Jeff Hamada: I refered to you guys as Vancouver-based but I know you were both recently on the other side of the Pacific (maybe Kutcorners is still there), where are you both now?

 

Marvel: This is true! Shortly after debuting our Live Set at Fortune Sound Club, Matt & I dispersed to opposite sides of the globe. He ended up taking a dream job with Serato and I ended up living in NY for the better part of a year. I moved back to beautiful Vancouver at the beginning of April, and Matt (after a trip to Paris) will be back in June.

 

J: You guys have become a little duo within The Freshest crew, can you talk a little bit about working together?

 

M: It stems from us being good buddies with similar tastes in music.

 

Kutcorners: We are both into keyboards/production stuff and through our rehearsals developed a concept to do the live sets. It was easy to work as a duo so it’s continued to grow that way. Rico and Seko both have an influence on the music we listen to.

 

M: Absolutely, in fact Seko had put me on to the Von P track Up that I used in the mix.

 

K: Yeah and we also reconstructed Rico’s blend of Kelis and Baauer in the last live set (here).

 

 

M: Going back to April 2009 we released our first production collaboration which was a flip of Major Lazer’s “Hold The Line ft Santogold”.

 

K: Following up on the success of the Body Party Bootleg we did a few months back we have finally released the “Call Your Name EP”. The EP has taken a while to get it together, not helped by the distance, but after our tour late last year we were able to finish it up and get some fantastic remixes from our friends. It’s really a first step for us, being an original production and our first self released single.

 

M: Looking ahead, more live sets, remixes and original production, and touring are all currently in the works.  You will find some sneak peaks of our upcoming production included in this Booooooom Mix!

 

 

J: How would you describe the music scene in Vancouver now that you have both travelled abroad and have an outsider’s perspective? Is there a sound here? And can you survive here?

 

M: The music scene in Vancouver is alive and well.  It’s a multicultural city drawing inspiration from lots of different sounds.  Now more than ever there are countless shows coming to town to entertain and inspire.

For an example within a current two week span: Disclosure, Holy Ghost, Classixx, Popcaan, Flying Lotus, RL Grime (just to name a few) all performing here. Does it have one particular sound? Not in my opinion, but it has great output with artists like Pat Lok, Utern, Babe Rainbow, No Gold, Grimes all exposing the world to their sound.

 

K: I think people will need to travel outside of Vancouver from time to time, but it’s so conveniently positioned for travel it doesn’t seem necessary to move. It’s still growing as a city and it seems to get better all the time.

 

J: I just saw an ad on TV which said something to the effect of ‘Fall Out Boy has finally returned to save rock music’. Do you feel we are in the most creative or least creative period in human existence? I feel like it has to be one of the two extremes.

 

K: I think it’s about the same amount of creativity but the means to express your self is much easier, making it seem cluttered to a lot of people. This makes roles of artists much different, as you have to handle more of the business and marketing side of things, but also allows more control. Which is good.

Ultimately if you follow through with a project the whole way its a better representation of you and what you are trying to express. If it’s good, people can relate. It seems more real. It’s faster too, so you can put more out regularly. The need for people to dig through the mass output can be daunting. Having someone compile it in a way that you can digest it is more important than ever, so a place like Boooooooom is great because it offers a personal perspective of things that are good that people can rely on consistently.

 

 

J: There’s something I find incredibly annoying about Adam Levine (it might just be his face) but Com Truise’s remix of “One More Night” took that song to another level for me. Are there any recent remixes that have you listening to songs you otherwise wouldn’t?

 

K: I wasn’t really feeling “Entertainment”, the new single from Phoenix, until I heard the Blood Orange Remix. He really nailed it. S-Type did a really great remix of a Jamie Lidell song “What a Shame” I didn’t care for too. I agree with you, Adam Levine has an extremely annoying voice! Com Truise really polished that turd.

 

J: Both great examples. What were your favourite albums growing up?

 

M: Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel

 

K: Michael Jackson – Bad

 

J: Do you have a favourite mix of all time?

 

M: DJ Pump – Golden Era (90-94) – Pump dropped this mix back in 2002 and shitted on all “golden era mixes” that came before and after it. He dug a bit deeper and put in tons of work on the technical / skill side that is sometimes overlooked these days in a mixtape.  Legend has it that Pump used all records and an analog multitrack recorder to make this double disc masterpiece.

 

K: Breakbot – Dance on glass – His approach changed everything I expected from a mix and it was all in key. Revolutionary.

 

 

J: What are top 5 spot on the Internet to find new music?

 

Soundcloud

The Fader

Pitchfork

Music Is My Sanctuary

Datpiff

 

J: Who are some artists I should be listening to (but probably am not)?

 

Travis Scott – soundcloud.com/travisscott-2

Ango – soundcloud.com/angomusic

Blood Orange – soundcloud.com/bloodorange

Jellphonic – soundcloud.com/jellphonic

She’s So Rad – soundcloud.com/shes_so_rad

Lips – soundcloud.com/casiolips

Scratch 22 – soundcloud.com/scratch22

 

J: Thank you both for taking the time for this interview and for the amazing mix!

 

Kutcorners & Marvel Tracklist:

Ango – True Blue (Produced by Jacques Greene)
The Freshest – Call Your Name (Ango Remix)
Disclosure – White Noise (Hudson Mohawke Remix)
Lil Wayne – Rich As Fuck Feat. 2 Chainz
Kelly Rowland – Kisses Down Low
S-Type – Whole Lotta
Fat Tony – I Shine
Miguel – Do You (Cashmere Cat Remix)
Waajeed – Hood Tech
Freddie Gibbs – Shame (Kutcorners polite blend)
Falcons – Vrroom
Cassie – Paradise Feat. Wiz Khalifa
Chrome Sparks – Marijuana
Tweet – Turn Da Lights Off (Kutcorners Remix)
BEΛR//FVCE – Taste My Sad
Seth Kay – Direction (Produced by Marvel)
Von P ft Gio Dee – Up
Rocko – U.O.E.N.O (Remix Feat. A$AP Rocky)
King Louie – Val Venis (Plot Twist Remix)
Lil Texas – Anyway Now
Siyoung – Only One
Ciara – Body Party Bootleg (Produced By Kutcorners & Marvel)
Trippy Turtle – Getting Wood
Ta-Ku – I Love Beyonce (DJ Marvel’s Warm It Up Edit)
FKI – Amdam PT.1
Rockie Fresh – Thick Bitch

 

@DJ_Marvel

@kutcorners

soundcloud.com/defreshest

facebook.com/TheFreshestMusic