Gutter Brothers

Origin: None

Since forming in October of last year, the LA-based Gutter Brothers have been making waves in the Trap scene with their unique spin on the exploding genre. Minimal drops with catchy chopped vocals and high energy builds are a staple of the Gutter Brothers’ sound. A steady flow of new original mixes and bass heavy remixes along with banging DJ sets have helped the Gutter Brothers attract a loyal following in Los Angeles, a central hub for the EDM Trap movement. The group has been receiving support from blogs and local artists, and has many major releases scheduled for the coming months.

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Val: Music is the way I connect with others. Through conversation I have related with a good amount of people, but with music I have connected with more people than I could imagine. At this point I just want to have fun and make music that makes people let go. Colin: For me, it’s about the energy of the music, no matter what the genre. I have always been drawn to big, bold music with an aggressive edge, and what we are doing now isn’t any different.

 

Interview

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Home Town: Washington, DC/Virginia
Currently Living: Los Angeles, CA
Origin Of Name: We were game testers on the video game Borderlands 2 and while we were at work thinking of names we heard the name “Gutter Brothers” in the game. We joked about naming ourselves that but then it just stuck because we couldn’t get it out of our minds. Also we like to make “gutter” music so it just fit.
Weapon of Choice: 808s
Source of Power: Free thinking, open-minded people

Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process for your Discovery Project entry that made you feel like you were creating something pretty damn special?
Val: We did what we always do and tried to make the craziest song we could make. As for the mix we just used songs that we would want to hear if we were at a festival. We felt we put together something people would feel and there are two of us, which means more ears on a song and mix.
Colin: While we were recording the mix, I felt like it would really resonate with the festival-going audience, and it was special for us because it was the first mix of ours that we had recorded with that audience in mind.

What do your parents think of what you are doing?
V: My mom has supported me from day one. She knew I was going to spend all my time making music and she was cool with that.
Colin: My parents have been incredibly supportive of my career choices, and they are both big Gutter Brothers fans.

What’s the strangest part of your job?
V: How many times I’ve seen ladies upside down on stage.
C: Haha, yeah. I have to shake my head at the amazing opportunities that we have been given in the short time that we have been making music together, Discovery Project being one of the biggest.

What’s the biggest misconception about being a DJ?
V: That we are broke as shit. People think we all have a lot of money but they don’t know we gotta sell kidneys for DJ gear.

How does what you do for a living affect you on a day-to-day basis?
C: Well, we both work at Infinity Ward during the day, so luckily what we do for a living is work on video games. Between our day jobs and our music careers, it can sometimes leave less time for our home lives, but we love what we do.

What is your ultimate career dream?
V: To be the biggest artists on the planet…basically we want the entire world in bandanas when we’re done.

Are you impulsive with your work or do you have a sketch in mind before you start?
V: 100% impulse. I don’t even try to make sense with my music; I just let the feeling take over. It might cause me to end up making songs with baby rattles, whistles, and samples from McDonalds commercials but that is what it’s all about.

How, if at all, does listening to music figure into your creative process?
V: Music influences me but I try to let other artists do “them” and make sure we keep it Gutter. I hear these guys coming out with these dope tracks and then I have to go and try to make something hotter than that. I do hear new sub genres of dance music pop up and as an artist I can’t help but to try to make a song in the genre—it’s just a creative challenge.

What’s the most important piece of gear in your studio and why?
V: My neighbors. I can tell when songs are club ready when our neighbors start banging on the ceiling.
C: The Novation Launchpad. We use it a ton while producing and performing, it is versatile and reliable, and the ladies love LEDs.

How important is it for you to experiment and take on the risk of failure?
V: The only failure would be making music you don’t feel to please other people. Other than that I don’t see any other way to make music. I would sample turkey farts if I felt like it would make a bangin’ song.

Do you have a list of people you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
V: The list would be too long but the perfect collaboration for me would be Gutter Brothers x Diplo featuring Ellie Goulding x M.I.A. Diplo just knows what makes people jerk and twerk. I swear he is magic. That dude could start riots with booty songs. Ellie Goulding has a perfect voice and M.I.A. is just the shit, hands down.

If we pressed Shuffle on your iPod while you went to the bathroom, what would you be embarrassed to come back to us listening to?
V: Tila Tequila. She is one of the top five lyricists in the world, though, so maybe I shouldn’t be ashamed.

What sound or noise do you love?
V: Lasers and bass. It’s like the bed and breakfast of the music world in my opinion.
C: I’m a sucker for boomy 808 kicks and chopped vocals.

What should everyone just shut the fuck up about?
V: I think everyone should just shut the fuck up.

What gets you excited when you think about the future of electronic music and club culture?
V: I like that 808s and downtempo music are part of the scene now. It’s been such a staple to my production over the years and I’m glad I finally get a chance to do that on a larger level.
C: The fact that EDM is being integrated with hip-hop on a large scale and gaining popularity with the masses, both in the US and overseas, is really cool.

What worries you about the future of electronic dance music?
V: It worries me the level of success EDM has achieved in the past few years will lead to more and more people who don’t care about music coming in and sucking it dry. I’m sure those types are already in it but they haven’t ruined the vibe yet. The same suits that ruined music with big labels are going to see money here and try to take it. Fuck those guys.

What are your weaknesses?
V: Answering questions about my weaknesses.

How would you describe your sound to a deaf person?
V: I wouldn’t have to, Deaf people love bass and we use a lot it.

What do you remember about your first DJ gig?
V: We had to win a contest to DJ our first gig and it just happened to be hillbilly themed. Of course it was a smoky bar with stripper poles on stage. They had a pole dance/ass shaking competition but it sounds better than it actually was. Your parents lie ladies—not every girl was made to be half naked upside down on a pole.
C: Haha. One of the dancers was also a DJ, and she was pretty damn impressive, spinning vinyl and working the pole without missing a beat.

What’s the hardest professional lesson you’ve learned thus far?
V: I think seeing how long it takes to get to where you want to go in music can be frustrating. As an artist you want the entire world to hear what you’ve made and it’s hard making song after song without getting the recognition. But I learned over time that if you just keep making what you feel eventually the people will come.
C: That some friends are not necessarily good partners in business. And not everyone wants to make it by working hard.

Tell me about your most memorable night out.
V: I have to say that Beyond Wonderland is still my most memorable moment. I wasn’t expecting to get the crowd we did and that is what I had been working towards for so long.

What advice would you offer someone thinking about entering the Discovery Project competition?
Make sure not to slack on your mixes. Song entries are obviously important but the mix is a preview to what you would bring to the stage and that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Winning Track:

 

Winning Mix:

 

Bonus:
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