It was an honor to catch up with Chow Chow in anticipation of Friday the 13th to discuss some of the musical influences in his style, his perception on collaboration, and to gain a more in-depth look at his creative process.

Be sure to check out the spooky hour-long guest mix and full interview with Chow Chow below!

At what point in your life did you first begin producing?

I started producing music when I was a freshman in highschool. That was like… dang… 2009/2010ish. I started making shitty house music in a cracked FL studio like a lot of producers do. I was actually in a triplet thing with two of my other homies. We produced under the name KRAKN. I believe the music is still up on iTunes actually haha but it’s hot garbage so def don’t go looking for it!

But anyways, shortly after I started producing, (don’t tell my mom this LOL) my homies and I would go to this Dallas after hours rave place called “Afterlife.” It was essentially a shitty warehouse stage and outdoor stage with just trance going on all night. I really got into house music after that, and hanging out with people there really pushed me further into the EDM scene.

Then… one fateful night, my life changed forever. My girlfriend (now fiance) got me tickets to see the Porter Robinson Spitfire tour. Me and my homie Destin would listen to that album over and over and over again. That album dropped in like 2011. But during that show…he dropped the ‘Original Don’ Flosstradamus remix… and since then it was literally all trap for me! Spent hours looking for the song cause tracklists and shit weren’t really around back then. Finally found a video on YouTube of someone recording the song at a previous show. I remembered what color lights Porter had going during that tune and skimmed the video for the part. Found it and looked up the few lyrics “original don” and found it finally lol. That song is pretty much, single handedly, responsible for getting me into trap music.

Has music always had a fundamental role in your life or was there a certain hinging moment that really initiated your interest in music and EDM, more specifically?

I went into a lot of the background of my taste in production with the first question. But I have always loved music. I used to sit in my room with a radio listening to whatever. My dad was into 80s music like no other and my mom listened to whatever. Top 40 stuff basically. But I had a couple of CDs and once iPods came out had one of those pretty much filled with music all the time. Storage was so small I had to swap out playlists lolol a lot of people say that they love all types but I really can listen to anything except a lot of country music. Can’t really do that.

House music came first. Then my best friend at the time, who’s actually no longer with us, Avery. He introduced me to dubstep and the whole UKF channel and I fell into that for a loooong time. dubstep, DnB, and trap are probably my favorite genres. After that it’s honestly like cinematic shit. Ursine Vulpine is dope. And then rap/hiphop, 70s, 80s, 90s. I also listen to a lot of early 2000s rock lol shit will be with me forever lol Linkin Park, Hoobastank, Lifehouse, Green Day, Blink 182, Sum 41, etc.

once I stopped doing that and started producing FOR ME and what I LIKE, things always came out better.

Your more recent work dives heavily off the experimental deep end, was this transition in styles intentional or are you simply following your inner creative direction?

Every time I make a new tune I want to learn something new. I’ll be honest, production does not come easy to me. I am not one of those guys who can sit at a DAW and pop off 2 songs a day. No way. I will sit for 6 hours in front of Ableton and have absolutely nothing going.

I found myself listening to other people and comparing myself too much to what other people were doing. This is a bad idea and anyone doing it should proceed with caution. It is said a lot, but the best way to produce is to close yourself off social media and SoundCloud/YouTube and just let yourself create. Too many times I would make something crazy and just think “nah this is too weird, no one will like this.” And THAT was my mistake. “No one will like this…” That’s just giving everyone else but me control over my music. So once I stopped doing that and started producing FOR ME and what I LIKE, things always came out better.

So in a nutshell, this new dive into weirder stuff was intentional. But only in a way that was more real to me. I wanted to get away from the copy this, copy that, sound like this, sound like that mentality.

I only really work well with people who I really trust and believe in their music.

How might your creative approach differ when sitting down for a solo expedition versus addressing a collision of styles in a collaboration?

Honestly, it doesn’t change at all. If I am really honest with myself, I do not consider myself to be a good collaborator. I have been told that I change too many things or have taken over tracks before and that was many years ago so I have tried to change that, but I am very particular. VERY. I only really work well with people who I really trust and believe in their music. I would love to collab with anyone, I really have no problems collabing with anyone who sends me something cool, but I think after a while they would realize they don’t like collabing with me LOL. I don’t know, I’m working on it. But when I find a good fit like the tunes with Allen Mock. We just click when it comes to music. Herbalistek as well.

Do you ever begin a track as a solo effort and later down the road decide it might be more suitable with the aid of a colleague or is the line between the two pretty definitive?

I have done that many times. Though usually, it happens when I take a song as far as I can take it. Then I kinda ask around if anyone is interested and if they like it then I throw it their way to add a new ear to it.

Your ‘Chewed Up’ podcast has continued to promote an exceptional roster of talent just on the brink of hitting their stride. What have been some of the more rewarding aspects of putting together and maintaining this series?

Running a podcast, as any podcaster will tell you, is a blessing and a curse. Organizing and putting it together can be tiresome, but I love each episode and I love every single guest I have put on. I basically just pick some tunes I have been listening to over the past few days, weeks and play them for everyone. Then the guest mix is me giving a venue for a producer to show off their stuff. It’s rewarding and fun!

I hardly ever prepare for shows. I have always just tried to feel the crowd and go with the flow on stage.

Following up on that last question, how might your approach differ when putting together your section of the Podcast versus designing a live set or for instance, putting together your guest mix for us today?

I do not really pride myself on being a crazy good DJ. I mix like anyone else and a lot of my live shows are honestly just me going up there with a USB and winging it lol. I hardly ever prepare for shows. I have always just tried to feel the crowd and go with the flow on stage. I am also not a talker on stage, I like to just jam out in my own head and let the music do the talking.

For actually planned mixes, it’s mostly just getting an idea of what works where and trying to fit in any edits I may have. Just basically practicing for a while with a set of tunes and I just play around till I have an hour or so of good mix put together!

What do fans have to look forward to from you for the remainder of 2019?

I have taken a break from social media. It has been honestly the best thing I have done in a while. But I realize that Instagram and Twitter are kinda the windows into my music. I will find a way to be happy with doing both. But I have a lot of cool stuff in the works. Collabs with some peeps (some in the mix and some still WIPs) as well as finally dropping my merch line. I have been trying to perfect things as far as that goes, but it will be coming really soon. New episodes of the podcast of course. And lastly, lots of new original music!

Tracklist:

Chow Chow x southgate. – ID
Chow Chow x Guilt Chip – ID
Aweminus – Self Destruct
Cancel x Detrix – ID
Oski – Fuccapop
Kayzo x Tynan – Monster (ft. Matty Mullins)
Chow Chow x Dessigner Toys – ID
Allen Mock x Chow Chow – Phantom
w/ Eater – Punch
TRVCY – Give You Everything
Chow Chow – ID (Only Use This Live Edit lol)
Chow Chow – Theres Someone Drowning In My Neighbors Pool
MOODY GOOD – Bite Your Lip (Chow Chow Live Edit)
bd hbt x LAF – Drought
Chow Chow – Strangle
STUCA – Shift
Chow Chow – Lucid Dream
Cancel – ID
PROSECUTE – PSYCHOSIS
Josh Cassidy Suffer
MARAUDA – Haze
Ursine Vulpine x Annaca – Without You
smolspider – fuck yojas
Gladez – Favela
Eater – Presence w/
IC3PEAK – Sad Bitch
GURF x ZCR – FIGHT
Chow Chow x Runnit – Rob/Repeat
Chow Chow – Mikasa(I wish I was as strong as you)
INZO x Blookah – Let It Slide(ft. Leo Napier)
Chow Chow – Your Dumb Rat Ate Through My Keurig Plug
RL Grime x What So Not – Tell Me (Reaper Remix)
Annix x EJ Kitto – Only Forever
SuperAve. – Astros
STEEZ x M.E. SWANK – ID
Abelation – Who Do You Think You Are?
Chow Chow x Golden Child – Ritual
Chow Chow – My dearest Jack, oh I hope my premonition is wrong
RZRKT – STRVP
Hairitage – Beef With Me
SUAHN – Body
Chow Chow x Herbalistek – ID

The post Guest Mix + Interview – Chow Chow appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

“Collaborating with Andrew is like cooking with an exotic spice for me, and I’m all about foreign sonic weirdness,” Allen shares regarding his long-running mutualistic relationship with Chow Chow, “He’ll send me an arsenal of abstract stems and sounds and a cohesive idea of how he feels it can be woven into a track, and then it’s off to the races”.

‘Phantom’ provides a vivid depiction of the tireless work ethic and the countless hours of rehearsal that have allowed both Allen Mock and Chow Chow to navigate the chaotic music scene with such efficiency. An exhaustive gasp presents a chilling welcome to the track, as a frothy cocktail of bass gurgles tenderly in the backdrop. A decisive thrust of bass unearths a muffled vocal sample, which vacillates rampantly amid radiant subs as a drum ensemble initiates an electrifying build. Suddenly, a crisp beat break and otherworldly mixdown launch cleanly into a gauntlet of incisive bass plunges and intricate percussion fills.

Further avowing the cohesive nature of their styles, ‘Phantom’ presents a second opportunity for Allen Mock and Chow Chow to demonstrate the tenacity of their craft and only heightens the anticipation for what is next in store for the two promising producers. Be sure to check out their latest collaboration below, and don’t forget to grab a free download of the track directly from SoundCloud.

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The post PREMIERE: Allen Mock & Chow Chow Summon an Apparition from a Parallel Dimension appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

We were delighted to catch up with the three to discuss the fundamental vision for the latest release, the time and effort that they’ve been putting in behind-the-scenes, as well as what ‘Rob Repeat’ might look like as a piece of modern architecture.

Be sure to check out the full interview below while you bask in sonic virtue, and don’t forget to grab the free download for Runnit & Chow Chow’s latest here. Digging the track and interested in weaving your own treatment? The fellas were kind enough to release the stem pack for the release here!

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How did the three of you first meet? Did a collaboration seem like the first natural step or did it take some back-and-forth to unearth a potential opportunity to work together?

Runnit: We met through appreciating each other’s releases on Hybrid Trap last year, Chow Chow what throwin down some mean vocal resampling basses and stuff that I had never heard before. I hit him up directly on SoundCloud because I wanted to give him props for making his track “Malevolent”. We talked about collabin for a couple of months and shot ideas around but finally landed on a sample I found from an ‘IDK’ song and we warped it up from there to make the intro.

Chow Chow: Basically what Nick said! It was funny because I think we both literally found each other’s music at the same time. I had seen their track on one of the top charts if I am not mistaken. They hit me up and we were both like “yo, your music is so sick!” haha it was actually really chill. Then we started talking collab pretty much the same day. I think we both knew it was going to be a good tune no matter what lol so it quickly came to fruition after that.

In what ways does ‘Rob Repeat’ represent each of your styles individually, and in which ways is it a new beast of its own?

Runnit: Rob//Repeat is dope because I love to bring the wonky percussion lead style to trap, and Chow Chow has mastered designing disgusting low basses and resampling. You can hear the vocals he added in the drops all modulated out too which shows off his same style from the Hybrid Trap releases. I feel like it’s become a beast of its own because we passed the track back and forth a couple of times and you can hear influences from both sides almost call/answering each other. The percussive type of lead and the low bass growls in the 2nd drop perfectly illustrate how the two can work together to create dynamics.

Chow Chow: It was mostly just passing back and forth as Nick said. I heard the first section they had made and I love to make dark vibey feels in my tracks. I found a video of the ominous tornado sirens from Chicago and used that as the intro and back rhythm. I honestly have had that sample for years now and always wanted to use it! It just fits perfectly into this. Runnit literally have some of the most swingy tunes out there right now and I just KNEW they would knock the groove out of the park. I tried to bring in some of my signature sound design as well. And of course some weird sounding basses haha. I like what Nick said about playing off each other’s styles, I think that is done really well here.

How is this latest release a demonstration of the time and effort you’ve put into the studio both separately or as a group?

Runnit: This release shows both of our dedication to collecting interesting samples (like the resampled koto in the beginning), synth design, and appreciation for harder experimental trap music. It takes a lot of time ripping vinyl samples or designing a specific bass stab, or even just searching endlessly for that dope line in a rap song that inspires you.

Chow Chow: I think this song is a big showcase of what two artists with weird minds can put together. Learning drum swings and balancing crazy sounds with hoppin’ percussion isn’t something that comes easy (in my experience). I learned a lot from working with these guys.

If ‘Rob Repeat’ were to be recreated as a piece of modern architecture, what style of building and what features would it entail?

Runnit: If our song was a building I’d imagine it to be a high-tech stash for guns/equipment like what Alfred’s got in the Dark Knight hahah. Just an inconspicuous elevator down to this crazy modern ‘war room.’

Chow Chow: I can picture the war room, but maybe abandoned and the lights are running on flashy backup generator power. The sky is dark and cloudy and the city surrounding is it eerily quiet. Something is not right. But it’s time for action.

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