Formed in 2010 as an extension of their previous alias, CyberSutra, The Banger Bros have already dropped a number of releases and remixes far and wide, working with the likes of Lazy Rich, Chrizz Luvly, SpekrFreks and Jean Claude Ades.With many fans amongst the dj elite the duo bring enough force to turn a house of head-bobbing hip-shakers into a killer dance party—a truly live entertainment delicacy on the electronic music scene. Trust us when we say these boys know how to heat up any room into a raging, alluring inferno.
1. How did you both start DJing? Did you teach yourself or have a mentor?
(Naite) Scott was actually one of my mentors. I've always had an inclination towards DJing, but when I first started, oh, about five years ago, I knew next to nothing about what to do. So I got this book that promised to make me a good DJ. Needless to say, it didn't. But Scott taught me the fundamentals, about beatmaching and song programming, how to make a set rock, etc. After that, I looked to my favorite DJs of the time (like Kaskade, for example) and examined their song selections and mixing techniques really closely. To me, what makes a great DJ more than an iTunes playlist is selection and discretion in mix points. So I learned from DJs that I admired.
(Scott) My interest in DJing has been there for years as well, but I didn't actually get started until 2005 when I bought a pair of technics. I practiced a ton on my own but wanted to dig deeper into the craft and ended up attending a DJ school in San Francisco during the fall of 2006. Over the past couple years I've become friends with DJ Dan and always play close attention to what he is doing behind the decks during his shows that I attend. I have learned a quite a bit just by watching him. Dan is one of the most technically sound DJs I have ever seen up close, and I feel fortunate that I've been able to watch him up close. Naite and I bounce a lot of techniques and tricks off of one another as well. Since we play a lot of shows together, we definitely learn a lot from each other.
2. You guys have only been together as The Banger Bro's for less than a year but can you tell us some of your highlights so far?
It's already been such a whirlwind ride. We came into this with a lot of prior experience from our other projects, including CyberSutra, so we started with that basic knowledge of the industry and the process. But the highlights have been the freshness, the newness of the material we're writing. I mean, to come out of the gate doing our own vocals, working with great talent like Melakai, it's been awesome. Having our single "Beep Beep Boom" chart in Germany was pretty exciting.
3. What has the reaction to your new single 'Beep Beep Boom' been like?
It has been a little overwhelming, honestly. We've never had such an amazingly positive response, both from the promo pre release packs we sent out to DJs and radio around the world and from our fans who immediately embraced the track. The remix package is top notch, and really adds to the diverse appeal of this song. But it's really the people that we're able to pass on the love to that makes it totally surreal. Every time we drop the SpekrFreks remix of "Beep Beep Boom" in a live set, for example, the crowd loses their minds, and the kind of heedless, wreckless joy that that causes is so satisfying. C89.5, Seattle's dance radio station, loves it, and the feedback that Naite (who lives there) has gotten from fans and listeners has been really positive. So we hope that as it reaches more audiences, it'll keep people smiling and dancing.
4. The single also features on the forthcoming iPhone app ReRave, how did that come about?
Kyle Ward, the founder of ReRave got in touch with us a couple of months asking if they could feature "Beep Beep Boom" feat. MelAkai in ReRave. We met Kyle about a year ago at the dance station in Seattle called C89.5 His band Oscillator X's has songs played on their station as well, so we were both familiar with each other's music.
5. How do you manage with two of you behind the decks? Ever have any disagreements?
We rarely disagree, our tastes in music are so similar that pretty much anything the other plays is totally appropriate. Sometimes it's surprising, like when Scott will occasionally throw a dubstep track in, and Naite (who has a very particular opinion about dubstep) can't help but start dancing his "dubstep" dance, sometimes knocking things over. But even when it's surprising or unexpected, it's all good. And usually when one of us is spinning, the other is playing drums. Sometimes we don't even know what the other is playing, except that it's got a dope beat.
6. How much time do you typically spend on a track? Do you ever get writers block?
It absolutely depends on the track and varies each and every time. Some songs will take a couple of weeks, with a few passes back and forth between Scott and Naite. Other songs, like this cover of Real Life's "Send Me An Angel" that we'll be putting out soon, have been around for over a year, with literally hundreds of hours spent writing, tweaking, producing, rewriting, editing, mastering, scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch. "Beep Beep Boom" happened pretty quickly, relatively speaking. Naite gets writers block constantly and has to take sabbaticals in the Himalayas to overcome it.
7. A question you must get asked a lot but what's the best way for upcoming producers to get noticed?
Be Cool. While it is true that the squeakiest wheel gets the grease, you have to be positive and respectful. Pounding down someone's door repeatedly will not do you any good, but knocking insistently from time to time will. So the best way is to make awesome music that they love and believe in and send it to everyone they can, to get feedback and support, and also to refine their sounds. But you definitely have to cast a wide net, and keep trying. Even when the answer is "no," it's not really no. It usually actually means "not now" or "not yet."
8. What else have you guys got coming up this year?
Like we mentioned earlier, we've got a cover of "Send Me An Angel" that is going to bounce your socks off. We've got this funky disco throwback banger we're going to release as an instrumental, and we've got a few more vocal collaborations in the works that are going to be really exciting.
9. Can you leave us with three producers to go away and discover and tell us why we should check them out!
If you haven't heard of Hirshee, you definitely need to check him out. His productions are absolutely off the hook. Lazy Rich and Zedd are two other guys who are amazing as well.
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