Bliss Dance Party this Sat. + Christoph Andersson Interview

Will Eastman’s forward-thinking dance party, Bliss, is back with special guests Christoph Andersson and Mr. Bonkerz with visuals by Kylos!

U Street Music Hall
Saturday, April 23
9:00 P.M. | $10 | Ages 18+
*Ages 18-20 entry by advance ticket only

Directions | Purchase tickets | RSVP on Facebook


Christoph Andersson Interview

In preparation for the party this Saturday we decided to give you a guest DJ sneak peak with an interview of Christoph Andersson – the youngest DJ to spin at U Hall thus far! Check out the interview and some tunes below.

Stephen Jefferson: First off, while I was trekking through the Internet I came upon a video of you being interviewed as a 7th grade filmmaker. Seems like film was in your career scope at the time, is this still an endeavor of yours?

Christoph Andersson: It’s funny you found that video. All my friends always makes fun of me for it. I have to say that I’m not really interested in making films anymore. When I was in 7th grade I was obsessed with making short films and what not. Over time, my passion for making music grew and I took that much more seriously. Also, being on film sets is the most boring and tedious job ever, in my opinion.

SJ: From the time when you were interested in film production till when you began focusing on music production, was there a specific turning point that you remember where you knew music was the direction to primarily focus on?

CA: Yeah actually. There’s one moment that I really credit as the turning point when I knew I wanted to make music as a profession. In 7th grade my friends and I decided to play a song for our middle school talent show (I can’t even remember what song). At the time, I had some friends but I wasn’t the most popular kid around school. People freaked out and were so excited after we played. As dumb as it sounds, I think that was the moment I realized that my way of communicating myself to people around me was through music.

SJ: You mentioned in the film interview that you enjoyed incorporating skateboarding in your works. Being a skateboarder myself, I know its freedom for creativity helps me to think outside the box with a lot of different things. Has this been an influence when creating music? What other non-music-related things have given you the kick to produce music?

CA: I’m not sure that skateboarding has directly influenced my music but there are lots of non-musical things that affect me on an every day basis. I’d say the biggest influence is traveling. I’m really lucky to have parents who would always take me on trips wherever they went. I’ve been all over the world and seen things that most people never get to.

SJ: It seems that you have quite a confident stance on your endeavors and I’ve noticed your music inherits this characteristic by carving new directions within genres of disco, house, and pop in a very prompt manner. What were your expectations prior to and during the series of releases from your debut EP?

CA: So the last four EPs were released with the same concept of having two different versions of the same song plus a remix or two. Honestly, when people reacted positively to “Tuxedo” last summer I was really surprised. That track was never meant to be released or heard. It was just something I was fooling around with one day. I get the same excitement every time someone tells me that they like one of my tracks. Now that I’m traveling more it’s amazing to see people in different cities actually know my music. I never expected any of that and I don’t take it for granted.

SJ: What are your expectations for future releases? Would you be interested in venturing out to incorporate other genres within your music’s dance roots? Do you plan to target the same audience that you’ve attracted so far?

CA: So right now, I’m working on a bunch of new tracks. I’m making music that has less of a club focus and is more listenable, while still keeping my usual style. I would say my main influences have never been dance music. Most of what I listen to is pop, R&B or hip hop. I think as my sound changes slightly, my audience will as well, but that’s fine with me.

SJ: Now that you have been performing live more frequently, I’m sure you analyze people’s reactions to your music and recognize which styles the audience enjoys over others. From these attitudes, how have they been, or do you think they will become, an influence for your upcoming work?

CA: It’s really cool to see how different cities react to my music. Even in places like Poughkeepsie, New York I had people screaming the words to “Metropol” or “Capital.” I try to make music that isn’t influenced by listener reactions of my previous tracks. If I think about how people will react to my music, I start to get really stressed so I try and stay focused on my own opinions.

SJ: You’ll be debuting your music in Washington DC on Saturday, April 23rd for the Bliss event at U Street Music Hall. What would you encourage people to expect for your performance? Are you going to have a traditional New Orleans jazz introduction? Will you make it rain Mardi Gras beads?

CA: People should expect to get drunk and have an amazing time. My DJ sets are really diverse, which I think is cool, so people should expect everything from new electronic music to R&B baby makers! Of course I always throw in some New Orleans flavor into my set. I was actually born in D.C. and haven’t been back for years so I’m really excited to see what’s up. See you there!!

Thanks for your time and words, Christoph! We’ll see ya Saturday!

Christoph Andersson – Capital
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/christoph-andersson/capital/[/soundcloud]