Since meeting in high school over a decade ago Coz and Ryan,
a.k.a. Streetlab, have not only re-interpreted classic tracks from rock legends
such as The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, but they also breakdown categorical barriers
with their original productions. "It's all kind of the same if you get
the energy right," explained Coz remembering a Fatboy Slim show he saw
a decade ago where the opening DJ spliced Nirvana samples between two club tracks.
This experience is just one of the catalysts that lead to Streetlab's formation
in 2001, and the live beat manipulating duo's penchant for universal sound hybrids
that accommodate the sonic needs of music fans everywhere. Besides their fashionable
USB flash drive wrist band marketing campaign, Coz and Ryan's most innovative
quality is their belief that the delivery of music is just as important as the
music itself. That philosophy is what allows Streetlab to effectively combine
hard rock's essence with the energy of dance.
What is your opinion of New York's electro scene?
Ryan: There's not many resident NYC acts, LCD Soundsystem is
the number one artist that comes to mind, but we need some type of NYC group
here. We need a whole clan!
We already have a Wu-Tang Clan. Now all we need is
an electro clan. What kind of music were you listening to growing up?
Ryan: Early high school and junior high was a lot or rock music.
A lot of Zeppelin and Beatles. My favorite album by The Beatles is probably
The Magical Mystery Tour.
Coz: We're friends from high school, and we listened to pretty
much the same thing.: very early 90s alternative. Bands like Nirvana, Smashing
Pumpkins, and Pearl Jam.
What kind of music from that era would you say influenced
the way Streetlab sounds today?
Coz: I was pretty heavily inspired by Nine Inch Nails, some
tracks from The Prodigy, and a bit of Aphex Twins.
It sounds like you're listing off artists who were
in heavy rotation on MTV's old late night video show called Amp.
Coz: I was raised on MTV. It's funny, I never watched cartoons
as a kid. I would always watch MTV. My parents actually had to limit me to a
couple of
hours a day.
Do you guys consider yourself a band?
Ryan: I think we're a little combination of everything.
Coz: Yeah, producer, band, DJs. We like to consider ourselves
live remixers. One guy referred to us as "Controllerizers."
If I was a club owner hosting a Streetlab gig, what
kind of audience can I expect in attendance?
Coz: In New York City, there's this kind of rock crowd that's
into this sound. Actually, I saw L.A. Riots at a party here and the guy spun
a remix of Smashing Pumpkins' "Zero," and it was pretty tight. It
made me a bit jealous, but I like it when I'm jealous of a song. It means there
was something done right about it, and that motivates me.
Was your show at the Hiro Ballroom during CMJ the
first time Streetlab performed in front of people?
Coz: No, that wasn't the first time. We had a couple shows
before then.
Ryan: We opened for L.A. Riots at Hiro before CMJ.
How did the crowd react to it?
Coz: Well, that night at Hiro was our first New York performance,
and it got a little hectic for us.
Ryan: During the last song of our set a girl came on stage
and asked me to play something from The Roots. I don't know how that girl got
on stage, but I was like, 'listen, that's definitely not going to be happening
right now.'
