POINT OF VIEW INTERVIEW #8

PRODUCERS/DJS: VICES  

Music has an infinite amount of ways to be dealt with. If it means mixing different genres together or creating one’s own, music can bring a spectrum of opportunities to many with an ambitious mind. When thinking about artists who specifically take advantage of these endless opportunities, one of the first names that pop into my head is Vices. In the summer of 2015, I first heard Vices’ music at a music festival in Southern California called Hard Summer. In the Pink Tent, Cashmere Cat was throwing one hell of a last minute scheduled show. With all the beats and tracks he was messing around with, I remember specially how the crowd reacted when Vices’ remix of “Hannah Montana” blasted through the speakers. Dancing around and seeing people get blown away with something that they never heard before was priceless. Vices’ music mixes different genres that you wouldn’t think to even mingle together on the same playlist. Dropping low beats and bass with future classic sketches, originating with Jersey Club music, this dynamic duo leaves the ears boggling for more. Tracks such as Gallant's “Weight in Gold” Remix and Alina Baraz's “Fantasy” Remix, are some of my personal favorites. They tap into every part of electronic music they can, and they do it exceptionally well! All I can say is that I am more than ready to hear what they have in store for 2016 and what their new and first EP will sound like. So, with much honor, check out the interview I did with Vices below to find out the inspiration behind their music and future projects. 

Follow Vices on: 

Twitter: @VicesUnofficial 

Soundcloud: Vices

Question 1: What got you guys into making music? 

Jared: I’ve always been really into music since I was a kid. My mom grounded me a lot for my grades, so I was pretty much reduced to only sitting in my room listening to music and became obsessed. Once Napster came out, I would just sit on my computer and download full albums, which at the time was mostly rap and nu-metal. Then in high school I was in a few hardcore and pop punk bands and eventually, as I got older I fell out of that and more in love with rap and dance music. So I started making beats.

Dylan: When I was in elementary school both of my parents worked late so I would always be at after school daycare. When I was in first and second grade I would always see older kids show up late for the after school care. The older kids would never be there for attendance and homework time, but would show up just in time for recess. I asked one of the kids why they got to skip straight to recess and found out it was because they were at band practice. Naturally, as soon as I was old enough, I joined band. In the 3^rd grade I began to learn saxophone to take up time after school and it kind of took off from there.

Question 2: What people intrigue you or inspire you to pursue music? 

Jared: Well, my all time favorite band is Converge. Their singer, Jacob Bannon, has always been a huge influence to me. He’s a great front man, awesome writer, owns a sick label, does art and design, and also teaches. He’s a big reason why I do this and also why I plan to branch out to other things once I have the resources, and Kanye West for obvious reasons.

Dylan: The person who most inspired and intrigued me to pursue music was my 6th and 7th grade band instructor, Jason Millhouse. Before middle school I was mostly playing music (in band) to keep my mom happy and reap the benefits of being a band student (extra field trips, shortened classes, etc.). It wasn't until I spent two years with Jason that I began to realize music was something that I could pursue for my entire life. His dream, if I remember correctly, was to score one of the Final Fantasy video games. He taught his students that playing and creating music wasn't just limited to school band. A lot of the things that he taught me still influence me today. 

Question 3: How would you define your guys' style of music?

This has actually been a tough question for us recently. We started off making jersey club remixes and have slowly been evolving and transcending into other genres and styles. We have an EP in the works, which is our first time ever really making original material on our own. The EP is multi-genre, but I still think it carries a certain sound that we have always had in terms of the drum and synth work, and a certain aggression our tracks always seem to have.

Question 4: What influences Vices' style of work?

We both listen to basically the same music and honestly we just make what we like. This EP is kind of the ideal EP that we would want to personally hear. Same thing with our sets, just music that we would want to hear if we were trying to go out and party.

Question 5: What is your favorite track you guys have produced so far?

Jared: Our remix of “Recognize” by Partynextdoor

Dylan: Definitely got to be the “Hannah Montana” remix that we made forever ago.

Question 6: How far do you guys plan to take your music? Who would you like to work with in the future? 

Right now our biggest focus is the EP. We have some official remixes in the works and probably some singles too, but we really want to show everyone what we are about with this EP. There are some big plans for 2016 that will hopefully start to unravel early in the year. The list of people we want to work with is huge. We have plans to do stuff with Dirty Chocolate, GRRL, AObeats, Robokid, JSTJR, Esentrik, and more. But thinking ahead, we would love to work with like Cashmere Cat, DJ Sliink, Tory Lanez, and just anyone we really fuck with musically.