Interview With: Diemens
Blog Interviews, Interviews, Music News
May 12, 2015 by Brad Mendes
Recently, Toronto-based songwriting and production duo Diemens released their second EP titled Penthouse. Fellow BestFan blogger Steven Griffin and I had the opportunity to get an exclusive sneak peek at what to expect at the listening party. We weren't just going to hang out and listen to some good music, we wanted to know more about these guys. Past, present and future.
In my time of analyzing music, I have seen my fair share of 'up-and-comers,' but seeing people with as much drive and ambition as Mic and JC is a rare treat. Considering that it has been two years since anything had officially dropped from the duo, there were many questions to be asked. For instance, where have they been? Did they fall off? Did the pressures of the industry get to them? To simply answer those questions, no.
Their first EP, Genesis, dropped two years ago and we haven't heard anything since then, but that doesn't mean work was not being put in; The two years of silence was really anything but. They explained to me that they learned much more about themselves, their style and creative process while creating Penthouse. Perfectly summed up, Mic told me that, "The industry that we work in – when it comes down to what people see – is that 20% is the actual work that you hear and 80% is behind the scenes, the work we were actually putting in for the past two years."
So, why Penthouse? What does it mean, what sort influence can that have on being the EP title? It's probably the reason you think. It's because of the time the guys spent in penthouses working on their sound. They spent plenty of time travelling between Toronto and Miami to record and create sounds for their album, both cities included plenty of, you guessed it, penthouses. But why were two Toronto kids travelling all the way to Miami to record music when there is plenty to work with in their own city? Diemens is actually working closely with Cash Money records, probably the most successful independent record label of all time. They're responsible for the fame of artists like Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Toronto native Drake.
Naturally, working with such a massive empire must have left a huge impact on both their careers and personal lives, but the greatest thing that Diemens took away from their time in Miami was some advice they were given by Miami native and 'Zoe Pound Leader' Redd Eyezz, "You can experience so much in this industry, money will come, women will come and go, but never forget where you came from, never forget your roots," Mic said of the advice.
I asked, as up-and-comers in the game, what advice they could give artists who are struggling to make a name for themselves. "Surround yourself with good people," JC suggested, "Always have people who love and support you. And who'll believe in you and what you do."
Finally, what's next for Diemens? What can people expect from them? For obvious reasons, they couldn't say much; but they were able to say to keep an eye and ear out for their name. I would take that as the involvement in some big projects soon. I ended by asking them if they were going to be travelling to Miami often in the future, to which JC responded, "No doubt."
Tags: Brad Mendes, Cash Money, Diemens, JC, Mic Tee, Penthouse EP, Red Eyes, Steven Griffin, YMCMB
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