i:Vibes put some questions to the talented and versatile DJ/producer Ross Lara, one half of the new SECTR24project...
Ross Lara is a musician/producer and DJ and lives on the outskirts of Washington DC in the Tyson’s Corner area and is the fifth child of a "his, mine, ours" family. When he was a young lad in Colorado, he met his neighbour over the Internet who introduced him to electronic dance music and the art of DJ'ing. It became an immediate fixation in his life and he spent every spare moment educating himself about the music and culture.
Fast forward a few years and he met his mentor and good friend, Todd Wright. He opened his eyes to the world of song writing and home recording... a whole new approach to music for him. He was stuck on the fact that spinning records would be his one and only, but when he demonstrated the process, the thought was gone! Soon after, he started vocal and piano lessons with Grammy and DUB winner, Marty McCall. His teachings and spiritual influences helped him progress further into music and augmented a much better understanding as well.
On February 24th 2006, his best friend and music partner passed away in a car accident. He remixed two songs; ‘Satellite’ by Oceanlab and ‘Force Of Gravity’ by BT in memory of him. They gained international recognition, not only by the original artists but tens of thousands all over the world. He met his very good friend and song writing partner, Nate Wolfberg through his accident... ever since, they have been producing uplifting, organic hip hop music under the alias Wolfberg ‘n' Company. He also collaborates with seasoned professionals in the pop/rock, dance, and hip-hop world, complimenting his electronic sound with theirs :)
Summer of 2006, he signed with BLURi - a record label, magazine, and showcasing company. He came on as an “emerging artist and producer” and has been spotlighted by them to this day. They helped him put his music in the hands of over 100,000 listeners and the feedback has been very rewarding. You can check out the spotlight by going to www.bluri.com - interviews.
On the flip side of his music production, he has had the opportunity to DJ up and down the East coast and beyond. He has had the pleasure of opening for Barack Obama at his official campaign party at H20 Nightclub in Washington DC and worked with the National Wildlife Federation “Turn The Tables” campaign. They are unique events using the sound of international DJs to help raise awareness for global warming. He played with producer and DJ Delphi at the parties, opening for artists such as BT, John B, Jody from Way Out West, and Graffiti. Delphi and he also opened for Paul van Dyk and James Zabiela for Buzzlife Productions. The future looks very promising for him and i:Vibes.nu had the chance to chat with the guy from Washington D.C.
i:Vibes: Hi Ross, thanks for talking to i:Vibes.nu. You’re living in Washington D.C and had the pleasure of DJing at the official campaign party for Barack Obama. Now the election is over. How have you been experiencing the last days in Washington D.C?
Ross Lara: Thank you very much for having me Miles, it is a privilege to be interviewed in the i:Vibes community, which I have been following for years now. The past month, I have relocated to Orlando, FL where I am attending Full Sail University for a Recording Art’s degree. Although, the last couple months were quite memorable in DC because I released and performed my first CD release, “Beats & Cookies.”
i:Vibes: What was it like playing at this unique event? Were you able to meet the new President Elect of the United States? Were you able to make good contacts there?
Ross Lara: The event was a tremendous honour to play and I had a blast doing so. The campaign asked me to mix in Obama’s speeches with dance music; Ableton Live made this extremely easy to do in real time. I wasn’t able to meet the new President Elect, but I met his secret service escorts when they were standing in the DJ booth with me!
i:Vibes: When you were young growing up in Colorado, you were introduced to EDM. What made this music so appealing to you?
Ross Lara: I was introduced to records from Transa and classic records from producers like Paul van Dyk. It grabbed me because it sounded experimental and unpredictable; something totally different than the Top 40 I was listening to at the time.
i:Vibes: Who were your early musical inspirations and why?
Ross Lara: When I got into DJ’ing, Paul Oakenfold was at the peak of his career. I idolized him. My neighbour, Parker Downs, is the one responsible for showing me electronic music, so he was significant inspiration as well.
i:Vibes: How was your mentor Todd Wright able to give you a special feeling for writing music?
Ross Lara: Todd is an excellent musician and songwriter and his enthusiasm for making music is infectious. I was really into DJing and the technical side of things; he introduced Pro Tools and I discovered it was something I wanted to learn. He also played me a song on the keyboard that influenced me %100 to study music.
i:Vibes: You were able to get training in vocal and piano training with Grammy winner Marti McCall (Vocalist on 1981 Chris Cross album featuring hits ‘Sailing’ and ‘Ride Like The Wind’) How did you meet Marti McCall and get to have this working relationship?
Ross Lara: Marty is the musical director at the church my family had been going to for years. It was my mom who established the connection and introduced me to Marty. I value his lessons a lot, he also inspired a more natural, spiritual approach to writing music for me.
i:Vibes: What was the most important thing that you learned from Marti McCall?
Ross Lara: He was primarily a vocal coach for me, so I learned a lot about harmony and vocal arranging. When he was teaching me, I only produced instrumentals, but today, just about every song I do has someone performing over it.
i:Vibes: In 2006, your good friend passed away and as a tribute you gave the classic Oceanlab track ‘Satellite’ a new touch, which gained international recognition. How different was it producing song under the circumstances than it was for other tracks? How difficult was it making this remix?
Ross Lara: My friend Will loved ‘Satellite’ and our friend Robin Hillaert sang it at his funeral. I thought remixing it, featuring Will’s friends would be timeless and I feel like it turned out that way. Half way through the production process, Robin and I felt like something was missing. She thought a rap verse would be a great solution, so her friend Nathan Wolfberg flowed over the music and put the most unique twist to the song. The hardest but most rewarding feeling behind this song was performing it live. It was tough emotionally, but the reward was unforgettable.
i:Vibes: You recently met Above & Beyond, who were very touched by your ‘Satellite’ remix. What will you always remember from this meeting with Tony?
Ross Lara: Tony told me he and the other guys were extremely moved by my work and praised the others and I for being a great friend to Will. The whole experience meeting Tony will be remembered forever.
i:Vibes: Through the tragic death of your friend, you were able to meet your new partner Nate Wolfberg. You started the Wolfberg ‘n’ Company. What makes your partnership and friendship so unique?
Ross Lara: Wolfberg ‘n’ Company is a hip-hop project Nate and I do together. Musically, I approached it with an uplifting, organic approach. I feel like a lot of hip-hop today is not very musical, so I made it a point to write a lot of piano arrangements. Nate rapped about life experiences and the spiritual influence in his life. The songs are awesome and deliver great messages… we are both really proud of our work together.
i:Vibes: In the summer of 2006, you signed with BLURi - a record label, magazine, and showcasing company. How much has BLURi helped you further your career?
Ross Lara: BLURi helped get my music in the hands of over 100,000 listeners in less than six months. Primarily they showcased me as an ‘emerging producer’ on their website and promoted my events too. Because of BLURi, Nate and I accumulated a lot of fans that enjoyed our music.
i:Vibes: You also have worked with the National Wildlife Federation with the “Turn The Tables” campaign. How important is wildlife and why do you support this?
Ross Lara: I used to be an avid ski bum in Colorado, so I fell in love with wildlife there. And just like the Obama campaign, I believe in using music to raise awareness for a good cause. Grizzly bears are a personal favourite of mine as well; it feels good to give them a little extra help by spinning tunes for people who donate time and money to a relief fund for them.
i:Vibes: How would you describe the Ross Lara sound?
Ross Lara: A fusion of electronica, pop, and acoustic. And I think “releasing” would be an appropriate word to describe my sound too. From the ‘Satellite’ remix that healed grief to my upbeat dance songs, I feel like my sound has uplifting attributes for many different moods.
i:Vibes: What are you more, a DJ or a producer?
Ross Lara: Three years ago, definitely a DJ. Today, I enjoy producing a lot more. I have slowly been migrating from DJing and focusing on writing music. I DJ here and there, but I like to call my performances ‘live remix sets’ because of my use with Ableton and playing the keyboard.
i:Vibes: ‘Loves It’ is a very beautiful instrumental. What was your inspiration behind this track?
Ross Lara: For my album ‘Beats & Cookies’, I wanted to write a melodic opener. My girlfriend was in the other room over hearing the different melodies I was writing and then was like “I LIKE THAT ONE!”, I improvised more, recorded my “na-na-na” vocals and a beat box line and it became one of my most proud pieces. The name ‘Loves It’ however, is top secret!
i:Vibes: ‘Say Goodbye’ is also a sweet track that is very radio friendly. The vocal fits perfectly. Was this a difficult track to produce? What was the toughest thing you had to get right to get this track perfect?
Ross Lara: This song was the hardest to produce because I was writing for Interscope artist Jordyn Taylor under a very short time frame. I invited my cousin Stephen to co-write the song and Nate Wolfberg and Todd Wright pitched in on the lyrics. When I sent the A&R the song, he said, “There are no vocals.” At the time, Todd was collaborating with an up and coming singer Chelsea Lee. I asked her to perform the vocal demo and it turned out better than I ever thought. The Interscope gig fell through, so it became a single for my ‘Beats & Cookies’ CD.
i:Vibes: You recently started the project SECTR 24 with your cousin Stephen Coleman. An EP is about to be released. What can we expect from this EP?
Ross Lara: When you listen to our EP, you are going to experience a wide variety of genres and sounds enclosed in five songs. We’re finishing the last couple songs now and we can’t wait to put this out. Buckle up!
i:Vibes: What makes SECTR 24 was unique as project?
Ross Lara: The unique edge I feel Stephen and I have is the great combination of melody, harmony, and technology behind every production. I think our music would be great in films too.
i:Vibes: Stephen lives in Iowa and you in Washington D.C. How difficult is it producing music and what exactly is your role with this project?
Ross Lara: I think he and I would both agree that it is not that difficult to make music over long distances. The Internet is the most important tool for us to send ideas back and forth. I can only imagine the magic we would create if we sat in the studio together; I hope to do that very soon! We share equal roles… typically Stephen will come up with a melody or loop idea and send it over. I’ll add compatible melodies and write the bass lines. We’ll send session files back and fourth until we have the fundamentals all written out. From there, I mix and engineer in Logic Pro.
i:Vibes: You’re also a DJ. What is the most important thing for you as a DJ?
Ross Lara: When you watch me play, I am sober as a judge but you’ll scratch your head wondering what I’m on. One of the most important things to me is to interact with the crowd and relate with what they are moving too. I dance a lot and burn a bunch of calories while I’m at it. Also, it is very important to know your music so it creates cool remix ideas on the fly.
i:Vibes: You have opened up for many well-known DJs like Paul van Dyk, Way Out West and BT. What things have you been able to learn from guys like them when they are spinning?
Ross Lara: Paul van Dyk, James Zabiela and BT use Ableton when they perform. And surprisingly, those are the three DJ’s who inspired me to switch to a digital platform. I always learn something watching them utilize the software.
Did BT ever hear his ‘Force Of Gravity’ remix you did? If yes what did he think of it and could he give you advice?
Ross Lara: Yes, he did hear it. I hung out with him a few times and loved it. Just like Tony from Above & Beyond, he thought it was a very fitting tribute for my friend who passed away. He also loved the guitar work I added in.
i:Vibes: What could we expect from a three-hour DJ set from you?
Ross Lara: I love starting off with an ambient opener and build from there. Progressive house, minimal, and dirty bass lines which make people want to grind! I love throwing in some trance too…. But keep an ear out for sampled speeches of Martin Luther King and keyboard improvs!
i:Vibes: What has been your weirdest experience as a DJ so far?
Ross Lara: The first gig I had using Ableton, I was on stage with a packed dance floor. The opening DJ was wrapping up his set… I hooked up my gear and then pressed the power button for my laptop… BLANK screen. My laptop didn’t turn on. I took out the battery… no luck. Finally, I reset the P-RAM in the DJ booth, and then it worked! Oh man, I was so nervous it was going to geek out on me any time. Fortunately, that was the only time something like that happened.
i:Vibes: Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
Ross Lara: Writing all kinds of music for film and electronic projects with my cousin Stephen. Maybe a part time gig with Apple Computer and a Grammy in my living room.
i:Vibes: What are your five all-time favourite tracks?
Ross Lara: 1. BT – Animals 2. Sarah Brightman & Andre Bocceli – Time to Say Goodbye 3. Paul van Dyk – Forbidden Fruit 4. Getaway Car – Long Night 5. Starkid – Crayons (Leama & Moor Loving Memory Mix)
i:Vibes: How is the EDM music scene in Washington? Do you know other artists from there like Majai for example and how is your relationship with them?
Ross Lara: I think the scene is great. GLOW @ Ibiza is a great party and LJ MTX who helps run District Ignition runs Metronix Recordings who I am signed with. I have played with Majai at FUR a handful of time. They are extremely talented. I have been very lucky to meet so many artist and Dj’s in the scene and it is flooding with talent and natural gifts.
i:Vibes: What are your hobbies?
Ross Lara: I love skiing and snowmobiling. I also enjoy cooking, a little poker action, and studying economics.
i:Vibes: If you could play one last track in a DJ set what would you play?
Ross Lara: Oh man, that is such a hard question. The FIRST song that came into my head was ‘Killa’ by Way Out West – but there are so many!
i:Vibes: Thanks Ross for the chat and all the best in future!!!!!!
Ross Lara: Thank you so much Miles! Keep in touch!
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