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 i:Vibes interviews this unique and talented American duo, cousins Stephen Coleman and Ross Lara...
SECTR24 is an electronic dance duo who create and perform emotional dance music. Consisting of two cousins, Ross Lara and Stephen Coleman, they began their passion for music at the tender age of 12. It became an immediate fixation in their lives and spent every spare moment educating themselves about the music and culture.
Jump ahead seven years and their careers in music are blossoming. Ross’ trade in DJing and music production have started to flourish, remixing Oceanlab’s ‘Satellite’, in memory of his best friend, gaining him international praise and recognition. Ross introduced his vigorous DJ sets to the Washington DC area, capturing crowds by the thousands with his unique remix sets and opening for DJs like Paul van Dyk and BT.
A thousand miles away, Stephen’s creative song writing skills are nothing short of a prodigy. He writes memorable melodies and fuses them with cutting edge technology. His interest in trance and other electronic styles have helped mould him into his solo project, Elycion.
Today, Ross and Steven are working hard, putting together their first EP which is due for release very soon. Not only do they concentrate on SECTR24, but collaborate with seasoned professionals in the world of pop and dance music as well. They have had the distinct pleasure to write songs for Interscope recording artist, Jordyn Taylor, and up and coming singer/songwriter, Chelsea Lee. With their record labels including Future State Records, Metronix and BLURi, they have a bright future ahead of them...
i:Vibes: Hi guys, thanks for taking some time to talk to i:Vibes.nu. It is not so common that two cousins are in a band making music. How did you guys decide to come together and start making music?
Ross: Thank you again Miles for having us here, it is a pleasure. I felt like it made sense… a long time ago we worked very lightly together and the chemistry felt perfect. I would be able to take an idea Stephen was having a problem with and bring it to light and vice/versa. We really do have true chemistry!
Stephen: Well as Ross said, I always dreamed it would be awesome to work with my cousin on music since I was a little kid. It finally came true! I remember I used to just send him samples of some melodies I had come up with and then we would just build from there.
i:Vibes: Ross is a city boy and Stephen a country boy. How does that influence your music?
Ross: I think for me it is the hearing of music on the big club systems. I learn little things about what frequencies need to be changed in my music, things like that. Ultimately, I love nature and the country, so I like to say I share the influence with Stephen.
Stephen: Ah, the good ol’ country! Well mainly the many varieties of music that I listen to motivate me to try new things. But the place in which I live in gives me a sense of calmness to my music.
i:Vibes: Why do you name yourselves Sectr24? Is there a special meaning behind this name?
Ross: Stephen came up with the name… it’s perfect, HAHA.
S – Sine
E - Edward (Steven and I’s first name)
C – Cosine
T – Tangent
R – Ross
24 – Will Foreman’s memorial date (best friend of Ross)
i:Vibes: How would you describe the Sectr24 sound?
Stephen: Ooooo! Well our sound is surely developing as we create more tunes, but I’ve noticed that we have a calming, yet powerful presence in our music. It relaxes the soul yet brings the inner raw passion out of all of us.
i:Vibes: Who were your early musical inspirations growing up?
Ross: I got into electronic music when Paul Oakenfold was in his prime. I thought Perfecto Records was the coolest thing ever. BT has been my main influence for as long as I can remember now… Astronomy too!
Stephen: Ross actually got me into the electronic music scene to be honest. His love for it brought me to love the emotions that many producers put into it.
i:Vibes: What was the first record that you guys bought?
Ross: Alice Deejay – Who Needs Guitars Anyway
Stephen: Ouch, this is a toughy! I’m pretty sure it was Heaven by DJ Sammy! Ahah!
i:Vibes: What was the deciding moment where you guys knew that music would play a big part in your lives?
Ross: My friend Will and I would DJ and make music all the time. It was our habit, an addiction and I realized music would have a special place in my life.
Stephen: The days when I used to make loop songs in Garageband led me to know that music would be a huge part in my life. Playing piano in front of people when I was a wee little lad influenced me too.
i:Vibes: There seems to be ambient influences in the Sectr24 sound that also are very typical of the Stephen sound. What influences are coming from Ross?
Ross: I love making the music sound bigger than life. I love integrating big, live drums and harmonizing a lot. I would say it’s an equal balance though… this is another reason why we love working together because our brain waves are symmetrical.
Stephen: Couldn’t say it much better then Ross on this one! Brain waves = Exact.
i:Vibes: Ross Lara is in Washington DC and Stephen Coleman in Iowa. How difficult is it producing music when you are never together in the studio?
Ross: It’s not that hard to be honest, because the Internet has acted as an ideal communication line. We use servers to transfer sessions and files back and forth, not to mention we talk almost every day on the phone about ideas.
Stephen: Well basically as Ross said the phone and the Internet basically solve the whole difficulty problem. I would love to sit down and just produce music in person for a weekend though. We could make so many amazing tracks.
i:Vibes: Ross is an up & coming DJ in Washington DC and Stephen and up and coming producer. How do your roles differ when making music?
Ross: We share a lot of the same roles. Typically, Stephen will come up with a great melody, send it to me, and I will add compatible melodies, percussion, etc. I send it back to him, he adds more magic and then it will end up in my studio where I will finish the song.
Stephen: Well I usually have so much time on my hands that I just sit down and make music for hours at a time. I’ve noticed that I sometimes stop in the middle of a track just to play a melody totally off track from the song I’m working on. Usually I send it to Ross and we go from there.
i:Vibes: Your music is very mellow. What inspirations have you gotten recently that has helped you write new songs?
Stephen: Everything inspires us. From the sun rising, to the stars gleaming, and even the water dripping out of a faucet has inspired some musical thoughts. We use the world around us to our advantage!
i:Vibes: What do you guys respect the most from each other?
Ross: Stephen is beyond his years in every shape and form. I brag about my cousin who is a prodigy to everyone. And of course, we’re family so I look forward to hanging with him over the holidays, haha!
Stephen: Plain and simple, my cousin is my major role model. I love everything about him and he is the best cousin I could ever ask for! :)
i:Vibes: When exactly is the new EP being released and what can we await from it?
Ross: We don’t have an exact date yet, but I think we’re aiming for January. It will be about six songs, ranging from ambient, symphonic sounds to nasty basslines in the proggy tracks.
i:Vibes: ‘Dynamic Eclipse’ is a very beautiful instrumental. What was the inspiration behind this track?
Ross: Stephen sent me the idea for this song and it sat in my head for a couple of weeks until I started working on it. I wrote the piano melody for it and added some big sounding drums and it shaped its way into the second song we had done together. I also featured it on my ‘Beats and Cookies’ album too!
Stephen: Well I remember I was going through some hard times, like usual haha, and I started messing around with a new jazzy type sound. Putting the guitars and Latin style percussion together was a challenge. Thinking about it, the two genres don’t really mix that well. I found some pan flute sounds that worked perfectly and sent it to Ross to see what he thought. We came up with this amazing track!
i:Vibes: ‘Say Goodbye’ is another tear jerker of a track. The melody is very nice. Does the title of the track have more of a background meaning?
Ross: Not really… I had two other people help me with the lyrics and the mutual approach we had was an uplifting goodbye. I feel like we accomplished that very well with the upbeat music and rhythm.
i:Vibes: ‘Mercury Haze’ has another beautiful start but towards the end has some proggy elements. This makes the track very unique. Are you guys just about melodies and feelings or could we see more proggy sounds in the future?
Stephen: Actually, big things are coming with some of the electro, proggy sounds so stay tuned!
i:Vibes: ‘Golden Heart Symphony’ stays true to its name. This is a powerful instrumental that gets the listener involved in a sound landscape. How difficult is it producing music like this? This track sounds so perfect, but probably took time bleeding to get it right!
Ross: This was a song which was time consuming to compose. On top of that, it took a lot of time to reference and mix it properly.
Stephen: I remember making this in memory of Will. I was so sad for Ross, his family, and Will’s family that I broke down. Making the melody for this song was my only way to say I have the utmost respect for them all and that I love them all. It really did come deep from the heart. This is passion at its deepest roots.
i:Vibes: What was the inspiration behind ‘Golden Heart Symphony’?
Ross: The song was written in memory of a close friend, Will Foreman. Stephen came up with the most beautiful melody and was like, “Dude, I need help!”. I added a bunch of stuff including the BIG booming explosions and glockenspiel. I was really inspired by Will, Stephen, and Christina my girlfriend. Definitely one of our best songs, we are producing more music which sounds like this.
Stephen: As I said before, I dug everything out of me. I cried when I played it. Will was right there telling me what notes to play.
i:Vibes: What is your guys most prized possession in your studio?
Ross: My piano… it is the fundamental tool for writing music and it’s like home for my fingers, haha. But my main tool is Logic Pro…
Stephen: My keyboard and Reason are huge building blocks for my studio. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to do anything I do.
i:Vibes: Do you guys think about using more instruments in the future for tracks?
Stephen: We tend to use a lot of random stuff in our music, from guitars, to trumpets, pianos and synths. But we always are willing to try new sounds to spark different types of inspiration.
i:Vibes: Do you guys think about using vocals in tracks? What is your opinion about making vocal tracks? Sometimes you can bring out enough emotion without using an angelic voice!
Stephen: Wow, thanks Miles! We both love vocal tracks very much, ‘Say Goodbye’ is one of the best we have ever made. The melodies we make though tend to say enough in our music, almost like the angelic voice of a Siren. It hooks you, leads you in, and hands you the passions of life. We probably will do some vocal tracks in the future though! So, stay tuned! :)
i:Vibes: What are your goals for 2009?
Stephen: Releasing our EP in January, building a steady fan base, and letting things go from there!
i:Vibes: What American artists do you respect?
Ross: There are so many talented and gifted artist out there, but at the top of my list are BT and film composers Mark Isham and James Horner.
Stephen: Idiot Pilot, Atmosphere, Sky Eats Airplane, and Eminem have my respect. They have broke so many boundaries in the music business and for that I give them a round of applause.
i:Vibes: With what producer would you like to be locked away with for 24 hours?
Ross: This is a no brainer, Stephen!!! We still haven’t sat in the same room together…
Stephen: Ross for sure!!! Can’t wait to sit in the studio and make some bangin’ tracks!
i:Vibes: What are you guys five favourite current tracks?
Stephen: My favourite tracks at the moment -
5. ‘Don’t Cry Out’ by Shiny Toy Guns
4. ‘Easier Than This’ by Ra
3. ‘Trying To Find A Balance’ by Atmosphere
2. ‘Dismantle.Repair.’ by Anberlin
1. ‘Hit The Floor’ by Linkin Park
i:Vibes: What are your five all time favourite tracks?
Ross:
‘Animal’s’ by BT
‘Forbidden Fruit’ by Paul van Dyk
‘Long Night’ by Getaway Car
‘Crayons’ by Starkid (Leama and Moor Remix)
‘Time To Say Goodbye’ by Sarah Brightman.
Stephen: Here’s the list:
1. ‘My>Dsmbr’ by Linkin Park
2. ‘A Day In The Life Of A Poolshark’ by Idiot Pilot
3. ‘Every Day Is Exactly The Same’ by Nine Inch Nails
4. ‘In Record Shape’ by Idiot Pilot
5. ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem
i:Vibes: What is a secret about each other that you can say for the interview?
Ross: I remember when we were like 8, Stephen asked me to have a water gun fight with him. I shot him and he started to cry… Haha, Oh man, Stevie, how times have changed! Happens to the best of us… :)
Stephen: Shut it Ross!! Ahah! I remember I was colouring with Ross and my cousin Brooke. I basically told Ross, Brooke was my favourite cousin because she actually wanted to colour with me. Then we started pillow fighting! Ahah, good times! I don’t have a favourite cousin anymore I love them all!
i:Vibes: What three things would you take onto a deserted island?
Ross: Battery powered piano, pesto sauce, and pictures of friends and family.
Stephen: Pictures of my friends and family, paper and pens, and bottles to last me the rest of my life, and food.
i:Vibes: What are your hobbies?
Ross: I love skiing and cooking pasta. Watching movies too!
Stephen: Running, partying with the friends, and painting!
i:Vibes: Thanks for the chat guys and good luck in the future!!!!
Stephen & Ross: Thank you Miles for the opportunity!
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