Urban Marinade

By Robert Fairbairn

Tritonal, the Austin, TX-based duo of Chad Cisneros and Dave Reed has thundered onto the EDM scene in a fashion worthy of their explosive namesake. Starting with a series of highly-regarded remixes and solid originals, the pair launched their own label, Air Up There recordings. Highlighting that effort came the release of their first artist album, Piercing the Quiet, back in May.

They’ve put forth dance floor rocking tunes that have garnered extensive support from the biggest names in the business, but their album also included some more laid-back pieces worthy of a critical listen. One of those, Still With Me, has now been reworked, and the epic Club Mix releases October 10th on Beatport.

You’re going to hear this track a lot - the blend of Christina Soto’s smooth, sultry vocals with Tritonal’s beautiful, lush production is tailor-made for the biggest sound systems out there. Don’t be surprised to hear it anchoring many DJs’ sets in the coming weeks. So give it a listen here and keep reading for an illuminating discussion with the guys about their art and creative process. Most of all, go pick up Still With Me (Club Mix) tomorrow on Beatport.com.

Urb: First off, you guys have really exploded onto the scene in the last couple of years with remix work and original productions both.  In your view - what was the big break?

Tritonal: Hi, thanks for having us! Well, hands down Piercing The Quiet, being our debut Album, has had a huge impact on our career! The singles from it so far being “Lifted”, “Broken Down”, “I Can Breathe”, “Something New” and now “Still With Me (Club Mix)” have all gotten incredible support by top DJs and our fans. Before this though, tracks like our remix of Ferry Corsten’s “We Belong”, the original “Piercing Quiet”, “Let Solitude”, “Lights Over Austin” and “Hands To Hold Me” have been the most played and recognized tracks from Tritonal.

Urb: What would you say is your collective approach to production and composition?

Tritonal: Grind away at it, day by day trying to learn and get better at this skill. It’s not easy writing music daily and many times we come up with ideas that just aren’t amazing. That said, we’ve learned to work through it, realize that if we keep at it and stay focused good things will happen. Our work ethic is one of the biggest contributors to our success. We’ve also learned to rely on each other for insight, intuition, and creativity. We really trust each other’s judgment, which helps to keep us balanced.

Urb: Are you formally trained, self-taught or somewhere in between?

Tritonal: We are somewhere in the middle, both growing up in musical families. Most of the technical stuff is all self-taught though—the more you work through projects, the more you learn!

Urb: As I understand it, one of you started as a DJ and the other as a producer and you met in the middle. How did each of you transition between the two and how do you think this has affected your methods and results?

Tritonal: We were both producers first and and met online in a forum discussing sound design techniques. Together, we’ve both equally become capable songwriters and composers and often split projects to get more accomplished studio-wise!

Urb: Do you have a specific method to structuring your live sets?

Tritonal: No methods, no rules. We have certain tracks we’ll want to play and test and love to see the crowd’s reaction to the various productions, mashups and mixes we put together. We gain a lot of insight into our own productions based on how they sound in the clubs and festivals.

Urb: Obviously, in addition to your djing and production work, you are now operating Air Up There recordings. Tell us a little bit about where you see the label going and what level of involvement you two have with that side of things.

Tritonal: We A&R the label and are SOO excited about its future!!  Got some young new talent in the family and we’ve really spent good time hand selecting a few awesome tracks for the upcoming release schedule. We want AUT to be an extension of what we play during our live sets and on our radio show.

Urb: You’ve mentioned in other interviews that you have many influences among other DJs and producers. Is there a particular artist (or artists) that you find especially inspiring and why/how so?

Tritonal: Certainly - Absolutely love what Kyau & Albert have been doing as of late! Their sound is always spot on for the clubs and their arrangements and bass grooves tend to steal our hearts every time. They have really formulated their own unique and niche sound, something we respect very much.

Urb: You’ve released your first album this year (Piercing the Quiet) to great reviews and strong response among djs and fans. What’s next on the agenda?

Tritonal: Well, speaking of Kyau & Albert we are remixing one of their 15 Years tracks! We’re also looking at some cool collaborations this year and will be releasing Piercing The Quiet (Remixes, Extended Mixes, Club Mixes)!

Urb: I have the pleasure of reviewing the club mix of Still With Me for this piece. Can you tell us anything specific or interesting about the origins of the song or the production process on this one?

Tritonal: Certainly, first off it wasn’t written in 4/4 for a lot of the original! We automated time signatures, giving the track awesome motion. Secondly, we co-wrote the original with Nick Sibicky, who is an amazing producer, song writer, professor and friend. He was also featured on the album on “Poems of Angels”, and we love his work. Lastly, in order to get the vocals sounding correct with our bass groove, we had to re-record much of them specifically for the Club Mix, something many people would never notice. Lots of work on this one!!

Urb: If you could collaborate on a production with anyone in the industry (or outside) who might you choose? You can answer independently if you like.

Tritonal: Hands down Coldplay - We LOVE those guys!! Xylo Myloto coming sOOOOn!!

Urb: Well we know you guys are very busy these days, so thanks for your time and we look forward to hearing your next project.

Tritonal: Cheers from Austin!

When you want to hear more from Tritonal, check out their Air Up There radio show and podcast, and keep your eyes on these guys - they’re very good at what they do, and with AMOnly now behind them, there’s nowhere to go but up.