Becoming increasingly prominent in the dance music scene, Massachussetts-based duo, Barely Alive, have caught the attention of countless fans, and have even earned lauds from industry heavyweights, such as Excision, Datsik, Zomboy, and Pegboard Nerds. Not surprisingly, several of Barely Alive’s tunes have become prolific in the sets of bass music artists, and the duo has even worked on a handful of remixes and collaborative tracks with these established producers.
Having just released their highly successful Fiber Optic EP about a month ago, the duo is already back with another electrifying, and needless to say, bass-abundant new single appositely entitled “WEDABE$”, along with two impressive remixes. Featuring catchy rap vocals from renowned Monstercat-signed trio, Splitbreed, “WEDABE$” is an artful assemblage of gritty synths and bass lines, laced together with a classic dubstep beat. With festival season quickly approaching, there is no doubt that this tune will get things moving on the dance floors of many bass music stages.
In addition to this striking release, Barely Alive have teamed up with esteemed DJ/producer, Datsik, for a collaborative tune entitled “The Blastaz”, which is scheduled to drop on March 9th. This wouldn’t be the first time these artists have joined forces, and many fans will recall their successful and slightly satirical track “Candy Kids” from last year.
Out on Disciple Recordings, “WEDABE$”, as well as remixes from 501 and PhaseOne, can be streamed above, and purchased via Beatport here. We were also fortunate to have had the opportunity to as Barely Alive a few questions about this release, the upcoming Datsik collaboration, as well as touring and performances, to which we received some interesting answers…
1. Which artists, either electronic or non-electronic, would you say have influenced your music the most?
“We draw massive inspiration from the works of Mozart, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and Picasso.”
2. Can you name some of the staple tracks (from producers other than yourself) that will most likely be featured in your upcoming sets?
“Mozart’s Violin Concerto no. 3, Diskord’s remix of “War” by Astronaut & Far Too Loud, and a lot of unreleased music that we’re not allowed to talk about.”
3. You’ve become and increasingly prominent in the electronic music scene, with many successful releases and remixes, with your most recent being “WEDABE$” along a couple of its remixes. Do you have any advice for aspiring producers who are inspired by your success?
“We strongly feel that artists shouldn’t try to chase after “success” as their ultimate goal. Doing things you enjoy is much more important. So our advice to those who wish to make a name for themselves is to try and write the music you wish you were able to write. Good things will come after that.”
4. You guys have played quite a few sizable gigs in your time as a duo, what has been your favourite memory from a show you’ve played?
“Years ago we were playing one of our first sold-out shows, opening for RL Grime. It was a really awesome night and we were still really new to playing shows. Playing for a big excited crowd like that was an amazing feeling that stuck with us ever since and continues to inspire us!”
5. Where do you guys roughly see yourselves in 5 years?
“We’re hoping to move to Antarctica within the next few years. Apparently the penguin population is really into bass music, and we hear that the acoustics down there are really cool.”
6. Speaking of future releases, you’re teaming up with Datsik for a release on the 9th right? How did you and Datsik get drawn together?
“While I was on tour with Datsik, Matt sent me an idea for a tune that he had just come up with. I played it for everyone on the bus, and Datsik loved it and asked to hop on the track with us. I had Matt send over the project file through dropbox, and we worked together on the bus to finish the track. It was really awesome to be able to write a tune while on tour, because every night we would play out the newest version, then make tweaks the next day before playing it out again. By the time I got home to the studio, the track was all finished and ready for mastering! We’re all really happy with how it turned out, and its been one of my favorite tunes to play out recently.”
7. What type of feeling or message was built into the new Datsik collaboration?
“We never try and put complicated messages into our music. To us, that’s not what it’s about. It’s about the vibe of the tune and this one definitely has a laid-back yet aggressive vibe to it.”
8. You’ve brought Diskord in for the remix, how did that come about?
“Since Diskord stepped into the game a year ago, they’ve been absolutely smashing the trap game with a string of big remixes and originals. Their remix for The Blastaz is no exception! When we were first discussing who we could get on a remix, they were the first name that popped up and we all love what they did with the tune.”
Connect with Barely Alive:
https://www.facebook.com/barelyalivemusic
https://www.twitter.com/BarelyAliveUS
https://www.soundcloud.com/barelyalive
Connect with Disciple:
https://www.facebook.com/disciplerecordings
https://www.twitter.com/disciplerecordings
https://www.youtube.com/user/disciplerecordings
https://www.soundcloud.com/disciplerecordings
Connect with Firepower:
https://www.facebook.com/FirepowerRecs
https://www.twitter.com/FirepowerRecs
http://www.firepowerrecords.com/
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