A few weeks ago I noticed Disco Fries were live on Facebook. I started watching and we had a good chat. Their most recent album DF (I wonder what that stands for…) is amazing and they just released a new single titled “Blue” featuring Jena Rose. Before the night was over they agreed to do an interview. Nick Ditri and Danny Boselovic are originally from New York and have worked with a myriad of record labels including Ultra Music, Protocol Recordings and Musical Freedom Records. Their single “Born Ready – Halogen Radio Edit” has over 11 millions plays on Spotify and they have shared the stage with some of the best talent there is. Needless to say, I was excited for the chance to interview them. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Disco Fries.
How did you guys meet? Also, where did the name come from? Surely there’s a story there!
Nick: We actually met in college at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. We were randomly roomed together freshman year but didn’t really start making music together as what would later be called “Disco Fries” until around junior year. It started as mashups and remixes of 80s records and progressed from there.
We’ve seen a lot of duos over the years. The Chainsmokers, Tritonal, W&W, Cosmic Gate… Does it ever get crowded in the DJ booth?
Nick: (Laughs.) It does! It obviously it depends on the booth and our setup for the night. We typically like to bring an FX unit and set that up alongside the CDJs so both of us stay busy throughout the night going back and forth on the decks and that, but sometimes there just isn’t enough space to move… Add in a few friends, fans and fellow DJs, and it’s a party in the booth.
You guys have been producing music since 2009. How has your sound changed over the years? Also, what do you think about the current state of dance music?
Danny: Our music has probably changed a lot but it’s hard to gauge from our perspective because we’re just as excited about the music we make now as when we first started. I think musically we are pretty consistent in the melodies we write and I think we come up with the same type of ideas we did in the beginning. But the sound of dance music has changed so much since we started working together so we’ve naturally evolved our sound along the way. I think our productions have become a lot more focused and we’ve learned a lot about mixing through the years so the quality has gotten a lot better. (Laughs.) Not to say we made shit before but you know what I mean.
As for the current state of dance music, I think there’s a lot of great stuff happening and don’t really focus on any of the negative things people have to say about music trends. The popularity of house music has been a refreshing change and I’ve been glad to see that take off this year.
You have worked with a lot of records labels over the years. How does the experience differ from one label to the next?
Nick: This could be an entire interview topic. That said, I’d say the top 3 differences when comparing labels for us are efficiency, marketing and strategy and deal points. Also gauging a labels excitement on a release and how incentivized they are to push it can make a huge difference in how it rolls out.
Speaking of record labels, tell me more about Liftoff Recordings.
Nick: We started Liftoff Recordings in 2013 as a way to feature artists we were friends with that were making really dope music and it’s now going on its 90th release. We’ve released our own singles and EP projects to music from artists including Gazzo, Aylen, Kastra, Tommie Sunshine, Iceleak and more.
Tell me more about your tour with Tritonal.
Danny: It was really great of Chad and Dave to have us out for a bunch of their shows this past year. We’ve been releasing records on their label, Enhanced Music, for years now and really feel a sense of community with them and the rest of the artists on the label.
You’ve shared the stage with some big names. Do you get nervous opening for someone like Tiësto?
Nick: YES!! An opening set is much more challenging than a headlining set since you don’t want to step on the headliners toes. Everytime we’re put in that situation, we put a lot of time into making sure we have the right music loaded for the night so we can navigate any situation with the crowd filling up the room and just warming up the night.
When you produce a remix, do you need the original artist’s permission first? Once the song is complete, do you send it to the original artist for his or her blessing?
Danny: Totally a case by case basis. Usually if we are doing a remix it is because we were contacted by the artist/management/label and they’ve commissioned us to do one. Other times though we’ll find a song we like and decide to do something unofficial just because we love the song. We never ask permission upfront but will usually reach out to the label or artist once we’re done so they can hear it. Depending on their response we’ll either release it with them, put it up on our SoundCloud or just use it in live sets. It’s sort of a grey area in terms of what you can or should do with unofficial remixes but as long as you’re not selling it there isn’t much harm in putting it up online. If anything it’s giving the original artist promo as well.
Las Vegas has become the epicenter of dance music in the United States. What are some of your favorite clubs in Sin City?
Danny: We’ve played all over Vegas throughout the years so there’s a lot of spots we enjoy playing. Palms Casino Resort was the first casino to have us out back in 2010 and we’ve always had a good time playing there. They’re just finishing up renovations on all of their clubs so we’re hoping we’ll get a chance to play in the updated venues there in the new year. We’re also fans of Hakkasan Nightclub Las Vegas, Encore Beach Club and THE POOL at THE LINQ.
Your single “Born Ready” has over 11 million streams on Spotify. Did you ever then that single would be so popular?
Nick: We had no idea “Born Ready” would ever be one of our biggest records to date. The song was originally included on our Autonomous EP as the last track and we included it since we loved the song but it didn’t really fit what we were doing sonically at the time, hence why it was the last track. We ended up hitting up Halogen to do the remix and they were really killing it on the blog scene and Hypem at the time so it ended up on all of those platforms, it ended up landing on some different TV shows like Dancing with the Stars and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and then caught the attention of Republic/Polydor/Universal, and the rest was history.
Let’s have some fun here for a second… Let’s say you are eating fries. What is your preferred dipping sauce?
Nick: Malt vinegar and ketchup are in a neck and neck competition.
Danny: Or if we’re in Amsterdam I can’t turn down the mayo.
I haven’t seen you live… Yet. What can fans expect from a live performance?
Danny: I’d like to think that we play really diverse sets that can change a lot depending on the room. As producers we’re known for commercial dance and melodic house tracks but in our DJ sets we play a little bit of everything. If you check out our radio show, Liftoff Radio, that will give you a pretty good idea of where our heads are at as DJs.
You’ve played on stages all over the world. Do you prefer playing smaller nightclubs or do you like the big dance music festivals?
Danny: We’ve only played a few of the bigger festivals so personally I still feel pretty out of place on a huge stage like that. We love gigs where people are right up on the DJ booth and you can really feel the energy of the room.
You aren’t currently on the DJ Mag Top 100. Do you take that list serious and do you think, if you were listed, it would help you get more/bigger gigs? Always curious what people think of that list.
Nick: We’ve never really pushed into getting onto that list but I do know it has helped a number of acts tour in a bigger way than they normally would. I think it has lost its relevance a bit but there are still plenty of promoters who look to it as a gauge. I think we’re in a place now that there are so many ways to break as a DJ that while the DJ Mag Top 100 is a positive piece to the puzzle of your career, it’s certainly not the be-all-end-all.
What’s next for Disco Fries?
Danny: We’ve got a few tracks finished up that we’ll be releasing early next year including some collabs that we’re pretty excited about. We’ll also be focusing a lot on our label and the awesome talent we’ve seen thrive there this year like our guys MIMO and Art Beatz.
Connect with Disco Fries:
Website: http://discofriesmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thediscofries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thediscofries
YouTube: http://discofriesmusic.com
