On the second day of Decadence 2021. I got to catch up with Animate backstage after their set. This duo is crushing it out in Arizona right now, and they just had the biggest set of their lives at Decadence 2021, here are a few things they had to say.
S: So how did you guys get started? Did you guys know each other before?
Yeah, so we have actually known each other since 7th grade. My last name begins with N and his last name begins with P, so they obviously used to set us up by the last name. Me and Ben just kind of kicked it from the jump about music, talking about video games and stuff like that. We just got along since then.
S: Wow so you have known each other since 7th grade?
Yeah our love affair started in 7th grade
S: That’s awesome
We talked about Red Hot chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili peppers yeah bro!
S: Did you guys always know that you wanted to be DJs?
It’s weird because like in 7th grade we were exposed to dance music and that was in like 2010. So we were naturally listening to like Skrillex and things of that nature And then eventually like we both were going to our first rave. I think he started getting into raving before I did
Yeah in 2010 I went to a rave called Bubble Wobble. It was like Darren Styles and some other DJs like that. And back then it wasn’t big, it wasn’t crazy. There was a website called don’t stay in and you would go on there and they would release the address for the show and you would get tickets when they released the address. Probably like 30 minutes to an hour out from the event. It was pretty intense back then but yeah Arizona just slowly started growing and growing.
S: Are you guys from Arizona?
Yeah he’s actually from Sedona
I’m from New York but I have been in Arizona pretty much my whole life
Yeah but we were naturally just going to raves early in that time like 7th and 8th grade and we were like really into gloving and that’s kind of what brought us into the world and we were just really kind of crazy
Fun fact we actually got gloving banned from our school, because we would do light shows in the bathroom and it was like a whole thing at our school.
We had other friends that started getting into EDM. They would buy gloves and we just started a trend and yeah it was funny.
S: That’s hilarious
And yeah it just progressed every year you know by the time, like the biggest thing was that we weren’t 18 and all the biggest shows; you had to be 18
But honestly, it was kind of like the perfect timing though because it had just started like I remember we tried going to what was it? The first-ever Crush?
We tried going to Crush and it was like in this venue in Mesa. We tried going there and they just wouldn’t let us in because they were like swiping ids and we had never seen that in our lives.
S: What is something you guys are most looking forward to in 2022?
Honestly just pumping out as much music as we can.
Other than that, we are trying to get booked for more shows. We are trying to like booked for more out-of-state shows.
S: Is there a particular place or anywhere in the world that you really want to perform at?
Both: EDC Vegas
In 2015, the year that we turned 18, we went and went broke to go to EDC.
S: So do you guys have a certain inspiration or like an artist that you look up to?
Yeah I would say probably our biggest one is GTA
I feel like since the get-go, we have loved GTA and it’s cool because they show us love all the time. We are actually pretty close with them so it’s pretty cool. And fucking Skrillex. Like my first show I went to was like Skrillex 2014 and I saw him at the Mesa Amphitheater and I was blown away from his tour and like it changed our lives.
S: Is there a certain artist that you guys really want to work with?
That’s like such a loaded question lol…I feel like everyone
Everyone, but I think honestly Skrillex, that would be a dream.
I feel like with GTA too it’s funny because I always feel like they are a duo but when we see each other I just feel like we can really relate.
S: On Spotify, it shows that “Banned” is your most played song. Do you guys agree that it’s like your top song or do you have another favorite?
I mean honestly, I would say that or “Crazy” is my favorite song
Yeah “Crazy” or “Touch” and “Acid Cloud” too
But “Banned” is insane and we got connected with Slow Palace and that’s who the other person is that’s on the song and we got connected with him through Jadu Dala a label that we released a single on and then yeah we go connected with him and made a track and when we were making it I was like shit this is big. But yeah I mean numbers speak and so I feel like that it is definitely our biggest song.
S: Up until Now what has been your biggest moment
Honestly just 15 minutes ago. We’ve never experienced it like that
Yeah it was very memorable
S: Was this your biggest crowd?
I think so easily the biggest stage the biggest crowd
S: Yeah this stage was frickin huge
Dude, it’s the best production they have ever done.
S: Do you have any advice for any artists trying to start their careers?
Just start Period
Yeah you just gotta start
Don’t be scared, don’t worry about money, don’t care about practicality. Just listen to your gut. Listen to your heart. And just do that. Because that’s exactly what we did.
And like I think the biggest thing too, is with music that really matters, it’s hard to DJ but Djing you can pick up pretty quickly, producing will take years to actually be able to release songs and stuff so I suggest producing because producing is a big part of it.
S: Do you guys have new music coming out soon? Do you guys have anything dropping?
Yes, like these past few months we have just been hammering out like in the studio and just trying to get as much music as we can and exploring different genres and really honing in on our creativity and we are just really excited to put out what we want to put out this next year. Self-releases and stuff
S: Yeah that sounds awesome! Thank you guys so much!
Thank you!
S: Yeah this was only my second interview so I was really nervous
You killed it! I couldn’t even tell
S: Thank you, yeah they just told me to have a conversation but thank you so much for letting me interview you and You guys killed it! That was such an awesome set
Thank you yeah it was one of our different ones because when we get booked for club shows we don’t want to like bang-out too much because of the headliner but for festivals, it’s just all out
S: That is so awesome, you guys were great, and thank you again.
These guys were amazing to talk to, and we can’t wait to see where their journey takes them! Make sure to give them a follow and show some support by listening to a few of their tracks!
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