Music is known to be food for the soul, from shifting moods to healing broken hearts. In the monotony of our day to day navigating through the seemingly never ending quarantine, Modern Machines is giving EDM fans a much needed dose of dancing and happiness.
Usually sharing the stages with legends like Tiesto or packing the clubs of NYC as the resident DJ for LAVO, Marquee and the other iconic nightclubs, Modern Machines is staying connected with his fans through new music and livestreams. Over recent years he has done huge collaborations and remixes with Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers, Adventure Club and David Guetta (to name a few). His Spotify playlist “Welcome To The Machine” is updated regularly with his handpicked festival bangers, keeping the festival vibe alive. His remix of Matthew Schultz’s “Go” has around a million streams across the available platforms.
Modern Machines sat down with us virtually and answered some of the questions that were top of mind from fans. Check it out below!
How did you come up with the name?
I was really obsessed with Daft Punk at one point (still am) and so my fascination with robots and machines came into play when coming up with the name.
How long have you been in the game and how have you seen it transform over the course of your career?
I’ve been doing it for a few years now and I’ve definitely seen it transform from EDM being an underground thing to festivals growing to be larger and larger. I still think there’s room for dance music to grow! Even the biggest names in our scene are not as big as the Beyonces and Ariana Grandes of the world. EDM stars are still not pop stars.
How has your life and career changed after the COVID lockdown?
I’m def missing performing, ALOT. I miss meeting fans and traveling. I’ve had more time to work on music so I guess that’s good. I’m hoping things can get back to normal soon!
Was there a moment in your career that came as a complete surprise?
The first time I heard Tiesto play one of my tracks at a festival in front of 60k people. that was definitely a surprise and a moment I’ll never forget. I still get excited when any DJs play my tracks out anywhere. I never take their support for granted!
A lot of advice from producers is to work hard… What does your “work hard” look like?
I think it’s more about working smarter instead of harder. be kind to people, show up, and just be involved. You can put out as many songs as you want but if people don’t wanna fuck with you cause you’re a shitty person all that “hard work” goes to waste.
Besides making good music, what are important pieces of the puzzle as an artist that have made you successful?
I definitely think being humble is a huge piece of the puzzle, staying connected with your fans is also a huge part of it; I try to replay to every comment/DM. I also think networking is very very important, not just in dance music or DJing but in every career. I think it’s important to surround yourself with people who can see your vision and push it forward and not people who just hold you back.
You have shared the stage with legends of the EDM world. Who was the first artist that you’ve played a show with and what was it like?
I think the first show I ever played was opening for Dada Life in front of 3k people. NO PRESSURE, right? haha
How have the live streams shaped the EDM scene for artists and fans?
I think live streams are gonna stick around after the quarantine. I think we’re in the early stages of live streams and they’re only gonna get bigger and better and higher quality productions. I remember years ago when video game streaming started people would say “who would wanna watch some guy play video games?” and now it’s one of the biggest industries ever. so I think we’re in those early stages for EDM scene streaming. I think we’re gonna start to see some insane productions on those streams. I’m looking forward to the future!
How would you describe your fans?
As the most awesomest people in the world! I love that my fans are always down for a journey, through my DJ sets or the type of music I put out. I don’t like to put my music in a box and I think my fans are just as open minded as I am.
Do you have any pre or post show rituals?
No rituals but I do get really nervous before going on stage still. So maybe having a drink helps me calm down. And then 3 to 4 songs into the set is when I get comfortable but those first few minutes I’m def nervous.
Tonight, June 19th at 10PM Eastern / 7PM Pacific, Modern Machines will be taking over IWANTEDM’s Instagram from his place in NYC so get your small group of friends (or bigger group of friends with masks on), get your drinks and give it up for 2020’s ridiculously crazy year that is only half over.
Check out more from Modern Machines below!
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