ber, said he was a good drummer. I hit him up on Facebook, and we just started talking. Eventually he noticed
some of my posts about dubstep and he asked me if I
could play at a party he was throwing. We hit it off pretty
well. Been talking every day since.
M: I had him teach me some of the programming and
how to do mixing and whatnot. We clicked. We figured
two people writing was better than one. He hates writing
drums, and that’s my thing, so it works out.
I: When did you start programming and putting together
electronic tracks?
N: Many years ago. I started writing electronic music
when I was 16 or 17, with MTV Music Generator.
I: Oh my lord, man. I used MTV Music Generator. It was a
blast.
N: It was. I loved that program. I got into many different
electronic genres that I enjoy, especially AggroTech. It’s
very underground. Not many people have even heard of
the genre.
I: How about you, Matt?
M: I didn’t really get into it until around December of last
year, after hearing Excision’s Shambala 2011 mix. I was
stuck after that.
I: That was when you started hitting raves, right?
M: Yeah. A lot of the people you meet are like new wave
hippies. [laughs] All the people you meet is what gets you
hooked.
I: Would you say that’s the crowd you expect to reach
with the music you’re making now? It is accessible to everyone or more to a particular taste?
N: I want everyone to hear it. It’s not a very offensive style.
No lyrics, really, at least not in ours. It’s more about the
music, fitting different moods.
M: Hopefully people will keep an open mind. I think the
trap will go over pretty well.
N: I think the dubstep I write will reach out more to the
“nerds” than anyone.
I: How so?
N: I like to add a touch of my lifestyle to my music. Zelda,
INSIGHT
Star Wars, Final Fantasy… I like using video game sounds
in my music. I also try to keep it sounding like a robot
fight going down in the living room.
M:The “Transformers” kind of robotic feel is what always
gets me.
I: I dig the robot battle concept. Is the stuff you’re making now considered to be aggressive? You mentioned
Aggrotech before but I hadn’t heard that in relation to
Pyra-C.
N: No, not in relation to Pyra-C. AggroTech is very dark
electronic music. The lyrics tend to offend.
I: You guys are shooting to have people dance and enjoy
themselves at these shows? I don’t gather that you’re just
supposed to sit and stare at your drink when you’re listening to dub and trap.
N: Dancing is almost required. [laughs]
M:No dancing means your DJ isn’t doing it right.
N: I would love to see some people do the robot while
I’m playing.
I: What does a good DJ do to make an impact with the
audience?
N: Oh, easy.You have to be able to feel the audience. Know
what they need. If they have been dancing intensely for
a while, give them something more down tempo to chill
to for a minute. If you feel they need to be lifted up, give
them something more up tempo. Build the mood. Set the
groove for the dance floor.
M: I’ve always looked at it as finding common ground
and playing something that the entire room will get into.
October 2013
41