Interview with Max Vangeli & AN21

Max Vangeli & AN21 have become my house music heroes. As artists under the Size record label and with support from the Sweedish House Mafia (Axwell, Ingrosso, Steve Angello) they have that distinctive sound that separates them from all other house music. I did a recent post of their remix of Starry Eyed so you should know I really like what's going on in San Francisco right now.  I haven't stopped listening it since its debut and I can't wait to throw it down a next week.  Definitely follow the links provided at the end of the post to get a copy of Starry Eyed.  You won't regret it.  I recently had the pleasure to ask Max Vangeli & AN21 a few questions so I hope you enjoy it.


For those that follow our blog but don’t listen to much house music, introduce yourselves.

Max Vangeli: Max Vangeli and I am a DJ/Producer born and raised in Europe and now based in San Francisco.

AN21: Antoine, Stockholm Sweden,

When did you start producing?

Max Vangeli: About 5 years ego.

What made you want to start producing?

AN21: I always grew up with music around me and one day I started doing mixes, After a while, I got bored and wanted to try producing instead, it took some years but hard work pays off so, work work!

Max Vangeli: The love of music, I always wanted to be in a band...but its hard to organize that, so now I get to play all the instruments!

You two have been collaborating and making great tracks. How did the killer combination of Max Vangeli and AN21 happen?

Max Vangeli: Just started talking online and as soon as we started working together its just been magical. I think we both have a great view on what we want and how we want it, and this is why it works. Its just weird, but somehow we really do work great together.

AN21: We liked each other's stuff and got to know one another through some contacts.. We started with one project and it took a day till we had a bomb.. It´s been like that for a while now!

What do you both have to hear in a track that make you agree upon its direction or finality?

AN21: The melodies, Those have to get stuck in everybody´s head and once it has, its a bomb! We also go for groovy beats & sexy basslines

Max Vangeli: Always the melody! I cant stress enough of it, without melodies there is no music.

Now for some of those personal interest questions:

With WMC coming up I have been trying to figure out what the house music capital of the nation is. What city do you think has the biggest house music following (house music capital)?

Max Vangeli: San Francisco

What kind of music do you listen to other than house, if any?

Max Vangeli: I live house and breathe house! There are so many great genres out there like rock, r&b, and so on. Making house music takes a lot of time, but I try to listen to other stuff when I get the chance.

Where do you see electronic music in the next 5 years?

Max Vangeli: It will eventually turn too pop and go back down the dark way again...the cycle will continue.

Robot Ears, friend or foe?

AN21: Could I pick hybrid ears?


Here is a promo version of the recent released track "Gama" from Max Vangeli & AN21
Max Vangeli & AN21 - Gama


Remember to visit Max Vangeli's Myspace and support him by purchasing his songs at Beatport
Visit AN21's Myspace and support him by purchasing his songs at Beatport

CvK and Dr. Hollywood

If you live in Nashville and you like electro its more than likely you've been to the Coach versus Kase series at 12th and Porter, easily one of my favorite venues in the city. Coach, Jeremy Todd, is pictured to the left and was nice enough to answer a couple interview questions about himself, the CvK series, and the growing Nashville electro scene. Hope you enjoy it.

How long have you been djaying? How did you get into it?

I have been djaying for a little over 2 years now. It's funny I got into it just by throwing house parties with my buddy Michael. That turned into a year long stint at Agave in Nashville where we did a weekly on Tuesday nights. We went by the name of Principal & Coach and everything kind of progressed from there.

How did the Coach versus Kase series first start? Has it changed much?

Well it started because the place I used to do a weekly at got shut down so I was looking for a new place to play. Michael and I moved it to 12th and Porter for about 6 weeks and decided to move it across the street to MAI. I then talked to the owners at 12th about throwing a weekly there on the weekends as kind of an "afterparty" for the city. A place where people could go see all the great shows in town and then come dance with us afterwards. The first person that came to mind was Justin so i called him up and we kind of went from there. I had always loved how Justin approached djaying, he had so much passion in it and I knew it would be a good fit. The format hasn;t really changed much we have just gotten some more bells and whistles. New lights and video have been added but the set up is still the same.

You and Justin get to open for, and often hang out with, the best DJs in the world in a relatively small city at relatively small venues. What's that been like for you guys? Does it allow you to network at all or are the relationships more limited to the show?

Yeah that has been amazing. I know Justin has been doing it for longer than me but I have a blast every time I get asked to play. This year alone i have had the privilege to play with Felix Cartal, MSTRKRFT, Designer Drugs, Steve Aoki, Burns and Deadmau5. Its always cool putting a face to some of the music and kind of getting a vibe from people. As far as networking and all that it kind of depends on the guys. I still stay in touch with the guys from Hot Pink Delorean and Designer Drugs. They are just cool dudes who love music and want to have a good time.

The Nashville electro scene feels like its grown just in the few years I have been here. What's your impression?

Its great man, just to be a witness to it has been awesome. Justin has been doing this a lot longer than me so he has deeper roots in it than I do. Jensen Sportag is another big name in town having to do with electro music and i absolutely love them. Justin has been doing things like Hey Kids, and Youth Group while i was doing the Agave thing. I think when me and Justin decided to do this together it was just a perfect blend of our experiences.

What's next for you and Justin? Concerts, mixtapes, originals?

Well Justin just started going out on tour with Kesha which is huge. He will be on tour for awhile now and I couldn't be happier for him. He has been after it for awhile and I am glad to see it paying off for him. As far as me in Nashville I got a new monthly in Murfreesboro called SWAG and its the first Friday of every month at a club called 527. Also starting a new monthly in town where we are gonna bring national acts in. Its called Bang Out! and our first guest is Treasure Fingers and that starts on December 11th. So we have both been very busy.

And finally, Robots: Friend or Foe?

Friend definitely.

Now for a few of the tracks that have been blowing up our speakers the last couple days...

Here's a new song from LA's Dr. Hollywood. Louie Rubio and Lex Larson make up the group and do all the writing, raping, singing and producing themselves. They've also collaborated with some of my favorite rappers: B Real, Too Short, and Obie Trice to name a few.

This track, "Smashing Bottles", comes on the heels of their single "We Run La", a chilled out electro anthem perfect for bleezies and breezies, yaddamean?! The group recently started a little indie called "Undertone" and they're dropping our first self titled e.p. on 2-14-10 which is going to include 5 originals and a couple remixes. I threw in "We Run L.A." as well. I think you guys will dig it. Enjoy


Smashing Bottles- Dr. Hollywood


We Run L.A. - Dr. Hollywood (Dance Remix)

Interview with Electrolightz

I first stumbled on to Electrolightz a while back when they released a killer remix of La Roux's "Bulletproof". Everyone and their mother remixed that song but the Electrolightz mix was a standout even against vet DJs and producers.
In their new "Bad Romance" remix, Electrolightz employs a formula I've never heard before. Rami, pictured on the right, sings, erOc produces and Name Brand raps. The result is more like new original than a remix. In that sense it reminds me of the way Kanye and friends turned "Poker Face" into "Make Her Say". Its a bit like call and response. Bottom line- it works. Electrolightz sent me songs off their new EP and their new remix of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". Their remix comes out on top over both the Grum mix and the Hercules and Love Affair mix - neither of whom are at all light weights.

All in all, you need to watch out for these guys. Very very possibly the next LMFAO...

Who is in Electrolightz and how did the group come together?
Electrolightz came about by coincidence. I knew erOc (producer) through mutual friends and we would run into each other at Hollywood parties and shows. ErOc had been working on some electro songs on his own as more of a side project than anything else. He got rapper Name Brand rap on the tracks. Those songs had erOc's voice on them. I didn't even know about the project when I met up with erOc to try to get him to produce some of my solo stuff (Rami Dearest). I played him a couple of my tracks, and he was like "yeah, that's cool, check out this other shit that I've been working on that I want you to sing on". The second he played me the first song (The Future) I knew that erOc was on to something special. I worked on songs with him for two weeks without even meeting Name Brand. We didn't know we were going to actually form a band until we all got in the same room and I instantly hit it off with Name Brand. The rest is history/ the future.

Between your remixes and your originals it seems like you guys have a pretty varied sound. How do you guys think of yourselves?
We are lovers of all types of music. I think that the Electrolightz original songs really showcase all of our influences from Electro to hip hop to The Beatles. We think of ourselves as music that isn't just for people into Electo or Hip Hop. We take our songwriting seriously, and hope that our songs can transcend one genre. Our remixes are for the club. We go out a lot, and we know that when people hear music in the club, they want to let go and just go wild. We approach our remixes with that understanding so that we can give the people what they want, no... what they need!

What are your plans for the future? Labels, tours, releases, remixes etc.

We are going to release a Mix Tape at the beginning of next year tentatively called "Electrolightz, Electronightz". It's going to feature our remixes, originals, and some new tracks specifically for the mix tape. We hope to release our album later in 2010. We are also going to focus on playing shows and touring. The live show is a party. We want to bring the party to everyone.

Hollywood has got to feel like the epicenter of electro in North America right now but there is definitely a lag time between whats cool in California and whats cool everywhere else. Do you see your brand of electro/hip hop fusion as a potentially up and coming sound for more mainstream audiences nationally?

For sure. You can look at the success of LMFAO and even Kanye as examples of where music is moving. I also feel that LA definitely is ahead of the curve as far as what is bumping in the clubs and played on the radio. At the same time, lots of kids around the country are being exposed to new music and styles through social networking and twitter. We are all about that. The majority of our new fans found out about us through our YouTube videos! We love that direct connection with fans, and I know that if I had grown up with fast internet and Facebook, i would have been stoked if the lead singer from a band I liked personally sent me an e-mail. lol
Editorial Note: I was stoked.

Cliche I know but who are your influences?

Cut Copy, Daft Punk, Hot Chip, Justice, The Beatles, MGMT, Treasure Fingers, Calvin Harris, The Strokes, Nas, Kanye West, Jay-Z the list goes on and on...

If you guys could work with anybody in music who would it be? (producers, artists, etc)

Phil Collins
Editorial Note: Fuck yes

Robots: Friend or Foe?

Friend, besties actually


Bad Romance- Lady Gaga (ElectroLightz Remix)
Here is a link to a zip file with Electrolightz EP and some other recent remixes: LINK
My personal favorites have been the La Roux and Lady Gaga remixes and of the originals definitely take a look at "It's Written All Over Your Face" - it's pure auditory crack. It's got some dirty pleasure bubblegum appeal but also is fantastically well produced and has everything purists demand of their electro. Plus, Name Brand lays down some pretty impressive flow.