We sat down with LEVEL UP at HARD Summer to chat about her latest release, how she prepares for sets, collaborating with Subtronics, and more!
From her early days as a battle DJ in Brooklyn to playing festival main stages across the globe, LEVEL UP’s journey has been one to watch. A theater actress in her youth, her passion for storytelling shines through her music and performances, taking fans on a ride through heavy dubstep and haunting melodies with a witchy touch.
LEVEL UP’s artistry extends beyond her music, making her live sets a true spectacle. With career milestones like EDC Las Vegas, Electric Forest, Lost Lands, and Bass Canyon under her belt, she’s grown a massive army of supporters who make sure to add her to their schedules. Her production prowess and infectious energy on stage have led to performances cherished by fans, and her dedication to her craft is evident as she continues to make waves.
Touching down in Los Angeles for HARD Summer, LEVEL UP turned up the heat at the official pre-party at Exchange LA and Green Stage the festival. She also had a quick jaunt to Texas for a show in between. When asked how she prepares for jam-packed weekends like this, she said, “I’m in my studio no matter what all day, every day, so it’s just lots of weeks of going through all my sets and adapting my song choices for the specific areas I’m in.”
It’s really nice to be able to play different areas, and it’s cool going back and forth between club shows and festival shows. You can change the vibe a little bit. It’s fun preparing sets for different kinds of crowds.
LEVEL UP
LEVEL UP’s daily studio sessions have produced beloved hits; one as of late is a hard-hitting remix of Flux Pavilion’s “International Anthem.” Diving into the release, she explained, ”That has just been a song that I’ve always loved my entire life. I remember when I used to go see Flux ten years ago, and whenever that song came on, I’d be so happy.”
Wanting to make a fun remix just for herself to listen to, she loaded the waveform into Ableton and created the remix 20 minutes before one of her sets. Playing it for fans and receiving positive feedback, she later shared it with Flux Pavilion, who absolutely loved it. “I wasn’t even planning on releasing it… It was so cool to be able to collaborate with someone I’ve always looked up to. Flux is such an inspiration for me,” she said.
Aside from music production, she takes pride in designing her merchandise and collaborating with an artist to bring her ideas to life. “I’m very hands-on with everything I do,” LEVEL UP remarked before explaining that she draws merch designs in Snapchat and sends those to her artist, Veronica. “She’s amazing at bringing my vision to life. But all of my merch, it’s just me sitting there and being like, ‘What are the things I love?’ and just doodling for hours until I find something that I feel is great.”
Among her demanding schedule and many responsibilities, she does manage to find time to unwind. Even though she’s a self-proclaimed workaholic, breaks come from quality time with her dog.
LEVEL UP
I feel like I have such a mindset where I’m just working all the time, and I love it. The thing is, I love what I do. So, working on stuff doesn’t really feel like, ‘Oh, this is my job.’ It’s like, this is what I would be doing, even if it wasn’t my job. So it’s kind of my relaxing time, too. Other than that, I hang out with my dog; she’s my recharge time. Anytime I need a break, I just go cuddle my dog for an hour. We go on a long walk, and then it’s back to normal.
As for the collaborations with her husband, Subtronics, she described the process as “seamless.” While the two initially wanted to keep their music separate and do their own thing, they debuted their Leveltronics set at EDC Las Vegas this year, and fans are eager to hear more. “Once we started making the set and planning it, we decided to make a bunch of songs together because it’d be so fun to premiere,” she said.
LEVEL UP
We’re so similar, and we get each other so well. Each song took less than a day to make. We just understand each other. Even when playing the set together, we were so in sync with everything that it was just flawless. We looked at each other and thought, ‘That was literally the easiest experience we’ve ever had working with someone.’
It’s clear that so much more is in store for this multifaceted artist, and we can’t wait to see her take everything literally to the next level. Be sure to stay tuned to LEVEL UP’s social media channels for the latest on new music, tour dates, and more!
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