The Illuminarti Blog

Nari & Milani; the Italian duo behind one of 2011's hardest hitting tracks "Kendo". They may still strike some EDM fans as a mystery, but with the phenomenal credentials they have, it will not stay that way for long. Nearly everyone knows Swedish House Mafia previewed Nari & Milani's "Atom" bomb at Madison Square Garden back in December 2011 and it is set to be released from its missile silo through Size Records on March 26, 2012. I would like to thank Nari & Milani for taking the time out of their schedule to answer these questions for us.

RD:  When did you start producing/DJing?

N&M: DJing has been a passion of ours since we were children. We started DJing at numerous Italian clubs many years ago back in 1994.

RD: What motivated you guys to pursue a career in this industry?

N&M: An infatuation for music and the emotions that come from every single track.

RD: How did you guys come about working together?

N&M: In the beginning we were in the studio together and decided to continue working as a duo. We made the right decision at the right time that lead us to where we are today.

RD:  Being a duo, do you guys go back to back while spinning or  is there a certain technique you follow?

N&M: We always consult with one another on new tools, new methods, tracks to play, then decide together.

RD:  Could you explain the Nari & Milani producing process?

N&M: Everything is prepared. Our inspirations are in the air and everything is connected to timing. Sometimes certain things work and sometimes they don't. We just keep adding new variables into the equation until we get the finished product.

RD: What is the inspiration behind your track 'Atom'? 

N&M: We were in the studio working on music and "Atom" was born. We were in the right place at the right time.

RD: How did 'Atom' go about getting into the hands of Swedish House Mafia at Madison Square Garden? What was the process?

N&M: Steve Angello took a huge liking to the track "Atom" and signed it to his Size Records then later went on to play it with his Swedish House Mafia brothers Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso at Madison Square Garden. Ever since then the track has rapidly been gaining momentum.

RD: The instruments in 'Atom' are dynamic but there are only a couple going on. Do you experiment a lot trying those specific sounds? Does it take you a while to find the perfect drums/chords/sounds?

N&M:  It took us about a week to figure out the instruments of the song and how it would work. We took some sounds from our track "Kendo" that was also released through Size Records last year and mixed them with other new instruments we liked.

RD: What gear do you guys use when producing?

N&M: We use Cubase 6.5, Nexus, and Slyenth1. We also use a lot of samples while producing.

RD: You guys have just recently collaborated with Bob Sinclair and Pitbull on a track called 'Rock the Boat'. What was it like working with them?

N&M: "Rock The Boat" was born back in 2010 from an idea we had for a remix to one of Bob Sinclair's songs. He wanted to do something new with the foundation we built for the remix and that is how was created. Bob Sinclair and Pitbull are great professionals and it is an honor to work with them.

RD: Are you excited for WMC 2012 in Miami this year? Where can we catch you down there? Any parties planned already?

N&M: We have a couple of parties we will be performing at and you will definitely catch some unreleased material down there. We are super excited for Nikki Beach on March 22, 2012 with Bob Sinclair, Robbie Rivera, Tommy Trash, and Bass Jackers.

RD: What are your traveling experiences? Is there a city you have spun in that you can see yourselves returning to?

N&M: We love traveling and every place we perform in from metropolis to small town has a special place in our hearts. There are too many cities we admire to pick one as our favorite!

RD: Could you see yourselves obtaining residency in a city like Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, Miami? Any clubs pop into your mind for residency?

N&M: Yes! We would like to perform in all those cities and more. We don't have a preference in which club we would like to obtain residency because we have never tested them out but when we do we will let you know!

RD: Can you describe the connection between you guys and your crowd?

N&M: Our life, the relationship with the public, the energy the crowd releases when we perform, is almost addicting, we could never give it up.

RD: Who would you list as your mentors?

N&M: We were influenced by all the historic house producers from 1989 to 1995. It is inspiring to hear their tracks while we are in the studio thinking of new musical ideas. Too many to name specific producers.

RD: Is there a certain track you are really into at the moment?

N&M: We have a track coming out soon with Tristan Garner and 2 other amazing DJs but for right now we can't release anymore information!

RD: How do you feel about the American EDM market?

N&M: We are eager to get there! Get ready to talk about us! Expect nothing short of great!

RD: Any advice for upcoming producers?

N&M: Never give up, believe in the music, and good luck to all!

Keep updated with Nari & Milani:

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Like Nari & Milani on Facebook

Check out Nari & Milani's Official Website

Just a quick debriefing on Firebeatz. Firebeatz is a Holland, Netherlands based duo between Tim Smulders and Jurre van Doeselaar. They are most popular for their amazing releases on Spinnin Records such as "Where's Your Head At" and 'Funky Shit". They've also had a huge release on Steve Angello's Size Records called "Where's Brookyln At". Their tracks gain early support by top tier moguls in the industry because of their super hard sounds. I would like to thank Firebeatz for taking the time out of there schedule to answer these questions for us.

RD: When did you guys start producing/DJing?

Tim: I started DJing at a young age, first as a drum n bass DJ. I played drum and bass for over 3 or 4 years before I got interested in house music. When the virus got me I've been playing it ever since, it also got me into producing seriously.

Jurre: I started producing on a Roland MC 505 at a friends place and that's when I bought my own Roland MC 909 at the age of 16 I started DJing at local clubs.

RD: What motivated you to pursue a career in EDM?

FB: The main reason is that we both love making music, when we are busy in the studio making music, everyday feels like a day off. Its the greatest feeling to build a career from your hobby, so we keep persuing this dream.

RD: How did you guys come about working together?

FB: We met each other in the school of arts in Tilburg were we both studied. We started to make some tracks together and noticed that we had the chemistry going and we never stopped since and it worked out great.  Somehow people like what we do and play/buy our stuff and book us, thats how we can keep doing wath we love to do.

RD: What role does music play in your life? How has it shaped your daily routine?

FB: Music has become a way of life. We are constantly talking or thinking about it; discussing new tracks, plugins, and gear you name it... Sometimes it can get kind of geeky but thats what we love!

RD: How would you describe your music? How do you want people to interpret your sound?

FB: Energy! Groove! & FIRE!!!

RD: If you had to sell someone on downloading one of your songs, how would you sell them?

FB: We let the music speak for us ;)

RD: For your original material, how do you get it out there? Can you see it surfacing more in the American market? What tools are vital when networking?

FB: We have quiet a structural plan nowadays with teasers, Facebook actions, promo mailings, etc. These are things we are constantly discussing with our management and always looking for ways to get our stuff heard by as many people as possible. One of our main goals in 2012 will be to conquer America and to get noticed over there. Vital tools nowadays are Facebook, Youtube and Twitter (not specificly in that order) and Soundcloud is a great way to share your music but its still relativaly small in comparison to the others mentioned.

RD: Being a duo, do you guys go back to back while spinning or is there a certain technique you follow? 

FB: We go back to back and mostly play a record after each other. Having 4 hands is cool because we can do so much more stuff like acapellas and effects.

RD: What about when producing, do each of you have specific roles you focus on? Could you explain the process?

FB: There's not really a specific role, actually it's different on every track. Sometimes we work seperate on some ideas and finish it together or sometimes we just begin something from scratch together. This works great for us and because we take each other to an even higher level we hardly ever have problems with creativity in the producing progress. 

RD: What gear do you guys use when producing?

FB: We use a Mac with Logic, UAD, and some vsti like the Sylenth, Massive and Nexus.

RD: Who would you list as your mentors?

FB: We've learned a lot from our collabs with Chocolate Puma, they are great guys and fantastic producers! 

RD: Where is your favorite place in the world to spin?

FB: The Cocoon club in Frankfurt was one of the greatest places we've spun at so far but it's really difficult to choose just one place.

RD: Where can you see yourselves playing in 2012?

FB: We would love to come to the USA, heard a lot of great stories from fellow dutch DJ's so that's something on our to do list.
 
 
 RD: Any upcoming shows?

 FB: March will be absolutely crazy, we've got shows in Russia, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and we will be playing some shows at WMC in Miami.

Purchase "Where's Your Head At" on Beatport

Purchase "Funky Shit" on Beatport

Keep updated with Firebeatz:

Follow Firebeatz on Twitter

Like Firebeatz on Facebook

Bounce Music Festival features a wide variety of electronic music artists over the entire month of March 2012. Delving into a lot of dance music subgenres, it's refreshing to see certain artists that you might not find on an ordinary club night; all featured in one festival. Spring break and great weather is always a plus and there's no reason why this won't be a widely talked about event for people to check out while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The first stage of the line up consists Paul Oakenfold, Savoy, Morgan Page, Arty, Tim Mason, Bingo Players, Swanky Tunes, David Puentez, David Berrie, David Dann, The Chainsmokers, and Jus Jack. Starting on February 24th all the way through April 1st, various DJs will be playing selected weeks throughout the core of spring break.

Head over to their website here for tickets and trip info. Having booked major artists like Avicii in past events, it's apparent Bounce is looking to take their events to the next level.

Avicii headlining Bounce Music Festival at Indiana University Halloween 2011.

Check out my Q&A I tag teamed with a close friend of mine at Electronica Oasis, Kevin Cerrato, with co-founders of Bounce Music Festival Brandon Silverstein and Jared Lyons and where they're looking to take their promotional efforts in the future...

RD: Lets start off with some basic info, what is Bounce Music Festival? Who is behind it? Have you guys always had an interest in EDM?

Brandon: Bounce Music Festival is an international touring music festival that creates a unique music experience for fans and we are the guys behind it. We have always had an interest in EDM, but recently we have been non-stop listening to EDM. Part of our job is staying in tune with the music. You have to do your homework. I always catch myself saying, “Who will be the next Avicii.” This era of EDM is so new to the world, it’s amazing to be apart of the growth.

Jared: We are not just your average concert that you may go and see. We bring in side acts and incorporate ideas no one has yet to think about to create the ultimate concert experience. In terms of EDM, its what I live for. People think I’m crazy when I tell them I fall asleep to EDM during flights.

RD: Who runs Bounce Music Festival? How did you guys come about working together? How long have you been planning events?

Brandon: Who Runs Bounce? Well, Jared and I are the Co-Founders. I’d say we have a team of 8 people who work with us. As for planning events we have been partners since we were 16. We used to throw events in New York when we were in High School and we ran a nightclub in the Hamptons fo 2 summers. 

Jared: Yeah, our first event was on 39th street and we had 900 people show up. Now, 5 years later we are doing shows with thousands of people. It’s kind of crazy looking back. We didn’t just wake up one day and say we want to create a touring music festival. 

RD: What inspired you guys to pursue this project?

Jared: It all started when we had an opportunity to work on a college concert as freshman. Then we thought, why not do it ourselves in a way that no one has seen before. It was all up hill from there.

Brandon: Nightlife got played out for me. This is on another level. The energy is magnified and it’s somewhat addicting to be involved in.

RD: You have a thirty day music festival that takes place in Puerta Vallerta, Mexico. Have you been there before? What made you pick this location?

Jared: We’ve teamed up with Xtreme Trips, the largest college spring break company. They handle all the boring aspects of the trip : hotels, flights for college kids and we handle the experience.

Brandon: Yeah, Xtreme gave us 30 nights, 30 venues, and said do what you want with it. So we did it. Festival packages are almost sold out. Over 1600 packages sold within 3 days of announcing our Phase 1 artists.

RD: Both the line up and the venues present a complete entertainment experience, is this the first time you've done an all inclusive travel + vacation + entertainment package?

Brandon: Yeah this is the first time.

Jared: This is the first time were bringing Bounce out of the country but definitely expect to see more of it in the near future.

RD: A lot of the artists playing at Bounce Music Festival have very distinct sound and/or genre; How did you guys decide on some of the artists performing? What sets can we find you guys at during the festival?

Jared: If you’re an EDM fanatic like myself, you absolutely have got to love our lineup. Instead of taking your standard lineup of mainstream DJ’s and creating a festival out of it, we went out and pulled some of the best upcoming and veteran EDM artists out there.

Brandon: Agreed. Look out for Bingo Players, Arty, and Swanky Tunes and a few more that we haven’t announced yet. They are EDMS future. We built our bill off of what college kids want. When you are at a pregame you don’t run over to the laptop or iPod that’s plugged into the speaker and put on something that’s mainstream or played out. Tracks that we hear at pregames are something like Rattle by Bingo Players or Sending my Love by Swanky Tunes.

RD: You've already had popular performers like Avicii headline your festival, any artists you're looking forward to working with in the future?

Brandon: There are a lot. We have been in contact with the biggest names in the industry, but as I mentioned before, it’s the new artists we haven’t even heard about yet that excite me.

Jared: Yes. The entire industry

RD: Any other noteworthy festivals going on in 2012?

Brandon: Yes, A lot. Stay Tuned!

I would like to thank Brandon & Jared for taking the time out of their schedule to answer these questions for us.

Stay updated on Bounce Music Festival:

Follow Bounce Music Festival on Twitter

Like Bounce Music Festival on Facebook

Check out the Bounce Music Festival official website

The overlords of Tomorrowland graced New York City with there presence last night. I met up with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike before they headed over to Lavo NYand had the chance to ask the boys a quick couple of questions. These guys are known for some of the best live sets EVER. If you ever get the chance to see them perform, I personally gaurentee they will Smash The House, no pun intended. I would like to thank Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike for taking the time out of their schedule to answer these questions for us.

RD: Where was your first gig? How old were you guys? How did you go about getting that gig?

LM: Our first gig together was in Ibiza right?

DV: I was DJing before that for almost ten years and the first gig together was Ibiza and one night Like Mike stumbled into the club drunk and started rapping over my set and that was the official first set together.

RD: How much of your day is devoted to music? How has it shaped your daily routine?

LM:  It's everyday. All day.

DV: When we are touring it is harder because then the biggest part of your day is traveling but when we are at home or in the studio it is waking up and studio work. I do some A&R work and try to organize my stuff so it is kinda 50/50.

LM: I even work on music in my sleep haha.

RD: Did this duo form simply from the bonds of brotherhood or is the chemistry during producing come from the shared passion of house music?

DV: I would rather say brotherhood because he was into hip hop first and then being together as brothers in Ibiza it kinda followed the direct of house music.

LM: Once I moved to Ibiza I was 15 years old and I went to the club for the first time I think it was Erick Morillo's Subliminal Sessions and instantly I was sold.

RD: What do you guys think about the rise of EDM in the USA?

DV: It's amazing.

LM: It's great, this is our main market at the moment.

DV: We are here more then we are home.

RD: Dim Mak's DEADMEAT Tour just kicked off with Steve Aoki and numerous other artists including yourselves; known for some of the best sensory overload sets in the entire industry, what do you guys have planned for these series of event?

DV: Actually, we don't know yet.

RD: I saw the teaser you guys did for the tour, that was cool.

DV: Yeah we had two days in Belgium so we took some time to do that one but for the set I think we are going to do something different because being with Steve Aoki and Datsik I mean I think we can take it a little bit further and a little bit harder so yeah I will see.

RD: Momentum with Regi is set to be released on February 14, possibly one of your biggest tracks yet. Can you break down how you guys start to create a track?

LM: That track or a track?

RD: A track.

LM: It is always different we can start from a kick we can start from a drop or a break down or just a melody an idea of a melody it is different everytime.

RD: You guys probably have this down to a science, what does the process of a Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike track entail? Who does what? Which techniques work best? Do you guys have specific roles?

LM: We actually never work together in the studio.

DV: Most of the time it is Like Mike making ideas a lot of ideas and from those ideas I pick the ones that I see functional that I think okay this could be something this could be a good track. First I encourage Like Mike a little bit more to work it out and make additions to it.

LM: Then maybe it comes back to me.

DV: Exactly.

RD: How long have you been producing? What equipment (hardware/software) do you use?

LM: I started 4 or 5 years ago.

DV: The process was me learning all the software maybe when I was like 16 17 slowly slowly building up then at a certain point when I knew how everything worked I passed over the knowledge and Like Mike perfected it.

RD: Do you have any idea as to how popular your productions will become while you are creating them or do you tend to be surprised by their popularity?  

LM: It is always difference but you can know like this track...

RD: Is gonna be a banger?

LM: Yeah.

DV: But you can never predict the actually success.

LM: Different factors.

RD: Wolfpack just released their single 'Rising Moon' on your label Smash The House is doing really well, who are these guys, where did you find them? any other Smash The House signings we can look forward to?    

DV: Actually Wolfpack we did not have to look very far because half of them are guys from our town or even guys we've known for practically more then half of our lives.

LM: We kinda pushed them into that direction.

DV: And we merged them with a couple of artsts and it is working really great. As for Smash The House a lot lined up we just signed a track by Jaco von Hagen who has done tracks on Doorn Records and Dim Mak, really fat track. We are doing a second version of 'Cloudbreaker' from Basto and Yves V which is like a little more of a cross over orienatated, we are going to an edit of that too. And of course a lot of our own singles and I think I have a pile of like 500 tracks to check for the label so there will be more coming.

RD: Can you see yourselves producing other genres besides EDM? 

LM: Mhhh... yeah.

DV: Of course, we are going in a little bit of a different directions even on Smash The House I forgot to mention we just signed a track by Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and Genuine.

RD: I saw on the facebook page.

DV: The remix is by Wolfpack, Yves V, and Firebeatz. A little bit harder and the Wolfpack one is nice and melodic so we try to keep the balance between house and other genres too.

RD: What are your plans for 2012?  

LM: Make more music.

DV: First, I think is getting some sleep that is the main idea after this tour but after that we will just keep on working on new tracks and do our best to make as good tracks as possible.

RD: In 3 words describe performing at the Smash The House stage at Tomorrowland?

DV: Well, yeah it is a big difference in doing the main stage cause the main stage for us...

LM: In 3 words man.

LM: That shit rocks.

RD: Favorite cities to perform in? Favorite venue to play at?   

LM: We really like Miami because they were the first people to ever book us over seas and kinda grew on us like Mansion I really love playing there always feels like coming home.

RD: You guys have had a lot of big collabs, anyone you're still craving to hit the studio with?

DV: We really really love Knife Party.

RD: Favorite track at the moment?

LM: For sure 'Internet Friends'.

DV: There are a lot of good tracks out there.

RD: Advice for upcoming artists?

LM: Keep doing what you do beleive in what you do work hard.

DV: Be original, don't be satisfied too easy and try to take it to the next level.

RD: My friend Kevin Cerrato has one question, what do you guys think about moombahton or dubstep anything like that?

DV: I mean we just did a new track with Angger Dimas which has a little bit of dubstep influence in there but to actually say we are gonna produce dubstep is, I'm gonna leave that to...

LM: If we make a Dutch track and we slow it down, we got moombahton.

DV: There are people who are really grew in that style and it is really there thing and I don't see us turning over into doing something like that.

Don't like to read? Lucky you, I made the DV&LM interview downloadable.

I had the chance to catch up with Nicky Romero before his set at Pacha NY this past Friday (01/20/2012) with Calvin Harris, Burns, and Pierce Fulton. Nicky Romero is doing BIG THINGS with his sound being one of the most unique in the EDM industry. He was named in MTV's EDM Rookies To Watch In 2012. I would like to thank Nicky Romero for taking the time out of his schedule to answer these questions for us.

RD: What inspired you to pursue a career in EDM?

NR: I started off as a drummer and I wanted to make it in music for a long time but I didn't know how or where at the time, then I discovered EDM and it really got me hooked.

RD: What role does music play in your life? How has it shaped your daily routine?

NR: I was a normal guy like everyone else going to school, working hard, and now I still work hard, even harder. I travel the world doing everything I love, making music as a profession, which is the best thing in life.

RD: What do you think attracts listeners to your music?

NR: Hopefully because it is a little different.

RD: You have had releases on numerous labels, is there a label you go to first with stand out tracks?

NR: I release a lot on Spinnin' Records and at the same time I am excited to start releasing my tracks on my own record label. There is no name yet but I have a few ideas in mind. I am going to start releasing tracks through it this year.

RD: What are your favorite cities to perform in?

NR: For sure it would be Dallas, Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles.

RD: What tracks do you think got you where you are today?

NR: There are quite a few. I think Flash, Solar, Toulouse is pretty important to me, Generation 303 is going to be really big this year, the collab with Avicii is going to do big things for me, and My Friend did a good job which was played at every Sensation worldwide.

RD: Your acid banger 'Generation 303' is set to be released on Musical Freedom in February 2012. When you produced this track could you tell how popular it was going to be?

NR: The track just appeared. I was in the studio and started making a track and finished it in 4 hours.

RD: I saw you got the Native Instruments Maschine for Christmas, how do you like it? What other equipment do you use while producing?

NR: I like the Maschine a lot I just got to figure out how it works. I also use Logic.

RD: When creating a song do you have a specific genre in mind? Or do you just start creating and see where the project ends up?

NR: I start out with a blank tablet and it usually takes me a few hours. There is not one way of doing it the process always changes and the product ends up different every time.

RD: How do you keep your creations fresh without losing the Nicky Romero signature sound?

NR: I want to do a lot without losing my own signature so I try to keep my own kind of tight housy beats and my sound is more stabby sound and breaks but still keep the musical influence with the break and that is what I want to keep.

RD: Do you feel more comfortable producing when you are on the road or at home?

NR: At home for sure.

RD: You have been at a few events this year with David Guetta. What kind of relationship do you guys have?

NR: Me and David Guetta like to go bowling together that is it, haha. No, I'm just kidding we are doing really good actually we have became very good friends. It is kind of weird to have a friend who is the #1 DJ in the world. He helps me a lot with radio stuff and he is becoming a really good solo producer and really knows how to work hard. He is a great producer, a business man, and a DJ all in one.

RD: Can you sense a  difference in America's preference in house and other parts of the world? Where do you think your music is most popular?

NR: I think if you look on Request it would definitely be United States, Canada, and picking one country in Europe is just too small, so I would have to say Europe as a whole as well.

RD: You are spinning at Ultra Music Festival this year, must be super exciting. What are you expecting from one of the biggest festivals in the USA?

NR: I am expecting a crazy crazy crazy huge sunny party with great music.

RD: You just released 'Freaky' and 'Slacking' which are collaborations with Fedde le Grand. How has working with him influenced your sound/techniques?

NR: Fedde le Grand is one of the guys who is really good at making grooves, making weird kinda noises, and using new plugins that no one even knows how to use yet. He helped me out with thinking further than the basic groove and adding weird stuff. He is a really creative guy.

RD: If you could collaborate with any artist that you haven't gotten the chance to already, who would it be?

NR: Axwell.

RD: Is there any upcoming artist who's creations you really admire?

NR: Zedd.

RD: What is your favorite track to have in your set at the moment?

NR: I think Slam The Door by Zedd. I have a new collaboration with Zedd coming out I will play the vocal edit tonight. Another one I really like is a new song by Avicii which is not released yet which is called Silhouettes.

RD: Advice for upcoming musicians?

NR: Work hard and pay a lot of attention to what you are putting out and make sure it is of high quality, even if it takes a little longer then you expected. Don't lose your focus and don't drink too much. Anything you want is possible.