Andrew Devlin sat down with rising NY producer and DJ Anthony Naples before they play Le Bain on Saturday, May 6th.
ANDREW DEVLIN: Your 2013 "FACT" mix soundtracked a lot of rides in my work van. It was also the first mix where I heard Underground Resistance's "Timeline," a track that stays on my USB forever. Do you have any mixes that stuck with you and shaped your style? ANTHONY NAPLES: Hell yeah! I guess it changes a lot. I'd say the Hessle Audio shows on Rinse were pretty pivotal for me in the beginning. A little later on, something like Harvey's "Sarcastic Studies Mix" or I-Fs "Mixed Up in the Hague" were definitely key to opening me up to other sorts of music. Now I just listen to mixes from my friends, a lot of Intergalatic FM, or whatever my girlfriend is playing on NTS. The latest big mixes for me have been what these guys Bahamian Moor have been doing... basically anything on their SoundCloud is amazing. Same with Pipe Down. Also Lena Willikens, and Intergalatic Gary mixes usually trip me out for a while. They are probably my two favorite DJs right now. |
"There's nothing more fun or energizing than playing in a small room with all your friends." –Anthony Naples
My buddy who is a rock climber told me about this idea of "the beta." The beta's basically the scoop on how to climb a certain wall, handed down from an experienced climber to a young buck. Have you picked up any good beta lately? I feel like I'm always picking up good beta because I go out with my friends all the time. I don't know if anyone has told me anything directly lately, but I like to play with volume a lot which is a pretty old-school trick I guess. Often with mixers that have leds that show track volume, there's a tendency to put every track at the same level, usually right below red, and then there's very little dynamic between the songs. My advice: Try to keep everything lower and when you want to create a bigger impact or bring out some more emotion in a song, bring that song up in volume a few more notches and it'll turn heads and people will really hear what you're expressing via the music. You're big in Japan. In my head, Japan is this wild place where everyone is at peace and appreciates records on hi-fi soundsystems and drinks good whiskey. Is this true? Am I? [Laughs.] I do love it there! Big shout to Nippon. Yeah, I mean, I do really love a good hi-fi soundsystem and their attention to detail there is in line with my own partying values for sure. It sounds very good in most places, everyone is respectful of each other, the spaces are warm and inviting, and they are true listeners and dancers. Not as casual as you find in your random club in NYC these days! Looks like you keep yourself busy producing music, playing out, and running Proibito. What do you do in spare time that's totally unrelated to music? |
BIS Radio Show with Anthony Naples
| You're from Florida, but people seem to associate you with NY more than anything. Do you consider yourself a New Yorker? You have to live here for 10 years, I was told. I'm still a couple years off of that unfortunately, but hopefully soon! What did you want to be before you wanted to be a DJ? I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I still would if I was better at school. |
Yeah, I have to agree with Antal on that one, that's definitely the best vibe for me as well. Obviously there's a lot of money tied into festivals and bigger venues, and that's fine once and a while. I like to play all sorts of places, that's definitely what keeps it fun and interesting. But any room where you're floor level with the rest of the party, minimal lighting (maybe just one red bulb), great warm sound, max 200 people or so with no need for security and no mean people, and all dancing, eyes closed with big smiles is probably as close as it gets to perfect for me. There's nothing more fun or energizing than playing in a small room with all your friends.
Saturday, May 6th, Le Bain presents Anthony Naples & Andrew Devlin
The Standard, High Line | 10pm
