Warning: This is nuts.
The Denver/Boulder/Ft. Collins triangle of Colorado is home to some of the most colossal and breathtaking mountains in the land. It is also home to one of the most interesting guys I have heard in a long time: Aaron Holstein of VibeSquaD. Holstein’s music isn’t what you typically expect from electronic music. While bringing in the throbbing bass from dubstep, he tosses in some ticking, some whirring, and some meandering synths over a layer of organic percussion to end up with…well, whatever it is he ends up with. With the momentum perpetually shifting in his songs, there is no drop or sequence that defines his tunes — instead, each song has a theme that it returns to again and again with fresh takes on familiar melodies.
Orphan Alien Part 1 is no different – seven songs deep, all of them absolutely nuts. So good, in fact, that I decided to take a few minutes to catch up with Holstein. It took a few tries to get a hold of him, because he was was busy working on his music in his home studio. No wonder his music sounds so good. Don’t forget to grab a free download of his track “Shine” after the jump!
Dastardly: So I’m loving the name VibeSquaD. Where did it come from?
Holstein: I’ve been in bands for 20 years or so, just always playing music. Originally I was playing in a band called Squadzilla, which ended up becoming Zilla after a while. I was left with the ‘Squad’ part when I was back from touring and when I was making music by myself, so I ended up using it in this project.
Dastardly: That’s a much better story than I expected. If you’ve been in bands for so long, do you have like an electronic music hero that you look to or that influenced you a lot?
Holstein: There’s lot’s that I appreciate about music and musicians. Early on, I really liked Tipper and Bill Bless, but that was 10 years ago. There’s lot’s of music in my iPod and I love all of it, so I’d say not really one guy but a lot of people and things that they’ve done that I appreciate.
Dastardly: That’s sweet. You’ve been influenced for a lot of years. How has that influenced your current direction? What is your current musical direction?
Holstein: I just did it as a little kid – I was frustrated finding kids to work with and depend on to further my goals. Just like guys were so unreliable and we had different ideas so I wanted music by myself. It was just more satisfying than with other people. I better got my point across and was in total control. Like I had writer’s block, for the first time in a long time, this winter and this spring I exploded. I did that because of myself. Because of that, the future is untold – I’m always evolving and changing.
Dastardly: That segue’s in perfectly. What have you been up to recently, if not just working on Orphan Alien?
Holstein: Lot’s of travel. I have lot’s of like shows on weekends and stuff and I play a lot of shows on the road. I make music 9-5 every day and spend the rest of the time with my family. You know, hanging out with the kids and stuff. Whenever I’m not traveling I spend time with them as much as possible.
Dastardly: As a college kid, that’s what it’s all about. Trust me. But, concerning the EP, I’m not really sure even what Genre to classify it as. I’m not big on pigeonholing songs into ultra-specific genre’s but your sound is just unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. Tell me about it on like a cerebral level.
Holstein: It’s all about stretching out of my comfort zone. In terms of Genre’s, I feel like they’ve become anti-genre almost. Like most music fans have an eclectic taste and have lots of different songs on their iPod. I don’t want to stay in a boring genre or define myself in one way. I did vocals a lot in this album, all me by the way, and I even messed around with a drum and bass song with some vocals and that slow, chunky sound. I want everyone to feel the breadth and width and how deep they are with melodies. I also played around a lot with synths to get the whispiness of them. This one was really and evolution of where I’m at. I’m planning on releasing Pt II on 11/11/11 – which brings like the unity of the sound.
Dastardly: 11/11/11?! That’s so sweet. That’s a really cool date.
Holstein: Well actually I released an album on 10/10/10 last year and one on 9/9/09 the year before that. It’s a cool thing for me, working with an imposed deadline. I just know I’ll get it done by then. Plus it’s a cool sequence of dates.
Dastardly: That’s really sweet and I never noticed that before. Now, totally unrelated, I’ve never seen you live, but I have looked it up on the internet and done a little research and your shows are out of control. What gives them so much energy and power?
Holstein: I have a whole bunch of love and respect for playing in front of people and for the music. Being the guy who plays it at shows is really awesome. Playing with that perfect level of bass is a true honor for me. It gives me the chills to see people dancing and having fun and knowing that I’m the one doing that for them. I get off on it as much as they do. I love it.
Dastardly: When you’re not playing in shows, what do you do in your free time?
Holstein: I’m into photography, I snowboard in the winter, and I travel a lot – but I like to make it an adventure. I just have lots of opportunities when I tour, because I’m pretty much alone when I’m on tour. Just like finding a cool place to sit down and read. When I’m home I’m totally beat – I don’t really go out or have much of a nightlife when I’m at home. I chill out with my family because I’m all over my place for my job, so I get some good time with them too.
Dastardly: What is the highlight of your musical career? Is there a moment or a show that just tops them all?
Holstein: As I get older there are more and more special moments that shed light on it. I’ve been fortunate with lucky gigs where I played longer or got to play in front of a lot of people or something. Physically it’s hard to say – I don’t want to let down the small show, where the big show might not have been the best show. I love small shows with a lot of energy and awesome crowds, but the big ones are great too. I learn each time. So there’s not just one moment. I played at sunrise at Wakarusa and it was so cool. Literally thousands of people smiling in the sun. It’s all about making people happy though.
Dastardly: What’s your top played song on iTunes?
Holstein: I always get obsessed with a band or an album and listen to it for like three weeks then move on. Like one time I only listened to Frank Zappa, all of his albums, until it drove people crazy. I love a lot of stuff though, and have a lot of it on constant rotation. I love a good album.
Dastardly: So are you an album guy and not really for the ‘hit single’?
Holstein: Well I’m all for music ADD and going all over the place and listening to whatever you want, but it’s just cool when it’s a whole production. Like one song is good, but a whole album of them with 10 on it is even better.
Dastardly: Last Question: What’s your touring schedule like? I’m out east up here in Burlington, VT, so are you ever going to make it out here? I’d love to see you live.
Holstein: I’ve been dying to get out east! I went to Hampshire College about 20 years ago and so I was up in Burlington a lot to see Phish. All my formative music was out east and so I’d love play there. I just signed with new management so they’ll be able to get me shows out there, because I don’t have much of a fan base out east. Expect to see me out there maybe in the winter or early spring.
Grab the rest of his The Orphan Alien EP on Vibesquad’s bandcamp. Just name your price!
