Whitnoize's Blazamo ft. Remix by Wild Boyz! & Interview with Wild Boyz!

The dynamic duo, Wild Boyz!, recently released their remix of Whitnoize's Blazamo. The electro house track features grimey bouncey basslines (the ones that make you fidget a little) layered with some groovy synths guaranteed to get you up on your feet. Think of it this way: clean but dirty. It's like that moment when someone is nice enough to offer you some candy, only to throw them in your face! I know, what's that suppose to mean? Check out the track at the bottom of the page, you'll find out.

Together with the release, we had the chance to pick the brains of these two upcoming producers to find out what makes them tick.

VCH: Thanks for doing the interview, can't wait to have you guys tear it up at Trinity soon!

Wild Boyz!: Thanks for having us. We’re really excited to come play at Trinity, too. It will
be our first big show as Wild Boyz! so we can’t wait.

VCH: So let’s start off with a quick intro. Name, birthplace, currently residing, college, the
whole nine yards.

Kean: My name is Kean Bartelman, I was born in Michigan, raised in Indiana, and I’m
currently living in San Francisco. I graduated from the Culver Academies in 2007, and
from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 2011.

Jared: Yo! I'm Jared Forkner. I was born here in California but moved to Indiana for
boarding school, coincidentally the same one as Kean, when I was 14. Then I attempted
to go to college, 3 times, in Colorado from 2000-2003 and finally re-emigrated to SF. I've
been living in SF since 2003 and currently live with my wife in SOMA.

VCH: How did you two meet? What sparked the creation of Wild Boyz!?

Jared: I had this annoying liittle brat hit me up on twitter. Just kidding, not a brat. We
chatted on the phone and next thing I know I've got a little brother.

VCH: Describe your ideal sound/vibe when you produce/DJ.

Kean: High energy and in your face, but still danceable. Personally, I’m really into the
glitch electro stuff, so when I play solo gigs you will hear a bit more of that, but the Wild
Boyz! sound is meant for the big room/main stage. It’s big, ravey, and a bit abrasive.

Jared: Ideal…hmmm. I love a variety of things. As a DJ I just wanna see people move.
Whether its to some deep techno or house, or crazy drum and bass. I just love the
reaction of a good crowd. I personally love the more emotional EDM stuff. However, I
love jumpy stuff with fun melodies, too. I guess it all depends on what hat I'm wearing at
the moment. As Jared F I tend to be more big room and dutchy, my alter ego Bubba is
deep and techy, and Wild Boyz! is just hard, fun bangers.

VCH: When you got into producing/DJing, who was your idol/inspiration? Who did you
look up to?

Kean: Nero was my biggest inspiration to produce. The first time I heard their music I
was blown away by how musical it was, even though it was so dark and heavy. Of
course, there’s a long list of artists whose work I really admire, but Nero was the reason
I ever wanted to produce.

Jared: When I was growing up I'd listen to the old electronica show on Live 105 here in
SF. Those days it was “rave” stuff. Lots of Prodigy, Orbital, acid house. Orbital has a
track called Halcyon On and On that I heard in the closing scene to the first Mortal
Kombat movie. I rushed out, got the soundtrack, and fell in love. Lots of industrial music
and trance and such through the 90s, sprinkled with punk & pop. That’s why Kean and I
get along so well. We love that pop punk cheese.

VCH: I’m sure you’ve seen the articles and opinions (Deadmau5’s We Push Play, A-Trak
on Huffington Post, Z-Trip on inthemix.au) on the current state of DJing. What’s your
take?

Kean: I’m honestly tired of hearing about this. In my opinion, the setup you use is up to
you. I think everybody in this debate has a valid point to some extent, but they all come
from different backgrounds as far as live performance is concerned. As long as you
aren’t acting like the second coming of Christ on stage while a pre-recorded mix is
playing, I don’t care what you use. Just play good music, and play it well.

Jared: I push play, then I do stuff. I get bored too easily so my performance setup is
always growing & evolving. I do use sync but I played vinyl for 10 years. Anyone has
beef…bring some wax and lets battle.

VCH: What’s your setup when you play out? And what’s your most ideal setup to have?

Jared: Kean keeps it from getting too crazy…well, so does my wife because I'd spend
every penny on gear & plugins if I could. These days we keep it kinda simple…laptop
running traktor, X1 and an iPad (iConnect MIDI so we don't drop connection) & a DJM
900. As soon as I'm permitted, I'll get a F1 and start incorporating more sample decks.

VCH: I’m sure you guys have big plans ahead. What should we look out for in the next 6
or 9 months?

Kean: Our debut EP and some small-scale touring in the near future. We’ve also got a
bunch of ideas for our second “Illegal Remix EP,” which we’ll be giving away for free
once it’s done.

Jared: Tons of new music & hopefully some dope shows!