3LAU

3LAU is an upcoming DJ/producer/mashup artist that is taking the music scene by storm.  His mixes are on a Kap Slap level, and by that I mean that they are scary good. Be sure to like him on Facebook HERE so you are constantly updated with these insane mashups.  Here are a couple of my favorites, followed by an exclusive interview with him.

3LAU- All Night Long (LMFAO x Ellie G x Mann x Darth & Vadar) | Download

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3LAU- Girls Who Save The World (Alesso x Adele x Britney x SHM x Dragonette x Nadia) | Download

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Interview with 3LAU:

SBB: Who is 3LAU

3LAU: Justin Blau, haha, a deadmau5 inspired spin on my last name. It also happens to be one of my favorite Laidback Luke tracks “Blau!” that he produced with Lee Mortimer.

SBB: Do you do any type of production?

3LAU:  Before I did anything mashup related I worked solely with production. I’ve been working on a series of original mixes for a long time; take it from Avicii, it takes hours and hours of craftsmanship. I just haven’t been fully ready to release anything less than perfect, but I’m planning on a combination release of 4 mashes and 4 original mixes by the end of the summer while I’m free from the excessive work of my finance major.

SBB: What inspires your song choice?

3LAU:  I feel like all mashup artists have different ways of collating samples. I love electro and progressive house, but I also love pop vocalists, no matter how much tuning and processing it takes to make their voices sound gold. My goal with mashups is to make my favorite genres more accessible to the general public. I feel like when I’m putting together a track, I lay down the base, which is either a danceable chord progression or killer sawtooth bass line, and work with vocals from there. I’ll usually hear something on the radio or at a party and think to myself “shit, this could go well with ____.” Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t, but either way I love the trial and error, it’s part of the thrill. Still, I won’t release anything until I’m perfectly satisfied with the fit.

SBB: How important is music to you?  Do you plan on trying to DJ at a professional level?

3LAU: Another question I’ll enjoy answering. Music is everything. Most people think mashup artists and college-oriented musicians only cater to the crowd, to the “demand.” I used to think so too, but it’s the largest misconception. I had a great conversation with Collin McLoughlin the other night about how we both aspire to achieve a sound like Jamie Woon, James Blake, Thom Yorke: those are the real heroes. We are just trying to get as much support as possible, to prove to ourselves that we can one day accomplish our own unique sound (hopefully). That’s why music is important to me, because it gives me an outlet to be creative, an escape from the grave everyday hyper-professionalism the world demands of us, a way to remain in touch with my personal inventive ambitions; we all have them.

In terms of DJing professionally? I never want to be stuck in a residency or djing clubs my whole life. I just want to make music that makes people happy I guess, and as long as I’m doing that I’m achieving my goal. Look, I’d be excessively happy to tour and play fades of my original mixes with all-time favorite tracks for endless dancing crowds, but until I come out with my originals I must assume it’s unrealistic. Even so, I’d love to work with/for my father and expand the family business since I’m very close with my family. Undoubtedly though, music will always play a huge role in my life.

SBB: What can we expect?

3LAU: As long as I keep working my ass off, hopefully a great album of big room progressive house with my personal vocals on it will emerge. I’ve always wanted to find a home for my vocals in electronic music and as I’ve been working on new material I’ve been more and more confident.

Special thanks to Justin for taking the time to answer these questions!  Happy Memorial Day, and cheers!

~DA SBB SQUAD~