatever you like. It’s more dance music played in underground scenes, you’re not going to hear it anywhere else.

Often House DJ’s are grouped into one mold with a negative stereotype associated to them, do you feel that’s the case with you?

Yeah, but that’s life isn’t it. People like to group and pigeon hole things because it’s fucking easy. I hate pigeon holes. It is what it is, enjoy it. Don’t try categorizing things. That’s what I hate about critics because people talk too much bullshit when there are so many different styles.

And what do you think influences this mindset?

That’s just human nature, people like to bitch on each other- it’s our downfall as humans.

Hot Since 82 is currently on his Knee Deep in Asian Tour, where he will later travel to Europe. For more information check out his website (http://www.hotsince82.com/) or Sound cloud (https://soundcloud.com/hotsince-82)  (Text : Mariam Kosby)

Photos : Indoclubbing.com

Six years and counting, Wild Beasts have paved a smooth path in the indie rock charts and with “Present Tense” really hit the nail. With the hints of pop, unearthed lyrics and a whole lot of synths we were excited to hear what they had to offer in their first time down to The Bee, Publika.

You could hear the maturity growth in their music through the albums leading up to their latest “Present Tense”, and we got the opportunity to have a sit down with Chris Talbot and Tom Fleming to hear more about how they’ve grown since their early years.

With the new addition of synths and hints of pop – what prompted the change from the album ‘Smother’ to ‘Present Tense’?

Tom: I guess it’s simply curiosity, natural curiosity. We listen to other people make more sounds and think, we want to do that. We didn’t necessarily know how to do them at that point of time, so what you hear on the record is essentially learning how to use them. It’s by no means an expert record, but just exploring new sounds and methods of composing. I guess it was what we felt like we wanted to do.

Chris: Time as well. Because we realised it’s about time to do things. I wouldn’t say that it’s a monotonous cycle to release, tour, record. But we were in that doldrum. So we wanted a little break from that touring lifestyle. It was the first time we had money in the bank to sit down for a year and go on and do our own creative thing.

Tom: I mean, playing shows are wonderful but ultimately what lasts are the things you make.

When you guys started off you had a rough concept of what you guys wanted Wild Beasts to

Tom: I would say what we want to be has changed, we’ve learnt more and things have changed.

Chris: You don’t want to second-guess yourself, having a grand plan and then stick to it. That won’t be terribly exciting. It’s going down the path of the unknown.

Wanderlust is a lyrically strong song in the album, seemingly dissing those who sell out. Would you guys say its better to stay true rather than to “sell out”?

Tom: Maybe not right now but at the time, it was a bit more aggression that was deliberate, to be a bit more swaggerey. We’ve been away for a little while and online casino we wanted to make something to announce that we were back. But I think it still feels current and what we’re doing now, but we’re starting to grow a bit more distance in those songs and thinking maybe we can do something else now.

Wanderlust itself connotes a longing for travel. After having successful tours around Europe and America, now even in Asia do you still long to be back in Kendall writing music? How does the inspiration differ?

Tom: I like travelling and I’ve learnt a lot about the world by travelling places but it also makes you think of your home in a different way, it’s like when you’re young your home is the world. But now i realize what a small little island Britain is and what a small town. There’s a small island culture, you see yourself refracted through other people’s eyes but it teaches you stuff.

Chris: I have friends back home who never leave the town, and they would get to go on holiday once in awhile. But they won’t get to go to exciting new places like KL. This is not really a holiday destination people will come to around the drop of the hat. To travel around Europe is like how you would travel around Asia, but crossing those boundaries is very different and it makes you think about home a little bit more but it’s a privilege to do it because we know not everyone can do it.

Having a broad variation in music, organizing material for a show could be a headache and you guys have performed in numerous festivals be it big or small. How would it differ, preparing for these two contrasts of shows?

Tom: Our albums and the things we write about are quite varied so there’s something to bring people on a route through. You have to be aware when you play in a big show it’s a different. It has to keep people’s attention. Whereas in a room like this, you’ve already got it. You bring people on a bit more of a different ride. You make sort of tiny sounds and people hear it.

What would self mean to you?

Tom: It’s a mistake to think of yourself as an island, you need to think of yourself. Picture this: there’s this line leading you from the first amphibian that crawled up the land, the first fish that crawled out of sea. There’s a link, from you, to that. So to think about self as a one being is ridiculous. It’ll be missing the big picture, missing the woods for the trees.

Chris: I think it’s an age thing, if we look back before the release of our first record, when we were in our early 20’s we were probably really selfish. You only start to get a notion of other people, respecting them and what they should be. It only comes with the process of growing up.

(Photos : Adeline H)

Singer and songwriter Jenny Rossander – aka Lydmor – creates music that transports your senses to an ethereal dimension; causing you to lose yourself to the rhythm of her melodic electro-pop tunes paired with an edge of darkness in it’s lyrics. As energetic and quirky in real life as she is on stage, we got to have a chat to this Danish queen of quirk before her first Asian show at the Bee.

We’ve heard about your involvement in the Danish Cultural Institute’s Flikrkus Project, could you tell us more about it? And how exactly would you properly pronounce Flikrkus in Danish?!

Hah! It’s actually pronounced as Fleekush.

It was about 4 years ago when the Danish Cultural Institute were having a jubilee to celebrate their 20 years anniversary. And they started this weird free project, where they rented a bunch of vans and campers and you could use the campers to do whatever you wanted, as long as it’s interactive.

So I basically packed up my whole studio into a van and recorded people. I wasn’t very good at it though. At that point, I just bought my studio and I was still getting a hang of everything, so I would make it ring in their eyes and mix it horribly. But it was a fun experience. And that’s also where I got my name! There was a girl with a flute that they used to call flute mother, so it was there that people started calling me sound mother, which is Lydmor in Danish.

So what’re you looking forward to the most on your Asian tour?

Well as this is my first time in Asia, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Asia itself and to experience the culture here. I’m also looking forward to see how people will interact with my shows. I mean the audience is definitely going to be different than in Europe. So it’ll be interesting!

You did a ‘trust tour’ last December where people could just hire you to play private shows, as long as they pay for your ticket to the gigs location. What inspired it?

I was bored! I forgot to tell my booker to book some shows and nothing was happening in my music at the time. So I didn’t have any shows to play or anything to do and I was so bored! So I thought, “fuck it! If I can’t play any shows in clubs, I’ll just play in peoples living rooms!”

On an impulse, I just posted a video on Youtube saying “hello, can I play in your living room?” and one week later I had 21 gigs in 4 different countries lined up.

It was incredible though. I played to everyone; from big student parties to a group of 3 teenage girls in a living room.

How was the experience playing to an audience of just 3 teenage girls?

It was so weird. I was sitting on one side of the sofa with my keyboard, and they were just sitting there watching me. It was hilarious as well though because they were in their early teens and wanting to look cool, so they would say things like “Oh we always party in downtown with these guys who are older than us.” I think they really wanted me to think they were cool. Hah!

What was your best and worst moment whilst on the trust tour?

The best would have to be in Holland, I spent like 5 hours just hanging out there after I played just talking to people and getting to know the students. It was so warm and everyone was so open!

As for the worst… It has to be when I was stuck in Hamburg central station without my phone. I’m a bit distraught and lose phones very often, and I lost mine then. There was this girl who was supposed to be picking me up, but she was caught in traffic and had no way of contacting me.

There I was, walking around central station awkwardly with my laptop open trying to find a hotspot, being snubbed by all these German people passing by. And when I finally found a hotspot, I needed to receive an SMS to activate it… But my phone was lost. That was such a bad moment.

I ended up having to go into this really seedy and dodgy net cafe to Facebook message her. I found her in the end though! So at least it ended well.

Would you do a trust tour again?

Yes! Since I started touring internationally my calendar is filling up very quickly, but as soon as I have time where I’m not doing anything, I know I’m going to do another one.

Would you come to Asia on our trust tour?

Definitely, but it’d definitely be very expensive for someone to buy me a plane ticket here. Unless it’s a really rich person I guess!

We’ve read that if you weren’t a musician, you’d want to be a movie producer; so what’s your favourite film?

Mary and Max!

Favourite producer?

Lars Von Trier, he’s very dark, but for something lighter, Emir Kusturica. He makes very special, weird movies.

In one of them, the soundtrack is some weird Balkan music with trumpets and tubas, and the whole time, the band is in the movie. So if the characters are in the car, the musicians would be running along side them, and there’s no explanation.

I guess the directors thought that it’d be so weird to have a soundtrack when the musicians aren’t in picture, so they’d just have them in picture all the time.

If we funded you to produce your own movie, what would your movie be about?

I’d want to make a movie about loneliness; it’s such a complicated feeling that everyone tries to hide. And no one wants to appear lonely. Especially now with social media, everyone thinks that “I have likes on Facebook. I’m not lonely.”

I’d like to make it an art film. Not with a lot of dialogue, but with lots of pictures and some nature shots here and there. Something very visual and surrealist. Loneliness in the context of social media.

Could you name us a few Danish bands the world needs to know about?

When Saints Go Machine, they’re so talented. It’s electro-pop synth heaven. And Helmet Compass, my boyfriend’s band. They’re a mixture of psych-rock and house music. Very 90’s.

(Text & Photos : Adeline H)

Hailing from a land of female electro-pop aficionados, Lydmor is the next rising act. After having her first album, “a pile of empty tapes” release in 2012 and another one in the works, we were privileged to see her live at The Bee, Publika on the 16^th of October as the onset of her first Asian tour.

Lydmor (Real name Jennifer Rossander) kicked off her show with “Electric Mistress” – dauntlessly stepping up the electro-pop flow of the night. Initially the crowd was pretty mundane, having an invisible barrier between them and the songstress. Maybe it was the lack of anticipation from a fresh face in the scene but as soon as Jenny hit the stage, fiddled around with her laptop and sang the first note; raw emotion was simply oozing out through each song. It’s a light pleasure at how Jenny gives a brief description before most of her songs in the set – like a header of a story about to be told. From sad songs about “presents being returned” and “angry songs about angry people” its as though we were stepping into the phase of life when the song was written, and the beauty of it all is that she just adds her own musical chops while cohering them with electro dance tunes, accompanied by her serene vocals, it creates a cozy ambiance where she could connect and have a deeper musical experience together with the crowd.

The deep connection was more prominent halfway through Lydmor’s set as she chilled down and dedicated songs to her boyfriend, Andreas from Helmet Compass.  Covering “Drugs in my pocket” as an acoustic piece. Singing from the heart isn’t an easy thing to do, but when achieved the lyrics go beyond their words, and having Andreas in the room with her made it all more prominent. Picking casino it back up later with “Lampost light”, no longer was the crowd shy as it began, the void between stage and audience was gapped and fancy footwork was seen around till the end of her set. It’s hard not to get captured by Jenny’s eccentric movements on stage as she performs – how she gracefully but yet awkwardly sways her way between synthesizers and keyboard, flailing her arms around synchronizing to the melody of the songs, and how she generally occupies what little of the stage there was.

Wrapping up the night with fan favorite “Youth”, Jenny bolts down from the stage striding across the floor singing parts of it on top of a table across the room, ending her set poles apart from how it began. Her traits as a musician is really what constitutes a great performer, making Lydmor an upcoming act not to be missed and with another album to be released, we’re truly excited to see how far she matures with her music.

We discovered Nick Bertke a.k.a Pogo’s music in 2010, on his work for a Pixar movie called ‘Upular’, as were getting blown away by this track, we decided to find out more about him. Pogo has garnered more than 90 million views on his Youtube channel. His skill in remixing the music has been praised by so many influential people, one of them is John Lasseter, the founder of Pixar. He has created remixed-tracks from movies like Harry Potter, Toy’s Story, Pulp Fiction, and even Wizard of Oz. We had a chance to interview the amazing Nick Bertke to discuss about the story behind his music, his ideology and inspirations that brought him to plunderphonics music scene, and his project in Manila. (Alonzo : A, Nick Bertke : N)

A: Hey, Nick! How is life in Manila so far?
N: Life in Manila is good. I just finished setting up my apartment here. We’re building a recording studio just down the street from where I live. We finished up a meeting with the architech today. And everything is going full steam ahead, so it’s exciting times.

A: You said that you recorded something that had not been done before, is it like you invented this type of music?
N: well I certainly give it my own spin. I haven’t seen many music producers create music using just sounds from a single film or video game. So it definetly feels new to me. Yes.

A: What about the work that you did for ‘Up’ the movie, how did it start?
N: Upular is a piece of music and video I created for World Disney Picture. It’s a piece that I created for World Disney Pictures, they came to me saying “We’re just about to release this movie ‘Up’ on BlueRay and we want something to help promote the film”. So I created a kind of a remix if you will, the film using sounds and voices to create a kind of dance track and it went up on youtube, it’s got a good 6 or 7 million hits now. It’s done really really well. It’s quite awesome walking out of Pixar with a copy of the BlueRay before it was available in stores

A: It’s pretty cool. So how did they work with you? I mean like, did they see your video before or someone sent your project to them?
N: Yes, someone sent them my Alice video. And at first I didn’t believe them when they told me. Someone who was working at Disney marketing sent Alice to the head guys at the Disney Marketing and she contacted me and said “Hey look, the guys here really like what they see, is there any chance you might do this on a commission basis?” And that’s how it all started.

A: How hard it is to create a music based on movie’s sampling? Do you actually find it very easy to work with?
N: Well it certainly gets easy once you’ve done it 30 or 40 times. But it still takes about 3 or 4, sometimes 5 weeks to create. It’s very much like creating a composition, but then having to create all the instruments for the orchestra at the same time.

A: So, usually how long does it take for you to complete one track?
N: Usually 4 weeks.

A: 4 weeks? Is it like standart or the longest ?
N: No, that’s pretty much standard. Most people don’t understand how much work goes into it. I am very much creating all the drums myself and creating all the chords and melodies myself. And that’s a tremendous amount of work.

A: in March, you deleted all of your social media accounts. What brought you to that decision?
N: Yeah, I just felt that I needed a break from social media. I felt like it was a negative part of my life and I found it to be very difficult to deal with everybody’s expectations every day. And I didn’t have the right mind for it at that time, so I decided to take that out of my life.

A: So you said that you couldn’t deal with everybody’s expectations. So they expected something high from you, like they set a bar from what you’ve worked on?
N: No, not necessarily . Expectations come in many different forms. You have people who say “ you’re breaking to much outside the box” you have people who say “ you’re too much in the box” and eventually after a good 5 or 6 years being on twitter every single day it becomes frustrating, it becomes unhealthy I think. I felt that I was focusing too much on people and not enough on my music and what I wanted my music to be.

A: I would like to know the project that you’re currently doing in Manila
N: Well I’m in Manila, Philippines at the moment. We’re building a recording studio and a film studio called The Breeze and we’re developing singers here and we’re developing talents and dancers and actors and we’re enganging a whole bunch of really exciting music recording projects and film projects with the facilities that we’re building. So it’s going to give me the power to create bigger, better things with Pogo as well by having a production company that I work at. So close to my apartment as well. I think it’s just about 2 minutes walk down the road.

A: So you’re working with the the local musicians or?
N: That’s right. The Breeze is a studio that I’m helping to build. We’re actually working with some fellow Australians here to get the whole thing made. And I think we’re about ¾ of the way through construction, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. And we’re actually also building a college in to the studio, to teach people how to make music and how to make films. So that when they’re learning they can actually row back into the production studio as employees and artist for the company.

A: Why do you pick Manila to work on this project,like why not the other cities, like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta?
N: I pick Manila because its tremendous amount of opportunity here . There’s a lot of ‘can-do’ attitude. Manila in the Philippines as a country is very much on the rise, people’s minds are very open here, there’s a lot of ‘can-do’ attitude, there’s a lot of opportunity, and the people in the Philippines I just find to be very talented, very loving people. You can really get a long with people here so well. It’s really like no other place I’ve been to before. I think it’s fantastic.

A: I’ve been wondering why did you pick the name Pogo for your stage name? because I’ve been googling about the history of this Pogo.
N: well, I think Pogo is a student. Because when I was in school, I drew comic strips more often then I actually did any school work. And one the comic strips I came up was called Pogo. Which was kind of Pokemon concept. So when I started making music and I was releasing it on the internet, I thought why not just call myself Pogo? It’s short, it feels personal to me because of what I had drawn in school. And it just stuck ever since then. .

A: Is there any music or films that you like to work in the future?
N: I’ve always wanted to make a mix out of Muppet Treasure Island. Well The Muppet Treasure Island was one of the biggest films that The Muppets and the Jim Henson company ever made. And if you can imagine Pirates of the Caribbean but with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Basically Pirates of the Caribbean with the Muppets. It’s a lot of fun members and so much sounds to work wit. Also Breaking Bad the TV series. I’d love to do something with Breaking Bad. I think I’ll be fantastic.

A: So Nick, if you were asked by some pop musician to work on their music, who would be the musician that you would like to work with?
N: Geez. I would love to work with Akufen who’s actually one of the artist I took inspirations from back in the day. Nobody’s ever heard of him because he doesn’t have marketing around him whatsoever unfortunately. But he makes music using nothing but small sounds that he records from the radio. And he’s an absolute bloody master at it. And he was one of the first people who actually inspired me to the whole plunderphonics sampling scene. So if I got the opportunity to work with him, I’d say “ hey man, lets work on a Breaking Bad mix or something “ cause I think he’d be an absolute master. He’d blow me out of the water any day.

A: What do you think of the progress of the music scene in Australia?
N: Well what I found. The electronic music scene in Australia I found to be very underground. So it was never very easy for me to tap in to. It was very underground. Whereas in Germany or you know Europe, I think electronic music has quite a big presence there. Whereas in Australia it’s very rock and it’s very pop.

A: Have you been listening to some musicians in Manila or some local music in Manila?
N: Yeah, there’s some really talented MCs and rappers here. It’s quite amazing. You find it, that kind of music Is actually underground here as well. Because what I find in the Philippines is they really like their covered songs. One of the initiatives that we’re trying to take at The Breeze is to teach people, you know about being original and about finding your own identity and making your own mark on the world. Whereas in the Philippines a lot of people like to do cover songs and that’s kinda where they stop. So it’s a very different culture but it’s very interesting, because there is so much opportunity to inspire people to find their own voice.

A: From the music that you have worked on. Is there any message that you’d like to convey?
N: Yeah, I never really sit down in the studio and say “this is what I want people to think” I think music has to come from your soul which is a horrible cliché. But it’s true. You can’t think about music to write it. You just have to write it. You have to almost let the music write itself . and I’ve always found that when my best tracks have come about when I’m not thinking about it. I think Michael Jackson said it best, he said “You need to get out of the way of the music” and I think that’s so true. Every time I’ve tried to formulate a piece of music it’s just been a horrible failure. So, no there’s no message I try to convey. But the message I would say to people is you shouldn’t chase trends. You shouldn’t make music for anybody but yourself. If you’re not happy with it, then chances are other people aren’t going to be happy with it either. You need to follow your ears, you know, ears and you mind. And you need to know very strongly what you like. This is the kind of kick drums I like, this is the kind of melody I like, and It is self indulgence, I think making music has to be self indulgence. I mean, you listen to the radio nowadays everything on the radio sounds the same. It’s all dance music or rather have the same beat and has the same massive built up and then massive drop. Because the music industry now is extremely industrialized, it’s extremely formulated. Back in the 90s you have a huge variety, you had Smashing Pumpkin, you had Will Smith, you had Fat Boy Slim, Michael Jackson. For now, not at all, just boom boom boom boom boom, like a club. It’s a sign that they’re trying to make music to please as many people as possible. And I think there was a time in the music industry where they took chances and the took risks. Now if you don’t follow to a very strict formula, the industry is not interested in you anymore.

A: Yeah that’s true. You have created so many great tracks. Do you have the least favorite from those tracks, like the one that you think you didn’t do really well?
N: I like that question because it demands reflection sort of self criticism. I actually like that question a lot. I would say, I’m thinking about Crimson which is the remix that I did of Dexter. Yeah, the tv series Dexter, the tracks called Crimson. I actually did that for a commission for show time, so I don’t know if I should say too much really. But it’s quite a long time ago, so I suppose it’s okay. The thing with Crimson I suppose was it’s just really slow. It starts off slowly and it keeps going slowly. If I went back to it, I want to make something that’s more engaging , that gets up and moving quicker. Cause it was in 2010, that’s quite a while ago. And also Buzzwing. Buzzwing is a remix of the Buzz lightyear from Toy Story. That’s also very repetitive. I definitely wouldn’t do something like that today. And Alohomora the Harry Potter remix. That’s, I think that’s quite an uneventful track. It doesn’t give you much. I would say, it’s kind of just a generic drum bass track if I listen to it now. So yeah, your taste changed over the years.

A: Yeah, I get it. Is Alice in Wonderland your most favorite work? Because it’s your first work and then it’s booming.
N: No. Alice is far from my favorite work. I actually think Alice is some of the most simple work I’ve ever done. If I was to create Alice now, it would be a lot more complicated I suppose. It wouldn’t be so repetitive, it wouldn’t be so simple. And it’s interesting to think that if I uploaded Alice today, wouldn’t get as many views. Maybe it was just a question of making the right music for the right time, I don’t know.

A: So which one is your favorite? Upular? Because I really like Upular, it’s very good.
N: Thank you [laughs]. My favorite, I’m just looking through my folder. Honestly I’m very happy with Muppet Mash. It’s a remix I did for Sesame Street, the first Sesame Street. I’ve always been really proud of that one. Mostly, I suppose because I tried to make it more acoustic. I wasn’t going for that electronic sound. I actually used a real drum kit and a real bass, I’m so happy with how it came out. Everything else I made here, I’d say this, there’s nothing really on my channel that I’m more than 80% happy with.

A: You’re now developing your project in Manila and you’ve done so many great tracks and then what’s next? What do you really want to do in the future?

N: Well, what I really want to do is some kind of interactive Pogo. Because you always watch Pogo videos. Interactive Pogo. You know, instead of just watching this premade video, I want people to have a creative input. I want them to be kind of making the track on the videos themselves. So instead of just a youtube video, maybe it’s a full page of small videos. So each video is like a small sound, just have to enable each and then it will add to a big track. So people can almost develop the track themselves and they can explore the difference sounds and feel like it’s something that they have a creative part of. I’d love to experiment with something like that, I think that could be the next thing.

A: Do you have any plan to create the same project in Jakarta?
N: well it depends. If the studio here is successful, there’ll be no reason not to create a branch in other parts of the world. Yeah, absolutely.

“Dunecore Stoner Pop” band, Dune Rats brought to the table their eccentric personality along with an abundance of laughter. We laughed and joked around with these guys at The Bee before the nights show with Last Dinosaurs. Here’s what they had to say to our on-the-spot questions.

What does it feel like being in Malaysia for the 2nd time?

Danny: F**kin lovin’ it dude, this is our second time here. We’ve knocked over most continents now so when you go back the second time you just meet the really rad people you see from the first time, added on with way more new cool people! Comparing it to Singapore the kids here are much looser. During our gig last year in Penang, the kids we’re in their leather jackets, Fight dancing and throwing down drinks and stuff. They like to get a bit sweatier – I like that.

Do you guys have a record label? Tell us a bit more on that

Danny: Yea we do. Just did recently, its’ sort of our own record label through Warner. Most people get scared of major record labels, fearing that they’d bone them real hard – which happens most of the time. Well 99.99% of the time. The deal with this label we created through Warner is that we have more creative control.

Brett: Hopefully we manage to pull out our favorite records from bands we’ve met all around the world, and be able to release it out in Australia.

On Facebook it says that your record label is called Dyish as F*ck. Is that what it’s actually called?

Danny: * histarical laughter * It could be. But no, its called Rat Bag Records. We’re fortunate that we’ve played alongside some real cool online casino canada bands.

Brett:That’s probably a bonus to having our own record label, considering that other record labels are f*ckin douchebags.

Danny: You already know that just say whatever they need to say to get you signed to them. We hope that typical mainsteam bands know that we can bone them over. It gives us something to do in between shows and stuff.

Would you say you’re doing this solely for the passion?

Danny: Well yea, we didn’t really want to loose the band side of things. We’re not businessmen. The label side of it is more directed to Maddy, Gabby and all those other guys are more of the wheels behind the entire thing. Our job is mostly to identify the talents we want on the label.

How did you guys form together into a band?

Danny: Well we met at the pub like any other healthy relationship. Me and BC met at a pub and about a year or so later I saw Brett with a broken arm walking across the street and in those moments I knew that I just had to have them in my band.

Australia has a great talent pool for upcoming indie bands, and most of the bands come from the same areas. How is the music scene progressing now?

Danny: Were lucky in a sense that there’s tons of venues. But nowadays DJ’s take over and bands get shut off since they’re not as “profitable” as them. But its cool how the bands still stick together and play their sh*t out because they love it. Central cities in Australia like Melbourne is really spread out. Even with the screwed up laws that kick you out of the pub real early there’s still places you can go to if you know where to go, But a lot of the time if you just head down Chapel Street there’s a ton of venues to choose from. It’s probably why there’s a f*ck load of bands that come. In Brisbane when we started out, Venues weren’t really playing unknown bands. So we pooled a couple of bands together and played at venues till we got sufficient exposure. Like with Last Dinosaurs and us we just jammed together and made something out of ourselves. That’s why every time we travel we’ll definitely know the band if they’re from Australia, Brisbane especially.

These 4 twee-boys are talented, good-looking, and absolutely hilarious; the wet dreams of indie teenage girls everywhere. Well, we got to sit down with these chill guys before their gig at the Bee for a candid talk about their misadventures with law enforcements and fans around the world.

You guys have recently spent some time touring in Japan, how was the whole experience and what did you guys do there?
Sean: We spent a bit of time down south, where Dan’s parents lived. We did some writing there, then we went back up and did a few shows around Japan. There was a mix of number of people in the crowd, one of them had like 20 people, but it was fun overall. And of course Lachlan and Michael got arrested for having a snow fight. Which was pretty interesting.

What? Why did you get arrested for having a snow fight?!
Michael: Well we got arrested in Sendai, up north.

Lachlan: It’s a long story, but it was basically because we were causing a ruckus. And it was the middle of the night.

Dan: And they didn’t bring their passports.

Michael: They were so nice though. Lachlan was in the next room speaking Japanese to one guy and I was in another room with another guy who could speak a bit more English. And he was asking me about my favourite movie and what Australia is like. It was so nice. It was just like a good chat.

While on the topic of Japan, did you play the Japanese version of Time&Place live while you were there?
Sean: No. I honestly don’t know how to do it. I mean, I sung it when we were recording but I was just making the sound of the words. I don’t know how to do it live.

How does playing gigs in Asia compare to playing back home in Australia?
Sean: Similar in some sense, but I think you guys are a bit more crazy. Maybe it’s because we don’t come here often and when we do it’s a rare opportunity. It’s awesome because of the size of the crowd, and if you tour anywhere else, it’s nowhere near as big.

Dan: In Australia the live music scene is pretty good, I mean you can see an international band coming in every fortnight usually. Which I assume doesn’t happen much here, so I guess that’s why you guys are more grateful.

Sean, you’ve said that Hayao Miyazaki animations are a big influence in the Last Dinosaurs sound, so what is your favourite Miyazaki film?
Sean: Yeah, it’s definitely a big influence. We grew up on watching it, and it’s very distinct. My favourites would have to be Laputa (Castle in the Sky) and Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke).

Being “celebrities” and all, i’m sure a lot of groupies have tried coming on to you. So what’s are some pick up lines they’ve tried to use?
Sean: Hah! I think the only ones who have every tried to pick us up are like the guys from the Dune Rats.

Lachlan: The fans can probably read that we’re not the kind of people pick up lines would work with. Either that or we’re not worth picking up I guess.

Oh! But I heard you got the scar on your right eyebrow from a groupie chasing you? What happened there?

(the band bursts out in laughter)

Lachlan: Hmm, how do I say this without being charged. Well, a fan of mine was being a bit… crazed. Like literally a little bit psychotic. I was trying to go to bed one night when she came up to my room. Long story short… I ended up running away. I was getting creeped out and just straight-up left my room.

To give you an idea of the space, it was a really old English building with narrow corridors. The type that you can get lost in pretty easily. Anyway, back to the story. So I started running and I was meaning to bolt down the stairs, but in my confusion I took the wrong door I was in the elevator room instead. When I realised that I was at the wrong door, I turned around, and as I did, she came into the elevator room. And that’s when I panicked.

The door was automatic so it was already swinging shut, but all I could think about was to keep on running. So as it was swinging, I ran straight into it. I was a bit drunk when that happened, but it was still really crazy. There was a pretty big gash on my forehead and I had to go to the hospital to get that sorted and everything.

Did she follow you to the hospital?
Lachlan: No she didn’t. She just stayed the night instead… With us…

Michael: It sounds so horrible even when you describe it. I mean it’s running away from someone while their straight-up looking at you. It’s like a horror film. All formalities drop with that.

Sean: It’s not a pick up line but what she was saying was, “I’m very disappointed with the fact that you guys don’t sleep naked”.

Dan: Oh yeah, THAT WAS SO WEIRD. But she said a lot of weird stuff.

Michael: If you’re reading, hello.

Sean: Actually we wonder where she is now. We haven’t seen her since.

What’s up with the scuba diver on your new shirts? What’s the inspiration behind it?

Dan: Let’s not get into that (laughs)

Sean: Well umm, I was … We can’t be sued, I guess… I was on eBay one day when I saw an awesome design. And well, we “copied” it.

Dan: We “stole” it.

Michael: But we all really liked it and it works because a lot of the new songs on the new album is going to be about water and the deep and diving.

Sean: Yeap, every song has at least one reference to diving or underwater.

What’s the back story with Michael and how did you guys get him to rejoin the band?
Sean: That ones a long story, it just seemed like a good idea really. But we started writing songs together and…

Dan: He paid us $10k.

Michael: I came up to them and said, hey guys, look. I saved up, here’s all my money, take it. Oh no, I’m kidding.

In a million years… What kind of legacy would you guys wanna leave behind?

Dan: I’m not sure whether people will still be around in a million years, but hopefully some people in 50 years time know who we are and they’ll still be listening to our music!

(Adeline Hong)

A couple of weeks ago, we hung out with American dream-pop trio, Au Revoir Simone. While they were enjoying their posh night in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, we asked them about their stories, being a back-up singer for Broken Bells, and even a question about Tour DuPont.

Youve been making music with keyboard and do you want to explore your music by playing another instruments?

Keyboard is an instrument that we know how to play best, so probably we’ll keep making music by keyboard. But from time to time it’s nice to have another instruments, and when we end up to make an album, it’s sort of like a self contained. Like when we end up writing a song, we find all the parts that we need just the three of us. So, we end up not really doing that. But maybe one day.

Do you consider to have a male musician or another female musician for? (laughs)(Laughs) This album we have a boy producer, he played bass guitar, and we also had a drummer. And we also like having a cello. But in general, the keyboard’s sounds can be like a flute, like a cello. So, we don’t really need another instruments in our band. Even sometimes you can make it sound like an electric guitar.

Are you guys a big fan of Tim Burton?
Yeah, we are fan of him. When Heather came up with a name of the band, she was watching those movies.

So, which one is more important for you guys. The lyrics or the melody?
I think it’s different from the three of us. For me the melody hooks or grabs you, like you can say what you need to say with the melody even without the words. But we all enjoy wordplay, poetry, but not so much about reading poetry! (laughs)

Like sentimental poetry?
Sentimental secret poetry.

From all of the music festivals that you attended, which one is your favourite?
That is a really good question. Well, this year we played at Coachella for the first time, and we are actually going because we’ve been touring with Broken Bells, we do a back-up singing for them.

What is your definition of indie and hipster?
(laughs) I feel like they are a little bit outdated. They were fun to talk about like five years ago, but now maybe we need some new words.

We heard that one of your mothers is doing a pro-cycling?
Was it me who talked about it? It’s so funny that someone remembers it! Well, my mom sort of used to work for Tour-de-france, but it’s like the American version, it’s called Tour DuPont. It’s a company and like a big preparation for DuPont, so they sponsored it. And they tour California and tour China. I got to go in one race once in a car, we went before the bikes to clear the road. It was really exciting.

Are you guys into sports?
We do yoga and jogging. And lately we are into hotel room sports. You know, like hotel room activities, we do excersice by watching YouTube videos. Because normally, you can either sleep or excercise. There’s usually not so much time, but we are really good at that. Trying to figure out within your environment, or doing sound check, running up and down the stairs. But it’s not really athletic. (laughs)

Do you have any favorite female vocalists?
Oh, I love Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star and Trish (Keenan) from Broadcast.