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Imagine Festival Artist Spotlight: Andy Bruh [Interview]

August 17, 2015 By Halina Wilusz

Andy Bruh

Imagine Festival is finally upon us. We’re in sight of a weekend packed with The Glitch Mob, Tipper, GRiZ, and a dozen more artists prepped to deliver a wild ride of bass-heavy magic to our anxious ears. It will also be an exciting two days for local undercard artists to lay down their sound and introduce their talents to new fans. One of these artists goes by Andy Bruh, and if you make the time to see any non-headliner you should make sure it’s him.

Even in just his early years of performing, Andy Bruh has already shared the stage with ill.Gates, RJD2, EOTO, and Paper Diamond, and at Counterpoint 2015, he kept the late night vibes alive with an epic Silent Disco set. Read up on all the many reasons why you can’t miss Andy Bruh live in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward Park on August 30.

How did you get into producing and spinning live?

I first got into DJing in 2011, when my older brother, Alan, let me borrow his turntables. We would watch Qbert scratch tutorials on YouTube for hours on end, but that was all just for fun. Things didn’t get serious for me until about three years ago when I really got into the Athens music scene. I started attending electronic shows every weekend, and eventually decided to give it a try myself. For a while, I was strictly focusing on making intricate and detailed DJ sets. But in the past few months, I’ve tried to spend more time on defining my sound, so that people have something to expect live.

How did your Monday Night Mixdown shows at the legendary Georgia Theatre get started? Can we expect more events in the future?

I was actually approached by the Theatre. In Athens, the summer nightlife is always quieter because the student population is on vacation. Therefore, it’s tough to book profitable shows on any night, not to mention Mondays. But, with a ton of help, I was able to put together a pretty successful show each week. We featured local talent from Athens and Atlanta, including Stellar Shores and Skymatic who are both performing at Imagine as well. After it was all said and done, everyone was really happy; we’ve been discussing doing it again in the fall, when it could be much bigger. I certainly hope we get to do it again, that place is one of the best small venues on earth.

Which artists do you draw the most inspiration from?

Throughout all of my experiences as a fan, nobody has come close to inspiring me as much as Bassnectar. His dynamic control of energy is unmatched, and his music production/selection is so dope. I also love G Jones. Greg is a beast. His sound is so unique, and his shows are so fun. ill.Gates sets the bar super high as far as live performance is concerned. I also love good rap- conscious rap…Outkast, Big K.R.I.T., J. Cole, etc. That being said, all types of music inspire me. I love the String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9…the list goes on and on.

What is your production set up?

I write all of my music on an AKAI MPK88 Keyboard…shout out to ill.Gates for hooking it up! I also recently got a crappy mic for sampling, which I plan of doing a lot more of in the future. It’s a simple set up, but it gets the job done.

Which artists are you most excited to see at Imagine Fest?

Pretty much everyone, but especially The Glitch Mob, G Jones, Tipper, DJ SS, Papadosio, Ployd, Zoogma, and ill.Gates vs. KJ Sawka.

What kind of set can we be expecting from you at Imagine?

I’m still waiting to find out what time I play, because that can have a big effect on which direction I go with my set. I’m very versatile and I always try to fit the mood and context the best I can. Hopefully I’m a little later in the day, because I would love to mix it up and drop some heat.

What projects are you working on right now?

I have a bunch of songs in the works, trying to crank out as many as possible right now. They’re all different, and there is no theme to the madness. I figure the more I make, the more I’ll learn. Each song is a learning experience.

What goals do you have for your music within the next year?

I just want to keep improving. Things have been steadily growing, and the movement is building momentum. Hopefully, I will get more opportunities to travel around and play in new places, make new friends, and keep learning and improving as an artist.

Don’t miss this aspiring, local talent slay on Sunday, August 30 at Imagine Festival. Tickets are still available for purchase at http://imaginefestival.com/.