Bryce James, also known as Milano, has been heating up the West coast with his infectious styling of crunchy hard-hitting left field bass for several years now. Teaming up with some of the most forward-thinking minds pushing the West coast bass movement forward, he is one of the original members of Lost Dogz, a group of producer friends redefining all sounds that go “wub”. 2019 has already been a massive year for the youthful creator, with his name being found on both Lightning in a Bottle and Serenity Gathering’s lineups, both havens for some top-tier music in the western United States. Now, he’s faced with his biggest booking of the year, the 22nd installment of the prestigious Shambhala Music Festival in stunning British Columbia. To prepare fans for the sonic carnage he’s going to shower attendees with, we got to sit down to speak to him about his journey and his relationship with Lost Dogz. Along with that, he’s readied a 33 minute mix showcasing unreleased music from himself and many of his closest friends including Tvboo, Eazybaked, sumthin sumthin, and more.
Tell us a little about yourself…
My name is Bryce, I’m 23 years old. I love skateboarding and making music. I’m from South Lake Tahoe, California.
What’s your musical background like/what made you decide to go the electronic route?
My musical background is really just listening to music. I took guitar lessons in 7th grade for about 3 weeks and quit because I wanted to skateboard. I started making music when I was about 19. A friend had showed me Ableton and I made a basic drum loop and got addicted. I always was into left field bass music though. So that’s what I tried to make.
You have a really distinct signature sound. What are the core elements of the Milano sound?
To be honest I think it’s really hard for artists to hear their own sound. At least for me. I’m really trying to Bring “Milano” sound to the table with these next releases. I love me some crunchy basses and wild fills tho.
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Experimenting is 80% of this game. And re-sampling is a major key. When I make a song I probably go through at least 10 different leads before settling on one.
Do you have any sound design tips for up-and-coming producers?
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Experimenting is 80% of this game. And re-sampling is a major key. When I make a song I probably go through at least 10 different leads before settling on one. And I always save them for future purposes. Building an arsenal of sounds while you work is very helpful.
Who are the “Lost Dogz”? And how did you get involved with them?
Lost Dogz is a group of friends who met on SoundCloud about 3 years ago. Untitld and Abelation hit me up and asked if I wanted to join a group called “Lost Dogz”. I actually said no at first hahaha, But then they got the SoundCloud made with 0 followers 0 tracks, and it looked like a good time. So I hit him back up and said “let’s do this”. Every since then we’ve slowly added our best friends in the music scene & have just been releasing music together as a group.
Untitld and Abelation hit me up and asked if I wanted to join a group called “lost dogz”. I actually said no at first hahaha…
Give us your thoughts on playing at Shambhala this summer.
I AM SO STOKED TO PLAY MUSIC AT SHAMBHALA 2019. I remember listening to those old excision Shambhala mixes way back in the day and had no idea what Shambhala was as a whole. I’ve only heard amazing things about the festival and plan on attending the whole time! Also am extremely nervous.
Congrats on your contribution to their mix series, what can the listeners expect from what you’ve cooked up?
So in this mix I threw in a few ID’s from some of my best friends in the scene. Artists like Eazybaked, Vide, Abelation, TVBOO, Sumthin Sumthin, and more. I also threw in 5 ID’s of my own some of which will be on the EP. And a ‘Slither’ VIP. Which I’ll be calling ‘Slither 2.’
You mentioned on social media that you have an EP coming soon, can you tell us a little about it?
Yes! My debut EP Dark Energy is in the works. I have been carefully working on this EP since January and am stoked on how its coming along. Will be the first EP released on Lost Dogz as well.
Besides Shambhala, do you have any summer festivals you’re performing at that you’re looking forward to?
I have one more festival this summer which is Still Dream 2019. I’ll be apart of the Lost Dogz takeover featuring Untitld, Player Dave, Sumthin Sumthin, Eazybaked, and Abelation. After that I’m free until Shambhala. Loads of time to make music, hang out with family and friends and get things done.
What has you excited for the rest of the year?
Other than Shambhala 2019, I could not be more excited to be apart of the upcoming Lost Dogz tour, We are hitting all regions of North America and I’m so proud of all my friends. I’m just excited for the future in general. LOST DOGZ.
