As you may have heard Earmilk has teamed up with Dim Mak and Insomniac to start a new Sunday night weekly extravaganza at Create in Los Angeles. The talent booking promises to be eclectic and popular, ranging from trendsetters in the industry to a steady rotation of the deep Dim Mak roster.
Tonight is the launch and the party will play host to Felix Cartal, ETC! ETC!, and TAI. Coming off his most recent 'Past, Present, Felix EP', Felix Cartal headlines the night with his vocal-focused, electro house sound, while German-based house DJ/producer TAI highlights the sexy beats from his upcoming collaboration 'Nuthin’ But Fire EP' featuring BOT from Crookers. ETC!ETC! adds the heavy bass to an already intense lineup.
Earmilk had a chance to sit down with Felix and TAI and ask them a few questions about the night.
EM: Felix, when did you decide to make the transition from the harder stuff to more melody and vocaldriven electro? Do you miss your ‘The Joker’ days or is it a constantly evolving sound?
Felix: There was a point in my life where I decided I didn't want to make 'the heaviest track I could ever make' anymore, because I felt like I could never win that game. It's a really negative headspace to create music from, so I took a step back and tried to write music that I actually enjoyed listening to.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6HBf-aOqFU[/youtube]
EM: What draws you to the Dim Mak brand and label? What are some features that makes the brand so attractive to up-and-coming artists?
Felix: I think the fact that Steve came from a band background as well always made us think similarly about music. We were never really dance dudes from the beginning so I always felt like Dim Mak 'got me' in that sense.
EM: We know you’re holding it down for Canada, being from Vancouver and all. There’s a slew of Canadian electro producers becoming quite famous…Do you see a difference between your shows in Canada and the states? Do you see yourself staying in BC or will you make the move to LA eventually?
Felix: I find it really hard to generalize for crowds for an entire country. There isn't an obvious difference from country to country, I think great shows can happen anywhere, and in the end, it almost entirely depends on the audience. I don't want to move to LA because I don't like traffic.
EM: Tai, your first release on Dim Mak was back in 2010, how does it feel to come full circle and headline the inaugural Dim Mak Sundays at Create?
TAI: It feels really special to have Dim Mak Sundays at Create be my first show I will play in Los Angeles… I'm honored actually.
EM: Dim Mak is trying to reinvigorate the clublife of LA with this weekly, through an original concept and a unique venue. What do you guys think of LA’s club scene right now and where does this weekly fit into things?
TAI: DM is doing a great job at introducing their original electronic music culture to LA for the larger audience. I have been here for a few days and can see the great interest in our electronic music to people that cross genres from other musical sub genres like Alternative and Hip Hop.
EM: You’ve collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry (Beetroots & Felix Da Housecat)…what’s coming up for TAI in terms of music? Any releases on the agenda?
TAI: I’m shooting the video to my next single called, “The Thrill” the morning after the gig tomorrow, which will be released in October. I’m really excited about this one even though I will look like complete shit after a nights DJing and partying with the Dim Mak family! Yesterday I went to Bob Sinclair’s house to work on a collab, so let’s see what happens to that.
EM: After touring all over the world what makes a club night special? Crowd? Production? What makes a venue work best?
TAI: It’s all about the energy of the people to me at the end of the day. When I feed off of the energy of the crowd and they feed off of me, then it doesn’t make a difference if I am playing in a basement or a posh club.
Felix: 100% the crowd. If the crowd is into it, nothing else matters.
EM: The Dim Mak family is obviously a tight knit bunch… What’s it like being part of the family and what kind of commitments does it entail? Is it competitive behind the scenes?
TAI: Family is a good thing. The tighter it is the better. But everyone is his or her own artist with their own style. So it’s like a (Chocolate or Girl) skateboard-team. We do our own thing and then come together in different places of the world to play together and hang out.
Felix: Dim Mak has always been really cool about letting me do my own thing. They've never imposed on my creative process and that's been the best thing about being with them. Autoerotique and I are extremely competitive because I hate him so much.
EM: Who is one up and coming producer now you’d love to collaborate with? Electronic music or not, anything goes.
TAI: I sent Felix some stems 2 years ago, but he didn’t work on it, haha..
Felix: Bat for Lashes.
EM: What type of music are you expecting to play at Create? What is the one song that you’ve been playing lately that goes off the hardest?
TAI: Lets see. I don’t have a prepared set. Just gonna see where the audience takes me. SPANK is crazy hard!
Felix: I might play a few dance tracks I've been feeling lately.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9DMzUVw4C8[/youtube]
EM: Last one: Describe Dim Mak in three words…
TAI: Avantgarde, Positive, -Energie
- Felix Cartal on Facebook
- Felix Cartal on Twitter
- Felix Cartal on Soundcloud
- TAI on Facebook
- TAI on Twitter
- Tai on Soundcloud
