If you aren't familiar with Late Night Radio, just wait until the summer is over, the DJ/producer will be on everyone's mind. His incorporation of so many different types of music into one song, makes his music appealing to a wide spectrum of listeners. I had the chance to chat with Late Night Radio, aka Alex Medellin, this weekend and talk about his jam packed summer schedule and his efforts to continue making "timeless" music that he thoroughly enjoys.
His newest album Soapbox will drop on June 10th with Super Best Records, and I'm expecting greatness. We've already heard the first single "For Always" and he has just released the second single "Forever In A Day" today. The new single truly shows off his production skills; the slick drum beat next to the silky synths offer up a perfect platform for the chopped samples to stand tall on. See what Medellin has to say about the Denver music scene and how he got there in the interview below.
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EARMILK: To start things off, why don't you share where you got the name Late Night Radio.
Late Night Radio: It sort of came from know that radio during the day played the whole top 40 sort of stuff versus what was playing at three in the morning. You know, DJs playing what they want to at that time. I felt drawn to the idea of not going mainstream and being able to do what I want.
EM: What can you tell us about the progression of your music since you started or how your sound has developed?
LNR: As far as evolving, I guess, more so now than ever, I'm trying to get more live stuff recorded and just make timeless music.
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EM: If you could work on a piece of "timeless music" with any artist right now, who would you collaborate with?
LNR: Any artist? Hmm… I would love to work with Chance, Chance The Rapper. Yeah, that would be sweet to make some beats with him. As far as producer wise, I'm trying to get some work in with Michal Menert.
EM: So what do you have lined up for the rest of the year aside from trying to get those sweet collabs going?
LNR: Right now, I've got a bunch of festivals through the summer and we are doing my album release party this Saturday. That's probably the biggest thing, but I'm really excited about the rest of summer and we've got my album coming out on June 10th with Super Best Records. I've got Electric Forest, Sonic Bloom, and some other great stuff coming up, too.
EM: That's a pretty excellent summer you've got planned there.
LNR: Definitely!
EM: Do you work on your music when you're on the road?
LNR: I have a home studio that, whenever I'm home, I'll hole up in for almost ten hours a day in. I'll work five, maybe six, days a week ten, hours a day in there. But even when I'm on the road, I'm in my little nook working on stuff.
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EM: How would you describe your sound to folks that aren't familiar with your music?
LNR: I see it as almost an introduction to electronic music. You know, it has got enough going on that bassheads or whoever can relate to it, but I'm really just trying to make timeless music; it's the whole funk, hip-hop, soul thing delivered in a fresh relatable way. That's a hard question.
EM: I think that answer is spot on. What songs are in your personal playlists right now?
LNR: Lately, I guess I've been listening to more of my travel playlist. Right now I have O.V. Wright, Tycho, and Chance is the stuff I've really been listening to. So, I guess it's all over the place.
EM: So you're based out of Denver now, what can you say about the exploding music scene there?
LNR: It is really one of a kind. Between all of the different venues and artists, you've got a lot of people who really care about what they're doing out here. It is just amazing. I didn't really realize what we had here until I started traveling. I mean I love everywhere I've been to, but Denver goes off. The city is really open to everything and ready to party. It is an exciting scene. You can go out on a Friday night, look over your shoulder and some big name in the industry can just be hanging out.
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EM: Where do you find your inspiration for your music?
LNR: I mean not really in any one thing in specific, but right now, the whole crew over at Super Best really gets me motivated. Being surrounded by great artists and having those personal connections make me want to push the limits with my music.
EM: Did you know that music was going to be your career path? Or as a young child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
LNR: Before the whole music thing came, I wanted to own a restaurant. I actually did a little bit of culinary school before I dove into music completely.
EM: Alright, so at what point did you decide music was the new route for you?
LNR: I played around on keyboard guitars a little bit when I was growing up. I never thought it was something I could realistically do. I was in California with some friends who showed me how to do some producing stuff. One of my friends was working as a filmer at the time for a mountain resort and he asked me if I wanted to make some music for the videos. I was in and that all worked out. I didn't actually consider the possibility of making music for real until I was about 23 or 24. It wasn't until that point that I would even consider playing on a stage, so it was all really by chance.
EM: From here, where do you see yourself going in the next several years?
LNR: I really just want to be traveling around the country playing shows. That's all I can ask for. I was blessed to be able to go on tour and do that and it has given me a little teaser of what I want to do with the rest of my life.
EM: Rad. Do you have any closing comments for the readers on EARMILK?
LNR: Be on the lookout for the album Soapbox! And keep an eye on Super Best Records as well!
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