[TMN Exclusive Interview] Introducing The Brand New Collab Between option4 & Manik: 909 Til Infinity

Between the two, they’ve parented releases on some of House music’s most notable labels in the world including Nervous/Nurvous, Defected, Sweat It Out, Hot Creations, Recovery, Fool’s Gold, AnjunaDeep, Culprit, & loads more and much to the delight of the underground dance community, they’ve teamed up to announce a brand new collaborative project: 909 Til Infinity. 909 Til Infinity’s modus operandi is a rather simple one: to “Smash down genre walls while riding a torpedo straight into your hi-fi.” We certainly can get behind that ethos. The newly formed duo’s debut EP Bee is getting set to drop this Friday on Treasure Fingers’ freshly minted Psycho Disco imprint and after advance listen, it’s a sure fire slammer, combining House, Techno, and Funk. Needless to say, our intrigue was set to ‘max’ and we just had to get to the bottom of the exciting new collab, so we managed to track them down in order to shed some more light on the project that is 909 Til Infinity. We’re beyond excited to bring you 909 Til Infinity’s first ever interview on record. Read the entire transcript below, and be on the watch for the pair’s first official release this Friday.

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TMN: First things first. We’ve obviously got to ask how a pairing like option4 & MANIK, who are not even that relatively close to each other came to be?

909 Til Infinity: Can’t stress the importance of true collaboration. We both have solo projects and are making music under those names but EVERY single song we’ve produced has been side by side in the studio. So even though we live in different cities we wanted to make sure that every song was done together from beginning to end. Not like.. one guy starts an idea and the other guy finishes it. So there’s been a lot of flying involved. We became friends years ago and just stayed in touch, So this past year has been real fun.

TMN: What are your goals, or I guess, what is the mission behind combining both of your production prowess and what do you both hope to accomplish with 909 Til Infinity?

909: Our mission statement is to put sort of an American spin on underground dance music. Sort of a mixture of bass and techno and house~ More of an expression of straight dance floor club tracks, not trying to make music to listen to in a car etcetc. We’re not making crossover music. Just straight dance floor torpedo bangers. So many acts in the U.S. are going full crossover now and we want to stick to what we know and do best.

TMN: How have you found the creative process to be different or more rewarding than just working solo like both of you have done for so long?

909: It’s a blast to DJ and work with someone who has similar music tastes. A true definition of a Duo in our opinion however is to create music that neither one of us would make alone. That’s been the funnest part. It’s not really a full artistic expression if it just sounds like one or the others solo project.

TMN: You’re getting ready to drop the first 909 Til Infinity extended play, Bee Dee, on Treasure Fingers’ Psycho Disco imprint. With that kind of backing on just your guys’ first record, we’re anticipating some great stuff. How did that signing come up, and what else do you guys have coming down the pipe to round out 2015 and kick off 2016 with a bang so to speak? Have all of your records been signed or have you guys still been shopping?

909: We actually have been working for the past year on this project so we have 9 records done and completed. About half are signed already and we’re shopping one in particular at the moment to see where we’ll put the rest. We’re super fortunate to have TreasureFingers backing and have signed the 2nd EP to his label already coming out in February. We’re hoping for a big 2016 as well! Crossing our fingers here haha

TMN: I’m sure it’s been artistically rewarding to step outside of your comfort zone’s and make music that your personal brands maybe aren’t as expected to put out. Are there any plans currently in the works as far as touring and playing shows together as 909 Til Infinity in the near future?

909: Probably won’t tour anytime soon, We want to keep the bookings based off true demand so we’re going to keep putting out music and see if it catches on first. If people start digging our style and what we’re doing then perhaps next year sometime people will see some select tour dates. We’re obviously hoping for that but we gotta see if people dig the music first:)

TMN: Speaking of shows together, have you guys been able to practice as a duo at all in regards to DJ sets?

909: We have only ever DJ’d together once as a test run.. so before we decide to hit the road we’ll be doing a lot of practicing together. Mixtapes however are something we’re going to give a lot of attention to however. So expect some dope mixes in the near future 😉

TMN: It seems like there’s a definite look and feel already in regards to all things 909 Til Infinity. Is there a concept of sorts behind your collaborative efforts?

909: This duo was built and based upon firm unadulterated love for tacos and the NBA. Thus our dope b-ball branding. We both love the NBA but in a weird way love the NBA in the 90’s. So most of the art and feel will be based off that. Although it’s still up for debate on whether or not every piece of art should have just been a taco or not.

TMN: How could a pair built on such a strong foundation of tacos and 90’s NBA not succeed hahaha? Is there anything else you’d like to get across before we let all of 909 Til Infinity’s music do the talking?

909: Yeah! Just follow TheMusicNinja forever. One of the best outlets in the business;) Oh and DJ’s go play our records out if you wanna start an earthquake on the dance floor 😉