RSVP info HERE

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(Matt, Chris & Jon. Photo cred: Stholic Photography)

Matt Simmers, Chris Barlow and Jon Spero are separate entities in two distinct and formidable, music-making conglomerations. Hot Pink Delorean is their pulse-pounding Electro House group, Terravita, their second project together, is their heavy and grimy Dubstep/Drumstep alter-ego. During a live set you’ll see Jon, frontman and MC, getting the crowd hyphy with nothing but a microphone and unmatched showmanship. Matt and Chris take turns at the tables mixing in original tracks, remixes and other artists’ tunes seamlessly. Regardless which of their groups they’re focusing on at the moment, Matt, Chris and Jon bring a combustive energy and exponentially addictive sound. And guess what? If you’re in the New England area this weekend, you can catch both acts at one smorgasbord of a New Years Rezolution event. But, if you’re miles away, don’t fret and read on to discover what auditory freebies HPD and Terravita are giving away for you to keep!

True Crew had a few sass-filled questions to ask these three sass-filled amigos. Don’t let the humorous answers fool you, these guys are all business.

—

(Evan Smith Photography)

Hot Terradelorita, what did everyone do for the holidays?
[M:] Cooked food with my family and watched my senile grandmother sing to the cat.
[C:] Went to my family’s house and ate some food.
[J:]  Spent it with my family.

Let’s do some word associations. ‘Dubstep’ is to ‘Terravita’ as ‘Matt Simmers’ is to ‘(______________)’?
[C:] pork chop
[J:]  sandwiches

(Evan Smith Photography)

‘Insulin’ is to ‘a diabetic’ as ‘Chris Barlow’ is to ‘(______________)’?
[M:] our tax ledger
[J:] strippers

‘Jon Spero’ is to ‘Jon Spero’ as ‘Jon Spero’ is to ‘(______________)’?
[M:] redundance
[C:] Doctor Zeyus

(Terravita, you've been Spero'd.)

Jon, speaking of ‘Jon Spero,’ how has Spero’ing various historical and current events effected your inner-turmoil, lyrical flow and the other two group members?
[J:]  Its really strained relations in the group.  Chris and Matt are jealous of my internet meme-dom, but I feel like its really brought closure to all those historical events because let’s face it.  I really should have been there anyway.

In each of your honest opinions, who can Dougie the best? And how did that remix come about?
[M:]  We finished Are You Ready For Me and we decided to use the template of it to do a quick remix of the Dougie for our shows.   The remix itself took maybe 15 minutes to write.
[C:]  None of us can dougie at all…thats why we did the remix. We desperate want someone to teach us.
[J:] Me.

What is the creative process like with three [strong, smart and handsome] dudes in one musical group? How do you balance each other out and drive productivity forward? What keeps the momentum going? What keeps inspiration flowing?
We all love music and really like to see other people enjoying ours.  Thats really our main inspiration and what keeps us all going towards the common goal.

(Taken by: Christian Hall)

Matt, where did you learn to engineer sound so masterfully?
[M:]  Mario paint

Chris, how do you create thee perfect set-list on the fly?
[C:]  I just get really really lucky….I spend 4 hours a day looking for 4 leafed clovers before I DJ.

Speaking of resolutions, what will HPD/Terravita look like to a fly on the wall 2-minutes prior to A New Years Rezolution (December 31st, at The Waterfront)? Any rituals preformed, prayers chanted or Spartacus quotes recited in a full-length mirror?
We cant give away our secrets…but there’s a good chance our rituals will include a ton of drinking.

(Photo taken by: Jay Redfield)

—

Well, Hot Pink Terradeloritaen, we all can’t wait to ring in the New Year with you guys!

Here’s the lowdown on A New Years Rezolution:

The Waterfront
920 Main Street
Holyoke, MA
Starts 12/31 at 6:00pm
Ends 1/2 at 3:00am

Purchase tickets here.

Photos included in this post were taken from their personal and band Facebook pages.

MO7S (moh-sevens) is truly a multifaceted career-oriented individual. When he takes his headphones off and lays his tunes to rest at the end of a gig, he sheds his DJ-name and becomes Stephen Manders again. You might not guess in a million years that he had a very crucial role in transitioning the television show “Family Guy” from pencil & paper story-boarding to digital. Stephen has been proficient in different computer applications for many years, which has given his music career and production immense quality and fortitude. As with many DJ’s and musically-inclined artists, inspiration hit him in his early years and he followed those inklings. Along the way Stephen even started his own musical label, Monism Music. He has been gathering thunderous momentum with each gig he plays, songs he releases and artist he collaborates with. And he oscillates between a music and television career, which begs us to ask the question: Which comes first, the Manders or the MO7S?

True Crew has asked MO7S to play a few New England shows, which we are anticipating with bass-heavy hearts. Regardless of the occupational role he’s currently fulfilling, we wanted to get to know New England-born Stephen “MO7Ss” Manders a little better.

—

(Kindergarten)

I spent most of my days in Manchester, New Hampshire. I eventually lived in both Boston and Burlington. Each has a special place in my heart, Manchester being where my mother is. I spent my youth highly encouraged in the arts. Went through your typical male puberty and subsequently made it out alive.

My hobbies other than music include but aren’t limited to mountain biking, cooking and definitely what I would like to call, “creative computing.” Design, art and, obviously, music production. And I won’t lie, Skyrim is one hell of a video game.

My personal and professional life are somewhat intertwined. If you don’t love your work, it is hard to love your life, and with my time on this earth it isn’t worth separating the two. I enjoy what I do, all of it!

What drove your migration from New England to California? Is this a permanent homestead or do you have plans to live elsewhere?
Funny enough, I met DJ Simply Jeff at a True Crew party back in 2000. He told me I needed to come out to Cali and check it out. Next thing I knew I was in the studio with him and Uberzone being completely inspired to make music. After the trip, I came home with a game plan – work for Apple and transfer to LA. By 2004, I had that all sorted out, so I moved to SoCal with a bike and a couple hundred dollars. It was a rocky start, but things smoothed out. I wouldn’t say I’m not going to live anywhere else, but like my change from Manchester to Boston, Los Angeles is a great place that caters to creative minds. I firmly believe one must be surrounded by art to create it. Like any city, this place helps that motivation.

Second to that would be Black Rock City, Nevada. Known to most as Burning Man, another place where genre politics certainly does not matter. The open mindedness there really caters towards being experimental, and creating new ideas from old philosophies. I’m a playa junky. Come to Darwin Fish Tank. We can party anywhere!

I hate taxing in planes, early departures, and getting rides from strangers, all of which being common place when en route. But beggars can’t be choosers. As long as I am performing, I am happy.

("Getting my 8-bit swerve on. And my be-dazzled jacket.")

Small venues provide a constantly unique atmosphere. Places like the Phoenix Landing and An Tua Nua have a fond place in my heart. As a DJ you get to play with energy levels, and expand your palette of sounds on a technical level, not just throttle it out and be expected to play the big, high energy tunes. A DJ never stops learning as long as new music is being produced. Playing a peak hour set can be mindless if you are catering to one energy level. Having to impress a crowd from an empty dance floor to a packed one, is a testament to ones skill. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing both, but I think smaller venues are just as challenging and adventerous as the large ones.

Larger venues are obviously fantastic because, the bigger the show, the bigger the production. Subsequently, amazing sound systems with enough booth room for the next dj to setup without bothering you, and vice versa. And of course, theres always hitting a larger audience in one punch. The far reach can be enormously beneficial to future oppurtunities. Burning Man is an amazing place to seek out new music and art from all over the world on a radically different level. Survivalism at its finest. You seek it out, or the playa will find it for you… WakaRusa tends to be on a more commercial end of the spectrum. Mixing more mainstream music into lineups has its advantages. The reach can be phenomenal. My Morning Jacket, Bassnectar & Skrillex? That’s some serious cross-pollination.

But to gain some sort of conclusion from my response, what matters most is that people are dancing and having a good time, no matter where they are. Life is meant to be celebrated. 

What do you look for in potential Monism artists? What kind of sound/experience/skill do they need to have?
The current Monism roster is small and catering to the development of two emerging American artists. Jon Cates from Portland Oregon, and Null Space, originally from Boston, now living in the Silicon Valley. My motto could be called counter intuitive. I’m not promoting a new record every month, in fact, I try to keep it to every quarter. I never challenge the team to do anything outside of the spectrum of their own inspiration. Jon Cates has an amazing musical background and can play virtually any instrument. Sometimes he’s making Breaks, Progressive House or Electro and sometimes he hands me things I can’t classify as a genre. That’s exactly what I love about him.  And he is something I strive to find in every artist.

Null Space is seriously on point. He obsesses over the fidelity to minute degrees. His organization skills when it comes to arrangement make me want to pull what hair I have left, as an appeasement to his wraith. He makes great techno and ambient music, his love for music is as emotional as mine. He wears it on his sleeve. I admire him for it.

As far as potential artists. I am always listening to whats getting set in. I highly encourage the aspiring to not make what everyone else is, but to make what isn’t. The boundaries of dance music should never be defined by whats currently trending. Both Jon and Null Space have experience with both hardware and software production. They both have enriched their sounds by bringing the two together. Plugging things in doesn’t stop at the computer. And I really try and foster that idea and encourage the harmony of analog and digital.

(monismmusic.com)

Where do you see yourself in five years? Where would you like Monism Music to be?
5 years is a long time. Making more music is first. And for Monism, developing the artists catalogue passively is important. It shouldn’t be a chore for the artist, but more like an offering. We have recently licensed a few songs to American Dad, which has sparked new interest into an even larger market. I’m hoping to begin licensing Monism material to other networks in 2012. Streaming, surprisingly enough, is taking off, and I see a lot of the units moving in that direction. I want Monism to be for DJ’s and electronic music fans alike.

Getting blood circulating to my phalanges.

Breathing & believing.

—

The Phoenix Landing
512 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA
December 25th 10:00pm – 1:00am
19+ and $5

More event info here.

There are big things happening in the Land of True during the New Year festivities next week. Check out this stellar bash and make sure you come out to this one!

The Waterfront
920 Main Street
Holyoke, MA
Starts 12/31 at 6:00pm
Ends 1/2 at 3:00am

Purchase tickets here.

And, if you’re in Providence, RI next week, stop by Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel and surrender yourself to The White Panda, Timeflies and Yonas.

Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
79 Washington Street
Providence, RI
December 28th 8:00pm – 12:30am
All-ages!Get your tickets here.

First six photos of MO7S were taken from his Myspace photo albums.

Reid Speed is not afraid to play rough with the boys. In fact, she holds her own better than some of her male-counterparts in the EDM scene. A pioneer of the Speed-Garage and 2-Step genre , she still takes the lead for bass-heavy Drum/Dubstep, and owns and runs her own label, Play Me Records and Play Me Too. It was the year 1996 when she first started spinning records, and according to her artist bio:

“Reid started out in the New York City underground working behind the counter at the legendary Breakbeat Science store, holding residencies with Stuck on Earth, Direct Drive & Camouflage while in college at the School of Visual Arts.”

RS has released CD’s “Under The Influence” (Moist Music) 2009, ”Resonance” (Breakbeat Science) 2003, and ”Life After Dark” (Breakbeat Science) 2001. Discography includes work with Dino, Hot Mouth, Mike Balance, Flinch, Doc Trashz and other musical heavy-hitters. She has been and always will be one busy lady, elbow deep in projects, her label, her tour and music.

Her music is not dainty nor is it ladylike, which is fine by us. Reid Speed delivers grimy, eardrum-melting party tunes that elevate your inner-bass monster to unimaginable heights. Like she says, if you like soft and minimal you will hate her, which is fine; we wouldn’t want to play rough with you anyway.

—

Nice rear, why ya here? I’m just serious. Where is Reid Speed from and, in a nutshell, how did you end up at this juncture in life?
I was just a bad kid and I loved to sneak out to the Limelight and raves to dance all night. I was hooked the instant I first realized a DJ was essentially making a live mix-tape for hundreds or thousands of people at once. I was big into making mix-tapes for my friends as a child.

The DJ world seems to be a tumultuous and highly competitive place, and that’s just for the dudes. Do you find being a female DJ tougher or can it be to your advantage? When do you praise your glorious sweater-kittens and at what times do you curse not having “cajones?”
The DJ industry is a very competitive boys’ club for the most part. Since I’m not a guy but I play hard music, I’ve always had to make my own path to success. In some ways being a girl is an advantage, because promoters love the idea of female DJs. Its harder on a real business level because when you get to a certain level by not playing by the rules, or not playing the “sexy” role, the boys can and often do just shut you out, which is frustrating. But it pushes me even harder to find my own way to do it better, by being nicer and more accessible… not by being fake or pretentious and mean, just being all about the music.

What do you love about tour? What makes you miss home?
I love that I get to see the world doing what I love to do. That is the most amazing blessing of touring, especially this past few months being able to bring my amazing artists and friends along for the ride. I miss home when it’s been too many nights of un-squishy pillows in cold hotel rooms…then I just want to teleport or hitch a ride on a magic carpet to my bed and husband and cats.

A male fan comes running up to you after a set and whispers in your ear. If he (A) turned you on, what did he say? And if he (B) turned you off?
(A) “Here is a blunt for you!”
(B) “You’d be way hotter if you played trance.”

A female fan comes running up to you after a set and whispers in your ear. What did she say either way?
“Meet me in the VIP in 5-minutes, I have a blunt for you!”

Fill in the blank. You can’t leave home without [keys].

Your ideal gig?
Red Rocks or Fabric.

I want to submit some tracks and get on your label, Play Me Records. What do I need to bring to the table and what industry knowledge should I have prior to reaching out to you?
What we look for with the label is properly made, full-frequency range dance music with interesting melodic concepts and impeccable bass. If your stuff sounds as good as or better than our last release but has it’s own point-of-view that is uniquely yours, you would be a good contender. If you are not currently signed and don’t already have a relationship with a label, you should never send works-in-progress, or “WIPs.”

An important tip: To keep your tunes safe until they are signed, and so they cant be leaked after, it is suggested to send clips of self-mastered,  finished tracks to best show them off. If a label is interested you can then send them a full-version without having to worry the 10 labels who didn’t sign you will share your tune once a label has picked it up. Putting the full-version on soundcloud for anyone to hear and or DL is not good from a label’s perspective.

Describe what do you love about having your own label. Did you always dream of having your own or did an outside factor cause its existence?  Tell us about some hurdles and triumphs.
I love music and am an avid collector thereof, so it only made sense I’d end up running a label someday. But there was one thing which really led to the formation of Play Me. Our friend, Mark Subsonik, runs Subsonik Sound. Mark’s distributor (Symphonic) asked him about starting an electro house label. Mark came to me, as that wasn’t really his thing and I had just done “Under The Influence” (my 2009 electro CD release on Moist Music). I agreed to come on as the A&R and that’s where it began. Mark didint really like the music and left shortly thereafter, and we quickly expanded to include dubstep, drumstep and drum & bass. Things just took off from there. The biggest hurdle we face today is the high level of competition from bigger labels, often big house and even mainstream labels, who have the resources available to promote their artists, who are now getting involved in dubstep and being multi-genre. But as much as it’s a hurdle to chart success at times, their involvement opens up a new world of listeners to our music, so it’s really a hidden win for all of us. We continue to grow as the scene grows.

Are there any pre-set rituals you do before you play a show? What will RS look like to a fly on the wall 3-minutes prior to playing at the Bass Monster Halloween party Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, October 28th, in Providence?
My main things I need for a good set are  enough sleep, a good meal, stretching, and a shower. 3-minutes prior to performance the fly will probably see me sitting onstage wondering which track I should open with. Im pretty tame!

 —

For those of you who are in the New England area this Halloween weekend, come to True Crew and Tight Crew’s “Bass Monster Halloween” show to see Reid Speed in action. Click the flyer for event details.

Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
79 Washington Street
Providence, RI
Starts 10/28 at 8:00pm
Ends 10/29 at 3:00am

Get your tickets here.

 Photos included in this post are all personal images taken by Reid Speed.

("On-site for video shoot in LA.")

Barrett Richards, aka B. Rich, is one cool cat both in and outside of the studio. It could come from the fact he has over 15 years of DJ’ing and music production experience, or that he’s toured the world slaying eardrums and sound systems with his club-bangers. Perhaps it could, but if you ever get the opportunity to meet him, you’ll gather it’s his humble and kind demeanor that maintains his professionalism. A snippet of his bio off his site reads:

“His crisp production style has been shared with labels such as Ultra Records, Ministry of Sound, Scion A/V and Palms Out Sounds. Whether it’s at the club or on BBC Radio 1, you can hear his tracks being played and supported by some of the heaviest selectors and tastemakers across the world.”

True Crew found it essential to interview B. Rich and share the thoughts of a skilled and world-traveling DJ, sought-after producer and all-around quality dude.

—

(Grilled baby octopus in Monterey.)

Nice chin, where’ve you been? No, really, what brought B.Rich to this point in his musical career? Where did it all start?

It’s been a long road… I’d say I really got my start with the whole B. Rich thing while I was in Boston. I played a lot of the FTW parties and was a monthly resident at the Circus party. It’s what really helped shaped me as a DJ and a performer I think… I had been dj’ing for a long time before that but not at proper clubs really. I was young and doing the rave thing. Between that and working closely with my good friends AC Slater & Udachi on Party Like Us Records and later joining up with Trouble & Bass… I’ve just been riding the wave.

This just in: Dylan is your son. Explain yourself.

Haha I think that was a joke from the other night at our New Haven show. However, apparently we could easily pass as brothers.

("One of my fav coffee spots in SF.")

You used to live in Cambridge, but you’re out on the Left Coast now. What made you migrate West?

I’ve always really loved San Francisco. I was planning on just spending a couple months out there to do some writing and gain some inspiration… but I immediately fell in love with the city and have permanently set up shop there. Such amazing food and coffee! Good events and people too.

What do you miss when you’re on the road? What do you love about being on the road?

I miss my girlfriend and all the healthy food we cook when I’m at home haha but do my best to eat well on the road (ask anyone, I usually manage). I also miss my studio. But I totally love being on the road and exploring new cities, re-visiting others, and finding the best places to eat.

According to Zach, Dylan does a shot of whiskey or vodka. Do you have any preset rituals before you play a gig? 

I’m a whiskey guy, so usually like to have a couple whiskey old fashioned’s or just on the rocks. I’m not much a shot kind of guy.

(Cheddar, bacon and mango eggs Benny in Victoria, BC).

(Friends on T&B tour.)

You shot a Kastle video with Scion. That’s pretty sweet – what was it shot for? How many hours/outfits/pies were devoted?

Yeah, i’m not sure if it is FOR anything specifically, but Scion has always been supportive of artists and we linked up with a great director from NYC to do this video. It’s for an upcoming release, called “You Know That I Know You Know”, and was shot in LA with some friends of mine. We spent a whole day shooting. I kind of don’t want to give too much away about the video until we unveil it… but 40 pies were involved.

A female fan comes running up to you after a set and whispers in your ear. You then proceed to hand her the keys to your Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4, which you have in this metaphorical scenario – what did she say to you?

“I’ll trade you a cup of coffee for your car”

Where and how does inspiration find you? When you’ve got a hold of it, how do you transpose it into your work? I’m a fly on the wall in your studio, what do I see and hear?

(Book shopping in Chicago.)

I gain inspiration from a lot of things… from life in general. Love hitting art museums, reading science books, philosophy, etc. Anything that boasts creativity. Sometimes i’ll write down notes in my iphone notepad for ideas. When I’m in the studio and just beginning a track, i’ll lay out a loop and sit there for hours on my keyboard playing notes and coming up with the chord progressions and melodies of the songs.

Any advice or tidbits for aspiring DJ’s and music producers out there looking to follow in your footsteps?

Do you. Learn sound design/synthesis, and create the songs you hear in your own mind. Try not to follow trends and do something different!

—

Thank you, Barrett, for your time and those tidbits of insight. We wish you continuous luck on your musical endeavors, even though you don’t really need it at this point in the game. We can’t wait for you to kill it down at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel tonight with Zeds Dead, Terravita and other musical acts!

Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
79 Washington Street
Providence, RI
Starts 8/7 at 9:00pm
Ends 8/8 at 3:00am

Purchase tickets, check the entire line-up and get more information about the after-party at Therapy

For those who are going to be in Boston/Cambridge this Sunday, October 9th, B. Rich is playing The Drop, a weekly Dubstep night you don’t ever want to miss:

The Phoenix Landing
512 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA
October 9th 10:00pm – 2:00am
19+ and $5

More event info here.

All photos besides the “Twin” photo were taken with Barrett’s personal camera phone via Instagr.am. “Twin” photo credit belongs to: Xavier Photography (left) and Elci Photography (right).