This week i interviewed Eby Le Beatz, a name that has been featured on Metalectro a few times with his tracks. Eby Le Beatz is based in Milan, Italy and during 2011 he released around 15 originals and remixes and a couple of EPs, including the great “Ready To Rock” EP. Just recently he came up with the great freebie original track “Hot In The CIty” and so I thought I’d try to get hold of him for an interview and find out what his plans are for 2012.

01. Hi Alberto! Would you mind introducing yourself?

Hello everyone! This is Eby Le Beatz, i’m from Italy and i love to produce music.

02. How long have you been producing as Eby Le Beatz and how did it all start for you?

I’ve been doing this project since around the summer of 2010, so almost two years now. I really don’t know when my passion for music begun though. When i was 12 i played the piano for three years and then i did singing lessons for about four years. I decided to start producing electronic music in the spring of 2010, after a few Logic 9 free lessons at the Apple store in my town. Everything started just for fun really, it was like a game to me.

03. You released a couple of EPs in 2011, with “Ready To Rock” being a really great release and climbing high in the Beatport charts as well. Are you happy with how 2011 turned out for you and what would you have done differently if you could?

I’m really proud of this, “Ready To Rock” is the best track i ever done so far and i got a lot of good feedback from many producers i really really respect and admire! I think i’m quite happy how 2011 turned out, yeah! If i could go back and change somethingthough, i would have released more free music, to get more feedback and hype.

04. What would you say are Eby Le Beatz’s main influences that defined the “electro-rock” sound & style as you like to call it?

Well… i think it’s a kind of mixture between rock music and electronic music. I love rock music, I’ve always listened to it in my life, since i was a child and then in 2006 i discovered electro (maximal) music, with the first pioneers of this genre like Cyberpunkers, Bloody Beetroots, Felix Cartal and Justice to name a few.

05. Did you ever play in a rock/metal band or did you get straight into producing electronic music?

Like i said before, i did play the piano and sang for a few years but i never played in a band.

06. You’ve been coming up with many good remixes as well as originals, do you prefer one more than the other and if yes why?

I’ve done more remixes and only two/three originals. I think that doing remixes is certainly easier than making original music but i prefer writing originals because you can fully express your skills and feelings through them.

07. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far?

“Ready To Rock” for sure if you’re referring to the Beatport charts but i think that i got more hype with my last free Justice remix. It reached position n.10 in the Hype Machine’s “most popular” chart so…

08. Whom would you dream of collaborating with and which would the perfect gig line-up for you to be part of?

There’re a lot of producers i respect and admire but i think at the moment I’d like to do a song with the French (not sure if he’s really from France) producer Shook, he’s just amazing! As for my ideal line-up, I don’t know… I guess the most important thing is to play in front of as many people as possible.

09. Do you prefer working only with computers/sequencers or do you get your hands dirty playing and recording instruments?

Well, i like to do both. For the guitar parts in my songs i actually do record a guitar, played by a friend of mine.

10. Do you use samples and what’s your opinion on sampling and copyright?

I don’t use many samples no… the only ones i use are those for the drums. I don’t know what to say about copyright really but i think that a good producer should be creating his own sounds to try to become more recognizable and distinct as possible from the rest.

11. If your studio was on fire, what would be the first thing to save?

Myself and my Macbook of course!

12. So, what is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?

Music is something that i use to transmit and express my feelings. I don’t know how music industry will evolve in the future but i think that at the moment people do not give much importance to listening to a song and the quality, especially on Beatport, is having a decline. There are a lot of “bedroom” producers that aren’t “real musicians”. They just make music with samples and without feelings.

13. What do you think about today’s mainstream music? Do you agree with Haezer’s “Commercial Music is Dead”?

I have to say that unfortunately, commercial music is not dead at all… at least not in Italy. There is a lot of shit music coming from the radio stations. Ignorance is everywhere, especially in the new generations.

14. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?

Definitely not from the proceeds of the musical productions but certainly yes from the money he/she can make from gigs!

15. What should we expect from you in 2012? Do you have any releases planned? Give the readers something to look forward too… (live shows, release, remix etc)

A lot of FREE music!!! I’ll release some new originals/remixes for free 😉 At the moment I haven’t got any release plans but i’m talking with a very good label so maybe… I also was going to play a gig in Kiev on March 31 but unfortunately everything has been postponed to a later date, so stay tuned!

16. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?

As i said before, i prefer to listen to rock music than electronic music. For example i really love the new album coming from The Black Keys , the new Justice album is simply amazing and i’m always looking for newly found tunes coming from the past (rock from the 60s/70s/80s). There are a lot of good producers out there but if I had to recommend a few, I would say Shook, my buddies Hoaxx from UK and Eumig & Chinon!

17. How does Eby Le Beatz like to spend his time when not in the studio?

I like to watch war themed movies, play football and go out to have a drink with friends. Really normal things…

18. Since 2011 is still kind of fresh in our memories, what were the biggest surprises and some of Eby Le Beatz’s favorite tracks or releases of the year would you say?

Well, i’m not a dubstep fan but the biggest surprise for me in 2011 was the rise of Skrillex, simply amazing… And of course the discovery of Madeon, the young electro producer from France.

19. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?

Very nice, we need real blogs like this! Serious and professional…

20. Anything else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?

I want some AC/DC on this blog!

This week I interviewed L.A.S.E.R., a name that has been featured on Metalectro a few times with their tracks. L.A.S.E.R. is an anglo-italian duo, which formed in Northern Italy during late 2006. The official acronym for their name stands for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. The duo has already released a number of original tracks and official remixes for many artists and labels and is currently working on their new EP “Bad Stories”. So, I hope and to find out what else we should expect by them in the near future.

01. Hi guys! Would you mind introducing L.A.S.E.R.?

L.A.S.E.R. is an electronic music project that was born a few years ago, originally inspired by the french scene. It’s still evolving within our search for sharp and edgy new sonorities, and we try not to be conditioned by the “trends”.

02. You grabbed our attention with your track “Alpha Centauri Mind Benders” at first, one of your early tracks. What was the feedback you got for it and would you say it played an important role in shaping the L.A.S.E.R. sound as we know it today?

Feedback is usually positive but we’re extremely conscious about the fact that there’s always room for improvement. “Alpha Centauri Mind Benders” is definitely a raw track and to us it still sounds fresh despite the years! Obviously as time goes by our sound is getting more refined but our ideas, which have evolved too, maintain their roots in our past, therefore allowing our tracks to be quite recognizable despite the “genre”.

03. What are your influences/music backgrounds? Were you involved in any other projects/bands before L.A.S.E.R.?

As stated before, the french scene has been a huge influence for us but our “historic” background is rooted strongly in hip hop and in 90s music.

Talking about other projects there is “Blasteroids”, an LP that we made in collaboration with some of the most talented italian rappers, and “Kim Avey”, an electro-punk duo that we produced.

Regarding current and future projects we started to act like a secret society: everything is hidden and mysterious but in plain sight for those who know where and how to look. 😉

04. You have been doing quite a few remixes as well as original tracks. Do you prefer writing original tracks or remixing and why?

We definitely prefer laying down original tracks because the end product comes entirely from us and for the better or for the worse (theological dualism that we don’t buy into and that we hope will disappear soon) we’re always proud of it. We also really enjoy doing remixes tho’, since they inspire us and boost our creativity being based on the solid grounds of the original track.

05. Apparently you are also involved in a record label if I’m not mistaken? Would you like to tell us a few things about it?

TUNABLE Records, a flexible platform born to track and release the freshest tunes of the electronic scene.

Do we need to say more? We just aim at high quality, hopefully great music and no limits regarding musical genres.

Keep an eye on us and we will cheer you up with some big surprises!

06. Speaking about non-L.A.S.E.R. activities, are you involved in any other projects at the moment or do you produce music only as L.A.S.E.R.?

As producers we constantly create music for us or for other people but we also like to keep secrets as much as possible.

Obviously this doesn’t count for L.A.S.E.R.!

07. What would you say is your biggest music achievement/highlight so far and what your worst/most embarrassing moment? (Personal or as L.A.S.E.R.)

Our curriculum is pretty much spot on. We’ve had the great honour of sharing the stage with huge legends such as Roni Size, Noisia, Skrillex (we played back to back with him!), Erol Alkan, Kavinsky, Crookers and many other famous (and not so famous but still pretty damn good) artists.

We produced all kinds of records, songs for tv adverts, videos and we hope this is just the start.

Our worst moment has to be a sudden freeze that plagued our pc, caused by the huge amounts of humidity in the club. The funny thing is that the humidity was generated by the massive crowd in  the audience, and that place was too hot for us humans too!

08. Back to your sounds and lately we’ve been hearing quite a few dubstep tracks from you, as well as some great electro, like your remix of Hack The System’s “End Game”, out on Jet Set Trash or Geometry’s “Triggernometry”, out on Dreieck Records. Would you say you’re slowly moving into a more dubstep direction?

We try to evolve constantly. Old L.A.S.E.R. tracks and ideas can be related to dubstep before it went mainstream. The genre was still underground.

After Skrillex detonated the scene, new ideas and inspiration emerged, that’s for sure.

We experiment, as a way of life.

09. Do you prefer working only with computers/sequencers or do you get your hands dirty playing and recording instruments? Do you use samples and what’s your opinion on sampling and copyright?

Samples, samples and samples (even our own stuff).

We’re not musicians, even if one of us played keyboard for more than six years.

We like microsampling and this is what we do with L.A.S.E.R.

There’s nothing wrong with sampling but we also think that in the creative process the original samples transform themselves into something totally different.

Obviously when a track reaches huge success by copying unashamedly, some questions come to mind.

We’re not interested in doing that, and we always “treat” our samples to transform them into something new.

10. If your studio was on fire what would be the first thing to save?

Our souls!

11. What is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?

Music is a form of life and deserves respect like any other lifeform in this universe.

The universe itslef is music if we look at it from a strictly vibrational standpoint.

The music industry, like any other “human label”, is of course a big fat lie.

In this business (horrible term) adaptation is a must and sometimes you need to do it without thinking too much about it.

What matters is the love and passion you put into what you do and that’s it.

12. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?

We don’t have a proper answer.  If you work your ass off looking for well payed gigs, it is possible. Otherwise you need to be part of a “well connected group”, just like in everyday (for most of people) life.

13. You’ve been playing quite a few live shows, what’s the most memorable on-stage/backstage moment would you say and why? If you could pick one artist to share the stage with, whom would you pick?

Skrillex’s live act  and the back 2 back we played with him. Self explanatory.

14. What do you think is the best thing about working with each other and what the worst?

The best thing is the constant sharing of ideas and the growth that is a natural effect of  this process.

The worst thing is the time we lose when our opinions diverge, which often leads to procrastination, in particular regarding the concretization of a track.

But we’re improving.

15. You’re currently working on a new EP, what should we expect to listen to and when? Would you mind sharing some details with us (release date, track titles, remixers, etc.)? Give the readers something to look forward to…

Dubstep, dubstep and more dubstep. 😀

Bad Stories EP will be released on TUNABLE.

We haven’t got a release date yet but we will have one soon.

It will feature three original tracks: Bad Boys, Bad Girls, Bad Stories.

No remixes, since this is an “experiment”.

16. What other plans do you have for 2011? (live shows, releases, remixes, etc)

We’re planning on many gigs and a lot of releases! Opening the label has faced us with many duties and problems, that often seem “too much”. But we will succeed!

17. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?

We listen to stuff that we like,  it doesn’t matter if  it’s jazz, metal, drum and bass or irish folk music. 🙂

We’re also focusing on our stuff and following a few artists for our label.

We’ve already discovered quite a few talents!

18. What do you like to do when not in the studio producing music?

Live life and breaking boundaries, in any field.

19. What do you think about the Metalectro blog and the music featured on it?

It’s worth of respect and consideration. You can tell there’s a huge amount of work behind it. Also the electro tracks you promote are always full of positive surprises!

20. Something else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?

…

This week I interviewed Aaren Reale, a name that has been featured on Metalectro a few times with his tracks and one of my favorite producers. Aaren Reale is from France and he recently had his remix of Hack The System’s “End Game” released by Jet Set Trash. He is currently in the studio working on a few new tracks and releases, so let’s find out what is going on with Aaren Reale and what he’s been cooking lately…

01. Hi Remy! Would you mind introducing yourself?

I am Rémy Bourgeois, a 20 years old guy living in Lyon and very fond of music (stunning isn’t it?). I’m also a student in the 3^rd year of a Communication Bachelor. I think you will know me better after reading the other questions/answers, so keep reading…

02. How long have you been doing Aaren Reale and how would you describe your music?

I’ve started composing music on a computer at the age of 14. At the beginning, my style was very focused on the melodies, rather like Trance. But I also enjoyed sometimes changing my style completely, trying tracks that sounded massive and more violent. For several years, I was kind of “music schizophrenic”, never mixing those two styles together. I made my Progressive/Trance tracks under another nickname, and my first Electro EP as “Aaren Reale” in 2009. Until one day I decided to create my own style and to mix 2 different styles of music which were completely different and distinct. “Black” and “Black part.2” were born. Ever since, I’ve been trying to create through my music a cocktail of emotions and sensations that can be felt in every bass and melody.

03. You’ve been keeping us busy here o Metalectro for a while with your tracks, starting with “Black”, a two-part masterpiece and one of the best releases and tracks I’ve heard all year! What was the feedback you got for that?

I think that my “Black” EP helped me build a name for myself in the Electro music universe. The contest remix I organized has been transmitted by a lot of blogs and the EP has been played in a lot of mixtapes and shows by some great producers such as Cyberpunkers. Then there was Chewy Chocolate Cookies that insisted to sign the EP on his label, although I had already shared it for free on the Internet.

04. In regard to “Black” again and I have to be honest here. We’ve been listening to quite a few remixes of both parts, some pretty good ones too, how come we haven’t yet seen/heard a remixes EP?

This is because “Black” has been signed on Chewy Chocolate Cookies’s label and he only accepted the two original mixes. But it’s true, I’ve received some excellent remixes from a lot of artists, with my favorite being the one by my friends Dead CAT Bounce, and once again I thank them for this.

05. Your recent remix of “End Game”, released on Hack The System’s “End Game” EP was a really great remix. What was the feedback you got for it and are you happy with how it turned out?

I’ve had some good feedback about this remix. Being a real fan of the original track, I think that this EP is mostly a great discovery and a great beginning for Hack The System.

06. You are currently working on a couple of new EPs and one of them is in collaboration with Hack The System if I’m not mistaken? How did that happen and when should we expect to listen to a preview of it? Would you mind giving us some more info about it, title, release date, remixers, etc?

Indeed you are right! We’ve decided to collaborate on an EP, composed of 2 original tracks. The first is already done and now we are finishing the second. We don’t want to give a preview for now (selfish are we?) neither titles until we are done. Once finished, we will refine it and look for a label. Just know one thing: this EP is a perfect fusion between our 2 styles, a mix of high melodies and powerful bass. I’m sure you will enjoy it!

07. What is the second EP you are working on? Anything you can tell the readers about it, something to look forward to? What should we expect to listen on this EP?

My second EP is already finished and sent to some labels. I’ll announce the title in exclusivity for Metalectro, it’ll be called “Universe”! “Universe” EP will contain 3 tracks, all quite different from each other. I’ve worked a lot on innovation, trying to give a new style to it, quite electro, sometimes a bit techno and keeping some little dark melodies as well.

There won’t be any previews, the 3 full length tracks will be uploaded on my Soundcloud. It can be anytime, so be vigilant!

08. You’ve been coming up with a few remixes as well as original tracks. Would you say you prefer working on one more than the other and if yes why?

These are 2 very different things really. An original track is the musical representation of a person’s mind, depending on the one that makes it. When you remix, you face some creative barriers put by the original creator and you have to give the music a new color, to give it your personal touch.

That’s why I have no preference really. They are both very interesting challenges for me. You just have to vary between remixing and composing.

09. What other plans do you have for 2011? (shows, releases, remixes. etc)

2011 is soon over and I hope the “Universe” EP will be out in time. As usual, I have a lot of projects to  realize and some ideas to shape up. No shows are planned for the time being. However what I’m certain about and I can promise from now is that 2012 will be rich and full of good news!

10. Are you happy with how the virus of Aaren Reale has been spreading so far? What would you say is your biggest highlight/achievement and what the worst/most embarrassing moment so far? (in regard to your music always…)

Today, at my level, I’m still trying to understand and wonder how everything evolves and grows so fast. I couldn’t even have dreamt how things have turned out and they couldn’t have turned out any better really!

I think the moment I am most proud about, was the day I was congratulated for my work! I mainly make music for myself, so learning it was appreciated was just amazing!

Except an attempt to make a Hardstyle track one evening, I’ve not had any very embarrassing moments so far… hope I can say the same next time you ask me again!

11. Whom would you dream about working/collaborating with? Except Hack The System that you’re already collaborating with…

My dream…? A chance to work in the studio with Jean Michel Jarre would be certainly great! As for someone more accessible, collaborating with Danger, Madeon and/or Redial would be pretty awesome. As some say, hope keeps us alive (ahah)!

12. Do you work only with computers/sequencers or do you get your hands dirty playing and recording instruments? Do you use samples and what’s your opinion on sampling and copyright?

I simply work in my bedroom with:

–          A computer that will soon die – with FL Studio

–          Monitoring speakers

–          An external sound card

–          A mouse…?

Unfortunately, I’ve never had any music theory lectures or music related studies that would have taught me how to play an instrument…

Like most I guess, I use some samples of rythmics and FX. As for the instruments, I use a lot of VST and I spend a lot of time configuring them to get the sound I want.

As for sampling and copyright, I just want to say one thing: Any creation is the property of its author!!!

13. So, what is music for you and what do you think about the way the music industry is changing?

Some see music as a way of expression and some others as a source of income. I respect both and anyone can make this choice for himself really. I personally made mine a long time ago!

14. Any comments about today’s mainstream music? Do you agree with Haezer’s “Commercial Music Is Dead”?

I keep listening to more and more music without any melodies, without life, filled with over saturated bass and a mastering compressed to the maximum. At the end you have an “aquarium effect”, which is completely awful imo. But well, some do like this and each of us is free to enjoy it. I just find it’s a pity…

“Commercial Music Is Dead”? Never heard about that one before…

15. Do you believe that an electronic music artist can earn his/her living from music nowadays?

I do think so, yes! You just need the will, some talent and of course to know how to stand out with your music and during your performances. That’s where an artist makes the difference.

To make a living just by selling music: No.

To make a living by selling music and playing shows regularly: Yes.

16. You have been playing a few shows, any interesting on stage or backstage experiences/stories to share with us? Do you have any more shows coming up and how can someone book you for one?

An experience that occurs at every single one of my performances: When I play my remix of Justice’s “We are your friends” and everybody raise their arms and sing together! It’s just magic!!!

Or when I played at NeuKlub in Bari… There were more than ten bottles of alcohol waiting for me backstage… none of them made it out of there alive!

As for the shows, nothing concrete for now. For anyone interested in booking me for a show, here is the address of my manager and friend theo@beyeah.net so get in touch!

17. Whom would you dream of sharing the stage with?

Hmm… Daft Punk? That would be the dream of pretty much everyone in this music I think!

18. What are you listening to lately? Any tracks/artists you recommend?

Adele! Her voice is just beautiful! She does not even need any instruments behind her to make us high.

19. What do you like doing when not in the studio producing music?

I don’t know anything else… No, I’m just joking… I do spend a lot of time with my studies but I also like to practice sports, to see friends and to travel when I have the time and money to do that of course.

20. Anything else you’d like to mention and we forgot to ask?

If you’re a good looking woman, my phone number is: 06 74 70 ** ** =)

Besides that, a lot of news are coming soon… without warning! So be prepared!

XX,

Aaren Reale