www.HELLOX6.com » SXSW

[Band Interview] Millionyoung: From Celia Cruz to Cartman

Los — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:49:48 +0000

Last December I had the delight of catching Mike Diaz and the boys, also known as Millionyoung, at Mohawk. Among their EP’s and new LP they have a small yet strong body of work and they bring it to life amazingly on the stage. The set ventured through electric landscapes of winding ambient streams, cosmic funk progressions and smooth sail’n synths. The live show brings out a more stomp-n-groov’n side of Millionyoung. I would strongly recommend catching them during SXSW this year. You won’t be disappointed. I got to throw a few questions his way after letting the guys crash at my tiny pad. Check out their latest LP Replicants here.

Millionyoung -”Easy Now”
Millionyoung -”Chlorophyl”
Millionyoung -”Perfect Eyes”

How did your environment/family influence your music? Your sound seems to be somewhat influenced by the tropical surroundings of Florida, is this a correct assumption?

- I really love my home, I wouldn’t say I intentionally try to write music that reflects that, but it does find it’s way into the music subconsciously.

Obviously since your last name is Diaz you come from some kind of Latin decent, do you feel that your ethnicity in any way impacts your sound or approach to song writing? ( I can ask this cause I’m not white..hahah)

- Hahaha, yeah in a way. Growing up I was always surrounded by music and dancing. I’ve got a really lively family and you can’t expect to get more than 2 of us together with out someone breaking out some music. My parents were always playing everything from Michael Jackson to Celia Cruz to the Beatles so that’s where I’ve got my roots.

What do you feel are the advantages and limitations creatively from being on a smaller label?

- They’ve let me pretty much do everything I wanted, and the communication has been great. Rob Mason is a great guy, and even when he thinks something could be done differently, we discuss it and come to a mutual agreement. I don’t see us getting on a super bowl half time show any time soon, but I can live with that.

How irritating is it to always be put under the term “chillwave”? If you had to come up with a three word name/description for your genre of music what would it be?Your full band live performance definitely has a harder more rockin impact than your studio recordings, do you feel that this vibe will influence your future works as MillionYoung’s sound matures?

- It’s only annoying when people over simplify the music. I strive to make songs that are really diverse and dynamic, but as soon as a reverberated vocal comes in some people seem to ignore everything else going on. I’m happy to be considered as part of an innovative group of musicians that I respect, but I think what we’re all doing is much more intricate than a lot of people have yet to realize.

Besides the obvious, mics and guitars, what one piece of equipment in essential to Millionyoung’s signature sound?

- Midi controllers. I’ve been using them for awhile and they just allow for a lot of control over the songs and make live improvisation really fun.

Who are you looking forward to catch at SXSW?

- I’m hoping to see Twin Shadow, I’ve heard a lot of good things about their live show and have really been digging their record. We’re doing a show with Friendly Fires and Hood Internet too and I’m really eager to see them. Their music brings back a lot of good memories; college parties, girls, and just having a good time.

Do you think there’s a threat of “well-established” blogs gaining too much sway over listeners’ tastes or listeners becoming too lazy by relying too heavily on blogs for taste-making?

- I’m not too worried about it, we don’t need the kind of fans that rely on other people to dictate what they should be into. I love reading blogs, but have always seen them more as a means to find music than to judge it. We’ve received praise and contempt from big blogs, but at the end of the day all we ask is for what they say to be fair. It’s painfully obvious when someone writes about something they didn’t even take the time to listen to. I don’t have anything against any publication, and appreciate when people write anything about us, but it’s just pathetic when you see such an influential site try to pass off 3 oversimplified paragraphs, based on the misinformed opinion of a hypocrite, as a “review”. People can smell that kind of bullshit from miles away.

Bonus:

How important of a role has South Park played in keeping you and the guys sane during this tour?

- Hahaha, a really important role. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are pure geniuses. We’ve been watching a lot of It’s Always Sunny and Arrested Development too; laughing makes those long drives go by real fast.

Zun Zun Egui @ SXSW 2010 Driskill Hotel

shok — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:01:45 +0000

After a great dinner at the Driskill Hotel on Saturday night, we headed to the bar inside the hotel where a band named Zun Zun Egui was playing and getting real into their music. Once I started videotaping the band the lead singer went crazy on me. Check out both videos to see what happened, but basically I get into a huge fight with the main guy which ended up in him tossing his beer at me, and me reciprocating likewise.

[Polaroid Wednesday] Fader Fort

Dagnushka — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:27:15 +0000

This SXSW the Fader Fort was definitely one of the best places to hit up during the madness. Here’s a little patriotic polaroid shot of a nice spot inside the fort.

[HELLOX6] SXSW BACKYARD BLOWOUT

shok — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 01:38:05 +0000

The [Hellox6 x DYFO] SXSW Backyard Blowout was epic. The house was sick, and our friends who all came from all over were amazing and contributed in some way or another. Florene was one of my favorites shows of the day as were Jessica 6, The Happen-ins, Hoyotoho and Sore Losers. Tonight, Dustin Hollywood and I are interviewing Jessica 6 before their show in Denton — which should amazing. I have to say this years SXSW was by far the most exciting and fun partly due to everyone who came out and supported us.

A very special thanks to SXSW, Sea of Shoes, Neon Indian, Honor Roll Music, Jessica’s Mirror, Sweet Green and saving the best for last: DYFO.

Photos By: SHOK

Cool Company: PLONK Wine Merchants

the doc — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:08:20 +0000

While the rest of the crew is headed out to SXSW after hot beats provided by the one and only Marshall Barnes tonight @ ‘the ish’, I am drinking alone at home. So looks like I’m the big winner. Which is even more true now after discovering PLONK wine merchants. Founded by Etty Lewensztain, a self-proclaimed, “curly-haired, food and wine obsessed Los Angeles native,” PLONK is the ultimate destination for cool boutique wines at ridiculously good prices. Nothing on the site is above $30. There are even short videos on every wine describing what to expect and pretty amazing food pairing suggestions (although I wish there was a link to the recipes). Drinking alone has been sadder, but it definitely hasn’t been cheaper.

[Polaroid Wednesday] Austin, Texas Y’ALL

Dagnushka — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:41:52 +0000

The SXSW fun has officially begun. If you aren’t here by now, hurry up already (AKA my fellow Helloooooo-ers in Dallas). A personal list of shows I am attending will be up very soon. You don’t want to miss out.

[SXSW 2010] Helloooooo x DYFO 2nd Annual ‘Backyard Blowout’

gilberto — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:11:12 +0000

Ya heard?

[Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009] VEGA + RATATAT

gilberto — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:55:48 +0000

Austin is good for many things: partying (6th street), delicious sushi (Uchi), beautiful women (Dagnushka) — and of course, music. When you think festivals, SXSW (March) and ACL (Sept/Oct) are the biggest names that come to mind and are yearly staples for any music lover. This year, the Helloooooo.com crew decided to scope a third and upcoming festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Gilberto drove down Friday afternoon and met up with Dagnushka for a night of pre-festival festivities at venues like Beauty Bar and Mohawk. Saturday afternoon, Shok landed just in time for the FashionLeak.org John Renaud launch after which we jetted to Waterloo Park to catch our friends in Vega, who put on an inspired afternoon set with a backdrop of absolutely perfect weather. Later that evening, we had the fortune of seeing New York-electronic duo Ratatat put on a breathtaking show complete with the awesome on-screen videos they have become known for. It was one of those rare moments where you could tell the band was genuinely excited to be there — a feeling that was confirmed when guitarist Mike Stroud ended the show by taking a swig of Vodka, raising his iPhone to take a picture of the screaming crowd, then proceeded to leap off the stage into outstretched arms of fans. An incredible finale to an incredibly fun day.

Photos by: SHOK

(Visit our new photo hosting site, helloooooo.dphoto.com, for extended series from Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009)

Helloooooo Presents: DJ Marshall Barnes @ Ghostbar 9.19.09

gilberto — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:30:03 +0000

Helloooooo.com is proud to present a special event on September 19, 2009 at Ghostbar Dallas featuring DJ-extraordinaire and LA homey Marshall Barnes. Marshall is a staple on the LA scene and will no doubt be bringing the fire just like he did at the 508 House at SXSW this past March. More details and official party flier to drop soon.

YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER

admin — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:31:26 +0000

So remember that Crystal Castles track “Crimewave” that everyone loved so much? Well, it was actually a remix of HEALTH’s version of “Crimewave”. HEALTH? Yeah, and they also got to tour with Trent Reznor last year to play support spots on the 2008 NIN tour. I’ve seen them live twice at SXSW ’07 and ’08 (when I shot the photo above), and seriously, it blew my mind..it is about 20 minutes of complete insanity. They are based in Los Angeles, they’re colorful, and they are genius in the way of using the line “you will love each other” on t-shirts, and on the cover of the new 7″ single they just released called Die Slow. The single is from their next full-length release that they are currently recording called Get Color, the follow-up to their self-titled debut. You can taste it on healthgetcolor.com, and if you ever get a chance to see them live..be ready for some ultraviolence.

The Crystal Method

shok — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:54:51 +0000

I got a chance to see ‘The Crystal Method’ live for the first time at SXSW at the 508 house right before Aoki and Barnes went on and I was impressed by their energy and style. This duo that is originally from Las Vegas formed the band in Los Angeles in ’93 out of a bomb shelter which was literally in the front yard of a rented house they once shared as roommates. After hearing president-elect Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, the duo was inspired to remix “Now is the Time” (Vote ’08 Remix) with sound bites from the speech. The MP3 is available for free via their official website. thecrystalmethod.com

SXSW 09 :: MSTRKRFT x Aoki @ Radio Room (DIM MAK Party)

shok — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:10:28 +0000

The night started off a bit slow so gilberto and I headed to ‘The Side Bar’ to pre-drink until we decided it was about time to head over to the ‘Radio Room’ where MSTRKRFT was set to play at the Dim Mak party. Before we arrived a friend of mine warned me that it was extremely crowded and that without a badge (which we did not have) or a wristband it would be nearly impossible to get in. “Worry not” I told myself; where there is a will, there is a way. Once we arrived to the venue we were told to get to the back of the line as if we were some nerds from Simi Valley trying to get in Foxtail on a Thursday night. After spending a couple badge-less moment trying to convince the doorman I was on a nonexistent list, I luckily searched the surrounding area and came upon a “glory hole” in the fence. Somehow I wrangled my way in as did our friend J, but gilberto could barely fit a thigh in so he had to jump the fence (and nearly ripped it off). Once I got on the other side I found myself suddenly backstage chilling with Jesse from MSTRKRFT just as he was about to go on…(check out the video above I shot on stage right after a crazy riot ended outside, and footage from ONELOVEtv of the riots from outside the venue at the link)

Jesse from MSTRKRFT giving gilberto the Holy Touch

SXSW 2009 :: DJ Marshall Barnes x DJ Steve Aoki @ 508 House (Metallica Afterparty)

gilberto — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:24:53 +0000

Our crew touched down a night earlier than originally planned to see DJ Marshall Barnes, our boy from LA, throw down with fellow Deckstar’r Steve Aoki at the Metallica Afterparty. Fresh off only a couple hours sleep from spinning at Foxtail the night before, Barnes killed it at the 508 House with Aoki. The small, cozy home at the corner of 8th and Red River made for an intimate setting that felt more like a Bar Mitzvah than a concert — Aoki even body-surfed the crowd to “Hava Negilah!” if I remember correctly…? The duo followed an energy-filled set by Crystal Method, capping off an overall unreal start to a 2+ day debauchery session filled with whiskey, electro music, and of course, the skinniest jeans known to mankind. (Photos and videos by gilberto/dagnushka/shok).

Sayonara Dallas Hellooooooo Austin

shok — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:15:25 +0000

I apologize for the delay in getting this up but I have been a tad bit busy lately preparing for the Mstrkrft show in Dallas tonight as well as SXSW in Austin this weekend. The Hoyotoho show on Monday, as you might have already heard, was off the hook. Dagnushka best described the event on her Facebook photo album as a “music/art/mansion extravaganza” and it truly was worthy of all that praise and then some. The house was straight out of Entourage except we weren’t in LA and Ari and Vince were no where to be found, and although I could have sworn I saw a gay Asian dude a few times he was definitely not Lloyd. This weekend should be unreal and as always we will keep you posted on the madness. More pics after the jump…

SXSWhaaaat!?

Dagnushka — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 05:30:59 +0000

::Polaroid I snapped on the East side of Austin today::

The 9 day festival is upon us ladies and gentles. Only 1 week away, the cluster bomb of musical performances, conferences, film screenings and ridiculous after-parties (one being at my house!) is a recipe for pure visual and auditory titillation. It officially starts March 13th with INTERACTIVE and continues into the Film screenings and Music performances until the 22nd. Due to its immensity, the music list is unfortunately a tough one to just glance over, but well worth looking through. I myself am stoked about seeing the Golden Filter - one of my favorite recent discoveries.

Check out more information about SXSW here at the official website. You can listen to a streaming radio of featured artists and even design your own personal SX calendar.

More updates about SXSW soon!

Mstrkrft Tour Dates & Jimmy Kimmel Live

shok — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:01:13 +0000

Mstrkrft announced today they will be playing at a series of upcoming show (three of which Gilberto and I plan on attending — Dallas 3/20, SXSW 3/21 and Coachella 4/18). I have to admit I was disappointed when I read they agreed to do a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. I am not sure how Jesse (below, left) is going to handle a show without chain smoking and drinking his beloved Crown. (Tour dates after the jump)

Tour Dates:

3/05/09         CHOLULA, MX             ANIVERSIO BOMBAY (w/FELIX CARTAL)
3/06/09         MONTERREY, MX         NUEVA LEON (w/FELIX CARTAL)
3/07/09         MEXICO CITY, MX        PLAZA CONDESA (w/ FELIX CARTAL)
3/13/09         PHOENIX, AZ               MYST (w/BIRD PETERSON)
3/14/09         DENVER, CO                OGDEN THEATER (w/FELIX CARTAL, BIRD PETERSON)
3/19/09         SAN FRANCISCO, CA   THE INDEPENDENT (w/FELIX CARTAL)

3/20/09 DALLAS, TX PONTIAC GARAGE AT HOUSE OF BLUES

3/21/09         AUSTIN, TX                 SXSW
3/28/09         MIAMI, FL                    ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL (WMC)
3/28/09         MIAMI, FL                    LOUIS @ GANSEVOORT (WMC)
4/03/09         NEW YORK, NY            WEBSTER HALL ( BIRD PETERSON)
4/04/09         BALTIMORE, MD          SONAR (w/BIRD PETERSON)
4/09/09         TORONTO, ON            KOOLHAUS (w/CROOKERS,THE BLOODY BEETROOTS, STEVE AOKI)
4/10/09         PHILADELPHIA, PA      TLA (THEATER OF LIVING ARTS)
4/11/09         MONTREAL, QC           METROPOLIS (w/FELIX CARTAL)
4/18/09         INDIO, CA                   COACHELLA

Karma

shok — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:08:26 +0000

I have to say I might be one of the luckiest bastards alive. If I lose it…somehow it generally finds itself coming right back to me. It all started out when I lost my digital camera after an amazing trip to Austin for SXSW. Pictures of me making out with a beautiful girl (who later turned out to be fat), pictures of me and Dave 1 from Chromeo at an after-party, backstage at Mastrkrft (for the first time)…it was truly an epic weekend trip. So while I was wasted one night, I dropped my camera near a gutter, and POOF it was gone. Let me say Craigslist Lost/found might be one of the best things to have happened to the Internet because a week or two later some old lady contacted me and after I described my lewd pictures. I was the happiest guy alive.

So again just a few days ago being in a rush (and not wasted) I lost my precious Cartier watch at the airport and again I scoured the internet, put up a bunch of posts, and made a ton of phone calls to American Airlines and LAX without any luck… when finally someone contacted me on Craigslist to say they found an “expensive watch”, after a little back and forth we realized the guy didn’t have my watch. Just when I was ready to slit my wrists I got a phone call from the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) telling me they had found my watch. What luck!

The first eight days of 2009 have already proven to be a great start to the year. Only 357 more days to go!