elektro exclusive interview with gLAdiator

Having several festivals and shows under their belt, the AM only duo, gLAdiator, has paved themselves a way for an entirely new lifestyle in a short two years. With the help of the dopest squad they could have asked for and deathly-loyal supporters all over the coasts, Danl ("the guy with the beard") and Ian have truly grown into their gLAdiator personas. From their love of music to what they really think about rave culture, we got it all for you!

-First off I’d like to ask a little bit about your VIP packages that just came out.. In the simplest form what is a VIP package, and why did you choose those songs?

Danl: I think that those three songs are probably our favorite tracks and, they have the best reaction from the crowd.
Ian: I'd say, yeah, those are probably our favorite songs...and I think they are a little under appreciated on the album. We just wanted to flip those songs and do another version for the people. We wanted a different version for ourselves too.
Danl: Variation In Production is what V.I.P stands for in this particular context. In the beginning of time they were called DJ edits...People were taking songs and adding edits, like massive V.I.P.S...It’s just something that takes songs everybody knows, while adding another flare to make the performance a little bit better.

-How do you know when your music is ready? Do you guys ask people to listen to your music before releasing it to your fans?

Danl: That's the struggle right there...
Ian: I think, when we get to a point where we put our all in it and say "I’m happy with it," then we feel it’s ready to go. We have a core group of people we preview our music to, who aren’t going to let us put something bad out...When you’re listening to something so much over and over your ears get tired, and sometimes you need those fresh ears, because they'll pick up something you dont here.
Danl: You gotta get your peer review.

-What song would you guys say was your “big break”?

Danl & Ian: "GAMECUBE NINTENDO"...Shout out to Chromatic for that.
Danl: Yeah, "Gamecube Nintendo" I would say was definitely our big breakthrough.

-How has being in LA influenced your sound? Do you think LA gives you a different sound as oppose to the sound some NY producers and deejays have?

Danl: I think our answer is there is a lot of electronic music around.. The LA sound some people refer to are like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and the golden era of hip hop like Dr. Dre and Snoop. Those are the sounds that LA was made of especially after the cultural revolution in the late 80's. Right now there isn’t an electronic music sound. I think LA is what is inspiring and influencing us and we would like to make an LA sound. Hopefully our sound will be what people call the LA sound.
Ian: I think I agree with Dan. There’s not necessarily a LA signature sound or style, but the scene out here is so vibrant and there are so many talented artists. The community is just so amazing; that can be inspirational in itself. I think that more than anything else is the biggest influence.

-Do you guys see yourself ever leaving LA or is traveling from coast to coast enough for you two?

Danl & Ian: NO. Never. Nope. I mean, this is our home. We like to travel, but this is our home.
Danl: I do have to give New York credit though for developing the scene and core space. They have the grimey shows and sick venues, and a lot genres of music that come from New York. I give credit to New York for bringing that.

-Tell me more about this free NY show at The Wall. How did this come about?

Ian: Our dear, dear agent waited to get the perfect place for us, and we were patient and heard about The Wall. Now we’ll be performing there this Saturday!
Danl: It totally wasn’t our decision (the concert being free), but we totally support it.

-Being that so many artists are traveling down the same path musically, who would you say has inspired you the most to make music and perform?

Ian: Okay.. For me, in terms of inspiration for production and making music I would prob have to go with UZ. That guy kills it every time. In terms of performance, I think Floss[tradamus] holds it down like no other. We saw them at Hard [Summer], and the way they put it down is incredible. In terms of the way they can get a crowd riled up, I’ve never seen anything like it. [When performing], I try to think about that and channel that energy.
Danl: I would say the LOUDPVCK guys; they really do their thing. Performance wise, this is going to sound really terrible, but I feel like there is nobody that inspires me in that aspect. At this point it’s not who puts on a good show, I think it’s about us trying to put on the BEST show. I want people to be like “I want to be like gLAdiator”. Come to two shows in a row, and I DARE YOU to find five songs in a row that are in the same order. There are times, where we put together the same sections of sets and we have certain transitions that are the same, but we never do the same set twice in a row...I think people should be seeing the breadth of a performer, not a performance.

-When did you realize that going to school was just to get a degree, and that you wanted to make music for the rest of your life?

Danl: I think it was junior year of college, when I made decision that this was 100% of [what I wanted to do]. EDC 2009 was what helped us make our decision. It was the second to last year it was in LA, and Boys Noize played...I just remember saying “everything thats happening right here is what I want to do one million percent.” That kind of performance, that kind of control, and just having that venue was amazing. Making those people happy all at the same time is exactly what I wanted to do. Now we’re doing it.
Ian: Up until I say a year and a half ago, it was kind of a side thing. Like, even if it didn’t work out, I would have done it for fun. I fully invested in this probably a year and a half ago...Then, when we got picked up by AM Only, I realized this has to be my full time job.

-Making music and performing seems like the best time in the world, but have you guys ever felt overly stressed and self conscious about your performances or music?

Danl: I think [music] is the part we are most self conscious about. Our music is what we need to develop the most. I always know our music is the next step that we need to take. We need to be better producers constantly; we ALL need to be. We have to be better, that’s it. We always want to improve.
Ian: The DJ thing is what we are most comfortable with; the producing thing is what we're trying to perfect.

-Out of all the festivals you have done, which one would you say is the craziest?

Danl: Hard Summer, for sure. Big crowd, big stage. We played a great set, had an amazing time, and I think everything just went well. I don’t know, it was just different.

-Speaking of festies, EDM Snob recently wrote a piece about the whole Kandi and raving culture, pretty much defending them and explaining how it’s all to release the inner child. Some people still put those people down. What’s your take on it?

Ian: I mean, I think ultimately at end of day people should do what makes them happy, and whatever is fun to them. As long as nobody is getting hurt, if that’s how people want to express themselves then people should be free to do so. But there are also people, who are getting into that rave culture for the wrong reasons. I think you just have to be careful and come at it from the right perspective. I don’t have any problems with it.
Danl: I think its a two-sided thing. I think electronic music is exploding, and...we're trying to put all different groups of people in the same place, and say everything is all EDM. [For example], I think things like EDC should exist for rave culture and that kandi stuff, and Hard [Summer] should be for people who want to watch the show, do their own thing, whatever.. It’s just two completely different shows, even though its the same format. I think people need to understand that and also understand that there will always be different types of people at these shows. There needs to be. Don’t be a hater is the overall message of this interview.

-What do you have in store for your fans?!

Ian: We’re coming out with a five-track EP with Fools Gold records that we’re excited about. We just finished a tune with Tropkillaz too!
Danl: Shoutout Tropkillaz! Those dudes are insane.
Ian: We have kind of took a little break to work on the EP, but now it’s time to get back on the road.
Danl: *SINGS* Get back on the road. We’re also doing TomorrowWorld in Atlanta; that’s going to be crazy.

-Last question, that’s probably the most important question of the whole interview... If you had to choose between an unlimited lifetime supply of pizza vs. an unlimited lifetime supply of Benihanas (you can only pick one) which one would it be?

Ian: UGH MAN! I don’t know.
Danl: The thing is, if we think about this way too much we are going to go on and on.
Ian: I really don’t know this sucks...
Danl: To be honest, the better value is Benihanas...but PIZZA. Pizza is so good.
Ian: Benihanas is a whole other animal though.
Danl: If we didn’t say Benihanas our friends LOUDPVCK would never let us live it down. We're sorry pizza, we love you, but you do not give us the show that Benihanas gives us. Performance... that volcano! WOW. Thankfully this is not real, but in that awful apocalyptic environment it would be Benihanas.

*Make sure not to miss gLAdiator when they come to a city near you!

gLAdiator upcoming tour dates:
Aug 22 El Paso, TX @ The Garden
Aug 23 Eugene, OR @ Kaleidoscope Music Festival
Aug 24 New York, NY @ The Wall
Aug 28 Milwaukee, WI @ Bad Genie
Aug 29 Austin, TX @ Emo's East
Aug 30 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
Sep 07 Antwerp, Belgium @ Laundry Day Music Festival
Sep 12 New Orleans, LA @ Republic
Sep 13 Kansas City, MO @ Dancefestopia
Sept 14 Miami, FL @ Space
Sep 15 Hollywood, CA @ Drai's Hollywood
Sep 21 Denver, CO @ Denver Coliseum
Sep 27 Atlanta, GA @ TomorrowWorld Music Festival