PillowTalk Album Mini Mix
Last weekend in Boulder, CO, two of my favorite gentlemen came to town to throw some crazy panty-dropping tunes around. That’s right, Marty and Josh, the dynamic duo who make up PANTyRAiD. I had to opportunity to interview them and well, this one is for the books.
TMN: I’m sitting down tonight to talk with two very talented producers, Martin and Josh who make up the lady pleasing group PantyRaid. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us before you go on.
PR: No problem – huge fan of your site – thanks for the time.
TMN: Let’s start off with kind of your musical history/background. When you were kids, did you listen to any music or was there a certain genre/artist that got a lot of repeat time on your player?
Marty: I started producing music in 2006 – I grew up listening to the Beatles and Rolling Stones that my parents would jam all day long. Then I got into reggae and eventually loved house, techno and hip hop. But my true inspiration for wanting to make my own music was the music of hip hop, with the story telling composition of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.
Josh: I grew up in New Orleans and was surrounded by music my entire life. Everything from jazz to The Beatles to local Mardi Gras songs, Al Sherman from my grandpa, Credence Clearwater Revival from my older brother to discovering hip hop and New Orleans bounce rap. I mainly got into local hardcore and punk rock, played drums and guitar in a few bands, then eventually found my way into electronic music when I was about 16 by randomly ending up at an underground rave in the late 90s. My mind was blown, I had never heard any thing like it… jungle, hard house, trance. I was completely fascinated by what could possibly make these sounds. From there it was all a journey to get where I am today.
TMN: Do you remember the first cassette/cd you ever owned, and who was that?
Marty: Gosh no – dont remember but def. Remember making mixtapes of mu fave techno which I have to this day. Love those old things.
Josh – Stone Temple Pilots & The Beatles – Abbey Road
TMN: And when was the first time you heard electronic music?
Marty: During college at the University Of Cape Town I started hearing of “raves” and got really into techno/trance/house and “rolling” 🙂 That was about the time the whole EDM culture began emerging in Europe and then Detroit/San Francisco and other US cities – I moved to San Francisco from South Africa and totally immersed into the rave scene as a fan.
Josh: Answered in an earlier question.
TMN: On the heels of that question, you two have been collaborating together since 2008 after a vacation in Coast Rica, something about worshipping the sun (yes I am interested to know if this worship process involved any clothing, a goat or any magical liquids of any kind). What was the big realization that you two came to while on this trip? Did you feel a calling for the type of music you produce
Josh: Marty nailed that one, yes, Sacred moments under the rising sun and good music on the beach in Costa Rica was the birth place of this project!
TMN: Where was the first place PantyRaid ever played and what was that experience like for you? Was it everything you hoped it would be?
PR: The first gig we played together was a totally unofficial underground party in an old army tent after hours at Lightning In A Bottle #2. We just decided to throw a little sexy party after curfew with our friends. We connected our laptops into an old mixer and threw down – the tent was overflowing and the energy was the sexy intense vibe we still conquer to thousands today. Humble beginnings 🙂
PR: Tough question – every stage is unique and every crowd no matter how big is different and magical. One of our personal dreams is a Red Rocks PANTyRAiD extravaganza (Josh has performed there with the Glitch Mob lucky bastard) but that would be a huge milestone for us. We love all markets in the US especially college towns with old intimate theaters filled with giant subwoofers 🙂
TMN: Let’s take a minute to talk about your recently released album “Pillow Talk”, now this is some amazing electronic goodness that is of course favored by all ladies and a lot of dudes alike. What were your goals when you sat down and decided to make this new album and has the album accomplished everything you hoped it would?
PR: Yes – this was our second full length “concept” album – we wanted to continue where we left off on “The Sauce”, but for the second album to have a bit of a different taste drawing from the more current musical movements and pushing the current state of production forward as we did with “The Sauce” – we started drafting songs and then slowly maturing the ideas and eliminating them until we had something we loved. We like albums with something for everyone – and that was the goal. Music that explores the whole night of going out, into the morning comedown. And that is what PillowTalk is – its music to get in the mood, music to pre-party, music to get really down to, music to make out to, music to get buck wild to and then music to relax and reflect to. The whole cycle of the party life. We like to do it like that.
TMN: All of your songs have those magic names to get your, well let’s be honest, the names are all for your female fans. Guys can get on the caboose of this lady ride am I right? But where do you even come up with these names? Google? Old movies? Please explain.
PR: Names are always hard and we spend time building lists over the course of the album project – we add, eliminate, and mature this list until the last few weeks when we finalize songs and names. We like the song names to be as interesting as the music. We also really feel the vibe out of each song and try to visualize what each song is saying and put that into a few words so you can connect song title and story to each one .
Marty: Ha! PANTyRAiDing was a big tradition in my college – I more than once in freshman year had to run into the girls dorm and steal as many panties as I could as part of my hazing, and later Josh actually mentioned the name from an underwear store in LA, the second we both heard it – we knew it was meant for our vibe.
TMN: What are some new things on the horizon for PantyRaid?
PR: TOURING!!!! We have an extensive touring schedule – playing all the awesome stages in all the big cities in the US and then Europe soon. We also constantly make new songs for our set which is 120 minutes by default. We like to play almost entirely our own music in the set with a few songs we are loving from our peer and homie producers. So to keep it fresh we always find time to make new tunes.
TMN: And now for the fun questions portion of the interview. What is your go-to concert attire when throwing down massive beats?
Marty: Lately we are feeling our custom matching Brooklyn Nets NBA jerseys with our names and birth years on them, with our custom Skingraft big bandana scarfs and black jeans or shorts. We take our style seriously and have a lot of great looks planned for the upcoming year. Black on black on black 🙂
TMN: Now I’m going to ask some questions and I want first response answers ok?
TMN: Snapbacks or Tattoos? (the correct answer here would be both)
Marty: Snapbacks for me
Josh: both!
Marty: Boxers all day – my junk needs air.
Josh: Whatever is coziest
TMN: Girl crush…Man crush
Marty: Mary Lee and George Clooney
TMN: Music I listen to when I’m alone in my room when the lights down low…
Marty: Portishead, Massive Attack, SOMA FM, Trentemoller
Josh: The Weeknd, JMSN, Efterklang
TMN: If I could be anyone else for a day I would be…
Marty: LeBron James during playoffs
Josh: Anthony Bordain
Marty: Female leopard.
Josh: Tigress
TMN: PantyRaid, thank you again for taking the time to chat with us and best of luck this coming year we can’t wait to see what you have in store!
PR: Thank you for the interview and keep up the great reporting on your blog!!!! NINJAS!
