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Disco house duo Cosmic Kids will be playing at Holy Mountain in Austin, Texas on January 25th, hosted by local promoters Learning Secrets. Luckily for me, I'd been granted a short interview with the US duo as they touched into Texas for the first time. Ahead of their upcoming show with Bagheera, Cosmic Kids aka Daniel Terndrup and Ron Poznansky have agreed to answer some questions. West Coast, the Third Coast and every genre from, disco to rock and post-punk to ambient is discussed as Zachary McCullough gets cosy alongside the band on his home turf.
Thanks for joining me. Has playing at Fabric been a “big deal” for you? what kind of response did you get? Dan: Ron and I have been following the Fabric mix series since the beginning, so getting the opportunity to play the actual club was a huge honor. It was a special night because it was the 13th birthday party and it ran 30 hours straight. We got to play on a bill with Omar S, Bicep, Space Dimension Controller, and Kim Ann Foxman, just to name a few. We played a bunch of stuff we like. I don't know the best way to describe it, but you can give the set a listen on our Soundcloud.
How is playing in LA different than clubs like Fabric in London? Does LA Have a strong scene? Dan: We opened up the 3rd room at Fabric. Opening the small room in an LA club usually means that you will be playing to no one except for the bartenders. However, by the 4th song we played at Fabric there was a strong dance floor going, and by 30 minutes the room was packed. People there are just stoked to dance. Its exciting to play to a club of people who like to get lost in music. It gives you the freedom to try some weird stuff out. I think people in Los Angeles are a bit more self conscious. They need to wait until they see other people dancing before they feel like its okay to start. This causes dance floors to start late after people are already wasted. There are a few exceptions of course; i.e. Rhonda and Funkmosphere.
The two of you met in high school... you began making music together.... and you just played at Fabric among other places... what are some important things that have happened between now and then that stand out the most to you that have contributed to your success? Ron: I'd say around the end of high school we started to listen to KCRW and eventually volunteered there, Dan working in the music library and I as a production assistant on various shows. That really educated us on diverse genres of music. A big turning point to us was 2003 when we starting hearing a bunch of output from DFA. DFA was interesting to us because it combined disco and rock, which seemed to conflict culturally, but musically works really well.
Dan: A huge part of the process has been just making lots of like-minded friends. Its been great having a community of DJs and producers that want to help each other out and throw parties together.
Do you purposefully try and keep space between releases or is that something that has happened inadvertently? Ron: I'd say its partly that, partly the process it takes to release something, and partly the fact we have been working on a lot of remixes lately.
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What was “A Day In The Desert” like? In regards to the ambient mix you recorded, was that the first time you’ve experimented playing non-dance music for an audience? Ron: We've played sets of post-punk and stuff before, but it definitely was different playing soundscapes and stuff. The setting was very interesting, you could sit on a bale of hay and watch the bands (such as Austin's own SURVIVE) or DJs but the music was more for the people wandering around the rocky outcroppings nearby, it was more of music to compliment the setting, there was a small contingent wanting to dance, which I was able to satisfy with some early 90s ambient techno jams like Orbital's Belfast.
Have you ever performed a live set (or thought about it at least)? Ron: We think about it, we have some gear that could totally work in a respectable but slim for travel live set.
Do you look for music on a regular basis? what extent do the two of you individually seek out new music you haven’t heard? Ron: We have many outlets to hear tracks, whether its just daily updates of new releases, constant conversation with friends, or digging at various record stores. A big one is scouring YouTube.
Reginald’s Groove still seems as relevant as ever... since releasing Reginald’s Groove, how has your music changed? Ron: I think our music maybe has gone a little deeper in some ways but not afraid to have some pop elements to it either, I feel like 80s boogie, 90s R&B and ambient music has been an influence among many other things.
Has living in California has been most influential in your lives (as musicians and individuals)? Dan: The weather out here is definitely an influence, even if its just on a subconscious level. I think that contributes hugely to the "West Coast Sound" so many of our friends have in there music.
Ron: We went on tour with RAC, Classixx and Jerome lol, I think we all accomplish a sort of west coast feel in some way, which is why we toured from Tijuana to Vancouver. The environment out here is very conducive to a relaxed vibe.
Your Fleetwood Mac edit absolutely took off... Did you ever think that edit would blow up like it did? Dan: We weren't expecting it to take off, but I'm not exactly surprised. After all it's an amazing Fleetwood Mac song. All the hard work was done back in 1977 before we were born, we just threw some drums on it and called it a day. Its nice that it helped people notice us, but we obviously can't take credit away from Lindsey Buckingham's amazing work. And yes, we both are soft rock enthusiasts.
Is it going to be your first time in Austin? Austin is a very rock n roll town and kind of lives in this unique parallel between, singer-songwriter, rock of course, indie, blues and punk, leaving electronic music pretty much at the bottom. What have you heard about Austin and what can we expect from you on Friday in terms of song selection and whatever else you take into consideration)?
Ron: This will be my first time to Austin, I think it is the place in Texas that I have wanted to visit the most. I've always heard good things about it. The idea that Austin isn't really a techno city seems consistent with what I've heard. We've DJ'd other cities that are not really known for their interest in electronic music and somehow have gotten people dancing. I don't think we limit ourselves to a genre so anyone with an open mind and a desire to dance will probably have a great time.
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Anything else in terms of forthcoming releases and tours in the near future? Ron: We have 2 releases coming out on Let's Play House, a remix of Local Natives and a remix of Classixx coming out soon, probably some collaborations and other material but too early to mention... an we will tour Europe in 2013.
Cosmic Kids will be playing at Holy Mountain in Austin, Texas on January 25th, hosted by local promoters Learning Secrets. Presaletickets.
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Listen to Cosmic Kids on Pulse Radio.
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DA: My fave has to be Japan for its fanatical nature and the pride they take in sound quality and playback. It puts 99% of clubs in the UK and Europe to utter shame. The virgin rain-forest in Trinidad on a more low-fi tip is amazing for it's raw nature, powerful vibes and world class surf is another.
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