1. He Does All Of His Own Lighting and Visuals
Q.) Hey Excision, big fan here. Looking forward to the Destroid stuff you guys have coming soon, but I’ll always love your older stuff the most. How much influence do you have on the lighting/visual creations that you have on tour. Do you design the contraptions your self, or do you leave it up to designers to make the craziest shit possible to facilitate your grimey tunes? Also, how are you not completely deaf from playing show after show with that 100,000w system behind you?
A.) I design all of the lighting/visual stuff myself. I am far more hands on than any other artist i’ve met in this scene. Hence why I have no life outside of work. But I am a strong believer in maintaining quality control, and we are pulling off things far beyond what our budget SHOULD allow, because of my constant involvement 🙂
2. One Of His Goals Is To Play Red Rocks As Destroid
Q.) HOLY SHIT PLEASE RED ROCKS DESTROID
A.) That is a huge goal of ours 🙂
3. He Thinks “Brostep” Shines On The Dancefloor
Q.) What’s your opinion on the (often negative) label entitled “brostep”? Also, do you enjoy dubstep that isn’t all about the wobblez (Cyrus, N-Type, Kryptic Minds)? Thanks… I saw you last year and it was great!
A.) Yes, and I actually far prefer to listen to that stuff in my spare time. But on a dancefloor I find it boring, and that’s where the “brostep” shines IMO
4. His Childhood Dream Was To Excavate Dinosaur Skeletons
Q.) What was your dream when you were younger?
A.) I wanted to be a paleontologist (dinosaur skeleton excavator) haha
5. The “Mainstream” Stuff Doesn’t Matter To Him
Q.) Lately there’s been lots of talk about how EDM is stuck in a comfort zone and is on a musical decline. How do you feel about the current state of dubstep and all EDM as a whole? What do you think needs to change in the scene? Also how do you feel about dubstep hitting the mainstream and being used in commercials/ads (now that it’s the trendy music to use) ?
A.) I don’t think the whole mainstream stuff matters. It’s the natural progression of any music that becomes popular, you can’t fight it. Most people who hear it couldn’t care less what it is, or that it’s called Dubstep. The people that do hate on it for this reason are idiots. You can complain about the tide coming in or going out but it’s not going to change anything.
EDM is doing the same thing, peaks and valleys, right now maybe its going down a bit because it hit an unsustainable peak. It’ll go up again like it always does. I definitely haven’t noticed any decline, from what i’m seeing its still rising.
6. He’s Had Tinnitus Since Age Two From A Car Accident
Q.) Do you ever fear that yourself, your crew, or your audience will suffer from permanent hearing loss or tinnitus after a show?
A.) Yes, but, I post on facebook AND twitter about every 6 months telling people to wear earplugs. I sell cheap and more expensive high quality ones at every show that has a big sound system (by expensive I mean $4 which is my cost).
I have had tinnitus since I was 2 years old from a car accident, it’s really not that bad. haha
7. He Thinks Bass Is Meant To Be Felt
Q.) (Also In response to the previous prompt)
A.) Bass is meant to be felt, that’s why i have it so loud. ears just aren’t tuned to handle it that well, hence, earplugs 🙂
8. This Is What He Will Tell Someone Who Asks About His Drug History
Q.) Hi Excision, what’s your opinion on drug use at the shows? I remember reading Datsik said some of his earlier stuff was inspired by Ketamine, would you say external substances have been the inspiration for any of your songs / your sound?
A.) I’ve never tried any external substances before. Seeing as they are illegal. But if I had tried external substances I think they would have had a massive effect on pulling me out of my previous mindset, and re-arranging it. It probably would have steered me in a new direction that changed my musical outlook completely!
9. He Thinks If People Are Going To Take Drugs They Should Educate Themselves First
Q.) I apologize if this is a touchy question, but what is your stance on the death at EDC Dallas during your set a few years back? It piques my curiosity about what artists feel about things like that even if the artist couldn’t have prevented it.
A.) It actually wasn’t at the stage I was playing it. It’s horrible and I feel sorry for the kid, his family and friends, but people need to educate themselves. Research before you take drugs and learn how to help yourself if something begins to go awry
10. He Will Release The Remix of Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’ In The Near Future
Q.) I’ve always wanted to hear your version of Raining Blood by Slayer released! I know its on the 2010 mix, but it’d just be so awesome to hear its own song. 🙂
A.) I should probably give that away, remind me on twitter in a few months once the album isnt new anymore 🙂
11. His iPod Is Full Of Metal and Weird EDM
Q.) If I scrolled through Excision’s iPod, I would find…
A.) Metal and super chill/weird EDM
12. He Prefers Popular Late 80’s Metal Like Pantera and Slayer
Q.) What kind of metal do you listen to? I picture Slayer and other old stuff like that
A.) Yeah really anything from the popular late 80’s shit Slayer Pantera Metallica then I was about 14 when Nu-Metal was cool so that still has a special place for me Korn Slipknot, nowadays there are so many different bands that are killer but none of them really stand out like back then
13. Rottun Records Seeks Artists With A Hard/Heavy Edge
Q.) What qualities do you look for when scouting talent for your label?
A.) Songs that make dancefloors move but still have a hard/heavy edge
14. He Recognizes and Welcomes Inevitable Change
Q.) Where do you see dubstep and bass music going in the next few years?
A.) Up and Down constantly, every time one of these new subgenres comes out there is an Up. Drumstep then moombah then trap. Whats next?
15. He Hopes To Do A Full US Tour With Destroid in Fall 2014
Q.) Will you go on tour around the US with Destroid? Please
A.) Eventually yes, need to build the name up. hopefully a full tour Fall 2014
16. His Video Game Taste Is Old School. Throwback Super Nintendo Old School.
Q.) What’s your favorite video game?
A.) Megaman X
17. He Loves Working With Datsik, Downlink, Bassnectar and Space Laces
Q.) Who has been your favorite artist to collaborate with? Who would you like to work with?
A.) My fave artists to collab with, well the obvious guys are Datsik (we are both touring so much we never see eachother anymore), Downlink, and Space Laces. We seem to have the best chemistry of loving and hating each other enough to crank out some of my favorite pieces. I love working with Bassnectar as well, we’ve actually made about 5 tunes together even tho today was the first time one actually got released.
18. He Has A Good Reason For Hiding His Face In Press Photos
Q.) Craziest story from touring?
A.) A few weeks ago we had a day off, we were in the middle of nowhere at a South Carolina hotel. A few of us decided to hit the pool/hot tub. While in there a 70 year old man opens the door to the pool room and lies down on the floor. He pulls out his DSLR camera and just starts taking pictures. We tell him to fuck off and he says “OK” then just keeps taking pictures. He literally walks up within 2 inches of our faces to get a close up of this awesome zit I had that day.
After about 15 minutes of ripping on him and him trying to get us to attack him while he takes pics/films us we leave and he follows us all the way to the bus. Clearly a Class A troll trying to get us to hit him so he can sue us. We later found out he had a window looking out to where our bus was parked and saw us walk in, thinking we were rich rock stars coming out of that tour bus. It was my first taste of what the life of people who are actually famous must feel like. Fuck that shit. There is a reason why my face is hidden in almost all my press photos 😉
19. He Enjoys A Healthy Dose Of Rickrolling
Q.) Favorite moment of any song, ever?
A.) The drop on Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”
20. He Thinks It’s Disrespectful When Someone Jumps On Stage During A Live Set
Q.) During your NY show this past March at the Best Buy Theater, people kept going onto the stage, did you mind it or did it piss you off?
A.) For most shows I don’t really care. But when i clearly have a projector shooting at the stage with visuals that I paid thousands of dollars for, and some douche climbs up and blocks them, the rest of the crowds experience is ruined. It’s no longer a giant bass tank on stage, it’s a projector screen and a fat dude with no shirt on. LAME.
So, it depends, be respectful of what the DJ is trying to present to the crowd.
21. Datsik Was Originally Supposed To Be A Member Of Destroid
Q.) How come Datsik isn’t in Destroid?
A.) He actually was originally, but it just never worked out. We couldn’t even get us all into the same room to work on stuff together, so it was either destined to fail/never happen, or make a change. It was tough but that’s life.
22. At The Moment, His Favorite Artist is Devildriver
Q.) Who is your favorite artist ?
A.) Right now, Devildriver. It changes daily/weekly.
23. He Intends To Tell a Story With Every Song He Makes
Q.) Do you have a typical way that you start a tune? (melody first, drums first, etc)
A.) Placeholder drum loop then bass/melody, then change the drums to fit the bass/melody. Sometimes I make a whole intro before I even start the drop (Existence, X Rated, Raise Your Fist) You can usually tell which ones those are because of how epic and long the intro is. The main thing to remember is you are trying to tell a story with every song you make, make the most important part of your story first.
24. He Likes Smaller Shows in Random Cities
Q.) What exactly do you feel during your shows? Do you ever get overwhelmed with emotion knowing that so many people are having quite literally the time of their life because of what you do? Do you just enjoy it as much as the crowd is? Does it ever get monotonous?
A.) Sometimes it’s amazing, it’s all about what is different.
After playing years doing small shows, when I got to finally play the huge shows to 10,000 people it was an amazing feeling. Lately after playing to huge crowds so much, I really enjoy the smaller shows in random cities that don’t have shows often, they rock out so much harder!!
25. His Advice Is To Commit And Be Different
Q.) Hey excision, I’m an amateur EDM producer, I produce everything from techno, house, electro, dubstep, trance, to drum n bass and beyond. I love EDM with a deep burning passion, what should I do if I want to make a career doing this?
A.) Commit your entire life to it and work 10 hours a day every day until you are pro. Make stuff that other people don’t make. Try your best to be DIFFERENT and not sound like everyone else.
26. He Sports A Humble Sense Of Humor
Q.) HUGE fan bro, seen you once and cant wait to see you again. so my question is: wheres your fav place to preform and why?
A.) I preform in the shop with my safety goggles on. It can get dangerous.
27. The Term ‘Elevated Existence’ Has A Deeper Meaning
Q.) What is your definition of “elevated existence?” The phrase comes up a lot in your viral marketing and occasionally in your songs. Has the meaning changed since you first used it, and did you intend on using it as much as you do now when you first used it?
A.) It definitely wasn’t originally intended to be used that so much, but we thought it had a good message. Kids might think its about getting high but its a much deeper meaning than that. stay tuned for more explanation on that in upcoming video uploads 😉
28. Don’t Expect To Hear Him Producing Trap Music
Q.) So what do you think about the trap genre? Can we trap heads expect to see some Excision in the trap game anytime soon???
A.) Probably not. Tunes like ‘headbanga’ have trap elements, so does Put It Down, but i see Trap as more of an intro thing not a full song thing
29. His Biggest Career Milestone Was Making Enough Money From Music To Move Out Of His Parent’s House
Q.) What was your biggest milestone in your career?
A.) Making enough money from music to move out of my parents house. It was a while ago but life has been a huge blur since then.
30. His Favorite Album Is Slipknot’s ‘Iowa’
Q.) What is your favorite album?
A.) slipknot – iowa
31. He Experienced The “I finally made it” Moment After Headlining Red Rocks
Q.) When did you have the feeling of “I finally made it”
A.) after headlining red rocks
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