These guys were Born To Fly. New York in the house…
With the successful release of their first official single ‘Killer’, performances all over the world and countless chart topping remixes to their name, it is safe to say that the Disco Fries have had a monumental couple of years. The New York duo kick off the new year with an absolute monster of a track.
Words: Dan Prince
Well, what an incredibly fast rise to fame you two have had! Nick, we love this rumour at DMC – is it true that if the music industry didn’t work out, you wanted to be a weatherman?
Nick: “I love the fact that you started out our interview with this hidden gem. Yes, I’d be smashing your evening news if I wasn’t smashing the club. It should be noted, I don’t know more than your average about the weather, it just always has intrigued me.”
Danny, you have been a musician since you were young playing in rock bands through high school – when did you start to discover the joys of electronic music?
Danny: “For me, it was a gradual process that began towards the end of my time in high school when I was introduced to Radiohead’s Kid A. From the moment I heard the opening line of “Everything In Its Right Place” I was hooked. I still get chills listening to it. That record opened a lot of doors for me musically and I just branched out from there.”
What did you both think of each other when you first met at the Berklee College of Music in Boston – and what were the courses you were studying?
Nick: “It’s funny thinking back to when I first met Danny and the different worlds we came from. I was raised around New York hip-hop and knew what was going on in the clubs while he was definitely more of the indie rock kid. It took some adjusting but thats clearly one of the main reasons why we have worked as a group. When we first met, I knew Danny was the quiet geeky type, who could probably build a car if you left him in a room by himself for long enough, but thats why he’s awesome. We were roommates freshman year of college and then lived together with some friends during our junior and senior years. That’s when we started really getting into making music together. I was studying Songwriting and Production while Danny was majoring in Music Synthesis so we really tried to bring both of our strengths to the table when we started doing remixes. Danny would build the sounds, we’d both work on the melody parts and I’d do more of the arrangement. We’ve both grown as artists and made drastic improvements to our workflow since we started but our process to build tracks hasn’t changed too much.”
Danny: “I grew up in a suburb of DC and wasn’t really familiar with hip hop culture or the whole stereotypical Jersey/Italian personality. Haha so both were something new to me the day we moved into the dorms together. But all that aside, he’s extremely talented and motivated so we clicked pretty quickly and have become good friends. It took us a while before we found common ground musically but now that we have, its a great thing.”
What was your avenue into electronic music at college – how did you get your fix club/music wise?
Nick: “I was DJing parties quite a bit and stayed in tune with what was going on online from dj pools and what our buddies were playing out. Since we weren’t 21 at the time, it was really about going online and finding as much music as possible but I seem to remember us listening to a ton of classic rock, 90s dance music and the Rocky soundtrack. I think it was pretty tough just a few years back to stay in tune with what was going on in the clubs, without being IN the clubs. Now with the blog world being so prevalent, its definitely a bit easier for kids to get their fix.”
Danny: “Yeah we got into EDM right before it really took off and so we didn’t have all of the resources that are out there today. Although towards the end of college I interned at XM Satellite Radio and had access to their entire music database. That was pretty crucial because I was exposed to a lot more music than I had been previously. I remember hearing this song “Love Is Gone” a lot during that time. What ever happened to that guy?? Haha.”
One of your early breaks was being asked to remix Flo Rida’s ‘Sugar’ for Atlantic Records – how did that come about?
Nick: “Our manager, Marc Petricone, connected us with an A&R at Atlantic, who gave us the initial opportunity. Everyone at the label was happy with our work and, before we knew it, we had requests from Hollywood Records, Jive, and Sony to remix for their artists as well.”
How would you describe your sound?
Danny: “I’d say it’s an ideal balance of energetic aggression and melodic epicness. Or at least that’s what we strive for haha. We both come from musical backgrounds so melody/harmony always play a large part in our tracks.”
How did the whole label deal / management come about?
Nick: “At the end of 2008 we were just getting out of school and connected with Marc Petricone, founder of AV8 Records. He was looking to expand his career and bring in an original act in the EDM world. His guidance and expertise have helped a great deal and as a result we have signed deals with Strictly Rhythm, Vicious Recordings, and Central Station/Ministry of Sound. It’s all about putting out as much music as possible.”
You have remixed some huge names, Far East Movement, Chris Brown, Usher, Steve Aoki, Katy Perry and Britney to name but a few. Are you at the stage yet where you are turning down mixes and also, what mix are you most proud of?
Nick: “It’s really been a process for us to learn what projects to take on and what projects just don’t make sense for our brand. We definitely don’t take on everything like we used to. We try to take on only the things that we know we can invest the proper amount of time into and care about the results. If you can’t connect to a song musically or emotionally, it definitely will be a challenge to remix. Personally, I’m super proud of what happened with our Katy Perry mix. We made that, just for the heck of it on a dining room table with Tommie Sunshine last Fall and days later Katy Perry approved it as part of her mix package. When you hear a mix like that on the radio, and you find yourself reminiscing on how fun it was to make, those are the tracks that matter.”
Danny: “Our remix of Chris Brown & Benassi’s “Beautiful People” has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. I think people connect with the simplicity of it and it always goes over well. Some of our remixes don’t get equal love because the original track isn’t as well known, but I’m still really proud of a few of our lesser known remixes like Clinton Sparks “Sucks To Be You” and Kat Deluna’s “Drop It Low”
What do your families think of your careers? Did you come from musical backgrounds?
Danny: “Neither of my parents played any instruments to my knowledge but both are big fans of music. They got me playing piano at an early age and later I picked up trombone and guitar. They’ve always supported my interest in music and when I made the decision to go to Berklee after high school they were totally supportive of it. I’m not sure they really understand what I do, because EDM is pretty foreign to their generation, but they keep up on Facebook anyway and like to see me enjoying my career. All of my family has been extremely supportive throughout my career.”
Nick: “I was raised on playing piano, being in school bands, garage bands, and then picked up DJing when I was a teenager. I think my family knew that music would be the field I’d end up in. I don’t think anyone who isn’t directly involved with the entertainment industry really “gets” what it’s all about. Although now with Facebook and twitter, its easier for them to stay up on what we do since I’m not big on talking about it to much. I rather spend family time gorging myself with food and having good laughs.”
What is each other’s forte in the studio – who is best at what and what is the working relationship like producing and also DJing?
Nick: “I’m definitely more of the overall arrangement and melody guy when we work in the studio. We both have particular tastes in terms of club arrangement versus radio arrangement, so we really try to focus on the direction and our demographic before we get too deep into it. Being a keys player, I’m always the one who wants to play parts in, which definitely has its benefit to come up with some great stuff. Danny is all about programming, and the piano roll is his best friend…the guy is a human arpeggiator, so obviously that also has its benefits. As far as DJing, we’re a tag-team bouncing back and fourth between the CDJ’s and our sampler running Ableton for one-shots. We’ve been touring as a duo for almost two years now so we know how to trade off sets pretty well at this point.”
What is the best and worst thing about living in New York City?
Danny: “Hmm. Well the worst are shitty landlords, unforgiving winters and the crazy cost of living. But everything else more than makes up for it and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!”
Late 2010 saw you travel to the Far East to spin, a territory you have returned to many times – what were the highlights from that first venture there?
Nick: “That was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Our first trip over there was for one show in Hong Kong and we left the next morning so it really was more traveling than anything but the crowd was nothing short of amazing. Everyone was there to party and listen to great music. It wasn’t about showing off fashion or money, and it really set the tone for every event we do now. Our goal at our shows is to have high rollers partying with the average club goer, making the party accessible to everyone. Its not about status, its about having a good time.”
You have said that your worldwide smash ‘Killer’ is “a tribute to the DJ, and being a DJ in the club, your main goal is to – for lack of a better word – kill the worries and the stress of everyday life.” What DJs did you look up to that have influenced you and your style to date…?
Nick: “We’ve seen some incredible sets from Laidback Luke, Benassi and our buddy Tommie Sunshine, who is an encyclopedia of music.”
Danny: “Recently we’ve had the opportunity to catch Clinton Sparks spin at the Palms in Vegas. He is a ridiculous performer and definitely inspires both of us to bring our best to each and every set.”
And talking about influences, what producers are you giving props to at the moment?
Nick: “I absolutely love what Calvin Harris and David Guetta have done for music. They have expanded the reach of what was formerly a narrow market to the rest of the world. Obviously when things like this happen, there are plenty of critics who think the genre gets diluted and it “poisons” what the music is about at its core but I personally think if you are a fan of a movement as strong as EDM, you want as many people as possible to be fans of it with you. This is what helps push the envelope.”
Danny: “I totally agree that mainstream is not a bad thing. There are so many outlets for new music now anyway that you don’t have to be David Guetta to have your music heard. As for producers, I am consistently amazed a wide range of guys, but to pick a few…Zedd, Jack Beats, Nicky Romero, and Thomas Gold for their musicality and amazing production.”
Massive tune exploding just about everywhere right now, your new ‘Born To Fly’ track featuring the vocals of Niles Mason – tell us about this dancefloor monster…
Danny: “We reached out to Niles after hearing David Guetta & Afrojack’s “Louder Than Words” and were psyched when he got back to us saying he’d be down to work on something. We had started a track with this disco house feel that wasn’t really a typical sound for us. We didn’t know where to go with it so we threw the instrumental in his direction and he knocked it out of the park. It’ll be available for download on Feb. 14th via Strictly Rhythm Records and features a dope mix by Alex Kenji, in addition to our own reworking.”
What is the best club you have rocked around the world?
Danny: “Recently we started working with the Palms in Vegas and had the opportunity to spin at a few of their venues. We had an amazing time and love the energy of the people out there. I’d say that and Avalon in LA were two of the more memorable experiences we’ve had thus far.”
Nick: “I’m definitely psyched about our new residency at the Palms. When we first played there it was by far one of the best places we had rocked at and now we’ll be there monthly rocking at each one of their spots.”
What are your favourite clubs in NY at the moment?
Danny: “We actually don’t play that much in the city but we do go out to catch our friends spin on occasion. Recently, we’ve spent some time at Cielo and were loving the sound system there.”
What is your current top 10 you are hammering?
Danny: “For me I’d say these have been my go to tracks recently…”
Tommie Sunshine & Disco Fries – Don’t Look Back (Rogerseventytwo Remix)
Avicii – Levels (Skrillex Remix)
Jack Beats – Make The People
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Otherside (Third Party Remix)
Wiz Khalifa ft. Snoop Dogg & Bruno Mars – Young, Wild & Free (Tommie Sunshine & Disco Fries Bootleg)
Kaskade & Skrillex – Lick It
Zedd – Slam The Door
Disco Fries ft. Niles Mason – Born To Fly (Disco Fries Liftoff! Remix)
Major Lazer – Original Don
Bart B More – The Bass ft. Drop The Lime
Nick: “I’m with Danny on those picks. We also have been banging the hell out of our remix of Pitbull & Chris Brown’s “International Love” that we did with Clinton Sparks.”
So we come back to yours after the club, what is the Disco Fries ‘Back To Mine Top 10’ you spin us to chill?
Danny: “Haha well Nick’s and mine are probably completely different so depending who’s on the decks you might hear…”
Radiohead – Kid A
Air – Moon Safari
Sigur Ros – ( )
Ellie Goulding – Lights
Emancipator – safe in the steep cliffs
Nick: “I’d really have to figure out a way to transition these records if we actually were playing them in a set…”
Armand Van Helden – My My My
Frank Sinatra – My Way (My #1 favorite record.)
Dr. Dre – Ring Ding Dong
Rogerseventytwo – You Take Me Higher
Selena Gomez – Love You Like a Love Song (Yes…its awesome.)
What has 2012 got in store for us all studio wise?
Danny: “We’ve got lots of new music in store, both originals and remixes. You can expect to hear more of our signature sound plus we have a few tracks that are geared towards the top 40 market that we’re really excited about as well. On top of that, we’re excited to be continuing our collaborations with Tommie Sunshine, which I can promise will yield some wild stuff.”
Nick: “Thank you for reaching out to us to talk about what we have going on. DMC has been one of the most important mediums in the industry between the fans and the artists for a long time.
It’s great to see you guys keep reinventing yourselves and staying relevant.”
www.DiscoFriesMusic.com // www.soundcloud.com/TheDiscoFries // www.facebook.com/TheDiscoFries // @TheDiscoFries on Twitter
