LAMP Artist Feature - option4
Click for Tickets to Minimal Effort NYE w/ option4 Dec 31st at The Belasco in Downtown Los Angeles
Happy New Year LAMP fam. It is hard to believe that this year went by so fast. It has been a wild ride and for many of us this time last year we were all stuck in our homes with nowhere to go on New Years Eve. Im happy to say that is not the case this year. Im even happier to say we have the opportunity to spend it with some of the best house and techno musicians on the planet at this years Minimal Effort in Downtown LA at the Belasco Theater. You can see the lineup above and read more about it in our other write up here. Today though we want to focus on one particular artist on the lineup who we absolutely adore option4. He is truly one of the hardest working people in the business but what makes him special beyond his incredible talent is how much he cares about the community. He is one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I have ever met and we are very much looking forward to seeing him here in LA this Friday night. We have had the honor and pleasure of talking with him a few years back (check that out here) and are excited to catch up with him and see what he is up to and what he has in store going into 2022. So jump in and check out this latest interview with him and if your still looking for plans this NYE then join us and option4 this years Minimal Effort.
Interview with option4
Josh Brooks: Hey option4!! We are so excited to have you back to talk to us here at LAMP and we are gonna just jump right into things. It has been a while since our last chat and your guest mix and the world has been crazy pants. What have been some positives and highlights for you this year coming out of this mess of a pandemic?
option4: Ohhh man.. I guess everything has changed since then, huh? Haha.. umm idk. I really spent most of my time since the pandemic focusing on being the best promoter I can be. That involved inventing new safe ways for people to gather while things were in lockdown (@theacomastproject), and then when things opened up it was about making sure we navigated everything fairly in Denver. It's been a whirlwind the last 6 months.. I think I’ve thrown 140+ shows since June. It's been a blast re-thinking the model and coming up with some new exciting ideas for 2022 in the live music space.
Josh Brooks: For those that don’t know you are based in Denver, CO. But you often make the trip to LA and we are excited to see you will be playing this coming Minimal Effort NYE event. Whet excites you about coming to play in LA?
option4: well first off.. I LOVE playing in LA. it's ALWAYS poppin~ I think my favorite part about playing in LA though is how educated people are about the music. It's ingrained in the culture so you can play whatever you want and people are going to vibe off it. Just makes LA a BLAST and the parties are always fun.
A little taste of option4 from Minimal Effort NYE 2019
Josh Brooks: I think it is fair to say you have had a big hand in turning Denver's house and techno community into one of the best in the country. I have a handful of friends in Denver and see them making the trip out there to play or just to go to a particular event, and 9 times out of 10 its one of your great events. What is your main motivation when putting together events and how has it changed from when you first started?
option4: Oh man that's funny… I just posted a photo today of a flier from one of our first parties 11 years ago.. it was Lane 8 and the ticket price was $8. Haha.. how things have changed. Umm right now the motivation doesn't really come from throwing the parties as much as it is curating the events. I'm working on a bunch of new things for next year and am really amped on giving people all kinds of new experiences in nightlife in general. The downtime during the pandemic gave me that opportunity to plan, so moving forward into 2022 (2021 was just getting my sea legs back under me) I guess I can just say that EVERYTHING i've been working towards the last decade or so will finally come to fruition. Giving people these new experiences are what's driving me lately at this point.
Josh Brooks: On the production tip, you had a great series of re-releases earlier this year with Kitsuné Musique that I loved, and another fun track with Born Dirty recently. Listening to these I am reminded of how diverse your sound is throughout your catalog. Could you please try to describe your creative process? Where do the ideas come from, how were they transformed in your mind, what do you start with and how do you refine these beginnings into the finished work of art?
option4: Ooof that's a fun one. I guess for me I just stopped caring about chasing hits a long time ago. That's always been a downfall of my career: that my music is never consistent. However it's also allowed me to be a tastemaker on the DJ side, and on the production side I just don't take myself too seriously. I love creating in different spaces with different energies. The same way you're never happy all of the time or depressed all of the time.. how could you expect to make the same music over and over again? That never really made sense to me. I write for fun and I put more of my energy into curation on the performance side. It's all a blast but oooof.. I would be miserable if I was ever stuck in a box.
Josh Brooks: What would you say are your main goals as a music producer?
option4: My only goal as a producer is to stay unique and not let too many trends on the business side influence me. I think the only goal for anyone is to keep having fun with it and stay inspired. For me I'm only inspired if it's fun, so it's a catch 22. I write just as many flops as bangers hahaha.. but the best part of it is it always sounds LIKE ME.
Josh Brooks: You are a man of many talents and you’ve worn a few different hats throughout your day. Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?
option4: Oooooof.. umm TBH the last year or so I've JUST focused on the promoter side of things cuz.. what's the point of being a DJ if your home town scene isn't strong? I never wanna be detached from that. So basically the majority of my day is spent on the promoter side.. and then at night i focus on the producer side.. so it's not unlike a lot of artists out there that grind their day job so they can grind their night job. It's a labor of love ;)
Josh Brooks: How have things been going on the HotBoi Records front. Can we expect more music coming from the label in 2022?
option4: HOTBOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII- yeah i've got plans to relaunch the label top of the year.. and i've got some AMAZING music signed that I can't WAIT to share with the world. We've always been sort of the label that's been championed by the local djs around the country and that's what I focus on when curating the label. Can't wait for the comeback.
Josh Brooks: There has been so much new music this year. What have been a few of your favorite tracks from this year? They don’t have to be tracks that you play.
option4: LET'S BE REAL THERE WERE SOME MASTERPIECES THIS LAST YEAR. But one of my favorite up and coming artists is this dude named Mindchatter. That HERE I GO AGAIN record just stays on repeat. Dude is a legend in the making. I hope to meet him one day and fuck around in the studio
Josh Brooks: Last but not least. Just for fun, what is one of your top spots to eat when you come to LA?
option4: SOMEONE HELP ME HERE FUCK. I need some top restaurants. HELP ME!
Josh Brooks: HAHA well if you like Ramen, one of my favorite spots is Afuri Ramen in the Arts District. Thank you so much for all that you do for this music community and for taking the time to answer our questions yet again. You are truly one of our favorites here at LAMP and we appreciate you so much. Looking forward to seeing you soon at Minimal Effort. Happy Holidays and safe travels along the way.
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It has been a wild ride in 2021 going from lockdown to finally being able to get back to going out and being with family and friends. For many of us music is a major outlet and besides Youtube, spotify playlists and twitch dance parties in isolation we had missed those beautiful personal connections that make us whole as human beings. We have been navigating a new normal and figuring out what our music community is going to look like going forward. Im happy to say so far it has been great getting back to shows and connecting with friends and music. We missed the opportunity last year to bring in the new year together and are thankful to have the opportunity once again to bring in the new year with friends at Minimal Effort and Underrated Presents. We hope to see you there. Whatever you do make sure to do it in a safe and responsible manner and have a fricking blast. Happy New Year Fam!!
Hit the image above for tickets to MInimal Effort NYE
