COUPLESHIP ROCK WITH PERRY + ETTY LAU FARRELL
We had the pleasure to connect with rock powerhouse couple, Perry Farrell and his wife, Etty Lau Farrell. Perry is known as the Godfather of Alternative Rock and is noted as one of the people to push the genre forward. From Psi Com, Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros and his solo projects, this frontman can do it all from lead vocals, writing and more. Etty is a classically trained dancer who toured with Ricky Martin, Madonna, Bon Jovi and joined the Jane's Addiction tour in 1997. She would go on to being a bandmate and being in a number of projects with Perry including being a vocalist in their band, Satellite Party and Kind Heaven Orchestra and being on the board of Lollapalooza.
We caught up with rock's glam power couple to find out about their love for performing, how they work together, Lollapalooza, and Perry Farrell: The Glitz; The Glamour box set.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Perry when did you first fall in love with music and when did you realize that you wanted to perform?
PERRY FARRELL: I was so fortunate to be able to be introduced to so many artists by my big brother and sister. He turned me onto The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and The Who which was my starting point. My sister loved fun and soul so I got to know about James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone and George Clinton as well as the Funkadelic - loved that.
I didn't really think about performing until much later in life in my early 20s! I felt that I had the frame for it as a skinny guy and that I could be a frontman. I knew that I could dance, but I had to have that voice.
So, I taught myself to be a lead singer! I would look into the mirror and imitate Mick Jagger and David Bowie. I wanted to create music that people could feel so I had my mixer, headphones, microphone and I would write songs.
AM: Etty, what was your journey to coming into music and being a vocalist, dancer and songwriter?
ETTY LAU: I had been dancing my entire life as I am a classically trained dancer as a ballerina! I was born in Hong Kong and I went to the Royal Academy of Dance and when I moved to Seattle while being in a dance studio there, I also attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Cornish College of the Arts. I came down to LA on a scholarship at 19.
We met in 1997 when Jane's Addiction was going back out on tour and I was on tour with them ever since.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Athleisure Mag is cofounded by a couple so we always like talking to couples who work together. You guys have worked together for decades from Jane’s Addiction, Satellite Party and your latest project, what is that like and how do you navigate the dynamics of work along with your coupleship?
ELF: We have a bit of an odd codependency with one another. So we share everything - a car, a stage, a hotel room.
PF: Even a toothbrush!
AM: Oh my!
ELF: No not a toothbrush, that's gross ha!
AM: Definitely have to have your own on that one haha!
ELF: When it comes to working together, I think of Perry like my boss in many ways. I know that when I'm on tour dancing for Jane's Addiction, he is the boss. I'm on the board of Lolla and I do a lot of the logistical things and make recommendations - but he is the boss.
PF: Absolutely not. I am not your boss, it's a partnership. When we work together, there is a give and take and it's all about immersing yourself and bringing all of these experiences together to make something meaningful and heartfelt.
ELF: We know our strong suits and we're able to play off of one another. What he has, I may not have and what I have he may not have - but together, it works as a true partnership! I know that he respects my opinion, but the final word is with him - I can only advise.
AM: The first music festival that we remember going to was Lollapalooza in 2007 and again in 2008. We saw Satellite Party, Daft Punk, Kanye, Lady Gaga - so many great acts and series of days. It literally started our path to attending festivals.
Like many this past year, it has been insane and between lockdowns, quarantines and pauses, plans were in the air and there were pivots. You guys had Lollapalooza virtually, but with vaccines being available, are there plans to resume this festival this year in Chicago and or global cities?
PF: Lollapalooza is a microcosm of music that has a massive amount of people that enjoy music over a period of days in various cities.
Because of COVID, we did a digital platform in 2020. We did 4 days online and reunited Porno, Janes and had people play live. It was fun because we went into archives and it was a great way to give everyone hope and something to enjoy.
If we can all stay on course, getting vaccinated, socially distant and mask up – maybe please God, we’ll get to go to Chicago in early August with an audience in one capacity or another for Lollapalooza – not a large one but maybe a half capacity. We can only respond to the people and what the city/government professionals say that we can do.
I listen to Joe Biden when he says that July 4th could be when we have our first small celebrations, then I’m going to say, that mine will be in August and I want to have it in Chicago. So I’m planning for a party in some kind of capacity for Kind Heaven Orchestra to come out there.
AM: Definitely hoping that we can go back to in person events! The fact that you guys use your platform to continue to drive the point home that wearing masks is a must and that they need to get vaccinated! It's a shame that it's become so politicized!
PF: Why do you think it's politicized?
AM: I'm not sure why! I think that wearing a mask is just being a good citizen and keeps yourself as well as those around you safe. It's such a small effort with a great impact to show that you're doing your part. The more we're able to do it, engaging in social distancing and safe behaviours, then we can begin to embrace the things that we have done before. It may be in a different way, but baby steps!
ELF: Without a doubt. I mean we have ideas of things; however, it's based on a number of things and ultimately, it's based on what the city will allow. But we're hopeful so keep checking our site and our socials for the latest information on that!
AM: One of the things that I have loved about your music Perry is that it has such a jazzy element to it. My great uncle was tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson who was with Blue Note Records and was part of the Hard Bop era.
As a power duo, you guys formed The Kind Heaven Orchestra. Can you tell me more about this and this 9 piece ensemble?
PF: Thank you yes and that's phenomenal! I love jazz, I love Duke Ellington, Miles Davis - their sound as well as their sense of style is just really something that I vibe with - that was great music.
The Kind Heaven Orchestra is an art collective and a music collective - an installation. We install for more than one day and I want to keep that going with that intimate scenario to see where it goes. Of course, it can be blown up too!
Before COVID, we were performing and I look forward to getting back to it when we're able to do in person events again!
AM: Your box set, Perry Farrell - The Glitz; The Glamour is a 35 year retrospective of your solo and artistic explorations outside of Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros. With 68 tracks, vinyl, blue ray discs and remixes with Maceo Plex, Groove Armada, UNKLE and Hyper to name a few, photos and art - it's an epic and stunning box set to have. Why did you want to embark upon this project and how long did it take to put together?
ELF: We put it together during quarantine. It became our project!
AM: Wait, you just decided to put out this massive retrospective? Some people were making sourdough and you guys decided to showcase history!
PF: I tend to look forward and don’t look back. I like to keep it fresh. I had music all over the universe from Porno for Pyros stuff to Psi Com stuff and solo stuff. I had tracks floating around like they were comets and stars. I wanted everything in one place and to have my body of work. With the Internet, I love that you have a place where you can have all of your history and I had boxes of photographs which every picture tells a story!
ELF: It was going to a 50 page autobiography with photos . It's all vinyl and all solo work - so not Jane's Addiction. So it starts with Psi Com, Satellite Party and Kind Heaven. We have a few new songs in there too. It ended up being 100 pages with photos and about his childhood.
PF: There are 2 songs in the boxed set with Jim Morrison. I received an unearthed recording of The Doors’ Jim Morrison, written and recorded with Starcrawler. I had one of the tracks mixed by a Palestinian woman as well as an Israeli man who created mixes that are in the box set.
AM: When you look at 2020 and as we continue into 2021, there was a lot going on from COVID-19, the election, social justice, facing the need to talk about equality within Black Lives Matter as well as Stop Asian Hate – how are you guys utilizing your platform to lend your voices to this?
ELF: A lot of people don't know that I was born in Hong Kong and I know growing up when I came to the states, I had instances of prejudice and scary situations, but it is nothing like the trauma that is going on right now. We have to educate and bring awareness to what is happening and to speak out!
There are so many things that I want to do to continue to let people know about this. I'm even educating myself as well. When I open my mouth to speak, I'll know what I'm talking about. I think the more we learn about this topic, the more we learn about what we don't know.
AM: Couldn't agree more. It's so important to realize that this is going on and then to be an ally! As a Black Co-Founder whose boyfriend is Italian American/Jewish, he finds it important to not only be aware of what's going on but steps in to be an ally. I think this is so important when it comes to underrepresented groups whether we're talking about Asian, Blacks, LGBTQIA+. This is one of those issues that we need get people to realize that we will not continue to allow these horrific activities to take place!
PF: Absolutely. We need to stand in solidarity, love each other and to unite.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Perry + Etty Lau Farrell
Read the Apr Issue #64 of Athleisure Mag and see Coupleship Rock with Perry + Etty Lau Farrell in mag.
Featured
9PLAYLIST | MEB KEFLEZIGHI
Read the Apr Issue #64 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Meb Keflezighi in mag.
Featured
9LIST ROUTIN3S | NOMI RUIZ
9PLAYLIST 9MIX 9ACOUSTIC | STEALTH
Read the Mar Issue #63 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST 9MIX 9 ACOUSTIC | STEALTH in mag.
Featured
9PLAYLIST | VALENTINO KHAN
Read the Feb Issue #62 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Valentino Khan in mag.
Featured
AUTHENTICITY RULES WITH JEFF BLUE
We took some to catch up with multi-platinum record producer, A&R executive, songwriter and lawyer, Jeff Blue. He is known for his work being integral in the careers of Linkin Park, Macy Gray, Korn, Limp Bizkit and more. He shares how he got into the industry, how he works with his artists, the importance of an iconic voice and his upcoming projects!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we get into talking about your career, what role did music play in your life from day to day before going into the industry?
JEFF BLUE: Music was always a fantasy to me because we didn’t have enough money to actually buy records. So my mom would drop me off at the drugstore and at the market near the magazine rack and I would just gaze through the magazines and it would seem surreal. I’d hear the music on the bus when I was going to school and it was really the way that I connected with I guess the drama and the trauma that I was going through as a kid with a father that had committed suicide. It was hard on me growing up and music was my way of coping and grounding myself. Looking back when I was in college, I felt that the music was literally the soundtrack of my life. I could literally think of any memory that was good or bad and even walking down the street or taking a test, there was a song on my head. That was something that I carry with me forever, because I know that music had the biggest impact on me as opposed to anything else in my life. I knew I wanted to do something with music in my future.
AM: What was your first job in the industry?
JB: Well I had internships. First job – like that I got paid to do?
AM: Well, whatever you felt was a job. Even an internship for some people, that could be like the first position to them that let them know that they were aligned to be in that field.
JB: My first internship dictated to me that I would never be in the music business because my boss hated me ha!
AM: Fair!
JB: The second internship that I had, aligned me with what I wanted to do in A&R and my first real paying job was something that I learned through the second internship where you had to be indispensable and I realized that the only way I was going to get noticed was that I would have to become a journalist and get my name in print to have credibility and a reason for people to listen to what I said. That was as a journalist and I had no experience as a journalist. I called every publication known to man or woman and was rejected by everybody until there was someone that I thoroughly confused into thinking that I was a real writer and hired me to cover a show that she needed coverage of and that was at Music Connection Magazine. From that moment, that night, I wrote about a band that I ended up managing, producing and being the drummer and signing as my first artist at Zomba Music Publishing. So my first paying gig was $10/article at Music Connection Magazine.
AM: It’s always interesting to hear stories like that because a lot of people don’t understand how someone progressed through their career. We see you now, but we don’t know all the things that kind of came together. Just the depth of things that you have done in terms of your roles like you went to law school and you’re a lawyer. How does that help you in the industry?
JB: I think that law school really more than anything helped me with my analytical mind. Being able to separate concepts independent from one another so I can separate facets of something which really helped me with journalism. Being able to discuss performance, crossed with the production, crossed with star power you know as opposed to hit songs and break-ing down the songs into literally the verses, pre-choruses, intros, bridges and break it down to almost an OCD point where you can analyze the drums, the guitars, the vocals and the harmonies. So law school to me, has allowed me to dissect things which is really what the law is – it’s dissecting arguments and points in order to build a case. That was actually the biggest asset that got me into the music business but it had nothing to do with the actual law itself.
AM: I can appreciate that. Our Co-Founder also went to law school and practiced law and he’s the Publisher, has shot our celebrity covers, is instrumental in our biz dev and is also my boyfriend. So seeing his skills and how he draws from them is interesting. Whereas, I sit as the other Co-Founder and focus on the style direction and other areas. So it’s interesting to see how all these things come together and we've both been involved in other music entities and my great uncle was Joe Henderson and I have styled a number of EDM artists so being able to see the music business in so many levels, talking with you who has been in the role of being a publisher, being in a band as you mentioned, the journalism, being a producer, A&R and songwriter, what are your favorite projects to take on as you really do have a 360 of the business?
JB: I like to take anything on that inspires me. I love all genres of music and if you’re talking about music, I happen to love R&B, Hip-Hop, Hard Rock, Rock, Pop and Country. The biggest inspirational moment that I remember ever having and I still talk to this guy. He has to be 80 now and we worked together for the Small Business Administration during the 90s in the earthquake and we worked together as lawyers. It was a horrible job where we made like $6 or $10 bucks an hour – it was 6 days a week. We had a very horrible and rigorous schedule for lunch so we had to run out to get a sandwich and we used to go to Chatsworth Hills and just hang out and this guy was 30 years older than me. He was a nice guy and he was like, “I know you’re a rock and roll guy, but you should listen to this CD.” Because I had my band that I was already talking about and the CD he had was Nina Simone and he put it in the CD player. He was like, “you’re going to hate it, but I’m sick of listening to your rock band when we’re eating our lunch!” I was like, this is amazing and it changed my life. That’s what inspired me in relation to my own band which was progressive alternative rock and just the textures and the sound and when I heard Macy Gray for the first time which doesn’t sound like anything that her music sounds like now for the record that we did –
AM: Really?
JB: Yeah. She was more like a Black Janis Joplin. When I heard her voice, it took me back to that moment eating a horrible sandwich, in a rush, sitting outside in my 4Runner in Chatsworth Hills with this older guy listening to Nina Simone and I immediately lost my mind and I felt that that was the moment and the reason why that guy played me that music. Changed my life!
AM: Speaking of Macy Gray, I remember being in college when it came out and I loved hearing 'I Try' as I was in my freshman year and I went to Indiana University and that song played everywhere! I had never heard a voice like hers and how everything came together. I heard 'Still' and of course I had an epic breakout in college that I thought was the end of the world – it was not, but I literally played that song 55 times in a row crying it out. What was that like finding her, getting her, how was it like working with her and I know you co-wrote Still.
JB: Macy was a demo tape that a woman came into my office with but she was pitching another band with a huge buzz that everyone was trying to sign as a publisher. They were signed with Interscope, but they were looking for a publishing deal. I didn’t like the band and I just said, you're in my office do you have anything else? This is what everyone says because when you’re shopping something, you’re always supposed to have something else. She said, not really, but she goes into her purse and she pulls out this tape. She said I was going to hate it. She said that her publisher, her record label and her manager dropped her. She no longer worked with her anymore. But she said I wouldn’t like it and it was just a reason for her to hang out in my office because I said, I didn’t like her band. I stuck it in the tape deck and my mouth dropped open. She was like, “you hate it right?” But at that moment, I was like this is one of the most awesome things that I had ever heard, but I didn’t want her to know that. So I told her I didn’t like it and asked if I could keep the tape and she said I could. I spent 3 months trying to track her down and the woman didn’t even have her phone number because Macy had gone and left LA because she was having another baby. I didn’t want to ask for her number because I didn’t want to tip my hat that I was going to try and sign her because the price would go up.
So I spent 3 months looking for her and I met her in NY. My boss didn’t want to sign her, but I was convinced. She came back to LA, we started working on new music with a producer named Daryll Swann and this guy Jeremy Ruzumna who is now in Fitz and the Tantrums. We really put it together and literally the label that dropped her, I sent a tape to them and they couldn’t stand her. I had to change the name because Macy Gray didn’t work and everyone hated the music. We changed her name to Mushroom and fooled everybody and we literally had Clive Davis, Jimmy Iovine, Paul Anthony and Atlantic Records whose founder, Ahmet Ertegun who called me personally and said that the Mushroom tape was amazing. It went from being no one wanting to hear to having a bidding war. I was responsible for changing the name, working with her and I was asked to manage her which I should have. All the labels wanted me to manage her and I didn’t think that I had the experience to do that. I was able to get her a deal.
AM: Wow! That’s a story.
Well, Linkin Park is another band that the minute I heard them, I was obsessed with them and I loved their sound and energy. What were you involved with in terms of them and I know that you were connected with Chester Bennington and you brought him into the group. What really sparked your interest with the group?
JB: First of all, I was there again at the inception of that band. The guitar player, I had actually lectured for UCLA last night in a class called Comm 185. It’s the internship class for Comm students at UCLA which I was an alumni of. I lectured every other quarter basically. There was this kid called Brad Delson who was in the class, he infused himself into my life and became my intern. I talk about this in my book and he told me that he had a band that was going to be better than what I had which was Limp Bizkit and Korn. I also had Matchbox 20 plaques up because I didn’t sign them but I tried really hard and I helped them get their deal and they literally gave me their Diamond Plaques and I’m very close with Rob Thomas and Brad looked at everything and said that his band was going to be better than any of those bands on my wall. I hired him as my intern, signed them off of their first show that they had ever played. So one show and they got their first publishing deal and I shopped them for 2 years until we realized that the lead singer needed to be changed. I found Chester Bennington after not being able to get anybody at all to even want to audition for the band because we had played so many showcases and had been rejected so many times that there was a huge stink on the band from a reputation standpoint. It was called Xero at that time. I convinced this kid from Phoenix as a fluke to leave his birthday party and to record a demo based off the instrumentals that I had my assistant send him. I talked with him while I was at SXSW and by the time I got home, he sent me a demo tape so he left his 23rd birthday and recorded the demo and I was blown away. I literally told the band that this was their singer and it took them 6 weeks to get to know him and they kept wanting to audition other singers and I said that this kid had everything that they could have ever imagined with the voice and the persona – super authentic. They eventually had him join the band. Then my involvement was being their music publisher, their quasi-manager – we didn’t have a manager but I functioned as such and I got them their deal at Warner and they were along with my employment contract because I believed in them so much. Still, no record label wanted them even with Chester and they were rejected 44 times. I made them a part of my employment contract and went in as their A&R person and executive produced the album.
AM: As stated before, the credits that you have are insane. Because it seems that you’re so involved with your artists, do you ever have a cap on how many people or projects that you’re working with because it seems so immersive?
JB: Good question. Music is part of my being and so are all creative projects. I always find time to do everything. I don’t have any kids so that leaves a lot of space. I figure that in life, anything that is a passion you make a priority for. I’m always very busy, but I never have a problem getting everything in.
AM: What is your creative process like and does it differ depending on what the project is whether you’re leaning into the A&R side, you’re producing or songwriting?
JB: I don’t necessarily have any process. I just go with the flow wherever the inspiration takes me. To be honest with you, there’s no set way of doing any project that I follow in terms of a regimen. I have tried that where I thought that something worked in the past could be applied and I have found that each project is its own entity and requires its own care and just like in life, any given second of your day will change the trajectory that will maneuver you in that day. So having a schedule that is set and laid out to do a project that is laid out for me will not work for me because I am so integrated into so many different things that different elements will come into play that will change what I would do. That’s one of the things that make me successful in what I do.
AM: Tell me about your new book, One Step Closer: From Zero to #1: Becoming Linkin Park and why you wanted to write this?
JB: Well the book was something that I was asked to write back in 2007 as a counterpart to Donald Passman’s All You Need to Know about the Music Business, but in a story form based on Linkin Park and it was extremely difficult and I gave up which is something that I never do. I just felt that it was exhausting. When Chester passed, it really affected me. I had written a small piece for Billboard Magazine and they were one of the people that had given me a chance early on – Melinda Newman who gave me a job as a writer for Continental Drift which is what gave me my job at Zomba Music Publishing with the credibility of Billboard. So I wrote a small piece for Chester in Billboard and the band’s manager said that he was moved by the article and I went back and looked up through the boxes – about 10 boxes of faxes, CDs, emails, notebooks, hand-written notes and I couldn’t put down my journals. So I thought in this traumatic experience that everyone has dreams and you set out to achieve them. Those that do, most give up after a few rejections and this band and I went through 44 of them. You’re not good enough, it’s career suicide, let it go and through the perseverance of overcoming adversity and being authentic, we followed our true vision and listened to our gut, true talent won out. You can be anything that you want to achieve in life. You just have to really be authentic and persevere. That was a story to me that was inspirational not just for a Linkin Park fan but to any human being.
AM: You have a number of projects coming up that you’re working on from your docuseries, iHeart Radio podcast and your screenplay that’s in development. What can you tell us about these so that we can keep an eye out for them?
JB: The docuseries is called,Unsung Heroes and it’s like my book but takes you on a journey through the decades from the 60’s forward of all genres of music and the socio-political elements that go into the decades and focuses on the A&Rpeople and those putting their careers on the line to discover these artists. It looks at the passion of the A&R execs through the decades of these people that no one wanted to sign. A lot like what I did with Linkin Park is carrying a vision with the artists to affect the world in a positive way. Whether it’s the transition from Disco to Rock and Punk or the transition from Heavy Metal/Hair Bands into Grunge and the rise of Hip-Hop. This is told through those decades and that’s what the docuseries is about.
The podcast is along those lines too. Telling the stories of A&R people and sharing their experiences.
My screenplay is a psychological thriller/horror movie that is about 5 celebrities that find themselves in rehab all with intertwining pasts and each one is facing their own demons, but there is a killer in the rehab facility and it is kind of a combination with Saw X Scream X The Breakfast Club. So it’s very character-driven and it’s all diversity. It goes into diversity issues, #MeToo movement, cultural issues and also deals with depression and the pressures of being a celebrity which is why they are in rehab. The effects of what stardom makes us do and how to keep that stardom so they go on that killing spree.
AM: What led you to wanting to create this kind of screenplay?
JB: Actually, it came out of the book. I had basically finished the outline to One Step Closer and I was dealing with the thoughts of Chester, depression and rehab and substance abuse. How people are dealing with it and how it affects everybody. It’s interesting that you’re making me think about this because I was on a softball team with a guy and the sponsor was a re-hab clinic in Malibu. I just got to thinking that it would be really cool if there was a psychological thriller about these celebrities in rehab and them killing each other and that’s the truth! I wanted to make it a super whodunnit and I love it. I’ve got hopefully, several stars attached and 1 really huge star that I am hoping to get.
AM: Is there a difference for you when you’re working with an artist on their album versus a soundtrack for a film?
JB: When you’re working with one artist on their album, that is a cohesive vision and it’s all supposed to sound like one journey. When you’re on a soundtrack, it’s inspired by the diverse moments in that film. You’re working with several artists. The songs can be inspired by, written for or existing songs that you can choose to emphasize moments in that film.
AM: What is your creative process in writing a song versus being an A&R and then as a producer?
JB: My creative process in writing a song depends on whether I’m writing with another writer or I’m writing with the artist as it matters entirely on the voice and the experience of the artists that are performing it. You want to make it authentic to that artist. I think it’s ideal when it’s co-written by the artist because it’s more true and authentic to them. As anA&R person, the A&R overseas and isn’t as present in the actual writing process. But they oversee the vision and the A&R person works that vision through the record label and to the public as opposed to a producer who is guiding in the studio, getting the right performances, making suggestions on sound, songs and they also oversee and help create the vision. All three are different roles.
I’ve done for example, I had a band that I had known as The Last Good Night, where I played the drums, co-wrote all the songs, A&R’d it, produced it and published it. That was very rewarding because I won a BMI Award as one of top songwriters fora song called Pictures of You and literally that was hands in every role that there possibly is. So rewarding and each role was different. In doing that, it takes a lot of trust from the artist.
AM: You have your entertainment firm, Century Park Entertainment, tell me more about this and what do you offer there?
JB: Century Park Entertainment is where we manage – I have 3 different artists right now who are a variety of DJ, performers, musical artists and songwriters, produce, we have the docuseries, the screenplay and the book. So it houses literary, television, film and music.
AM: How do you define an iconic voice? What does that mean to you and what does it trigger when you hear it?
JB: An iconic voice is an identifiable and unique sound or tone. That could be in a voice. I discovered Daniel Powter who sang, Bad Day, he had a very iconic voice. The same is true for Jonathan Davis, Ches-ter, Fred Durst and Macy Gracy. I think that when you hear a song and it’s playing on the radio and you hear it within 3 notes whether it’s the bass line, guitar line, drumbeat or a vocal and you know who the artists is – that’s iconic.
One thing I always listen to for me, Queen is the epitome of that – when you hear Brian May’s guitar’s tone, Freddie with his voice obviously and the sound that I really believe is Roy Thomas Baker his production on the snare of the snare drum for the percussion is iconic. It’s this mixture of a snare with the high hat and I just love it! Anyone of those things, you can immediately tell who these artists are whether it’s ACDC, Led Zeppelin or whatever. Often the things I look for is authenticity and for the artists to be able to speak their truth and for it to be believable as if you’re speaking towards a friend. On top of that, you need star power, the ability to engage and connect with the listeners, hit songs and above all the quality that a great artist and great songs make you feel like you belong. At the end of the day, we’re all outsiders but at the end of the day, great artists make us feel like we’re not alone.
AM: We always ask our trailblazers who we find to be inspiring, who are 3 people whether personally or professionally that you know or follow that have inspired you to be where you are now?
JB: One I would say is Jason Flom. He’s an A&R executive who started when he was 18 and I just love his passion and immediate belief in artists. He was one of the first people that I met and was really impressed with because he’s authentic and he’s remained a great friend and I have actually worked with him at Virgin. He hired me and that’s where I got The Good Night and where I earned the BMI Award for.
The people that I have encountered in my life – one was Harvey Levin which sounds horrible but I interned for him when he was a legal reporter at KCBS-TV news during college. He took me along on the ride-alongs to the courts. The other assistants rebelled and said I should be licking envelopes. I was an actor during college to get me through and my commercials were playing at the time in the newsroom and Harvey stood up for me and took me with him and said that I should be a legal reporter. He felt I was creative and good on camera. He said go to law school because I didn’t want to just be an actor. I thought it was really cool that he had me interact with him and I learned from that. He inspired me enough to go to law school which was horrible and I modeled my ability to mentor people like Brad Delson from Linkin Park and other people. Almost all of my interns and assistants have all gone on to be millionaires and major senior level executives in the music business. Brad, I took under my wing and his band obviously became Linkin Park and I included him in every single meeting and phone calls, talking to him about the music business and we had synergy with what I was learning because I was a new executive and I allowed him to experience what I experienced and I think that that is extremely important. My last intern helped me guide my book a little bit, he was a UCLA intern and he ended up after I showed him my screenplay, he helped give me some ideas and I gave him writing credit on it. I really believe in interacting with people.
The third person, there’s this guy Richard Blackstone who was my boss at Zomba Music Publishing and he was supportive with my vision even when he didn’t quite understand it. After I became successful, he told me that he always told me no and that he knew he should let me sign some-thing when I kept pushing after a month or two. He trusted my judgment and knew that the stuff that I cared about, I would keep pushing for. It also made me realize that I shouldn’t just jump on a reaction because interesting fades over time. But when he could imagine me jumping on my desk over something, then he could see me signing it. He ended up running Warner Chappell Music and BMG after awhile too.
PHOTOS COURTESY | Jeff Blue
Hear multi-platinum record producer, A&R executive, songwriter and lawyer Jeff Blue on an upcoming episode of our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia companion podcast network! Subscribe to be notified when the episode drops. Listen on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Read the Feb Issue #62 of Athleisure Mag and see Authenticity Rules with Jeff Blue in mag.
PUSH THE SOUND FORWARD WITH VALENTINO KHAN
Valentino Khan is a DJ/Producer with a lot of personality and a passion for his favorite teams - LA Dodgers and LA Lakers, where he had an epic concert celebrating their wins last year! In addition, last fall, he re-leased his EP on Diplo's label, Mad Decent. We caught up with him to find out about his passion for the industry, how he works creatively and more!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with music and when did you realize that you wanted to create music?
VALENTINO KHAN: I think my earliest exposure to who and what a producer was came through listening to stuff that The Neptunes, Dr. Dre and Timbaland were making. It gave me an understanding that there was a lane for people that “make the beat.” I became fascinated with the idea of creating something that gave people a wow factor in some way.
AM: You started in the music industry as a hip hop producer and have worked with artists such as T.I., 2 Chainz and B.o.B, when did you transition into doing music for yourself?
VK: It all happened for me at the same time more or less. I discovered dance music and began taking a shot at creating my own interpretation of it around the same time I started getting placements on rap projects. The artist side has just kept growing in such a great way for me and I’m thankful I still have my hands indifferent things both as a producer and an artist.
AM: Who were your mentors or sources of inspiration when you began your journey as DJ?
VK: I was inspired by nothing and every-thing at the same time. I’ve always want-ed to be versatile and try whatever I was feeling at the moment. So I gravitated to-ward having a catalog like someone like Diplo who has been involved with so many different genres. I wanted to be able to showcase a wide spectrum of sounds that I could create.
AM: What would you say is the Valentino Khan sound?
VK: I think a lot of people associate me with a very bass driven house music sound and that’s fine. But I think people that actually have listened to my discography know I’ve done many things outside of that too. I try to not get too caught up in that and just put out dope music.
AM: When you begin working on a new song or album, what’s your process in terms of how you begin to create it?
VK: It all depends on what the first point of inspiration is. I think I’ve been doing this long enough and I’ve put myself in situations where I can jump off from a number of different points. It could be the vocals, a synth line, the drums, whatever. I think the ability to take that original component and be able to have a vision for what the rest of the track will sound like is so important.
AM: How do you go about deciding to collaborate with others and what do you look for?
VK: I think it’s gotta be organic. I just look for people that try to push the sound forward because that’s huge for me. I want to continue to make music that raises the bar and pushes the envelope for every-one. It’s so important because that’s the same energy that has inspired me to do what I do.
AM: From a creative standpoint, is there a difference between when you’re doing a remix versus collaborating with an artist on a new song?
VK: I think the biggest difference when working with an artist is the focus on building a track around their vocal to let them shine. A huge part of it is giving your beat an identity but leaving space within your track for the artist. Otherwise, it can end up sounding too convoluted. I always try to keep that in mind when I’m doing a session or producing for someone else.
AM: When did you realize that you had made it?
VK: I don’t think I’ve ever had that moment. My career seems to have the most gradual steady climb but I’m fine with that. There’s more value in longevity.
AM: How have you been spending 2020 and how have you stayed inspired?
VK: Mostly making music and cooking at home. Or learning how to be a better cook at least. I think my goal is that I want to come out of this a better artist and a better person. Hopefully, I can achieve both of those things.
AM: How have you stayed connected to your fans to continue sharing your music with them?
VK: Streaming has been a huge way that has allowed me to stay connected with fans. Most of us haven’t been doing itas often as we were back when this first started, but I think it’s been cool to provide people with a brief distraction from the craziness that has been going on in this past year. Social media as a whole really helps me connect with my fans in the most organic way.
AM: I know you’re a Laker and Dodger fan and you did sold out shows for the Lakers Championship Victory Stream as well as one for the Dodgers! How did this come about and why did you want to do it?
VK: The new normal for now has been doing drive-in shows that are socially distant. And unfortunately, we never got to have proper parades for the Lakers and Dodgers winning it all in 2020. So I thought what better way to do the closest thing to a parade in a safe environment? I did back to back shows at the NOS Center in SoCal and sold out both nights. It was great to have that theme with those shows and celebrate together. It really gave perspective as to how important live music is and I’ve tried to not take for granted that it gives people a bit of joy.
AM: You’ve been doing drive in shows which is a great way to still be on stage and to have a version of fan inclusivity as well, how has that been and do you have more planned.
VK: It’s been an awesome experience. It’s a bit trickier to organize those but it’s become the solution for now until things get back under control. I’m definitely looking forward to doing more of these whenever the opportunity arises.
AM: We look forward to seeing you at E-Zoo later this year, what is your favorite festival to play?
VK: Fingers crossed on the festivals later this year. My favorites include all the Lollapaloozas and EDC of course because it feels like the Super Bowl of all of them.
AM: When you’re about to perform, do you have a routine that gets you ready for the show and do you have things you do after the show?
VK: I just stretch because I move around a lot, that’s it. I don’t really get any pre-show jitters so things are pretty simple for me.
AM: What have you learned about yourself this year as we have all had time for self reflection?
VK: I’ve learned that I can’t take for granted that I have a unique career that provides people with fun every night. There’s very few people that can say that, so I'm blessed I’m in that position. It’s also been a gut check in many ways and I’ve learned I can be alright when touring suddenly comes to a halt.
PHOTOS COURTESY | Valentino Khan
Read the Jan Issue #62 of Athleisure Mag and see Push the Sound Forward with Valentino Khan in mag.
Featured Music
NEXT LEVEL BEATS WITH SIDEPIECE
We caught up with SIDEPIECE, the collaborative project from respected producers Party Favor & Nitti Gritti. Their breakout hit, ‘On My Mind,’ was co-released with Diplo on his underground label Higher Ground. With over 75 million global streams, the song is nominated for a GRAMMY in the "Best Dance Recording" category, marking their first-ever GRAMMY nomination as SIDEPIECE. We wanted to find out more about their work, their creative process, how they came together and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we get into your collaborative project, tell me when you realized that you wanted to create music individually as Party Favor & Nitti Gritti.
NITTI GRITTI (RICKY): I started making music in 2012 as a hobby during college. I was just so competitive and determined that I ended up quitting everything to focus on it full time. Something about pro-duction and EDM blowing up at the time gave me the inspiration to really try and make music my career.
PARTY FAVOR (DYLAN): I got into electronic music when I was in my freshman year of college. It hadn't really popped off yet as dance music in the states and was still relatively underground. The only main-stream artists pushing a similar sound were the Black Eyed Peas/David Guetta at the time. The energy of the music and the unique soundscapes really attracted me and made me want to make dance music. It stirred something in me if you will haha.
AM: As producers, both of you have worked with amazing artists and have had a number of hits, how would you define the Party Favor and the Nitti Gritti sound?
PF: I think both of us are similar in the sense that we make all types of genres and I’ve always had a hard time being boxed into one thing specifically. The Party Favorsound originally started out as fun booty shaking music and over time I have been bringing in more songwriting and serious subject matter into the project. As I get a little older, my tastes and interests are changing and I like to constantly challenge myself. My upcoming album I’m finishing up right now is going to be a complete departure from early Party Favor and it’s very conceptual. Doing a full visual experience with it as well.
NG: Nitti Gritti is my project that allows me to release almost any genre and getaway with it. From Trap to Dubstep to Future Bass to Pop, I try to take inspiration from virtually any sound I want.
AM: Who have been some of your favorite collaborators that you have produced for/with?
NG: Getting to produce for artists like Major Lazer, Bad Bunny, SAINt JHN, Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull has been incredible. Seeing songs racking up huge streams over the years is always a great feeling.
PF: For me, early on working with Diplo was a great eye opener into thinking outside the box and how the process and industry works. He’s always thinking of what’s next and that inspired me to be better and not get complacent when I was starting out. I have worked with A$AP Ferg a few times both for his and my projects and he is one of my favorite people to work with. His vision for how he wants a song is crazy and he loves to make stuff up on the fly in the room which is how I work best as well.
AM: What is your process when you’re individually working with other creatives?
PF: It depends on each song and each situation. I love working in person because I think when you have that energy feeding off each other, there's nothing like it. The best music gets made that way. If I can’t get in a room with someone, I like to first take at least 45 minutes to chat/catch up and get to know the person before even discussing one bit about the song. Making music is all about feeling. For other records though, I might not even work with another person and maybe do everything on my headphones.
NG: I usually like to just hangout for an hour before we even start making music. Talking about life helps to open up the flow of communication, and then I like to start from scratch on a guitar or piano so the vibe is natural and we don't force the production process.
AM: How do the two of you work together when you’re creating music within this SIDEPIECE project especially with the craziness of 2020?
NG: We usually work remotely by sending Ableton sessions back and forth, but I go to LA to work in person with Dylan all the time. There's no doubt that we haven't been able to work face to face as much as we would have liked to this year, but we're making it work however we can right now.
PF: It’s been great because we have been on the same page mostly about the music and our skills really complement each other. So when I’m feeling lost on an idea or start something and want to hand it off, I know Ricky is going to be able to take it to the next level or fill in the blank of what’s missing. We both have our own separate projects so the SP project never feels like there's too much pressure and that's why I think it works so well. We treat it like our SIDEPIECE. Working in person for us is where we’ve made our best music, but we FaceTime all the time and show each other ideas. Going back and forth, we just make do with the situation. We’re sitting on so much music because all we’ve been doing is producing haha.
AM: How would you define SIDEPIECE’S sound?
PF: I guess Tech-House with a twist. We wanted this project to honor house music and its history and styles but wanted to bring something new to the table. I think coming from the world we do as PF and Nitti, we approach songs a little differently in the house world. We aren't in it for a fad, we're here to stay :).
NG: I'd describe it as "timeless house mu-sic that also pushes boundaries."
AM: What was the thought behind coming together as SIDEPIECE and tell me about ‘’On My Mind” and co-releasing it on Diplo’s underground label, Higher Ground.
NG: SIDEPIECE happened after Dylan and I showed each other some music on Face-Time one day. In about an hour, we realized we should try something together. It was cool how quickly we clicked mak-ing this style of music. As far as "On My Mind," I actually made it with Diplo in Bali on a writing trip we did, then almost a year later we made SIDEPIECE and all agreed it would be the perfect collab release for us.
PF: Ricky started this song with Wes (Diplo) before the SP project even started. When we initially started working on the project, he showed me the record as it was at the time and we both agreed it was perfect for the project. We worked on it more from there and turned it into what you hear now. We didn’t really have a choice on where it would end up label-wise because Diplo had a label haha, but we knew it was the right fit regardless.
AM: Not only has this song been successful streaming-wise, but you just scored a Grammy nomination for it in the “Best Dance Recording” category. How did it feel to get this nomination?
PF: Such a surreal feeling. We knew the song had potential and the response has been crazy but it was still such a surprise seeing our names up there. Honored and humbled by the response and the nomination. It’s chosen by our peers so that's even more of a big deal to me than the actual award. Now we gotta somehow top it haha.
NG: I've been a part of a Latin GrammyAward but I never got the actual trophy, so this time I'm really pumped to attend the GRAMMYs and try to win the damn thing! Haha!
AM: What are your plans for SIDEPIECE in 2021? Have you penciled in any festivals, drive-in shows whether virtual or live?
NG: We have a lot of music coming out and a few plans for future shows!
PF: Festivals, tons of new music, traveling the world, and just generally taking over is the plan.
AM: Are you working on new music that we should keep an eye out for?
PF: Way too much new music haha. We have a new one coming out in February called “Temptation” that we are stoked for. It was one of the first projects we made when we started SP. Hopefully some collabs this year too. We are open to anything and everything!
NG: We're always working on new stuff, it's just a matter of getting the songs out with a good plan behind them!
PHOTO CREDITS | PG 42, 44 + 47 Koury Angelo | PG 48 Tati Bruening | STYLIST Corynne Burrows |
Read the Jan Issue #61 of Athleisure Mag and see Next Level Beats with SIDEPIECE in mag.
Featured Music
9PLAYLIST | APRIL ROSS
Read the Jan Issue #61 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | April Ross in mag.
Featured
NATURAL PROGRESSION WITH KASKADE
We kick off the New Year with one of our favorite DJ/Producer and Grammy nominated artists, Kaskade. We have a number of his mixes in our playlists to enjoy for activities that we do throughout the day and night. He ended the year with a fantastic NYE show that was socially distanced at a drive-in that was an extension of a number of the shows that he was able to safely perform at as we navigated 2020. We caught up with him to talk about how he got his start, his passion for music, how he stays inspired and what he's working on.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been a fan of your music for a number of years as it’s on a number of my playlists, love working out to it at home, spinning to it at SoulCycle and seeing you at a number of shows most recently at Electric Zoo here in NY in 2019. When did you first fall in love with music and when did you realize that you wanted to create music?
KASKADE: Wow well thank you for the support over the years! I’ve been under the influence of music my whole life, not sure when it took over. I guess the obvious answer is when I was growing up in Chicago, getting educated in these clubs by the world’s best teachers. At some point I just decided I didn’t want a safety net, it was going to be music or nothing.
AM: You have had an amazing background in music from being a record store owner, an A&R director, DJ, songwriter and producer. How have these roles fueled the way that you approach music?
K: Every experience colored the story, gave it some texture. Running a record store is not an easy way to make any money at all but it’s an embarrassment of riches if you think about the fact that you just need to listen to music all day, know who wrote it and what other songs it might reference so you can recommend more music to the person who loves that one song. Working for a label was a huge deal because I got to be inside the machine and see what made it tick. Moving forward from there to playing out and producing and songwriting were just natural progressions like playing on monkey bars. Let go of one and it leads you to the next. They were all important to get me here.
AM: Who were your mentors or sources of inspiration when you began your journey as DJ?
K: I really looked up to the Chicago guys, naturally. They were untouchable and wildly cool. I began by listening to the Hot Mix 5, where they played old disco and B-boy mixes. Frankie Knuckles, Jesse Saunders, and when Steve “Silk” Hurley put out “Jack Your Body” it was over, I was done for. There was never an option to not love this music and make it my house.
AM: How do you define the Kaskadesound?
K: Yeh, I really try not to. Let the music speak and so forth.
AM: How do you stay inspired when it comes to creating new sounds?
K: I try not to overthink it. If you go looking for inspiration it just slaps you around. Is the sky pretty enough to write about? Is the way the ocean is moving lyrical? That girl that just fell down rollerskating, is she my muse? I can’t search for it or I come up empty. But if I leave myself open to remember what’s happening around me, the experiences I’m hearing about and sharing with friends, taking in memories of beauty instead of filming them, I find that they come to me at the times when I need them.
AM: When you begin working on a new song or album, what’s your process in terms of how you begin to create it?
K: I have a hard drive full of ideas, songs that are not right for other projects but needed to live. Usually, I'll go there and start pulling things apart I try not to ever think “this song will begin here, move there and then finish all the way at that point." I put it together in the way that makes sense at the time, then let it rest. Sometimes when I pick it up again, there’s one line that stands out or a lick I hadn’t really felt that suddenly punches me in the stomach. Music is so subjective, always just a reflection of what is happening to a person in that moment. So the idea factory might be full of stuff I hated3 months ago but after my last trip to the supermarket is going to really speak to me.
AM: How do you decide on new projects that you want to take on or those who you wish to collaborate with?
K: It’s usually friends of friends of friends. I can reach out to an artist I think is doing something interesting but there are so many gatekeepers, even in my own camp. It’s trickier than you’d think just to get a conversation. So I like to keep it close, with up and coming people who are working hard in the same way I did. Putting in the time, putting the product out there and hustling in all the ways. If someone hits me up with a line or vocal that rings my bell I’ll always say yes. I don’t really need them to be “the next big thing." I just need them to bring it for our collaboration.
AM: Is there a collaboration that you have yet to do that you would like to see happen and is there a song or album that you would have liked to have been on?
K: Of course everyone has their dream collabs. If Sade hit me up I would have to say no because I would actually die, RIP. I’ve been watching new talent like Gus Dapperton who is interesting as well as someone like Kaytranada and feel like if everything lined up there would be an interesting tapestry there.
AM: There are a number of songs that are on our playlists like Sexy with Kosha Dillz, Lick It with Skrillex, Room For Happiness with Skylar Grey, Move For Me with Deadmaus, Sometimes and your remix of Imag-ine Dragons’ Believer – to name a few. What have been some of your favorite songs that you have created and/or people that you have collaborated with?
K: I get asked this question a lot and never have found the right answer. Honestly, I’ve listened to and played all of my music so much over the years that my favorite ones become whichever ones I haven't heard recently.
AM: What was the moment when you realized that you had made it?
K: In my mind I’ve made it and blown it so many times that it’s just a blur of trying. Always putting in the time, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I guess making it just means that you have the opportunity to continue to work.
AM: You have played a number of festivals and were a pioneer in the concept of Las Vegas residencies, what is it about these environments and playing live shows that you love?
K: It all comes down to the energy of the audience. The show will live and die by what they’re feeling.
AM: What is your favorite festival to play?
K: Sun Soaked.
AM: You’ve been performing via your Road Trip series. How did this come about and how did you decide what cities would be included?
K: It was the most literal instance of necessity being the mother of invention. Obviously with COVID we had to get creative about performances. It was safety first, timing and location second, then the logistics of how can we make this cool and a really new experience for everyone. There were a lot of challenges and I think as we move forward it will only get better but I'm really proud of how we rolled it out and crazy impressed with the audience for respecting the safety guidelines the way they have. We all want what we had before but we all are appreciating what we can get now.
AM: We're assuming that because of the success of that series, that your recent NYE performance was an extension of this as well?
K: Absolutely. When Road Trip succeeded like it did we knew that we could pull NYE off safely as well. Even with the strict guidelines and a curfew before midnight, we got our party.
AM: Are there plans for future Road Trips?
K: Absolutely.
AM: What do you want your legacy to be when people think about the impact that you have had in music?
K: I just hope that people will understand my true love for music. Whether they dig what I created or not, if a person can look at what I’ve done and pull the true intent out of it, we are good.
IG @Kaskade
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Mark Owens
Read the Jan Issue #61 of Athleisure Mag and see Natural Progression with Kaskade in mag.
Featured
MAKING MAGIC WITH ANABEL ENGLUND
We caught up with Anabel Englund who recently launched her debut album, Messing with Magic. This singer/songwriter and DJ has collaborated with a number of artists including MK and Hot Natured. We wanted to find out more about how she got into the industry, her creative process and also what it was like to release her debut album during a pandemic.
ATHLEISURE MAG: You’ve been in the music industry for a number of years. Tell us how you got into the industry.
ANABEL ENGLUND: Well, I grew up around people playing music all the time. It is like second nature in my family so when I was introduced to certain people it was easy to feel comfortable & like I belonged. I moved to LA proper when I was 18 & immediately dove into club & party life. I was infatuated with the underground scene & needed to know more.I moved to LA proper when I was 18 &immediately dove into club & party life. I was infatuated with the underground scene & needed to know more.
AM: What was the moment when you decided that you wanted to be in the house/dance genre in music?
AE: When I heard more & more house music when I moved to LA. It was love at first sound. I remember hearing someone sing on a track & I thought,“ I can do this...& I can do it better” I felt like. I knew in my heart I was going to sing over house music & that’s exactly what happened.
AM: As a DJ, singer, and songwriter how is it to be able to navigate these areas as you create your music?AE: Singing & songwriting is my number 1. Writing & singing the music always comes first. Then when I have music I love that I’ve made its amazing to play that music out.
AM: How would you define your sound?
AE: Sexy, light, rewarding, authentic, indie, electro, house.
AM: What’s your process like when you are creating music in general and how was it for your debut album?
AE: It is always the same. I don’t think much about it until I’m in the session. Unless I all of a sudden have a song title idea in the shower or just walking down the street. But when I’m in the session with a producer I like to let my subconscious take the lead. I start with the melody &whatever the melody words sound like Isound it out & then I think AH! Okay So we need to write a saying goodbye song to-day or an I love you song today...I let the space guide me if that makes sense.
AM: We had the pleasure of seeing you on Zoom when you released your album, what was the thought behind this body of work?
AE: It was kind of just a domino effect. It didn’t start with a plan to make an album it all just came together as such & it turned out beautifully! I really do feel like the first chapter of my artistry is Messing With Magic. Every song is about growth or love in one way or another & I’ve found who I am as an artist through making it &releasing it to the world. I am very proud of her.
AM: How was it to release it at the end of last year?
AE: To me it felt perfect. It was the best way to conclude a crazy year with so many releases & a great way to start a new year with music out that people can listen to. Music that is taking root.
AM: How do you stay inspired?
AE: Through staying sober. Being alive & awake to experience every aspect of my life, the good & the bad. You can write a song about anything. Sometime the smallest little interactions are the most important songs.
AM: Have you started making plans in terms of events that you may be involved in this year whether in person or virtually?
AE: I have some festivals booked but I don’t know what the future looks like with COVID running rampant...
AM: What have your days been like in general in 2020 in terms of prepping for the album, releasing it, navigating a quarantine etc?
AE: Wow it was crazy! I thought how are we going to get all of these things done? So many interviews, visuals needed for approval, mixing, mastering, music videos. I didn’t know it was all possible & yet it was. It was an incredible growing experience.
AM: Who are 3 people that you have yet to work with, but is on your list to do so?
AE:Black Coffee, Max Martin or his camp and Sza.
AM: How do you take time for yourself whether it’s meditating, taking baths, going out for a walk, cooking etc?
AE: Haha all of the above. I feel good when my space is clean & things are organized & put away. I don’t do well in clutter AT ALL. Meditating helped me survive 2020 100%. Taking baths with a ton of epsom salt & essential oils has been a saving grace. Journaling is also very important to me & having a few people who I can confide in to just get some advice or share my stress with. It’s important to have good true people in your life.
PHOTO CREDITS | Paige Strabala
Read the Jan Issue #61 of Athleisure Mag and see Making Magic with Anabel Englund in mag.
Featured
BY INSTINCT WITH BENNY BENASSI
2020 has been quite a year and one of the ways that many of us have gotten through it is through music. We're so excited to have one of our favorite artists, Benny Benassi as our cover and to end the year with! Known for his hits such as Satisfaction and his single with Jeremih - LOVELIFE. Benny has spent this year in training for a triathalon, making great music and continuing to keep the positive vibes going. Our photo-shoot took us virtually to Italy and he gives us more insight into how he got into the industry, his love of music and what he has been working on!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with music and want to create it?
BENNY BENASSI: I've always loved music and I’ve always tried to express myself through it since I was little.
AM: How do you define your music style?
BB: Eclectic and pretty wide-ranging, now. I guess the dictionary definition would be house music or electro house music. I work in that genre but I like to alternate a powerful dirty club sound with radio-friendly songs with lyrics and voices that inspire and move me.
AM: How do you stay inspired when it comes to creating new sounds?
BB: I listen to my old vinyls with my production team and I try to draw inspiration from them. Suddenly we hit upon a sound or a mood or just a kind of energy that gets us going and off we go to try to make some good new music that looks to the future while planting its roots in the past.
AM: What was your journey in becoming a DJ and producer?
BB: As I said, I've always loved music. I had this dream of becoming the DJ, the one selecting the music. But in the early days, I had to make do with being on the dancefloor for a while, not just dancing but listening and learning! I yearned to produce my own music and to find my own sound one day. So I asked my cousin Alle who was training to be a classical musician to give me a hand. We grew up in the same apartment block and we ended up producing music together right until 2018!
AM: When you begin a new project, what’s your creative process?
BB: The creativity is a team dynamic. The process is sometimes started by something we heard on an old record as we talked about earlier. Sometimes it’s a sound or a riff from one of the team, we build on it. Then we have listening sessions and just go through all the musical ideas we have on the boil, we analyze them together and decide which tracks to develop. The best ones make it all the way! We work a lot with songwriters from all around the world, too. They send us songs or we send them our music to write over.
AM: We're huge fans of Satisfaction and you have created a number of songs that are in our playlists from your remix of Bob Marley's Jammin', Chris Brown's Beautiful People and more. What have been some of your favorite songs that you have created/collaborated with?
BB: Skrillex’s remix of “Cinema” is one of them - his energy and talent played an important role in my artistic growth. Also, his remix recently hit 100million streams on Spotify, I’m really happy that he applied his amazing skill to this track! Also, Bob Marley is such an inspiration for all of us - he taught us to love life. I had the honour to remix Jammin’, it means a lot to me.
AM: What do you think it is about Satis-faction that people love so much?
BB: When you’re in the studio, you don’t really think about the destiny of the track you’re working on, you just wanna make good music. It’ll go wherever it needs to go! I was working with my cousin, Alle Benassi, and we thought Satisfaction would be a good house/club record, we never imagined that it would get so much love! I don’t know why people love it so much more than some other tracks from the same period but they do! And I’m thrilled ;)
AM: We have enjoyed your single, LOVELIFEwith Jeremih, how did this come about?
BB: About a year ago I was sent a demo of the song by the publishers of the original British writers and I immediately fell in love with it, so I started working on it with my production partners, now known as the BB TEAM! We wanted to give it an electronic vibe and when we got the production to where we wanted it to be we asked Jeremih if he would like to feature on it. We truly loved J's personal interpretation of the track. He really lights it up.
AM: How do you decide on new projects that you want to take on or those who you wish to collaborate with?
BB: I always try to follow my instinct. I try to focus on the things that catch my attention and add my personal touch!
AM: These past few months in quarantine as we do our part to lower the curve forCOVID-19, how have you been passing your time and how have you been connecting with your fans?
BB: I’ve been training to take part in a triathlon in Spring! and I've been working on new music with my team. We’ve been extremely productive these last months!
AM: With many of us hearing about vaccines, are you beginning to make plans or think of in-person events that you would like to do?
BB: I just hope that everything will get back to normal as soon as possible. When things get better, I’ll be ready to party!
AM: What have you learned about yourself this year as we have all had time for self-reflection?
BB: I reflected on the importance of understanding the value of what we have and helping out people who love us. And the importance of running. It helps a lot!
AM: We hear that you’re dropping a new album at the beginning of the year. Can you tell us about it and what we can expect to hear?
BB: We’re actually working with singles in harmony with the digital stores. I’m thinking about an album but we’re still making some adjustments.
AM: When you’re not creating music, we know that you have an interest in triathlons. What is it about this sport that draws you to it?
BB: It’s a really complete sport. It helps you improve your physical condition in an unbelievable way.
AM: As we approach 2021, what are you looking forward to as we head into the new year?
BB: I’d rather not make any predictions, too much responsibility!
AM: What do you want your legacy to be when people think about the impact that you have had in music
BB: I’d love to bring a smile to the face of everyone who ever listens to my music. I wanna convey my passion for house music and make a humble contribution to the keeping that culture alive. May it live for-ever!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Athleisure Mag's virtual cover shoot was shot by Co-Founder + Celebrity Photographer Paul Farkas. Throughout this shoot, Paul used an iPhone XS, iPad Air 2, Face-time and Clos.
IG @PVFarkas
Read the Dec Issue #60 of Athleisure Mag and see By Instinct with Benny Benassi in mag.
Featured Music
9PLAYLIST | NERVO
Read the Dec Issue #60 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | NERVO in mag.
Featured 9PLAYLIST
GOOD VIBES ONLY WITH SOFI TUKKER
This month's cover story features 2 X GRAMMY-nominated musical duo that we have been a fan of for awhile now. SOFITUKKER's music can be heard in some of your favorite Apple commercials, TV shows and even when you're hopping on your Peleton. This group is known for their jungle pop vibes and continuing to expand their footprint in the world through their creativity. We talked with them about how they began working with one another, how they got into the industry, their body of work and what they have been doing as they have navigated this time of quarantine.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior to becoming the powerhouse duo that you are, when did you fall in love with just music in general?
TUCKER HALPERN: I have always been in love with music. I played the drums and I was in garage bands growing up. But it al-ways took a backseat to basketball. That was my whole life for such a long time until I was like 20 – 22. For me, I didn’t really fall in love until the way that I am today until I got sick in college. That’s when I started turning my attention to something else. I really just fell in love with dance music and house music and stuff.
SOPHIE HAWLEY-WELD: I can’t really point to a specific period in time where I fell in love with music. It’s always been something that I have enjoyed listening to and I have always been dancing. I would always dance and be in musical theater as a kid. I started writing as a means of music therapy actually in middle school. I would play the guitar and I would write about my feelings. I found it so therapeutic to honestly just write about my experiences as opposed to thinking about it. It was my primary way of getting through my angst.
I was really into jazz and I took jazz singing lessons. I started to realize that I liked Brazilian jazz more than any other kind of jazz. I started taking Portuguese and I said, “hey, if I love this music so much, I should probably start taking lessons in it."So I really started loving the music and moved to Brazil for a bit and I just kept it going. I think it’s a long story but music is just such an experience in the way that you fall in love with it.
AM: We’re big fans of jazz music in our team and our co-founder’s great uncle was Joe Henderson, tenor saxophonist.
SHW: Cool!
AM: We love bossa nova as a form as well, what is it about this genre of music that pulls you in?
SHW: I just find it so intimate and sexy and soothing. I think that the language is perfect for jazz and singing. I think that it’s very vowel-y. I think it’s perfect and when you’re listening to it, the singers are whispering into the microphone.
AM: Pretty much.
SHW: Yeah and I just really enjoy that whole vibe.
AM: How did you guys meet one another and was the moment when you realized that you wanted to work together and that you had those traits that would be really beneficial together?
TH: Well, I think that I had to convince Sophie to do that – that I had traits to add to her repertoire. But the story goes, I was DJing after my basketball life in college during my senior year. I was DJing tons of house parties – like college stuff, but it was cool under-ground stuff. One of my friends asked me to DJ after this art show. We went to Brown and it was at this show in Providence in downtown like at a warehouse thing. I went early to set up and Sophie was the acoustical per-former at the art show and I think that there was only 10 people there. But I was sort of setting up and watching her perform with a couple of friends that I knew from my music classes at school. She was amazing and she was only singing in Portuguese and it was really beautiful bossa nova music which I had never really heard much of before.I thought that it was really cool but it was really slow. Like REALLY slow – like 4BPMs – I swear! I was like, man this would be so much cooler if it was more upbeat and had a house beat behind it. When she sort of finished and it was supposed to be my turn to play, I actually said casually,“hey keep playing and I’m going to bringing a beat with it.” So like, looping the intro with a house music track and I put it really slow at the tempo that they were playing at and then I started speeding it up and I said, “just follow the tempo.” She start-ed singing the song at a faster beat that was behind it. So I said, “ok this is going to work.
After that, I think she stayed for my set – did she?
HW: I did.
TH: You must have – you had to. She was probably hitting on a guy that was there ha.
SHW: Of course haha.
TH: So the role reversed. I had to introduce myself to her after I played and I was like, what were you singing. She told me that they were original songs that she made. I asked her if I could do a remix of the last one that she was singing. She agreed but told me that there was no real recording of it. I said, “cool, come over to my apartment tomorrow – a dorm apartment and let’s rerecord it and I’ll make an electronic version of the song. She did come over and we did start making a different version of the song and –
SHW: We just started working every day and making new projects. It was so easy to work together. Were we even friends? We started working with each other for a long time but we weren’t hanging out socially. We just had a great work friendship.
AM: That’s mind-boggling! You’d think that the two of you started this as being best friends or at least really good acquaintances.
SHW: Yeah we didn’t even hang out with one another outside of making our music. We were just making music. Eventually, Tucker convinced me that I should come to NY. Then I thought, “wait, who is this guy?” I talked to people that I knew that we had in common and I was like, “do you vouch for him and should I move to NY with him to create a band with him?” They were like, “oh yeah, he’s a great guy – you should go with him.”
AM: What is your process like when you do sit down and create music together? Do you guys have designated roles?
SHW: Yeah. Every song is very different. But for the most part, Tucker is at the computer and I’m on the guitar and writing most of the lyrics. Now he’s singing a lot more which is cool. It’s also because as the band has evolved we have done the same as well.
AM: You guys have worked with so many artists over the past few years, what are you guys looking for when you are deciding on collaborating with people outside of yourselves?
TH: Honestly, I think that we’re just looking at people with good vibes. We love working with friends and people that we admire and look up to. That actually has a lot to do with the vibe that they are putting out into the world. We enjoy working together. One of the coolest things about collaboration is about putting out like a baby into the world that you created together and then being able to celebrate that together. Then being able to perform it together. You’re sort of bonded with that group forever. It will sort of always be a part of who you are. It’s just fun and it also gets you to have that opportunity for that music to have a little more freedom.
Because you’re able to work with another artist who has their musical sound, we don’t have to worry about whether that music has the SOFI TUKKER sound and if itis really in our world, having that aesthetic and that palette because it’s a collab-oration. So it can also live in Icona Pop’s world or someone else’s world. So it can have a little more risk and it can be a little more out there. Maybe not more out there as I think SOFI TUKKER songs are out there.
AM: Oh yes in the best possible way!
TH: Right I love out there. In a way – the collaboration has a way of being able to be out there – you know what I mean?
AM: Yeah. It’s about blending. When you have two collaborators that you know their work separately, come together it’s a hybrid that’s undefined and gives you the space to create. That’s so exciting when you see that come together.
TH: You get me.
AM: Yes! Our team has done fun projects outside of Athleisure Mag. Our Style Director had the opportunity to style Nile Rodgers a few years ago and her style has its signature and Nile is known for his. So the two coming together to create a look really took the pressure off of her as they both had a united vision without her wondering how it would go against her aesthetic. She could just sit back and enjoy the work and embrace his vibes and interests while adding in her touches.
TH: Exactly, it’s fun to have the other create fingerprints on it as well.
AM: Prior to COVID-19, you guys had a number of tours that you were on and creating a number of amazing shows. In prep for this interview, when we have told people that you guys are the cover, everyone would tell us about their show experience when jamming out with you guys and how it was the best night of their lives. So many people have painted a picture for us about your shows, but for those that have yet to go, what is it like for one of your in-person shows?
TH: I don’t remember.
AM: It feels like so long ago!
SHW: It’s like an electric orgasm!
TH: It’s all that energy coming together on one wavelength. It’s like losing your shit. You know when you’re like 13 with your friends and you’re listening to music on your boombox in your room and you’re like dancing on your bed – like losing it? I try to bring the adult back to that – to that primal nature.
AM: Do you guys have pre-show things that you do to get your mind ready for the show and then things that you do when the show is over? You guys are pushing through so much energy that it’s unimaginable how much you guys must hype yourselves up and then come down from that whole effect.
SHW: It is a p-r-o-c-e-s-s.
TH: We have different processes.
AM: Assumed!
TH: I’m going to let Sophie go as it’s such a process.
SHW: I’m really sensitive to stimulus as a person. I have to warm up to and then cool down from it or else I would never be able to survive. Basically, hours before the show my prep begins. 4 hours prior to the show, I will have my last meal. About an hour before the show, I start my vocal exercises. They are very physical and funny. That will go for about an hour and a half. Down to the hour, I know exactly what I am doing. After my vocal warm-up, I will do my physical warm-up. It’s about rolling out my body and it’s intricate. For the last 5 mins, we will dance around and psych each other up. You know, just jumping around with nervous energy.
After the show, then I have a vocal cooldown and then ideally, there’s a bathtub or a shower that also helps me to come down.
AM: Although that was an unexpected answer, love hearing this and knowing that there is such a thing as a vocal cool down is something new to us!
SHW: It doesn’t take that long. It’s just learning about putting the vocal in the right place in your mouth if that makes sense. That way you don’t get hoarse. When you talk right after singing, it can be really draining on the voice.
AM: Totally. Tucker?
TH: Mine is a little simpler. Before the show, we both pretty much treat it like a basketball game. It’s all about the warmup, being able to blast music – usually, dance music. It gets more intense as it goes. The first hour maybe a bit more chiller. By the end, it could be trance by the time we’re ready to go out so we're losing it. I’m really big into warming up because if we don’t do it or don’t do it long enough, my hamstrings will just bedone and then it’s all over. Right before we go out, we really hype each other up and Sophie gives me a 5-star on the back, like a really hard one. And it always hurts, but it stings and it gives me a little extra jolt which I like – but I don’t miss it that much haha!
SHW: What?
TH: I call it the 5-star. Sophie didn’t know that that’s what I call it until now! It’s a big slap on your back – it’s a 5-star. Afterwards, I ice up my knees and my feet with bags of ice or an ice bath type of situation.
AM: Um truly like a basketball player!
TH: Yeah, it’s very similar to my routine when I was a basketball player. We kind of run around and go nuts on stage. When I come off stage, my shirt is entirely dripping in sweat. It’s like a full hour and a half of going nuts. So I really have to ice but I don’t have to do the wind-down when we go back to the ho-tel after shows, I can just lie on the bed and fall asleep a minute after raving. Sophie has to do like a full 2-hour yoga wind down. When we used to share a hotel room for the first couple of years because we had smaller budgets, it was not ideal to share a room. I’d want to put the TV on so that I could watch SportsCenter and fall asleep to it and she could not have any light stimulation or noise or she would not be able to fall asleep. She has like earplugs and an eyemask. If I had the TV on even in silent, she’d be like, “nope the light flickering is fucking me up.” I was like, “this is ridiculous.
AM: You guys have had such a successful career, you have 2 GRAMMY nominations, you’ve played a number of festivals, I al-ways love hearing your music when it's an Apple (Best Friend) or Peleton (Purple Hat) commercial – we’re huge fans of HBO’s The New Pope. So when we heard, Good Time Girls the opening song –that was amazing. What does it mean to you guys to have so much of your music placed into so many pop culture areas?
SHW: I think that we feel really lucky to be able to be in that space! It’s a great way for people to be able to connect to our music and it’s just such a great opportunity.
AM: Even as we navigate COVID-19, you guys have continued to stay connected with your fans. How did your daily con-certs from home start and how impactful has it been to be able to provide this to your fans? Especially when we’re in a moment where you can’t really, travel, tour etc.?
SHW: It started very organically and by accident. Tucker was DJing and I was working out. Our friend came down and started live-streaming what was happening. People were watching and it was really fun and we said let’s do it again. I think on the 3rd day, Tucker was like, we’re going to do this every day until COVID-19 is over. Obviously, little did we know that we would still be at it. What we’re doing is different than our live shows as this is a DJ set and has been so much fun. Honestly, it’s been one of the most meaningful moments that I would say of my life. We're in this moment in time right now where people are feeling loneliness and are suffering and we are able to bring people together every single day. Everybody that is coming together are our friends and our community is now called the Freak Famand it’s grown to be this big community outside of ourselves. They have come together and they’re so inclusive and warm– it’s been great to see and gives us hope. This year, we’ve seen a lot of things about our world that hasn’t been great so to see that there are people like this has really been something that I have loved being able to be a part of.
AM: Are these shows thematic by genre, country or dedicated to specific portions of your fan base? Do you guys just freeflow every day?
TH: The Freak Fam is really so world wide that our music is really for everyone out there. It’s interesting because there are so many different time zones and languages that for those, it would feel odd to be specifically towards just one place because it's so diverse. We have done specific shows like an all Australia set for Australian radio where it live-streamed and it only featured artists from Australia. We’ve done some Mexico specific ones – we’ve done it. But for the daily streams, we just try to keep it inclusive for everyone.
AM: When you guys createdTreehouse, there are so many good songs on it. How long did it take you to make it and what was that like?
SHW: It’s so different now versus then.
When we madeTreehouse, we didnt have real time off. We basically used the time in between our tours. We would go to the studio, work on the songs, etc. Since it was done that way, it probably took a year to get that album out. There would be gaps where we couldn’t work on songs for a number of months as it would be a couple of days here and a couple of days there.
AM: Last month we interviewed you andIcona Pop about the release of SPA which we loved. We just caught the video recently as we have it on repeat. What was the thought behind having Jordan Firstman and Mia Khalifa also being included in this video and how did that come about?
SHW: I think it started out with Icona Pop as they were friends with him. We’re so lucky that we were able to have them in their as they are so iconic and I love their videos. They’re both so cool and iconic in their own way.
AM: You guys have the interactive e-con-cert coming up on Yoop on Mar 12, 2021 at- live from their eSPACE in Nashville. How did this come together and how are you working in terms of being prepared for that one?
TH: We’re so excited about this one. We’ve been waiting for the right kind of virtual experience that would fit what we would want that would be really unique and would be different from going and watching one of our live shows from YouTube or something. We were looking for a platform that had a real two-way traction. One of the main parts about our show is the connection between us and the fans and the real give and take and not just for our enjoyment although we definitely do have that. But the shows have a real live effect as it gets everyone on the same wavelength which is an important part about our show. To try to do that in a virtual world through technology, we thought that this platform would be a great way to do that. It has no lag between communication. People can clap at the end of shows or scream and we can hear that. There are these 3 big movie like screens in front of us where the crowd would normally be and there’s the ability to scroll through thousands of people who are listening in from their house. We can even pick them out and hear them with no lag time.
It’s the first thing that we have seen that is close to a real show and being able to get that real energy. We watched a couple of them as they were getting their plat-form going and just watching the kinds of interaction between the artist and their fans, talking through the songs and see-ing everyone interacts – it was such a cool experience. It made me really thing that you were there in that experience altogether. You know it’s live. I’ve seen some live streams and it looks like it was just pre-recorded shows that you’re watching. That’s cool, but for us we want to try to really have that live feel.
AM: In these times that we’re living in right now, how are you spending your time in quarantine when you’re not doing your daily shows? Are you working on your next album or finding new hobbies that you didn’t know that you had?
SHW: We’ve never had this much time be-fore ever! It’s really interesting. We have been working on a lot of new music. I'm not going to announce anything specific.
AM: Thought so.
SHW: But, there is a body of work!
AM: Nice.
SHW: But we have never had this amount of time where we could work on songs like this. So we’re really excited about that process. I mean, we try to get outside a lot. I’ve been DJing every day. I wasn’t really DJing before this time. So I spend a lot of time practicing DJing now and I spend a lot of time doing tutorials. I take guitar lessons as well to take the time to work on my craft. I love being able to do that and I also play things in our DJ set of things that our Freak Fam is doing. It could be poetry or things that they are doing and so I will work on that. There’s a ton to do!
AM: How do you guys stay inspired?
SHW: I’d say that the DJ sets that we're doing right now are really inspired. It’s energizing and it’s fun to try out a set or song and see how it works. Then we can go back and work on it more and then try it out on a set again. It’s really cool to be able to have that feedback when we're working on something. We can go directly from studio to set to play it.
AM: A lot of people are thinking about what next year will look like in terms of returning to IRL events and things of that nature. Have you guys begun to sketch out what plans to doing something like that will look like? Or are you looking at circling that date in hopes that you can actually do that show or particular event?
SHW: I would say that we’re trying not to get our hopes up!
AM: Same!
SHW: I think that we actually haven’t even gone there. Like obviously our team is there creating plans, but in our hearts, we just believe that today is what today is and tomorrow is what tomorrow is. But it’s really hard mentally to go past anything like a month. I mean how the world is right now and what it will be, we know it’s really unpredictable right now and that’s all we can predict!
AM: We’ve literally had the same conversations on this end. When can we do IRL shoots, attend events etc. To be able to think about that and to think about the safety around those elements is just a lot to take in because the plans become so fluid and it’s definitely hard to predict. It’s too soon!
SHW: Yeah.
AM: What do you guys think about the fact that because you have had so much virtual/digital engagement and even hearing about this new platform that your show on the 4th will be on, everyone regardless of their vertical has embraced these concepts. When things at some point in life do get back to being in person, will you guys maintain some of these virtual nuggets that you have been playing around with and that people have enjoyed even when they can move around more freely?
TH: For sure! I think that he whole world has definitely embraced the virtual element in all industries. I’m sure a lot of companies are saying, “you know, we don’t really need that office space. We can do it from home and save all of this money.” I think that it will be the same in the music industry. We can’t get everywhere and there are still places that we have never been able to go. We have played in a lot of places but there are so many places that we haven’t been able to play for many reasons. Sometimes it’s just as simple as the currency of that country as doing it would mean that we would financially lose money and people can’t afford the show. I think there is such a good use of virtual shows and our DJ sets whether it’s geotargeted or geo-locked and can only be seen in certain places, I think it’s going to be really useful.
You can have people watching you from all over the world and be united and that doesn’t have when we have our in person shows. Only people in that space/that town get to be in that moment. It can accomplish something sometimes bigger and sometimes more broad. Because it’s free (not the Yoop show,) but what we have been doing is, hopefully, it’s just a 1-click for free mouse move as the barrier into entry. Those who may not have known us well enough to pay for a ticket or two to make a plan in their week to see us can do it now because of this platform when they wouldn’t have prior to. So there is always a good use for something like this and I think it will get creative when the world is back to the new normal or whatever it is.
AM: What do you guys see as being next in terms of the SOFI TUKKER brand? Launching a fashion line, getting into acting – are there other areas that you want to be able to embrace in addition to your successful music career?
SHW: Tucker is a thespian!
TH: No not really! Haha
SHW: Haha I don’t think my sarcasm translates well to print haha!
AM: Haha we caught it!
SHW: So we have our body of work that we are working on right now and I don’t think that we have ever been so proud of the music that we are making. We definitely are interested in launching projects of course.
TH: If you have anything in mind, we’re around!
AM: Of course!
SHW: We don’t have any booking plans right now to get in the way of that.
TH: We want to be able to continue to do what we’re doing and to grow the FreakFam as well! When live shows return, we want to be able to do it in a hopefully big-ger and more exciting place than where we left off. It’s exciting and we’ve loved being able to find ways to keep growing and to work with so many great people.
SHW: It’s been a really tough time as I’m really far away from my family. So that’s tough so to have the work that we do –our music and our purpose and to have a community that is so vibrant it really helps. It takes a time that is really tough and difficult and helps me and others get through it. It makes it a lot easier to focus on things and to be able to be excited about them.
AM: Clearly you guys inspire people with everything that you do. So we always like asking people who are 3 people that you know or admire from afar that have in-spired who you are today?
TH: There are so many people and I think when you think about the people that we have learned from – when we started the group or band or duo – still don’t know what to call it 5 years later ha! We start-ed, we were really uncomfortable taking photos, being on social media and we wouldn’t take selfies because we thought it was lame. Then something as simple as seeing other friends of ours do what they did and were amazing at social media, that was inspiring to us.
For me in short, it would be Larry Bird.
AM: Yes! Our Co-Founder loves Larry Bird!
TH: Is she from French Lick?
AM: No, Indianapolis but she’s all about him and you can never say anything wrong about him – his work ethic and focus is amazing.
TH: Exactly. I’m from Boston and as a sports guy, I grew up idolizing his work ethic, how hard he played and how hard he practiced. When I watched him play, that was always instilled in me and I learned it from sports. I knew that if you’re not working, someone else is getting better. It’s not like everything is a competition but it is competitive and that is motivating for me.
AM: In our Style Director’s home state, they believe in Life is Sports and Sports is life. How you are in sports is how you're going to go about life. So it is a competition and in many ways, that competition will be with yourself. And the reality is that someone else is also doing what you are doing so you need to be ready to perform. It’s a great point!
TH: A lot of what I learned there, we have brought into our world here. Being a captain on a college basketball team and working together – a lot of those skills are also applicable in what we do now and it was great to bring it in here.
SH: I’m going to give you an emotional answer because my grandfather passed away recently. I would say that he is one of the reasons why I am who I am today and he inspired me. A – he always treated me like I was the most special person in the world. The thing about him is that I think he actually treated a lot of people that way so it wasn’t just about me. That’s how he was with people and when he interacted with them, he made them feel that way. Feeling seen and having that kind of love in my life made me believe in myself and made me want to give that back to other people so that others could be seen and feel special. The other thing is that he was always jolly and I never heard him complain and I think that that value is something that we have also brought into the community and the band.
IG @SOFITUKKER
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Athleisure Mag's virtual cover shoot was shot by Co-Founder + Celebrity Photographer Paul Farkas. Throughout this shoot, Paul used an iPhone 11 Pro, iPad Air 2, Facetime and Clos.
STYLE CREDITS
Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist, Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director Kimmie Smith shares what she used to create the cover editorial with SOFI TUK-KER for a number of fun vibrant looks.
LOOK I | LOUNGE STYLE
FRONT COVER, PG 16 + 19 | SOPHIE: DIPPIN' DAISY'S Show Off Bralette + Friday Night Pant | MAISON MIRU Halo Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling | EXPERIMENTAL JEWELLERY CLUB Gold Pyramid Stud Bracelet | NIKE Sneakers | TUCKER: RUSSELL ATHLETIC Tie Dye French Terry Hoodie + Short | PUMA RS-2K Messaging Sneakers | SOFI TUKKER Yellow Choker Chain |
LOOK II | SPORTY STYLE
BACK COVER + PG 20 - 25 | SOPHIE: L'OEUFPOCHE Cloud 9 Crop Pullover | L'ETOILE SPORT A-Line Skort | MAISON MIRU Halo Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling | Nike Sneakers | BABOLAT Pure Aero Tennis Racket | TUCKER: ALO YOGA Idol Hooded Runner + Chill Short | MATADOR MEGGINGS Cubed Meggings | PUMA RS-2K Messaging Sneakers | SOFI TUKKER Yellow Choker Chain |
LOOK III | WEEKEND STYLE
PG 27 - 32 | SOPHIE: BALANCE ATHLETICA Tie Dye Hoodie | PANGAIA Lightweight Recycled Cotton Track Pants | MAISON MIRU Halo Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling | PUMA RS-Fast Sneaker |TUCKER: MUNICIPAL Standard Issue 300 Hoodie | PUMA X KIDSUPER STUDIOS Track Pants | Nike Sneakers | SOFI TUKKER Yellow Choker Chain |
LOOK IV | STUDIO STYLE
PG 35 - 39 | MUNICIPAL Sport Utility Hoodie + Jogger |
LOOK V | CASUAL STYLE
PG 40 + 41 | KALORE Ivory Satin Top + Stretch Pants | MAISON MIRU Halo Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling | STELLA MCCARTNEY Holographic Sneakers |
LOOK VI | CHILL STYLE
PG 42 + 43 | BALANCE ATHLETICA Tie Dye Hoodie | MUNICIPAL Crossover Short |
IG @PVFarkas
Hear EDM musical duo SOFI TUKKER on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia companion podcast network! Subscribe to be notified when the episode drops. Listen on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Read the Nov Issue #59 of Athleisure Mag and see SOFI TUKKER in mag as well as their 9PLAYLIST 9MIX.
Featured Music
9PLAYLIST | SOFI TUKKER
9PLAYLIST 9MIX | SOFI TUKKER
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag #59 and see 9PLAYLIST 9MIX in mag as well as see them on our YouTube channel.
Featured 9PLAYLIST 9MIX
ATHLEISURE MAG | #59 NOV 2020
ATHLEISURE MAG | NOV ISSUE #59
In this month’s issue as we continue into the fall, our Nov Issue #59 is covered by one of Athleisure Mag’s favorite EDM artists, SOFI TUKKER. Our virtual cover shoot showcases fun vibrant fashion worn by the duo ranging from varying forms of lounge and WFH looks. We talk to them about their musical background, how they came to working with one another, a number of their achievements and how they have navigated these past few months by continuing to stay connected with their fans and their upcoming econcert that takes place on Dec 4th! This month we interviewed Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst who is also a full time correspondent for EXTRA. We talked about her competing in the pageant system, recently crowning Miss USA 2020 at Graceland earlier this month. In addition we talk about her work in law, her focus on social justice and the importance for empowering women. We’re fans of BRAVO’s Million Dollar Listing franchise and this month, we interviewed Million Dollar Listing LA’s Tracy Tutor to talk about her work in the residential luxury market, being a broker in a competitive industry, how she balances her life as a mom, her focus on fitness and how she empowers women. Just in time for Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays, we talked with Chef David Rose, Food Network Personality and Executive Chef of Omaha Steaks. He talks about how we can still celebrate even thought our holidays will look a little different. He provides tips and his go to meals that he enjoys smoking and grilling. We also talk with Chef Ruben Rodriguez in this month’s The Art of the Snack about his latest restaurant, Amigo Nia. He shares his culinary influence, what you can expect when enjoying pickup and delivery as well as his plans as he heads into 2021.
This month, our cover SOFI TUKKER shares their 9PLAYLIST as well as providing a fun video of their 9MIX. Normani shares her favorites and why in our 9LIST STORI3S.
Read the Nov Issue #59 of Athleisure Mag here.
Featured Athleisure Mag Issues
9PLAYLIST | LEBRON JAMES
Read the Oct Issue #59 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | LeBron James in mag.
Featured 9PLASYLIST
THE DROP WITH STEVE AOKI
We're sure that we have all been listening to a lot more music as we have navigated these past few months as it's a way to transport ourselves to another level even when our environment may look way to familiar at this point. This month's cover of Athleisure Mag is entertainer, DJ, record producer, music executive and entrepreneur Steve Aoki. We've always been fans of the energy that he creates when he's at his shows, his music as well as his focus on putting good into the world with The AOKI FOUNDATION whose primary goal is supporting organizations in the brain science and research areas with a specific focus on regenerative medicine and brain preservation.
In addition to our virtual cover editorial shoot with Steve, we delved into his career, his label DIM MAK, his placement in the Smithsonian Museum, the importance of diversification while being true to the core of business, Neon Future series, Blue: The Color of Noise and his process in music and collaborative projects.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment when you realized that you wanted to be in the entertainment industry?
STEVE AOKI: Oh man entertainment is such a broad word and some of these answers are probably not going to be straight forward. I got into music when I was a teenager and then that became my whole life blood. Everything I did was involving music in every facet of life. It just became my lifestyle. From the friends I chose, to the food I ate – when I was growing up as a teenager – there was a very specific kind of music that I listened to and everyone was vegetarian. Pretty much everything down to the way that I dressed. It just became – it just became me so. So once I figured out what I wanted to devote my life to, that of course, changes over time. So from when I was a teenager, to college, to post college, young adult – my music style changed and the way that I interpreted music and played music changed as well.
So, I was in bands in the beginning and then I became a DJ and then at that point, in the early 2000’s, I actually started seeing that what I was doing with music was actually making a profit. It was making money. Because up until then, I never looked at music as a profitable enterprise. I never thought about it that way because you give so much to something, if you really care about, it’s not like you care about getting something back. What you get back is the love that it gives you, the feelings that it gives you, the community that it brings to you. As I started DJing, I started realizing that at that point I was DJing small clubs and festivals. That’s really when that major moment came when I was like, “wow I’m on a big stage and I need to not just play records and music” – which some of them were my own and a lot at that time, were of the culture. It then became, how do I engage with these people and entertain these people?
So then that term, “entertainment” came into the fold much later in my career. I would say that it came into the fold when I played Coachella the second time in 2009, not even the first time. It was that moment when I had the budget and I could build out the stage design and I could think about ideas that could present to different parts of my show like stage diving. These stage dives aren’t like a moment where you are methodical, you feel the moment, everyone’s ready for it and you jump into the crowd. There are moments when you think, this is going to engage with people, this is going to be entertaining. I bring my raft out and I start floating on the people, they haven’t seen that yet – that’s entertaining. There’s all these little things that I did with the people like the cakes. It’s an entertaining part of a Steve Aoki show. People remember for the rest of their lives and they’ll say, “40 years ago I saw a Steve Aoki show, I don’t remember the songs but he did cake my friend in the face and it was the best day of her life!" You know what I mean?
AM: Exactly yeah!
SA: I would say 2009 it all came together. Long answer for you!
AM: But that’s a great answer though. It’s all about a progression and just how things come together.
How would you define your musical style?
SA: My musical style is very fluid and of the moment and I like that. I like that like, it’s very much a gut and it’s based on feelings and it’s always going to change. It’s always going to change with my feelings and however way I feel about things or the moment on how I internalize that and not just consume, but how do I create that and how do I create from that?
I think that that’s something that I learned at a young age. When you are inspired or when you absorb something that makes you feel a certain way that it hasn’t made you feel before, like you know the best way for me to engage with that feeling is to create from it. It’s like anything, when you do it over and over again, you just get better at the process of doing it. You might not be great at it in terms of the output, but you get better at the process and that’s what’s more important than the output because the output is entirely subjective. Whether someone likes it or not is not what’s important. That’s another thing that I learned through this whole thing – whether people like my music or my output shouldn’t reflect why I did it and why I liked the process of it. I think about that question and it’s very complex. It’s not just I’m EDM or I’m this. Music is always going to change and it’s based on feelings. If you take down all the identities, all the titles and the genres – if there was no such thing as hip hop or rock or EDM and people were just like, “yo I just like the song.” When you hear a song for the first time and you’re listening to something that is totally different – you shouldn’t be limited to, “this is weird that I like it.” It shouldn’t make you feel weird. If it makes you feel really good, then that’s the whole point of it.
AM: Right and sometimes listening to the same artist and the same song at different points in your life, have a different connection and you can enjoy it. Our co-founder’s great uncle was tenor saxophonist, Joe Henderson and as a kid hearing him, she didn’t respect the fullness of his work.
SA: Yeah.
AM: And then in college, there was a whole other world of understanding that gave those songs meaning.
SA: Right right!
AM: You are someone who has worked with so many artists across so many different genres as a DJ, musician, producer, music exec – what is that process like for you when you’re thinking of collaborating with somebody?
SA: Yeah, when I’m collaborating with different artists, I think that one of the biggest lessons that I have learned is to just go in there and go in with a blank slate. A lot of people want you to come in there with all of your ammunition and basically all of your knowledge base. I’d rather go in there as a student. You know, they want to work with you and at this point in my career, they want to work with you too! I know what I can bring to the table, but it’s almost like when you watch an improv comedy skit, you never know what’s going to happen. Like, “hey someone say an action – running, someone say a sport – wrestling,” and then you kind of take those moments and you just be free on where it will go. That journey is really exciting to come from that place. Of course, your intuition and experience in terms of how and the way you process and supply chain your music and the way you work your music – how you’re going to work all of that – it’s innately going to come out. Sometimes you need the structure, but I prefer having the blank slate for the most part. Unless if you’re on a time crunch – a time crunch is a whole other story. Because then I’m like, “ok I just need to have the hook.” From the hook, I’m able to build you know – I can build that idea. I generally start from there if I can’t get into the studio with the artist. I just need a hook. I just need that part that gets stuck in my head and I will allow that to just linger in my head for a long time and then melodies start coming out in the studio and then I pick the best one. You stay on that melody for a day or two to make sure that it’s the right melody – because sometimes the first time you’ve heard it, it’s the best thing that you have ever heard and then you realize a day later, “oh my God, it’s awful.”
AM: Definitely! What’s that like when you have something that’s already existed. We love Michael Jackson – Thriller (Steve Aoki Midnight Hour Remix) and I also like Steve Aoki & Darren Criss - Crash Into Me cover of Dave Matthews Band. When people already know the songs, do you have a different approach when you’re deconstructing it to make it your own?
SA: Yeah, yeah exactly. When I do remixes of my own tracks – like in the case of Crash Into Me with Darren Criss (Glee, Hollywood, The Assassination of Gianni Versace), I can’t play the original at my own shows because it’s too mellow. When I’m playing an EDM show, I need that energy bursting at the seams and I need that drop to do exactly that. I need the dance floor to be bouncing. It’s all about Darren’s voice, Dave Matthews incredible lyrics, the melody and you combine that with a huge drop that’s signature to my sound and people will just lose their minds you know? You want to push purposeful.
AM: Are there genres that you've yet to do that you want to place the Aoki touch on?
SA: Yes. I mean there is no genre that can limit me. I just – I want to work with every genre and I really want to keep spanning the globe. That’s the other thing to, I travel so much and I’m so fortunate to be able to hear and know and learn about not just what’s happening in different parts of the world that are already popular, but also like what’s brewing. What’s brewing in South Africa, when I was out there, I was listening to some music and it was like, “yo this is the next wave in South Africa.” I want to know about it and I want to meet them. I want to hear the songs and I want to get the vibe, the flow and the dance culture that’s with it. You know, music brings people together so you have to understand what kind of dance moves that they are doing to it. How are they bringing it to their culture. Basically, I just want to keep expanding, keep exploring and it’s limitless. There’s always something new out there.
AM: How did you feel being the first EDM artist to be included in the Smithsonian? How impactful was it to see your gear housed in the same space as DJ Bob Casey’s from the 50's as well as Grand Masterflash’s turntables and now you’re literally being enshrined in such a historical place?
SA: Even when you say that out loud …
AM: It’s mindblowing.
SA: It’s totally wild you know? I remember when I went to the Smithsonian after they asked if we would be part of it. I met with them and did the interview there and walked through it and I felt like I was leaving my body and watching myself and I was like, “holy shit!” I just freaked out. I mean, it’s incredible you know – an incredible feeling. It’s the kind of thing that you’ll say, “wow in 60 years someone is going to say in the 2010’s there was an Asian DJ and there was a thing called EDM and this is what people did when they went out to festivals. And here is a typical show.” It was really cool to think that wow, 60 or 70 years later, someone is going to look at that and say, “that’s cool.” And you know, in that regard to, I’m proud that you know, I’m representing for Asians in that way too.
AM: As someone who is as busy as you are, who does travel so much, why is fitness, health and wellness so important to you?
SA: Oh God, it’s so crucial and integral. You have to train your body and mind to be able to run the marathon over and over again. You can’t just wake up – before you get out and run, you have to stretch. Before you do anything – I mean, I’m stretching constantly and that stretch is mindfulness. And as I do more mindfulness, actively, and I start learning more about myself – my mind, my body rhythms – it’s really fun. When you’re sitting there meditating, some people think, “oh it’s so boring.” When you get into that space, you get into where you’re finally supposed to be – it’s incredible to get into that space where nothing else really matters. That phone call, that schedule – all these things in life – comparing yourself to this person to that person – that thing – the anxieties of the world. If you can calm all of those things, it’s a really wonderful place to learn to get to. I think that it’s not just for someone like me that was running around like I was prior to COVID-19 like I did, I think it’s really helpful for everybody. For me especially, I need to absolutely make sure that I’m on the practice and I just love having it.
AM: Just looking at your portfolio, it’s so expansive between your music, Pizzaoki, your label DIM MAK as well as DIM MAK En Fuego, your clothing lines, companies that you have invested in like Liquid I.V. which we are huge fans of. How important was it for you that regardless of the vertical, to diversify your portfolio beyond your industry that you work in whether it’s creating ventures or investing?
SA: I mean, yeah, in life, I think that diversification is always a positive. Of course, you know it says a lot when you see someone that dives into their craft 110%. I’ve seen that in Japan especially, with artists that’s into their craft whether it’s even sushi chefs that spend their entire life just focusing on that and I love that – I love that. I’m such a fan of that and I admire and I respect that. It’s important that I have that too because my main core the whole of my operation is music. Music creation, music production and playing – playing my music out to the world. That has to be grounded. That has to be an anchor and platform and if I don’t have that, I can’t diversify. I think what the important lesson is here – is that diversification is always positive. You need to have your main business, whatever it is, whatever your main passion is – it has to be grounded so deeply into what you do and you have to be a craftsman in that space. Once you have that, then you can start building outward. You know, we only have one life, experience it. Experience as much as you can. All of these different things that were created in all of these different worlds is extremely fun for me. I enjoy it. I love it and if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t be doing it. You have to love what you do and you have to love the process – not what is actually going to be in the end result. It’s always about the process.
AM: With so many artists, because of COVID-19 doing their performances virtually and I know that you’re known as a Techno Futurist Optimist with an interest in the intersectionality between humanity and technology, how do you think this digital reliance will impact the industry long term once we’re able to get back into a new normal.
SA: I think that in a hopeful sense that we will all get back to what we all love. You can’t deny live experiences and live shows. There is nothing that compares to that. A virtual show is like 1/10th of the experience and not a 100% of the experience. That’s why they were so big all around the world. We’re social creatures and beings. We love being around people and experiencing things together. We’re not a solo species. We need to feel energy and those feelings with other people. You can’t deny that and I think that hopefully, there will be a vaccine that will be administered around the world where we don’t have to worry about COVID deaths and COVID tragedies that are happening. But until then, the digital space is what I had to do. I think that all of us have had to take that because now there is an infrastructure being built around the digital space of experience and it’s evolving quite quickly. You know, I just played an Oculus show where you put on an Oculus headset and you’re talking to people from all around the world. As a fan watching the show, you can look to your right and your left and there’s another fan watching that same show from a different country. You can actually socially engage with them. The infrastructure is being built in such a way that there’s going to be more of a catch and they will be able to bring more of a better experience. I think that once we get back to IRL shows, there will still be that people will want to do that and be apart of that. I think that at least with COVID and people being in that business, it has created a space for it to grow. But, you can’t compare that when you’re talking about a live show.
AM: Last year, you published your memoir Blue: The Color of Noise, why did you want to write this and what was that process like for you?
SA: It took me about 6 years. It took me a long long time. It definitely wasn’t like, “ok, I’m going to get this done – I just need to do this.” It was an ongoing process and it started out being like the history of DIM MAK first. So I was like, DIM MAK is going to hit 20 years – we’re at almost 25 now. I thought I would do the history of DIM MAK, a 20 year book and I started writing stories about when I started DIM MAK back in ’96 when I was in college. I wrote about the struggles and all of the good stuff that you want to read – incredible stories. Then I realized, this was more about a memoir about my life and DIM MAK is a part of my life. It’s a big part of my life, but I felt that I should expand more and at that point, a few years after as I was touching on the history of my label, I started talking about the harder things that were very difficult to open up about like the death of my father (editors note: Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, a wrestler and restaurateur who founded the restaurant chain Benihana), the death of some of my friends that made a huge impact on my life and then as I got deeper, I started seeing a therapist that helped me to actually bring out some more of my introspective feelings that had to be kind of unearthed. You know, it was therapeutic to be able to write the book and a lot of that went into it. I also – you know when a lot of people think about the history of Steve Aoki, they say, “oh yeah, he’s the guy that throws cakes at people at shows.” Well I just wanted people to know that there is a lot more than just that.
AM: You dropped Neon Future IV this spring which I know is part of the Neon Future series that you began in 2015, tell us about the series in general and what can you share about the 27 track album that you just dropped?
SA: Neon Future is a concept that I came up with and is exactly what you said earlier. I really look at the future as an optimist and I look at technology with an optimist lens. I look at tech in a way that can help us and enhance us to be more of a creative or imaginative species. At the end of the day, we want to save ourselves and saving ourselves will be saving our planet as well. With tech, we can advance that and become more of an intelligent species. That’s why Neon Future is a colorful future. And so really making sure that for me personally, the musical concept, I wanted to educate it by having scientists on the album. So it’s not just about having a collection of songs for each album, but to really validate my point, I reached out to scientists that were very difficult to get a hold of. Some of the people were harder to get a hold of than some of the biggest talents that I have worked with. I had to do a lot of explaining, fly and meet people and do a lot of work in that regard because I care so much about that space and I also love bridging the science community and the electronic dance music community in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Like Ray Kurzweil to Yuval Harari to J.J. Abrams to Bill Nye and so forth and so forth. It started off as one album and the second album was going and then I said, you know what, it’s too good to end. Then the third and then I built the studio between the second and the third and I call it Neon Future Cave and then between the third and the fourth album, I started creating the comic Neon Future with Tom Bilyeu because Neon Future really deserves to be graphically laid out with its storyline. Which presents a world that we can imagine and with every comic book story, you need to have conflict so we had to make it like a dystopia that we want to make it like a utopia instead of the opposite. It just kept on growing and it had a mind of it’s own and it became AI! It became its own thing. It’s almost funny that this project almost became it’s own powerhouse that I couldn’t even stop which is kind of cool. We’ll see. Because of my next project, this puts Neon Future IV as the last of the series so far. We’ll see if it continues as I have a few other concepts that I want to develop. My main baby is Neon Future that’s for sure.
IG @SteveAoki
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Athleisure Mag's virtual cover shoot was shot by Co-Founder + Celebrity Photographer Paul Farkas. Throughout this shoot, Paul used an iPhone XR, iPad Air 2, Facetime and Clos.
STYLE & GROOMING CREDITS
Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist, Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director Kimmie Smith and Groomer Sheena Zargari share what they used to create this fall menswear style editorial of Out & About Style, WFH and Fitness.
LOOK I | OUT & ABOUT STYLE
FRONT/BACK COVER PG 26 - 37 | DIM MAK COLLECTION X DIAMOND SUPPLY CO Denim Jacket | SIKSILK X STEVE AOKI S/S Oversized Essential Tee + Loose Fit Riot Denim | LACOSTE Storm 96 Lo Sneakers |
LOOK II | WFH
PG 22 - 25 | SIKSILK X STEVE AOKI Oversized Hoodie + Relaxed Short | LACOSTE Storm 96 Lo Textile Sneakers |
LOOK III | FITNESS
PG 16 -21 | ALPHA INDUSTRIES Apollo II Hoodie | DIM MAK COLLECTION Leggings | DECKERS X LAB S/S K-ST 21 Sneakers |
IG @PVFarkas
Hear DJ/Producer Steve Aoki on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia companion podcast network! Subscribe to be notified when the episode drops. Listen on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag and see The Drop with Steve Aoki in mag.
Featured Music