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MTV Needle In The Haystack Presents: Streetlab
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Streetlab is a New York City based electro-rock production duo whose debut single ‘NYSound’ has been...Streetlab is a New York City based electro-rock production duo whose debut single ‘NYSound’ has been featured on HBO’s Entourage and Apple’s iPod/iPhone game, Tap Tap Revenge 2. Find out more about their love/hate relationship with NYC, persistent tardiness, and their dream of sleeping till noon.
Who is Streetlab?
We are an electronic production duo out of NYC. We’re rock guys at heart - we were raised listening mostly to classic rock and music from the 80’s and 90’s. But we make electronic music. So we try to bring forward the energy and feelings we get from our influences in the rock realm, while still keeping things sounding ‘electronic’ enough to be played at a party.
How does it feel to be the MTV Music’s Needle In The Haystack?
Pretty damn cool! Its great to see MTV supporting up and coming artists from across the genre spectrum. I think we have a pretty diverse sound too.
What is "Rat Racer” about?
The typical New Yorker…haha. Living here feels like youre always running around in circles sometimes. Things change so fast here. Everyone is always desperate to find the next “thing”. But the song is about enjoying where you are now, before you miss it…
How do you describe your music?
Something that’s in the middle of dancing and moshing. Ha. It sounds electronic, but feels like rock. It sounds like rock, but feels electronic….
What is your creative process like?
Our creative process can start from many different sources. Usually the best output involves recording really long sessions of us and getting lost in the moment. Sometimes we’ll record ourselves playing for an hour. Then on a rainy day I’ll go through that session and find little things we did and “sample” them. Find a melody here or a change there – things that make you excited to keep it going.
I am happiest when___________?
I’m up til sunrise and can sleep til noon.
What do you like about the NYC music scene?
I love that there are so many local musicians trying to get out there. The amount of creativity and diversity out there is what makes it New York City. There are so many scenes here. Essentially you could dive into a different one every month, and never get bored. It’s the ultimate networking playground!
Any dislikes about it?
A lot of the electronic scene is too DJ and hyped base. Sometimes it seems to be more about hype then actual music or talent. Also since there is so much talent and so many touring acts coming in, local acts sometimes have a trouble breaking through. Kinda like a big mess of talent that no one wants to go through! And it being NYC, you always have the best of the best touring through.
Any good secrets to reveal?
YEA! We have a TON of non-commissioned ‘bootleg’ remixes up for free download here ... (shhhhhhhhhh!)
What do you love about music?
Tricking people. As in – tricking someone into dancing to The Beatles, or Creedence Clearwater Revival, or The Rolling Stones. To us, a lot of this older (and newer) rock music is totally club oriented and danceable. Its just the delivery of the song itself was different back when they were recorded. If you think about where most producers get their samples from – this makes sense. So in a way, when we write, we’re always thinking in this vein. There are no boundaries and an endless amount of outcomes. Everyone loves music in some form or style…we look at it more as a taste in delivery.
______would be a dream come true?
Producing music full time. The ability to do you what you love for a living and travel the world playing for people would be a dream come true. Would also love to build out a gigantic studio somewhere in the woods or on the beach.
Music influences?
Well there are so many. I tend to be a very addictive person when it comes to music. I am always on the hunt for something new and when I find it I usually digest it repetitively and semi obsessively until the next thing comes along. In terms of artists there is a huge range that I have been obsessed with at some point in my life. Some of those are The Chemical Brothers, NIN, Boards of Canada, STP, Smashing Pumpkins, Skinny Puppy, Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, New Order, Sublime, Bob Marley and lots more.
Life influences?
People who think out of the box are the ones who usually influence my life. Inspiration can come at anytime and you are not always aware that it is happening. I think it is important to surround yourself with creative people and tools and to always keep your eyes, ears and mind open...
Spare time activities?
music, music, music....
Waiting for the MTA...
Favorite city you’ve played in?
It would have to be Paris. We played out on the street for Zadig & Voltaire during Fashion Week. Playing outside on the streets was an unforgettable experience. The Parisian police showed up to break up the event. I had no idea what the dude was saying, but the promoter talked him into leaving, and then the music went back up…
Favorite band you’ve played with?
We haven’t played with too many big name acts as of yet. But we did open for Chairlift during the CMJ Festival and I love their album!
What are your pre-show rituals?
Getting there late. Haha. Its true though – the earlier I show up, the more time I have to get all nervous. I find getting there soon before you go on is best! Haha.
In 5 years I see myself_________?
Hopefully touring the world and making music for everyone to love (or hate!)
Anything else you want people to know about Streetlab?
We've got a bunch of shows coming up, the next on being May 28th at Webster Hall. We play live as a full band. You can also catch us this summer doing Remix sets – where we remix live instead of DJing traditionally. We are also working on a new Bootleg Remixes LP and organizing our new songs for our next original release!
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Billboard Magazine: Streetlab
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When electronic duo Streetlab began mixing tracks in 2001, the act cut its teeth performing live in ...When electronic duo Streetlab began mixing tracks in 2001, the act cut its teeth performing live in what was becoming a dying scene: New York raves.
"It was the best live experience," Ryan Leary recalls. "We had a ton of space to work with. It was inspiring, because people always gave you a positive reaction by dancing."
After the parties ended, Leary and Mark "Coz" Lamorg wanted to keep dancing. Streetlab has since built up an impressive set of club-ready commissioned remixes from such acts as Crystal Castles, Nine Inch Nails and Kinski, plus several original grooves of its own.
Streetlab self-released its self-titled debut EP in October and signed an exclusive two-single release deal with RCRD LBL/Downtown for the tracks "NYSound" and "She Is Our Magic." The former—which will be placed in a forthcoming episode of NBC's "Kath & Kim"—is typical of Streetlab's stuttering percussive style, with ferocious synthesizers that beg the listener to move.
"We like to arrange songs that deliver well in the club," says Lamorg, who handles the drums and mixing while Leary works with the synths and guitars. "We want to make dance music that has the energy of rock music."
Streetlab is planning to release a mixtape EP in early 2009 in addition to honing its skills as an original act. The duo will perform at the Apple store in New York's Soho neighborhood Feb. 13 and is moving forward on a new Hall & Oates remix. Streetlab is also plotting a brief 2009 tour that includes appearances at South by Southwest.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/underground/streetlab-1003935196.story
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URB Magazine's Next 1000 Artist of the Week: Streetlab
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Every week, URB.com picks 20 artists to add to our "Next 1000" list. And being that we are the most ...Every week, URB.com picks 20 artists to add to our "Next 1000" list. And being that we are the most credible and authentic voice in emergent music, we decided that its not enough to just post these artists' music on our Next 1000 site. We needed to do more to showcase the great music and talent that invades our digital consciousness every week. So, every week, URB.com will feature on the homepage every Monday, the "Next 1000" Artist of the Week. So if you're tired of the retreads invading your webspace everyday, and are thirsty for something more creative, something more underground, then come back to URB.com every Friday and get hit with something FRESH.
This week's pick is a production duo straight from NYC, Streetlab. Members coZ and rYan base their music on the ability to make rock and dance music the same...so there are no excuses for being a wallflower! Just to name a few, Streetlab has taken music from artists like the Beastie Boys, Hot Chip, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and Crystal Castles and added their own funk. So, check their music, and if you like what you hear, go vote Streetlab over on the Next 1000.
Until "Next" week, keep it URB.
P.S. Click Here for their exclusive URB.com podcast!
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KORG.com - Word On The Street
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Google Streetlab and you'll see the funkiest looking listing ever. No, really. Try it! That's just a...Google Streetlab and you'll see the funkiest looking listing ever. No, really. Try it! That's just a tiny taste of the creative power that this NYC-based electronic music duo generates. Formed in 2001, Streetlab began by remixing dance versions of classic rock songs. Partners Mark Lamorg ' aka Coz ' and Ryan Leary started early with the typical piano lessons, as Coz shares, 'I remember watching MTV as a kid and trying to mimic the songs on this little Casio keyboard I had. My parents signed me up for piano lessons as a result. But I hated practicing and playing the lame songs you have to play when starting out. So I used to program in my practices into my li'l Casio, and have it loop repeatedly in my room, so my parents would hear me practicing. One day my Dad walked in, and that was the end of my lessons...!'
Ryan adds, 'My music journey with Coz started somewhere in the late 90's. My first memory is sampling everything in his house. We sampled the washing machine, the dryer, pots and pans and whatever else we could get our hands on. I think I still have the washing machine samples somewhere.'
Now at home with RCRD LBL/Downtown Records, Coz and Ryan are excited about getting wider distribution for their music. 'It feels great to be associated with so many talented artists all across the globe,' says Ryan. 'At our last show a fan said they got turned on to us from the RCRD LBL feature so it is already spreading our music to new fans!'
Not content to be a mysterious face on the Internet, Streetlab often steps out for some amazing live shows. But gigging live has had its challenges, as Coz tells us, 'Gigging with electronic gear can be quite interesting. There are so many more things that could go wrong when you are relying on computers and electronics. We rig our set up so we have a ton of flexibility...sometimes too much. One example would be a button to jump forward/back a BAR in a song ' right on the spot ' for live re-arrangements. On one recent set, I was jamming a bit too hard on one of the knobs, and accidentally hit the jump button - it was the last 20 seconds of the last song of the set, and it went to complete silence instantly! Live and learn...!'
Coz and Ryan use a carload of Korg gear both in the studio and live. Coz shares, 'We have way too many Korg items to name! But most recently we've been using the Electribe'R (STILL a fantastic machine for the price!), the KAOSS Pad KP-2, the microKORG, and the Electribe'SX Sampler. We also own other Electribes, the EA-1, EMX-1, and ES-1, but haven't used them as recently...' Ryan adds, 'I use the microKORG on an everyday basis for sound generation. It is a very flexible, and I use it all the time by itself or with Ableton Live as a controller. The microKORG has produced some great sounds and is used heavily as part of the live set. It is very easy to edit and morph sounds to what you hear in your head. It is a very durable and flexible synth that is priced right.'
Streetlab have found Korg an essential part of the creative process right from the beginning. According to Ryan, 'Korg was one of my first electronic gear purchases and to this day everything I have bought from them still works flawlessly. We have all the old Electribes and they still work extremely well despite what we have put them through. I can't wait for some more new Korg gear in the future.' Coz adds, 'Best gear across all genres bottom line. Korg always has what I'm looking for in some way shape or form of gear ' which is why I always hit up the Korg site when I'm in the market for a new purchase...'
Streetlab just released a new EP on a re-usable USB bracelet in early October and will be performing in the NYC area. Find out more at www.streetlab.net
 and www.myspace.com/streetlab.
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RCRD LBL.com - EXCLUSIVE: Streetlab - NYSound
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'This is the time for us to get down. What we call this? The New York sound.' That is pretty much al...'This is the time for us to get down. What we call this? The New York sound.' That is pretty much all Streetlab offer as a hook in 'NYSound', a magma-bubbling bomb that sounds like Soulwax's 'Another Excuse' and Gorillaz's 'D.A.R.E.' mixed down together and put out on Dubsided. None of those groups are from New York (or America even), and this fidget-disco apocalypse has been blowing out PA fuses across Europe for awhile, especially in Italy and England. But maybe the Streetlab guys go to parties I don't go to, parties where serpentine bass quashes and a jagged electro-house stutter have commandeered the sound of the city that never sleeps, killing classic disco with one blast of a supersonic laser gun. And while they've been shucking out remixes and originals on their website for sometime (including a re-working 'Gimme Shelter' and a collabo with the one and only Arthur Baker), Streetlab will drop their first self-titled EP of originals on October 7th. They'll be doing two live performances this week in support with dudes like Egg Foo Young and Stretch Armstrong, scope the flyers after the jump. Consider this your introduction.
Sounds like: Soulwax, Crookers, Switch
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Amie Street Interview: Streetlab
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Streetlab is an electronic/rock duo from Brooklyn, NY, who've made a name for themselves with huge c...Streetlab is an electronic/rock duo from Brooklyn, NY, who've made a name for themselves with huge club remixes of classic songs like The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son." More recently, they've done remixes for artists like Hot Chip, Heartsrevolution, and Crystal Castles, and have been stirring up attention around their self-titled debut EP.
RCRD LBL had this to say about the first single, NYSound:
This fidget-disco apocalypse has been blowing out PA fuses across Europe for a while, especially in Italy and England. But maybe the Streetlab guys go to parties I don't go to, parties where serpentine bass quashes and a jagged electro-house stutter have commandeered the sound of the city that never sleeps, killing classic disco with one blast of a supersonic laser gun.
We had a few questions for the guys, and they spared no detail in their answers!
Tell me a little bit about yourselves: who's who, who does what, how'd you find each other?
Coz: I'm the shorter one. We don't have too many strict rules about who does what in the studio. The process is always changing. I do most of the final mixing and polishing - but other than that it's usually all open to attack any instrument or device in the room. In the studio we have every device and station synced to our master computer - so you can essentially walk up to anything and start playing with it. We record everything too so be careful if you're ever over touching things....
Ryan: I would be the tall ginger although right now I am a blondie. Coz and I first met in 6th grade after he moved to the area. We actaully started off brawling like many kids do in sixth grade. It was a crazy year but after it was said and done we were hanging out quite a bit. Musically we started together around late high school/early college. My first memory is sampling washing machines and random stuff around his house. In the studio nowadays we each do a little bit of everything. We are both always creating demos and whatever sounds good we will jam out on together and take it to the next level. We both run Ableton Live in sync and tend to come up with many ideas that way. Ableton has tons of flexiiblity and possibilities. When we do remixes most of the time all the crazy sounds are actaully a part of the original tweaked out in Ableton Live or Reason. Usually I am using the MicroKorg, VSTi's or Reason to get some really distant sounding textures or crazy sounds. Every song is different but once we get everything close Coz will pull out his mixing skills and make sure everything is finalized and sounding awesome.
Where/when did you start making music, and what spurred the name Streetlab?
Coz: I started making music as far back as I can remember. My Father was in a band when I was growing up so it was always around me. Plus I was sort of raised on MTV in the '80s - I don't think I watched many cartoons. So it's always been around...I used to watch MTV and follow the melodies with my little Casio keyboard. I also remember using the built in mic to 'sample' a song off the tv speaker, and then play it back on all the keys. Man I was sampling at 8!
Ryan: I started with an old piano and later a ghetto drum set and bass guitar in my basement. Coz and I started making stuff around 1999 but back then it was more Rock/Industrial. Streetlab started around 2001 when we were in college and sharing an apartment. Picking a name was a long process in which numerous names were written on notebooks and passed around. Eventually we decided that Streetlab sounded the best and everyone seemed to like it so we went with that. Sorry wish we had a crazier story for that one.
How would you describe the "New York Sound"?
Coz: Funny question. There was never a conscious thought to have a song describing a 'sound' or trying to define it. To me, the 'sound' of the song in which it speaks is more in the lyrics and the meaning behind them. The 'sound' is the way we live here in NYC - what is all around us everyday. The norms, the way live here, what they think about....
Ryan: A supernatural experience.
What do you guys do when not playing music?
Coz: HA! I ask myself this question all the time. But I can never answer it, so I always resort back to playing music. I've been very much a music whore for the past year or so. If I'm not in the studio I'm probably out at a show or party...serious.
Ryan: We are involved in music every weekend. There is always something we can be working on. If not I try to get outside and explore brooklyn, go out to eat, go to some bars and parties, play the Wii, do some pilates or yoga and converse about the future and current state of things.
I hear a bit of Dead or Alive in your tracks (especially NY Sound)…is that intentional? Who and what are your biggest influences?
Coz: Who is Dead or Alive?! (Googling.....) I'll get back to you...
Ryan: Well I have to honestly admit I have never listened to Dead or Alive so it was definitely not intentional. Biggest influences would be The Chemical Brothers and NIN. Hearing Dig Your Own Hole for the first time is something I will never forget. It shocked my brain and opened up many other doors of influences. Before I heard that I really only listened to Rock/Alternative music.
What's your favorite of your songs so far? Why?
Coz: One of my favorites has got to be What Is It For? (feat. Dawnie Love). Main reason being the lyrics and meaning to the song. They are spot on for me. Also, a more techy reason being its probably the 'oldest' song on the EP. Meaning it was around and in development before the rest. And from where we come from - the longer a song is around, the more likely you are going to kill it. So I love that this song came together...
Ryan: Hmmm that's a tough one. After hearing them all so many times its hard to pick a favorite. My favorites right now are probably songs that are in the works but off of the USB EP we just released I would have to say Supernatural and NYSound . "Supernatural" because of the journey that song has been on since we started it about 5 years ago and because it gets my blood pumping. "NYSound" because of the evolution of the track and it finally coming to fruition was rewarding. Also the recording process of the vocals was a supernatural experience....
How is life on the road treating you? Any tales to tell?
Coz: Nothing too out of the norm yet. Blowing venue speakers, hitting 'STOP' buttons by accident, people requesting songs thinking we are DJing...ya know the usual stuff.
Ryan: So far so good. No crazy tales yet but I am sure there will be some in the future.
What do you see for yourselves in the future, and what do you NOT want to become?
Coz: FAME. $$$. HOT CARS & HOT CHICKS. But I don't want to become greedy....
Ryan: Hopefully if everything works out we will be playing shows around the globe and producing our own music and others. Ideally it would be nice to have the economic freedom to explore all of our artistic directions. I also envision some crazy studio either isolated in the woods or out in Cali where we can escape and make music.
I do not want to become a mindless zombie who works for the man, waits for the weekend and has no direction or passion. I do not want to be taken advantage of by someone's economic dreams and I never want to base my life around a 9-5 lifestyle. I guess that sums it up.......
supersonic
