What is your name?
My artist name is Nightlane and my everyday name is AJ
What is your genre of music?
Its electronic music with a variety of influences
Give us a little bio about you.
As a kid i fell in love with Pop music, especially Ace of Base. However, I started my musical journey playing keyboards in Rock and Metal bands in my later years of high school, Being a keyboardist and having to understand synth parameters allowed me to adopt a love for industrial music, it is heavy and dark and i had my own industrial electro project for a few years. Shortly after, EDM music started to be more commercial and I had my first major taste of it around 2009 with Laidback Luke’s Turbulence and Bloody Beetroots warp 1.9 its very obvious that it included sounds and grooves from both metal and industrial so i naturally fell in love. My love for music production blossomed and i really liked how pop and edm productions could be so clean. Long story short Nightlane is my brand new project that is about me coming full circle from every phase in my life and everything i have learned thus far. I’m just obsessed about audio and music production
What made you go in to music?
Ever since i was really young i had a love for music, i remember collecting songs from the radio when i was in 3rd grade and knowing full discographies.
Are you a signed?
Im independent but have worked with many different Publishers, Labels and Sync Libraries.
You released your new single ‘Dead Flowers’, tell us more about the single.
An interesting story about the single is that you could say it took about 8 years to produce… if you were to listen to the first idea to how the final song came out you would hear two different songs with absolutely nothing in common lol. I’m so glad i stuck with it though because i feel that something really special came out. I’m so proud it.
What is the meaning behind the single?
Lyrically the song is about two people who were in love but have grown apart, they are trying to keep a relationship afloat out of comfort. Its a bit dark huh. On the production side I’ve had this vision to combine sounds from different genres, This one combines edm, pop, and retrowave/synthwave.
Describe the track in two words.
F*cking Lovely
What was the writing process like?
Our writing process was quick. Jordyn came over to the studio and already had some ideas, i cant remember if i had sent her the track already or heard it for the first time. She’s a beast and literally writes a song every weekday as it’s her day job. We sat down and vibed on some concepts and landed on one about stagnant relationships. I think most of us have been in one so that lyrical concept resonated the strongest. We wrote in the same room which is what i prefer to do because that way we can shoot ideas and work more efficiently.
What was the recording process like?
Again, Jordyn threw down, she’s just so fast and takes direction really well… in some parts she directed and threw ideas i never would have thought of, thats the coolest part about collaborating, you end up with an outcome that neither parties would have concocted by themselves
Who did you work with on the single?
The short answer it was just me and Jordyn. The long answer… this song had gone through many revisions and even a couple different vocalists.
Will we see a music video for the single?
Oh man, i dont think so for this one, although i would love to make one. Probably in the next ones
Will we see an EP or Album, if so what can we expect from it.
Right now i want to just focus on making very well crafted singles. I’m more of a quality versus quantity type individual.
Do you have any shows coming up?
None yet
What else can we expect in 2019?
So far the rest of 2019 will be working on the promo for “Dead Flowers”. There are still many ears to serenade. I’ll be working on the production for the next releases in early 2020 as well
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
Oh my yes! some of my favorite artists! more on that soon
Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
I love collaborations and as long as they make sense i am open. They can hit up my instagram which is @nightlanemusic
Do you play any instruments?
Although I’ve played keyboards i never learned how to play piano classically. I was self taught and learned techniques from other bandmates. You can learn a lot about music by playing in a band or with others in general. I learned how to drum and how beats worked by watching drummers in our rehearsal spaces. Although i cant play drums i can sure sequence them now… the same goes for most of the other instruments. When i first moved to LA i landed a job making a ton of instrumentals for Hans Zimmers sync library. it was like hitting up boot camp for composing, I learned so much, I had to compose instrumentals of various different genres, and i had to do it well in order to make ends meet, it was on spec basis.
Who are your influences?
oh man! so many…my OG’s are: Korn, the Deftones, Ace of Base, Portishead, Bush, Hocico, Calvin Harris, Afrojack.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
traveling, nightlife, relationships, also having a home studio with world class gear doesn’t hurt to stay inspired lol.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
i’d love to be doing product endorsements or having some sort of audio plugin or component designed by me.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Researching audio gear, especially headphones. I have a collection of some of the best.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
This is a hard one, since i dont think there was one song. I was born loving music.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Get sh*t done! no excuses! easier said that done though huh
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Try to learn from all musical styles. Dont say “I dont like that” and close your mind to it. try to find something within it that you do like. For example, im not fond of Country music but whenever its playing somewhere I can appreciate the mix, the drum production, the songwriting. The more musical knowledge you have the more powerful you’ll become muahaha
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
If you’re good at something never do it for free
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
I’m from the SF Bay Area so i’d say San Francisco, I’d say go to have dinner in Pier 39 where you overlook the city next to the water. that view is killer. you get a similar view from Alcatraz island or the Golden Gate bridge. So good
Your coming off tour; 1/ Where do you go first? – Probably the studio to see my headphones. 2/ Who do you see first? – Family 3/What do you eat first? – Bomb Mediterranean food
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Haven’t played a gig for nightlane yet, i’ll be sure to let you know!
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
