American DJ duo Tritonal may seem like fun-loving friends both in the studio and on the stage, but there’s nothing silly about the stuff they’ve been putting out lately. Currently in the process of putting out two weekly radio shows and acquiring co-ownership of Enhanced Records, the two recently put out their highly anticipated and highly personal Metamorphic EP, and gorgeous three-track compilation which showcases that wonderful versatility and artistic growth the twosome is best known for. Elektro sat down with the boys after their set at the ASOT 600 stage during Ultra Music Festival to chat about their projects and their new EP.

Biggest blessing-in-disguise moment while performing?

Chad: Probably during the first six months of Tritonal we opened up at a club called Vanguard. We opened the main floor and nobody was there, it was a cold room. But by the end of the set, we had won their affection and everybody was going for it, and those are really satisfying moments as an artist because they don’t know who you are, they don’t care, but by the end, because of your track placement, your energy through the set, your enthusiasm, you’ve won their hearts.

It’s hard to find artists who are as enjoyable to watch, as they are to hear. How are you feeling now that you’ve finished playing at the ASOT 600 stage?

Dave: It’s definitely a privilege to be playing ASOT. We loved it and the energy there was a little bit different, but it was cool.

Chad: It was cold—nobody was there, but the fans came running up to the stage, and we just knew that they were there for us. They got up early to come see our set, they were here at 12 pm on a Sunday, when the festival goes until midnight, and that was amazing to us. To be honest, Dave and I were thinking, “There’s probably not going to be too many people there and we’re probably going to end up playing more for the people online.” But about 20 minutes into our set the whole stage was full. That just speaks to the dedication of, not only the Tritonians, but also all the people who love A State of Trance and all the other artists on the lineup.

This is the largest Ultra Music Festival in history. What do you think about the sudden expansion of the music and the scene?

Dave: The growth is exponential because the music’s already taken off in the US.

Chad: I didn’t have a bad thing to say. When we played last weekend, on a stage they placed by the street…I was skeptical of the stage placement, whether or not people were going to turn up and get into it…but the US right now is so good for dance music. Not just trance, but house, techno, trap, dubstep…so to answer your question, we had a blast at Ultra. This year was bigger than last year and hopefully next year will be bigger than this year.

Tell me about the Metamorphic 1 EP, which just released.

Chad: It’s definitely a change, isn’t it? That’s a good thing, though! We’ve done “Piercing the Quiet,” we did the club mixes, and as artists we totally want to stay inspired. It’s a three track EP and we feel like we touched all faces. “Bullet That Saved Me” is clubby, its freakin’ big-room, its stuff that we’re playing now. And “Bring Me Home” has that beautiful essence of Tritonal that everybody knows and loves—amazing melodies, sexy vocals. And then “Deep In the Black” is an expiremental thing for us; we’ve never really done anything like that. We’ve never produced an electronica progressive rock track. As artists we’re trying to do something that’s a little off the cuff.

It’s also a very personal EP for you guys.

Chad: We dug into the lyrics that came from things we’ve gone through—hardships, struggles, paradigm changes in our own lives, and that translates into the lyrics.

Tell us about the collaboration you guys set up with BT and Seven Lions, two artists with vastly different sounds.

Dave: We just love the atists. BT is someone that we’ve looked up to for such a long time, and Seven Lions is doing an amazing thing. Like we said, Chad and I like to grow in our music, we like to expand on all sorts of elements, and Seven Lions is doing just that. We want to be a part of it too, and it’s a great learning experience.

Chad: The collaboration with him is going to be on “Bring Me Home.” That track is so pretty, and what he brings to the table is a completely different set of tools than what we do. He’s doing things that we necessarily wouldn’t do and vice versa, and that’s what makes something good.

Air Up There Ended at its 100th episode. Tell us about your latest podcast?

Chad: We launched our new show Tritonia, which is all about the Tritonians. Its on Sirius XM. We also took over Enhanced Sessions on DI.FM, so we’re sort of the leader of that label now. We’re coming to terms to not only run that radio show but also be co-owners of that record label as the top artist on that label. We’re doing two radio shows every week.

Dave: We also signed with Complete Control Management, and that’s huge. They’ve been with Tommy Trash, Tiesto, Dada Life, Bingo Players…its good for us.

How do you go about looking through all the music coming at you?

Dave: Our musical tastes are changing a lot. We’re not downloading all the promos, we’re listening to a lot and it’s either a hit or a miss on a lot of these promos.

Is there a specific direction you’re aiming at with the label?

Chad: It’s going to be all about Tritonal in terms of Enhanced. We’re looking to make Enhanced viable in the US, because right now it’s a very European-niched label; it doesn’t have that sort of crossover appeal here yet. But we’re going to be doing Enhanced branded tour nights with some of their younger artists. We’ll see the brand in merchandise and stage set ups, these are all things we’re trying to do—make Tritonal and Enhanced a bigger and better brand in the US than it is right now.

Are we behind Europe in terms of music?

Chad: We’re ahead, I think. The money’s here, and the clubs are here, and the scene and the fans are here…Europe had it for twenty year and it sort of hit its cycle musically. Everything has cycles—rock is not where it used to be in the US, hip hop is not where it used to be in the US, it might come back through trap, but its all cyclical.

What emerging artists are you listening to right now?

Chad: Audien right now is my favorite producer. Julian Jordan, Sander Van Doorn, and then, under the Enhanced cap, I think Estiva’s gonna be huge. He’s been full-time at university, but he’s going to graduate this year and I just think talent-wise and dedication wise, we’re going to see an explosion.

Buy Metamorphic on Beatport.

More From Elektro Daily