The self-proclaimed prodigy to Dracula himself, newcomer Bite Me has exploded onto the scene with guns blazing and fangs bared. Chicago-born and Wisconsin-living, 20-year-old Bite Me (real name Kyle Johnson) is giving industry vets a run for their money with his undoubtedly unique take on the tried-and-true trap genre.
In the midst of rolling out his debut Bitten EP (hitting retailers November 30th), Bite Me caught up with RaverRafting to chat influences, dream collabs and more. Read on to find out what makes the blood-sucking rising star tick & scope the premiere of “Lunar,” available as a limited time free download via the Pantheon artist collective.
So you’re about to release your debut EP, how long has the Bite Me project been in the making? When and how did you originally get into production?
I’ve been producing for about two and a half years now. The first year it was just a hobby and I’d do it for about eight hours a week, but the past year I’ve been producing for at least 40 hours a week. I knew I wanted to start creating music when I watched a video of deadmau5 playing for the Haunted Mansion. He came out playing “Ghosts n Stuff (Hard Intro Version)” and as soon as the bass dropped people started going crazy.
And how did you learn to produce? Are you self-taught?
When I first started, I watched super basic tutorials but [now] I stay away from those. I’m self-taught and I think that’s the best way to go if you want to develop your own “unique” sound and sound design. I believe there really is no right or wrong way to produce, just make what you want and make sure it sounds good.
How would you describe your sound in 3 words?
Future festival grime.
What artists have influenced you the most?
Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Graves and NGHTMRE as well as Party Thieves. Party Thieves is a good friend of mine and helped me a lot the past seven months. Graves is so grimey, I love almost everything they put out. And NGHTMRE’s sound design along with the way he arranges and structures his tracks is beyond amazing.
And who would your dream collab be with? One of those guys?
Probably NGHTMRE. It’d be sooo live haha. I love the way he structures his tracks.
Where do you typically find your inspiration?
I just listen to my favorite artists and all different types of music. Sometimes i open up Ableton and just play piano for hours on end until i get that perfect sound.
What are your plans after the release of your “Bitten” EP?
I’m definitely going to slow down on the releases. I want to start playing some live shows, but I have plenty of unreleased tunes to put out.
Pantheon is a well-respected collective with next-level artists like LUMBERJVCK and Illenium on their roster, how does it feel to be alongside some of those names?
Unbelievable. It hasn’t really hit me yet. If you told me one year ago that today I’d be releasing an EP with a track on Pantheon I wouldn’t believe it. It definitely inspired me to reach new levels and break some boundaries in production. Expect some big things soon.
Connect with Bite Me:
https://www.facebook.com/biiitememusic
https://twitter.com/bitememusic
https://soundcloud.com/bitememusic
Connect with Pantheon:
https://soundcloud.com/wearepantheon
http://twitter.com/WeArePantheon
https://www.facebook.com/pantheonaia
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