Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Mike Jones with iHeart Radio and I have Xavier
(00:02):
and guest part in with me. Justice is here. Guys,
thanks for coming in for a few minutes to talk.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Hello, Hello, Hello.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
If we're gonna try to match your radio NLG, but
he's got a long way to go.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
Well, guys, we got a whole bunch going on.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
We just found out recently you're gonna play our iHeart
Radio Music Festival gonna be in Vegas and September for that,
we got Bonnerou this week and Merriweather tonight. A whole
bunch of big shows all over the place. The first
thing I want to ask you about, I watched the
video about how you and Tami Pola made never Ender
great song. Been playing that all over the place. And
(00:37):
your drummer Vincent thought of playing that part on a bottle.
How did he come up with that? That's so crazy.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
He's a professional.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, you know these are like like these guys for Vincent,
which is the drummer for all like the live drum parts.
He's a classically trained musician. And then he went on
to play jazz and then he plays on more like
pop records now and everything, and yeah, like like when
like people reached like such a mastery of the thing,
(01:08):
they manage a be to know what they know and
just think differently about things. And like the part we
played him on the demo that we made with a triangle.
To him, it sounded like a bottle. It was like, Okay,
you know what, I'm gonna do it. And I think
he wanted to be Also that's as simple as that.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
That's the best exploration. Just he had that d beer
and hey, let's see what this says. Have you guys
used any other different like no, I guess non musical sounds.
Every son would be musical, but non musical instruments or
anything in your songs over the years.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
You mean like everyday items and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Yeah, like another bottle, a salt shaker. I don't know,
have you clapped headphones together or anything.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
But we don't do much field recording, but it happened
a lot that we were using your synthetizer or machine
in the in the wrong way, or there was some
kind of bug happening, and we kept it on some tracks.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, I tell you a lot of like the because
it's really, you know, like a crash on a drum
like the symbol that does like because we don't like
the sounds of this too much. A lot of these
are made with the sounds of soda cans being open.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Oh that's yeah, that that fizz sound going on.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
So you have this and then you put like a
flinger and like six compressors and then it sounds like.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
So really, it's just the secret to Justice's music is
all kinds of drinks and containers for beverages.
Speaker 4 (02:44):
That's how you get the real, the real hits for Justice.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Absolutely, but moderately.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yes, is there anything that you tried and it didn't
work out? Or can you really get something out of everything?
Really if you put some work into it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I mean ninety nine of what we try doesn't work.
That's the joy of yeah, making music and trying things.
It's like there's only like a tiny fraction of the
experimentations we are doing that make it on a on
a record.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Well, your latest album, hyper Drama, you know that's been
out for a bit now. You guys took some time
off for that, took a couple of years in between that,
and it's been a year now. Do we still call
it a new album or are we looking ahead to
what's next.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
At this point, it's gonna be the new album until
there's another one coming.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
I guess new for a couple of years even maybe.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Oh maybe for a decade even.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
No, we're always like walking on things. It doesn't mean
like that we work on something specific. We just make
things and it's just it's it's just a muscle and
you have like to train it. And and also if
we think of something, we have to record it or
make it somewhere. But so we're walking. But everything we
(03:58):
do doesn't have like an apple.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah, it can be oh we made this, let's save
it for down the road, let's put it out there
whatever whatever goes. And really, now in twenty twenty five,
you have so many ways to put out music and videos.
If you want to do a mini movie whatever, there's
tons of options.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, but that's not trually O well style.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Oh yeah, we just like to take time and release
things when they're well set for at least for us
and relevant and we don't need to like like flood
the world with whatever justice he's doing it at the moment,
you know, like it has to to have mature the
beat and to make sense for us.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
How long will you guys, Like, if you make a
song and everything, how long do you think you could
sit with something until you're like, all right, we really
feel good about this.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Because you can make something feel okay. But then maybe
not so much.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It could be twenty years.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Oh wow, okay, now it can be years sometimes, like
it happens that we have an idea. It's just like
do a seed of an idea and then we live
with it and we just write a little something and
then I don't know, maybe like five, six, eight years
can maybe maybe more, sometimes can elapse a bit to
(05:13):
the moment we think of this and a month to
actually put it to fruition.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Oh that's funny. I never even thought about that. It's
like for us it's brand new, but for you guys,
oh that'll thing sure?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Why not no, because because what makes it new or
not is really like the last thing you put in
the in the last year of making a track. But music,
and that's the great thing about music, Like what was
good like five or ten or forty or sixty years
ago or two hundred years ago. If it's good, it
will be good like whenever, like all those details of
(05:44):
like making it sound new or whatever. It's completely it's
un accessory. It doesn't mean much in the big picture
of music.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
We think well along with making the music, guys, just
as you also have a ton of shows going on,
like we said Merriweather to you just did Pittsburgh and
Red Rocks. I was watching some videos of those shows
banna Us this weekend. How do you guys like when
they're your shows versus festivals? Do you are you able
(06:11):
to have a separate stage setup, because you guys have
a really crazy light setup and everything on stage.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
It's pretty wild.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
No, we like we bring everything at every show, whether
it's a festival revenue.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Okay, so it's all or nothing, man, No, it's not
all or nothing.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
It's almost it depends on like the size of the stage,
how much it can carry, because we have like like
I think if we put the full version, I think
we have to hang like twelve tons of equipment on
the celin. So it really depends on the on the
structures of the stage. But we always have everything with us,
(06:51):
So if there's space, then we'll put everything.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Your suitcases are always packed, then always always with all
your stuff. What about something like like with our iHeart
Radio Music Festival, so that's kind of a different beast
where it's like you're doing the show in Vegas, but
also we're broadcasting on radio stations around the country and
then on TV and everything. So I guess do you
already have those conversations with the iHeart people or maybe
(07:14):
another festival like that. Do you have those like months
out and say, what can we do? How can we
make this happen real quick?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Of course it's not real quick, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Well I'm saying real quick between changes between sets too.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
You gotta be fast, ah, yeah, no, no, yeah, but
these are conversations that are happening like at the very
beginning of a discussion, because before agreeing to do something,
we get an extra that we're able to do it
in a good way. And the iHeart is going to
be a DJ set, so it's very different from the
Lift Show, and it's something that we do very very rarely.
(07:51):
So yeah, it's a define very different thing.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So we're going to get a real special justice performance.
Then I like this.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, I hopefully it would be good.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Oh, I'm sure it'll be good.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Look, we wouldn't have had you guys on our biggest
show of the year if it wasn't gonna be good.
Of course, we'll see now you both used to be
graphic designers, correct, Yes, okay, my wife is also a
graphic designer, are you guys?
Speaker 4 (08:14):
I know how she is about things? Are you guys?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Very particular and picky about every detail? Maybe to a
fault too, with things.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Like are you seeing something to your wife? Now?
Speaker 4 (08:25):
No, don't get me a juddle here.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Is it the way of getting a message?
Speaker 5 (08:31):
No?
Speaker 1 (08:31):
No, no, no no, I'm saying, like, like she she'll
even admit she overthinks things. And I'm wondering when you, guys,
when you have a show and you're supposed to concentrate
on let's do the music and let everyone else handle
the lights and the design and everything. But I feel
like you guys, being designers too, would probably get so
in depth in everything as well.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, but I don't know.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I don't think we overthink things, but as everybody, I
think we're very.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Specific about things we like.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
But like, like, I guess you don't have to be
a designer to be to be a pain in das
you know. It's it's like when you like things, it's
it's very difficult to let go before you are actually
satisfied with with what you are making all the results.
So yes, we might be a bit like some sort
of pains, but I don't think it has to do
(09:20):
with a graphic design or background.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Okay, all right, you feel the same way then too.
Speaker 5 (09:26):
Yeah, yeah, no, it's just reminded me of a graphic
design story that we often use as a reference. Is
that it's it's not the same because we always try
to do the best we can with music. But when
someone asks something for you, for example, a logo, and
(09:46):
you make I don't know, like three like four proposition
and there is only one you like and three you
don't like, you can be sure that they're gonna pick
the one you don't like. Of course, better to not
play it's counting.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I would go even further and say, you make five
of them, there's only one that you don't like, They're
gonna pick the one that I'm like. If there's a
possibility of something happening, it will be the wrong thing.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Always.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
This is seriously like talking about wife friend now she
would say the exact same thing about it, because I'm true,
I make this logo, I choose this fun it's the
one I love and nobody else likes this one, of course. Well,
last thing, guys, it's been a fun conversation. I saw
the other night favor You signed someone's prosthetic leg that
just I was like, what, what of all the things
(10:33):
to sign, is that the weirdest thing you've signed? Or
have you guys signed anything else that's on that level
of Okay, No, it's.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Not the weirdest thing because actually, like to Meet's widow,
when we have to sign things where the ink doesn't
really penetrate the surface, like on the prosthetique like it
was walking fine, it was like signing a record or
whatever I would say. I find it's weirdo when we
have to say and things, or like when people give
(11:03):
us like a black record and a black pen, I
find it stranger.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That's a prosidy clicks, So.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Come with the options. You gotta come with the silver
and the black. Absolutely, Well, justice you guys. We got
you tonight at Merriweather Bonneroo this weekend for a huge set,
and then in Vegas and September our iHeartRadio Music Festival,
which we're gonna have everyone listening to and watching and everything.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Guys.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Has been a really fun time this afternoon. Thanks for
coming in.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Thank you very much.