INTERVIEW: Loud Luxury

By Grace Lauson

WTBU journalist Grace Lauson chatted with Loud Luxury which consists of two very talented DJs, Joe Depace and Andrew Fedyk.

Grace Lauson: I know you guys must be pretty busy and this may be a difficult question, but can you walk me through what an average day in your life is like?

Joe Depace: Well basically, we wake up, and depending on how late we go to sleep, we usually find a gym. If we are in a new city, we will go check out whatever is local. For example, one day we went to the Grand Canyon. Then, we will usually just chill out before the show. Then, we play the show. Afterward, if we don’t have an after-party, we will go to sleep and do it all over again. 

GL: Do you enjoy the process of constantly being busy or does it get overwhelming?

JD: It beats going to airports that’s for sure. 

Andrew Fedyk: and, not to mention the fact that we are both very ADHD, so having stuff to constantly do and being on the go everyday is definitely exciting for us. 

GL: I know you two met in University but how did you first become friends?

JD: We met because I was the president of the DJ club at my school and Andrew actually came to the first meeting. 

GL: Were you two immediately friends after that first encounter?

AF: Yeah, of course! We have the same taste in music and felt the same about a lot of things. It was an instant connection for sure. 

GL: Do you prefer touring or making music?

JD: Both go hand-in-hand. If we weren’t touring, we would be at home having a different routine. It goes hand in hand honestly. 

GL: I know you have played some festivals in the past. Do you prefer playing your own shows or festivals more?

AF: I think you need all of it. They both satisfy different things. I really like playing a small room sometimes because everyone knows the music but it’s also great playing a big festival where you have a chance to make new fans. Both are really important. 

JD: For instance, we have been doing festivals all over American and there have been numerous show where people have told us they saw us at EDC or Lollapalooza and then said they of course wanted to buy tickets to our individual shows. 

GL: So with that, do you plan to play more festivals this upcoming year?

AF: Next year we’re definitely going to be doing a lot of festivals. This last year has already been pretty crazy for us but we’re going to try and hit a lot of the big festivals again next year. 

GL: Do you get anxious or nervous before playing shows or is it just excitement at this point? 

JD: There have been moments I remember very vividly, for example, when we played in South America at a festival and there were about 50,000 people there. In moments like that, I’m shocked but for our own shows, we feel very comfortable. 

GL: Can you notice a distinct difference between crowds like if you are playing somewhere in South American versus an American crowd. 

JD: Yeah, definitely! For example, with South America, they don’t get the same access to artists as we do in America. So, when we make it down there, they are very appreciative of that and don’t take it lightly. When we go to festivals down there they party!

GL: So would you say you prefer playing shows internationally?

JD: I prefer just traveling in general cause at the end of the day a huge reason why I’m doing this is also to be able to travel.

AF: There’s definitely no preference for me at all. It’s really not about that. You get a little of international, a little of America, a few festivals, some club shows, and it’s great. Right now, we’re in Chicago eating deep dish pizza but were also probably going to go to the gym later because I know you need balance. 

GL: Do you ever get homesick with all of this travel?

AF: Yeah, of course! I mean I haven’t seen my family in quite some time and that’s a big important part of what we are doing because we are on the road so much. I just have to make sure I have time for myself and my family. 

GL: Is the team of people you work with the same as it has always been or does that change a lot? 

JD: Oh, no. Because this is a bus tour it is a big operation. Probably about 10 people between opening artists, lighting, DJs, etc… Sometimes when we are just playing night clubs you really just need us two and sometimes our tour manager will come. 

GL: Are you close with your team of people?

AF: Very close.

GL: I know this is such a dream come true for you but did you ever thought about doing anything other than music?

JD: In university, I was going to try and be a lawyer but that dream died real quickly. 

GL: Do you have any other hobbies that aren’t musically oriented?

AF: I could be a garbage man. 

JD: I like hiking. 

GL: Do you have any bad habits?

JD:  I have so many bad habits. You want me to expose myself like that? 

AF: Personally, I have a super bad habit on the bus. I leave my toothbrush out. I’m trying to get better at that. I also leaving my clothes all over the place. There’s not a lot of space on the bus. I’m working on it.  And Joe? He doesn’t want to admit that he’s late to a lot of things unless you pull him out of bed. 

GL: Who are your favorite artists currently?

JD:  We would really love to work with Drake. We have been a fan of him for years.

AF: Post Malone too. I love what he’s doing. We take a lot of inspiration from other genres and try to apply it to dance music. 

GL: What is the process of making a track from start to finish?

JD: It’s different every time and that’s what makes it exciting. Sometimes you can start with a really good vocal idea and then it’s just the producers and all of us bringing together ideas until we can make a song. It’s a collaboration of people. 

GL:  Do you ever get stuck?

JD: “Body” took almost a year to make. Sometimes it takes a week or two and sometimes it takes a year but if you care about the song a lot, you want to see it through.  A song taking a lot of time is not as much of a reflection of struggling with it as it is you caring so much about the song and wanting to get it right. 

GL: When you release a song can you ever estimate how much success it’s going to have?

AF: Not at all. There is absolutely no way to tell. You can feel good about a song but there is no way to know if it’s going to be a hit. When we released “Body”, we said we were going to be happy if we got a million streams on it. 

GL: I know you are touring for the few weeks or so but what’s next for you? What do we have to look forward to?

JD: Yeah, we still have a lot of dates left on the tour so we encourage anyone out here listening to please come to the show. We make a point to hang out after every single show. We take pictures, meet people, and say hi. For us, that the priority right now is to just go everywhere on this tour and meet as many people as possible. 

Loud Luxury is currently on tour. Tickets can be purchased here.