Returning to the label that helped catapult their career with the release of smash hits “Heartbeat,” “What I’ve Waited For” and “Harmony,” Vicetone team up with Cozi Zuehlsdorff for their brand new single “Nevada,” out now on Monstercat…
Interview by Dan Prince
Photos by Brian Ziff
Ruben, Victor a huge welcome back to DMCWORLD. Gotta kick off guys with the Escapade Music Festival in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago…and the marriage proposal. Please, tell us the story…amazing!
A week before the show, we got a very long and inspiring email from Jonathan. In the email he said that he and his girlfriend have been huge fans of us for years and have supported our music from the beginning. He asked us if he could propose to her during our set and surprise her. We loved this idea and immediately started planning to surprise her. We invited him backstage, stopped the music in the middle of our set at Escapade in Ottawa and introduced him to the crowd. She had no idea what was happening and the rest is history! Amazing to see how the crowd reacted to their proposal.
So let’s kick on with the music and in particular the new tune Nevada feat. Cozi Zuehlsdorff swinging our way on the label that helped catapult your career, Monstercat. Talk us through the sound and history of the track…
The track idea started in Toronto back in 2014, when we were stuck there at an airport hotel, because we had trouble with our visas. We were going back and forth with the chords, but we very quickly had the right combination of sounds. The guitar riff that you heare throughout the track is roughly the same as the one we started out with on our laptops. It really was that epic moment when everything clicked and the track just ‘worked’. It took a long time to release because we kept going back to polish the track, and at the last stage we added Cozi’s vocals. She did an amazing job and really made the track complete in our eyes.
Why did you opt for Monstercat?
When we finished up the song we knew it had a special feel to it, different than the last few songs we’ve been releasing. We instantly thought of Monstercat for the release, not only because we have a great relationship with them and they were the first ever label to release our music, but also because we knew it would fit the vibe of the label and show a different aspect of our sound.
You have had some cool gigs these past few weeks, how did these go?
They were all incredible! We played New City Gas in Montreal and it was better than ever, and last time was hard to top! Montreal almost feels like a second home to us since we’ve been doing shows there since the very beginning. We have a special connection with the people there and the fans always bring insane energy… It’s truly a privilege to play there.
As 2016 hits the half way point, how would you say the year is doing musically?
There is a lot of progress going on, apart from the usual change in trends. There’s so much diversity in dance music right now with all the genres bleeding. And that’s a good thing!
What is coming out next from you studio wise?
Some really exciting singles and very cool collaborations are coming up!
It is the Olympics coming up. If you two could win a gold medal in any one event, what would you choose?
Basketball. It’s probably our favorite sport to watch. We’ll have to start working on our 3 point shots.
If you could swap places with 1 sportsman for 1 day, who would it be?
Lebron James. Absolutely.
What is on a Vicetone rider these days?
Not much, mostly drinks, fruit and water. We’re pretty easy going. Our rider is definitely not as crazy as some of our other colleagues, haha!
What is the biggest risk you have ever taken in life?
Quitting college to pursue music and investing all our money in studio gear. Luckily it paid off for us, and we have never regretted that decision.
And finally, a piece of advice for the thousands of aspiring producers reading this wishing to follow in your footsteps…
Always work hard and stay true to who you are. Never follow trends – make the trends.
