Hotfire gives us the lowdown on the scene in San Diego, how they found a home on Night Bass, and tease some new music as well!
Since first joining forces, Eric Yandall and Sascha Nowlin have been making some major moves in the dance music scene as Hotfire. Known for their releases that are simply, well, fuego, they also offer up plenty of infectious sets across thin the realm of house music that keep crowds dancing well into the night.
Born and raised in San Diego, you can catch Hotfire at plenty of different venues and events throughout SoCal as they’ve taken the stage at parties hosted by Night Bass, LED, FNGRS CRSSD, and plenty more. Most recently, they dropped “The Block” and “Shake That” and if these tracks are any indication of their future then it sure is a bright one.
Looking for more insight into who Hotfire is, what releases might be coming up, and more, we sat down with Hotfire for a chat. Listen to “The Block” below and read on for our full interview!
Stream Hotfire – The Block on SoundCloud:
Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today! You’ve already kicked the year off strong with the release of “Shake That” and “The Block” this year. What was the production process like on those tracks, and where do you find the inspiration for samples you use?
‘Shake That’ started as something we wanted as a big roller type track, just something with a long-running bassline. The vocal was added later after it was stuck in our heads for some reason, it fit so well it just had to stay. Shoutout Splack Pack! ‘The Block’ we actually wrote a few years ago and somehow the entire completed track was lost in our archives until recently. We realized we hadn’t put anything out in a while and wanted to put something out for free. The block vocal is from some old obscure prison show and just kinda came together on its own!
When you’re sitting down in the studio does it take some time for the creative juices to start flowing? Have you ever had to beat a bout of writer’s block?
There are times where we fly through a track and the motivation is just pumping throughout the whole session, but definitely times where we call it a day just because we can’t seem to move forward on tracks. It’s hard to fight writer’s block, but taking a little break usually seems to help.
Recently we have been making it a goal to complete something every session and have been pushing ourselves to let our ideas live by either playing new ideas in sets or putting them out for release. We think letting your ideas exist for other people and not just in your studio is a great way to get the motivation to complete/release them.
Over the years you’ve dropped plenty of dope beats on a variety of labels but Night Bass has clearly been home for your music. How did the relationship begin with the label and what has it been like having their support?
It started quite a few years ago, AC Slater had noticed our name on some event lineups and apparently took a liking to a track “Booty Box” we put up for fun back then. After some back-and-forth, we lined up an EP and the label kind just took us in. We’ve always made tracks for the fun of it so to have support from the Label and other like-minded artists is still crazy to us.
Are there any fresh releases coming up on the horizon that we should keep an ear out for in the near future?
We have a 4 track EP dropping May 24th on Night Bass titled Do Or Die, this is our first release back on Night Bass after a bit of a hiatus and we’re really excited to put these tunes out. This EP means a lot to us and is a culmination of all of the work we’ve done during that year break! We took that time to really get in tune with what the ‘Hotfire’ sound is to us and tried to put our best work forward in that time. We also have a few remixes in the works as well, these should be coming out during the summer. Also, we have a few collabs with some amazing artists that are near completion, so keep an eye out!
While you guys have brought some fire beats directly from the studio, your sets have also been absolutely infectious as well. Looking back at past memories, can you share one set that sticks out to the most to you as special?
So hard to pick just one, so many carry memories that have had a huge impact on our lives. All the LED events are always so much fun to do. We closed out Spin Nightclub in San Diego on Halloween last year after Anna Lunoe & Born Dirty, and we had just finished up a set in the side room at the venue. The energy that night was just wild and it was super hot and sweaty everywhere and everyone was having a great time.
Since you’re local to San Diego, what’s your favorite thing about the scene here and how do you feel this city stands out from other dance music hubs?
Since we were both born and raised in San Diego we’ve had the opportunity to watch it grow into one of the major dance hubs in the US. We have event companies like LED and CRSSD to thank for the development of dance music culture here and wouldn’t be where we are today without their help, they’ve really become quite synonymous with quality dance music events in our city! We have a wealth of venues and events that call San Diego home so there really is something for everyone. It still kind of feels like a hidden gem in the states and were excited to see how it grows in the future.
If you could give an aspiring DJ/producer who is trying to make it in the scene one piece of advice, what would it be?
Just keep at it. Seriously. there’s going to be some failures but if you learn from them and continue to push forward and you can achieve any goal you want. As cliche as it sounds, we have seen first hand what having that kind of resolve can do for you.
Outside of producing and playing music, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
We’re both hardcore gamers and technophiles, But we still love going to events as patrons and taking in everything from the other side of the decks. We started going to parties together like 9 years ago so it’s a big part of our friendship and who we are. Been trying to skateboard again more too, gotta stay active!
Finally, it’s late at night in San Diego and you’re looking to grab a bite to eat. Where’s your go-to place for some grub and what are you ordering?
Can never go wrong with a Burrito, San Diego has the best Mexican food and that’s not up for debate! Humberto’s on 25th & Broadway always hits.
Connect with Hotfire on Social Media:
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