Mochipet is a Glitch-hop producer out of the San Francisco Bay area. When he released his first album, he took time to personally mail it to anyone and everyone who requested it. Since then, he’s gained an outpour of support and toured with everyone from Big Boi to Rusko. We recently sat down with David and asked him a few questions.

[download id="233"][audio:http://ohhsofamous1.s3.amazonaws.com/Music/Big Boi - Shutterbugg (Mochipet Remix).mp3][artist:Big Boi][song: Shutterbugg (Mochipet Remix)][post: http://ohhsofamous.com/music/mochipet-interview]

Who’s on your playlist right now?

Well I actually mostly just listen to the things I’m sent on Soundcloud. It’s hard to put a spotlight on one particular artist when there are so many out there. Psymbionic has been sending me some great things lately.

What ingredients would you say led to your success?

Am I successful? (pause) Well I guess as long as I’m still making music and traveling, then I am. I think all of my songs are unique because they’re influenced by all kinds of different things. Sticking to my music and putting out a variety of things were major factors. Through that, people in the scene realized that I was going to be around for a while and started reaching out to me.

From idea to distribution, How long does a song//remix take?

Hmm.. Well it depends really, sometimes I sit down and things just fall into place. Other times, I become obsessed with a sound and it’ll take way longer. So I’d say it’s different from track to track.

The definition of “Mochi” is a type of Japanese rice cake molded into shape and a “pet” is a domesticated animal kept for companionship. Do you consider yourself a Domesticated Japanese Rice Cake kept for companionship?

Um… well I wouldn’t say I’m domesticated, just ask my ex-girlfriend, hah. On the hand I guess I’d consider myself a rice cake.

Did some of your friends star in the movie Jurassic Park? If so, anybody we might know?

I wish. I heard the T-Rex from the movie tried to crash one of my parties one time but security tossed him out before he could cause any real damage.

(Laughs) You know it’s funny, I don’t even know how this whole dinosaur thing got started. I wore the outfit to a show once and it just snowballed from there. Fast forward to today and I have posts on my wall for dinosaur shoes, backpacks, and things like that.

[download id="232"][audio:http://ohhsofamous1.s3.amazonaws.com/Music/Hot Tub - (Four) Lokos Only (Mochipet Purple Drank Remix).mp3][artist:Hot Tub][song: Four Lokos (Mochipet Remix)][post: http://ohhsofamous.com/music/mochipet-interview]

I need to ask you something for the sake of my curious female dinosaur readers, are you single?

Uh, Yes I am.

What are your thoughts on Britney Spears bringing Dub-step to kiss FM and other mainstream outlets?

I think it’s great. I’ve toured with Rusko and I gave him shit about it but put in his position, I’d do the same thing. I heard her single not too long ago and it’s a really well produced track.

What’s your setup like and are you more software or hardware based?

I used to be more hardware based when I started. But since then, I’ve kinda evolved and now lean more towards the software side of things. My setup is constantly changing.

Do you produce your music in the dinosaur outfit?

No, uh.. I actually do in my boxers usually. That or naked. (laughs) I mean I get in that mode where I just don’t leave the house for days and only focus on whatever I’m working on at the time. Right? If I don’t have to get out of my house why bother. Haha.

Favorite Sound you’ve created to date?

Um… Rawr? Haha.

Mochipet has a remix of Samples – “Drop Bombs” you can pick up over at Addictech or you can wait for it to hit other the outlets on the 22nd of next month courtesy of Daly City Records.

@OhhSoFamous

Hyper Crush is a Los Angeles electro band who got together in early 2006. Since then, they’ve toured with everyone from Lady Gaga to Kevin Rudolf, received a record deal from Universal Motown, and remixed some of the hottest singles on the chart into electro club bangers. Recently we at OHH! SO FAMOUS! sat down with Donny, Holly, and Preston and asked them a few questions.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Enrique Englasis - Tonight (HYPER CRUSH REMIX).mp3]

What was the best tour memory you guys have?

One time in Tulsa,Oklahoma Preston got attacked by an elderly gypsy woman/man freak. It was just another day on tour in the middle of nowhere. We stopped in this really creepy shopping center because Preston had to use the bathroom. He goes into this store called simply “Bazzar” and quickly comes back out. He looks like he just saw a ghost. He tells us to come in the check this store out. We all proceed to enter this store with camera in hand. The lady working there was fresh out of “The Hills Have Eyes”. She seemed to be some sort of man beast. She was not pleased with us filming and proceeded to attack Preston about the neck and shoulders. She had long dangerous nails and was chasing poor Pres around the store. We made it out alive but is one of the freakier episodes we’ve had on the road.

If u try to fail, and succeed, which have u done?

You’ve succeeded at being lucky.

What gear do you guys use for production and how does that change for live performances?

We do all our shit in Logic and a lil in Ableton Live on a computer of course. Mostly all of the instruments and plug ins are software and are easy to transport wherever we go. Definitely easier touring and traveling for us than a rock band or a group with a lot of traditional instruments.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

Goku from Dragon Ball Z.

What does Tron, Andy Samburg, and Luke Skywalker have to do with your music?

Not much.

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[audio:http://ohhsofamous.com/Music/Drake - Over (HYPER CRUSH Remix).mp3]

Who’s on your iTunes playlist right now?

Donny: All I have Listened to for the passed few months is 70′s Folk Singer/Songwriter stuff. John Denver, James Taylor, Harry Nilsson, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison.

Preston: Skrillex, Ghost of Saber Tooth Tiger, Bassnector, Brian Jonestown Massacre, My Chemical Romance.

Holly: Yelle, Janet Jackson, Big L, Aretha Franklin, Morrissey.

I’ve been watching alot of the Misfits lately so I have to ask, if you had a super power, what would you want your superpower to be?

Going back to the Goku thing, to teleport would be awesome. Could put that to good use. Visit different galaxies and what not.

Best advice you can give to a new artist for succeeding in the music industry?

Figure out exactly what you want to do first and foremost. Once you got that figured out just start grinding non stop.

I read a previous interview where you mentioned the wacky and crazy part of Lady Gaga being part of her act and image. Do you think it’s more difficult for an artist to have people believe the illusion of who they are, rather than who they actually are?

Well we don’t know her well enough to know if anything she is doing is an act or not. I think people right now wanna see shocking things and they thrive on drama. I don’t think there are too many truly crazy artists out there right now. People I think definitely like the idea of a crazy ass super star but those are few and far between.

@OhhSoFamous

Last month we were introduced to the next chapter in music from Chromeo. “Don’t Turn The Lights On” is the second single on their LP set for release on September 14th entitled Business Casual. They are currently on a tour until the end of August in support of the upcoming release. We got a chance to chat with Dave on the phone before his set last night in Boston about the album, the state of music, and cultivating their brand of imagery.

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You guys have a new album coming out soon, “Business Casual”. What can we expect and do you have any personal favorites on the album?

In both our cases, our personal favorite is “J’ai Claque la Porte”, which is the french ballad on the album. It’s sort of a new “Momma’s Boy” if you will, being something different from our more traditional sound that we’re really proud of and happy with.

I could tell from the video it had more of an upper class feel to it.

Yea, exactly. We just put out another video yesterday, we’re just trying to go somewhere we haven’t gone before. There’s something a little more darker and sexier about it. The last record was really bubbly and fun.

Is dancing a big part of you or was it something you learned for the video?

My friend, I’m going to disappoint you greatly and if you hang up the phone I completely understand but there’s a dance double in that video. He’s also 1 foot and a half shorter than me and when we finished the video, Pete and I were convienced that everyone was going to be able to tell. Sure enough, nobody was.

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What’s the wierdest thing that’s happened to you guys while on tour?

Recently, we went to Serbia and played an amazing festival over there, it was one of our favorite gigs. But the whole experience of getting into that country, our crew waiting at the border in the middle of the night for hours and having to bribe people to get in. This wierd hotel which was really chic but in a very sorta soviet post communist era way with the hookers in the lobby.

That was slightly surreal. A little David Lynch meets Soviet block. Not to mention the fact that you couldn’t get ketchup at the restaurants.

What gear and do you guys use for recording and live setups?

A bunch of 80′s and late 70′s analog equipment. Anything from the Moog and even more modern emulators of those vintage synths. We definately try to keep everything vintage.

Chromeo has a very defined artistic style. What are the main inspirations behind the visuals of the band?

All the 80′s and 70′s iconography. We would sit and look at record covers for hours and obviously in the 70′s and 80′s they had different technologies. Something that would be more on an arcahic technologoy of creating album covers where you would have to actually do some collages, manually cut, superimpose stuff and get really striking results.

There’s a design company called Hypnosis and they did a bunch of really classic early 80′s album covers. That’s a huge influence on our aesthetic. Anything from that all the way to Classic ZZ top, Micheal Jackson, Robert Palmer movies, to 90′s Hip hop actually.

Anyone recently you would say you grab influence from?

No, I think we admire other comtemporary bands that are equally as stylized as we are even though there style is different. That could be anyone from Daft Punk, to Kayne, to Justice, to Vampire Weekend. They all have really defined styles and make strong stylistic choices even though it looks nothing like us. That’s what we really respect.

What kind of animal are you and why?

A girraffe cause I’m tall and skinny.

Today with electronic music, just about anyone is able to produce a track in his or her room and throw it up online. Do you think with music being so available, it has decreased the shelf life of singles, albums, and the artist’s overall time spent in the lime light?

No, I don’t think so. I think it’s great from up and coming musicians to make their stuff available and heard. I think we all benefit from it because we hear stuff that we never had access to before. I don’t think it really hurts established artists because first of all, they have a bigger promotional machine behind them for better or worse so they can afford to stay in the lime light longer. Obviously there is a huge amount of information out there but I think it’s up to us to learn how to filter through it and select the stuff we deem the most interesting.

Where did the name Chromeo come from?

I came up with it one morning quite a few years ago and it’s a mix between Chrome and Romeo.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Chromeo - Night By Night (Midnight Conspiracy Remix).mp3]

Other than getting Lindsay Lohan out of jail, what is the most important thing we need to fix as a society?

Education system and Health Care.

Is there sense of a brotherly rivalry between you and A-trak? Has it been a driving factor for your career choice?

No, there’s no rivarly, we’re extremely close and we work together on everything.

What is the best advice you an offer to upcoming musicians?

Perseverance and integrity. I don’t want to get preachy but if there’s anything that anyone can learn from the career we’ve had is that if you keep doing what you do long enough people might not take you seriously at first but then there’s an enormous amount of respect that comes with that perserverance and continuity.

Favorite Saturday morning cartoon as a kid?

I didn’t watch alot of them. I guess Roadrunner.

~Ohh! So Famous!

Last month, “Astrowave EP” was released as a follow up to the album Dreamatic. The album was a feature release on beat-port and received quite a bit of press. As of July 12th, FM ATTACK signed a deal with Chrysalis Music. We recently caught up with 80′s-esque producer Shawn Ward to ask him a few questions.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/FM ATTACK - Old Skool Daze.mp3]

With a name like FM ATTACK, should AM be afraid of what comes next?

It would be cool if my music got played on am radio someday!

Favorite show you’ve ever played?

Hmm thats a tough one, but probablly at Lost in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What gear do you use for your music?

I use logic pro on a mac for sequencing. I dont use any software synths,I know alot of people have made cool music with them and its a personal preference but I’m pretty old school with my recording and a big fan of outboard gear.

I love the esthetics, the feel/sound and experience of programing analog synths. They are a big part of my sound.

My favorites that I use are the Roland Jv-1080, the Minimoog and the Roland Jupiter 8 which is everywhere on the Dreamatic album.

Hello FM ATTACK, Let’s play a game. You are shrunk to the height of a nickel. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?

Add tequila, triple sec, bananas, strawberries and swim….margaritas?

Your EP “Astrowave” was recently released, which song was your favorite when you were writting the album and has that changed with live performances?

I enjoyed writing “A Million Miles Away” , I’ve really been into a lot of faster tempo new wave lately and finally got to write a song with that kind of feel.. I’m still working on my live set.

What’s the last book you read?

The Shack.

If you were an instrument, what would you be?

Fender Stratocaster.

What inpires your sound?

Everything from blues to 70s rock, brit pop, new wave, 80s synth pop, disco, deep house, disco. jazz and funk.

Favorite artist and-or album your currently listening to?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Ultravox lately, Midge Ure is awsome. for newer stuff I really like what Tesla Boy are doing and their new album is great. They have their own unique style but sound straight from the 80s.

How would you describe the FM ATTACK sound in three words?

Nostalgic, uplifting, futuristic.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Pnau - With You Forever (FM Attack remix).mp3]

Ohh! So Famous!

With an album release approaching on August 24th and a tour booked until the end of October, Chiddy Bang has been enjoying their well deserved success. We recently got a chance to sit down with the guys for an exclusive interview.

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How did you two meet and was it love at first sight?

Noah: From day one we were like there is business to do here. We met at Drexel University.

Chiddy: We were both freshman and he was a music industry major and I was a business major and we had a mutual friend that connected us. He was like you are good at rapping and my boy is good at beats and then we started experimenting. We’d sneak into the studios at Drexel…

Noah: We stopped going to class, parties, we just gave our lives away.

How would you explain your music in three sentences to your 8 year old nephew?

Noah: One guy runs around and raps. I play the drums. It’s crazy.

We know who Chiddy is, where did bang come from?

Chiddy: There was really no “Bang” when we came up with the name.

Noah: It was Chiddy and my ensemble of white boys.

Chiddy: Really, my name is Chidera but I’ve been called Chiddy since I was a little kid. Chiddy Band was a name I used for all my musical projects prior to meeting Noah. When I started working with Noah we starting thinking about what to call ourselves, we used Chiddy Chiddy Bang Bang but that was way too much, so we were like “Let’s just shorten this thing down, Chiddy Bang, it is what it is”

Are you interested in collaborating with anybody?

Noah: Yea, Waka Flocka.

Chiddy: On the new album coming out at the end of the summer, we got the boy Pharrell, Q-tip, Killer Mike.

Noah: It’s be cool to work with Kanye, Lauryn Hill, Outkast…

Chiddy: We just wanna work with cool, creative people.

What, who, when, and where inspires your sound?

Chiddy:
What: Life.

Who: All the artists I’ve grown up listening to: Lauryn hill, Jay-Z, cats like Red Man, Naughty by Nature.

Where: Places I’ve been, you know Jersey, Philly, I’ve got those elements in my life and they come out in music. Really though, Nigeria inspires me. I was just there, Nigeria and Paris. I go to Nigeria every year and every time I go I just come back inspired to create new shit. They live on so little but are still content with what they have.

When: Back in the day, nostalgia. Being young, being a kid.

Noah:
Who: DJ premier and Joe Strummer

When: 1991

Where: On the block

What: Opening up a fire hydrant for all the little kids

If I came home and looked in your refrigerator what would I find?

Noah: Three cartons of Mexican food, two cases of beer, box of frozen chicken breasts, a whole bunch of onions, hot sauce, and hummus.

What equipment do you use in your live set-ups and what do you use for recording?

Noah: During live setups we use native instruments audio 2 DJ, native instruments drum machine and drumset and to record we use native instruments logic 9.0 with reason and native instruments machine and a microphone.

When you were making opposite of adults did you know it was gold in the studio or was it more of a ‘this is really happening’ kind of vibe after it was released?

Noah: This is a catchier song from the rest of the songs.

Chiddy: When we made it, I had no idea who MGMT was, he had this DJ mash-up of them and Biggie ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ and it was hot. We were gonna do that ‘Show me what you got’ mash-up…

Noah: That was the original Opposite of Adults

Chiddy: And the next song we were gonna record was this chop-up he [Noah] made with this band called Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the song’s called Darkest Light and I had this crazy beat but then I lost my hard drive.

What would each of your super powers be?

Chiddy: Teleportation, I’d go around the world. I’d get more sleep, teleport places right before a show.

Noah: I’d want the ability to move stuff with my mind and get it down to a molecular level. I’d make a band and play all the instruments by myself with my mind on stage.

~Ohh! So Famous!

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about LightsOverLA and probably won’t be last. It’s been roughly since 6 months since entering the scene and releasing several chart topping remixes. With such a diverse musical background and willingness to explore unknown sounds, the answer to their success is no mystery.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Stars - Dead Hearts (LightsOverLA Remix).mp3]

The above track will be available July 8th via Beatport.

I called it the first time I wrote about LightsOverLA and still stand by my words, this electronic act will break out from the rest. We recently got a chance to sit down with Stormy and grab a quick interview.

LIGHTSOVERLA started how?

LightsoverLA started because I was pretty much tired of being in metal/hardcore bands and trying to get 4 other dudes on the same page with what I wanted to do. I had always had a love for electronic music and I decided to start something from the ground up by myself and see how it went.

Thom Yorke recently said the music industry is going to die in the next few months, what do you think about it?

I don’t think the music industry will ever completely die. I think that major labels are definitely on their way out. I think thats because the internet has changed the game in so many ways. You can pretty much do your own thing without the help/money from a label now. I think if anything its one of the most exciting times in music.

What kind of gear and software do you guys use?

I use Ableton and I couldn’t imagine using anything different. Along with Ableton I use a Axiom 25 Midi controller and JBL monitors. Along with my Macbook Pro that barely works and a ton of cracked programs

If you could of written an exsisting song, what song would that be?

Hmm thats a hard one so I am gonna go with each of my favorite genres:

Metal: “Pantera-Floods” The solo in that song is beyond amazing and is one of those solos that changed my life.

Electronica: “Deadmau5-Brazil” Probably the song that got me REALLY into electronic music, its amazing and I listen to it probably once a day.

Pop: “Paramore-everything” I love everything Paramore has ever done they are one of my top 5 favorite bands no doubt.

Favorite synth or sound you’ve created to date?

I think some of the stuff that people like about my tracks are the different effects I use to create atmosphere and the reversing of samples that I do a lot. But as far as synth sounds there is this sound that I actually haven’t used on any released tracks yet where I pitch down the a sound I made on Absynth and throw a ton of reverb on it…sounds so sick!

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Betatraxx - Foxtrot (LightsOverLA Remix).mp3]

I’ve noticed LIGHTSOVERLA crossing over into different genres. It seems we both understand that genres really don’t fucking matter anymore. That being said, how long do you think it will take before mainstream music starts following the same trend?

It seems the trend in majors is to take whatever is cool in the underground or whatever Diplo/Mad Decent is doing and commercialize the fuck outta it to the point where it sucks, Keisha is a perfect example of this.

Best album or single of 2010 thus far?

Netsky’s self titled record is so far the sickest album of 2010..That record is beyond amazing and he stepped up the game hard on that record.

What’s the most important part of the sandwich?

I just made some amazing chicken bacon burgers topped with bleu cheese..So probably whatever is in the middle…The bread is just kinda there to top it off!

What was the last movie you went to see?

I saw A-Team while I was in Philadelphia..The action in the movie was just beyond ridiculous but all in all it was a entertaining movie.

On a more serial note, I keep getting emails, asking me about LIGHTSOVERLA tour dates. The mob has spoken, your answer?

I actually just joined up with GreenElectronic Productions out of San Francisco and we are working on a ton of dates and the current roster that he is working with is an amazing group of up and coming talented DJ’s/Producers. So if you want LightsoverLA to come to your town PLEASE email your local promoters or drop us an email with your local venues and promoter emails!

~Ohh! So Famous

Photo by: Tara Pholharath

In early January MIDNIGHT CONSPIRACY hit the electronic music scene full speed running. This trio made of Graham Cody, Louis Kha, and Mikul Wing have been passed around the blog circuit, played multiple music festivals and are currently on tour. Recently, we got a chance to sit down with them and get an idea of what these guys are all about.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Crystal Castles - Crimewave (Midnight Conspiracy Remix).mp3]

Why the name MIDNIGHT CONSPIRACY?
Why not?

Who, what, when or where inspires your sound?
As far as the remixes go, it depends on the track, it might be watching American Psycho or listening to Eddy Huntington, mostly its whatever the track sounds like in my head that i can capture as accurately as possible, otherwise it might be a synth patch or a snare drum, or a new plugin, it changes constantly.

Interested in collaborating with anyone?
Tons of people, like Trent Reznor, Trentemoller, TEPR, Innerpartysystem, DJ Funk, Elijah Blue Allman, Depeche Mode, Soulwax, any of the guys we listen to and go “damn, thats cool how did they do that?”

Recently Hayley Williams had someone “hack” her twatter and “the hacker” posted a picture of her titters. What’s your take on it?
Is that the chick from Paramore? Are they good looking?

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Chromeo - Night By Night (Midnight Conspiracy Remix).mp3]

What is the meaning of life?
To enjoy what you do.

Who, Living or Dead, would you want to grab a drink with?
Alan Wilder or Twiggy Ramirez.

What is the MIDNIGHT CONSPIRACY five year plan?
To be invited to join the Illuminati.

With 2012 fast approaching I have to ask, since I figure you guys would know best, what kind of bullshit is going to go down?
We’ll have to see what the Nebadon commission decides.

What do you want your music to be remembered for?
We don’t want our music to be remembered, if it’s being remembered then we’re dead.

Recently M.I.A. has come out and said things some people believe “controversial”. What’s your opinion on artists expressing their views so candidly?
I wish more people actually had opinions to express, too many people have nothing to say, bring on the controversy.

On June 22nd, MIDNIGHT CONSPIRACY will be releasing their Lucky Date remix, soon be followed by remixes of Editors and Crystal Castles. You can also catch them on the DEAD FAME TOUR.

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[audio:http://OhhSoFamous.com/Music/Esser - Headlock (Midnight Conspiracy Dubstep Remix).mp3]

~Ohh! So Famous!