RB Exclusive Interview: Arius – The Next Big Thing in Bass Music

Over the weekend at our very own Global Dance Festival, we had the chance to sit down with Matt and Tessa who make up the killer dj duo ARIUS. We got some insight from the two about their background, what makes ARIUS unique, and where they’re headed. If you haven’t checked them out yet then you might want to, because I sense that these two might just be the next big thing in bass music.

When the two of you met at EDC in 2010, did you think you’d end up as a dj duo?

Oh no, that was the last thing crossing our minds. We basically just met and then went our separate ways, and didn’t see each other for two years after that.

You’re both extremely talented in different areas. Matt, do you think your past as a professional dancer serves any advantage to your rhythm when it comes to making music?

Definitely. I can’t play any instruments, but I can hear and create the feeling that I want. I can write a song and if i can’t dance to it, then it’s not good. It only takes 5 seconds for somebody to like a song, and you either feel it or you don’t. 

Tessa, you have insane finger drumming skills. How did you get into it and do you think your guys’ sound would be different without it?

Tessa: Thank you! Basically Matt was going to start finger drumming and at this time we had been djing together for a little while. And he said you know what, why don’t we have you do it because it’s more astonishing when a woman does it because there are no other female finger drummers. So I learned it, and I don’t think our sound would technically be different without it because our sound is our sound, Matt makes what he makes and then I play it on the pads. But I definitely think it makes us stand out in a different way which is what we were trying to go for in the beginning because a lot of people can Dj, but it’s what makes you stand apart from the rest that matters and we wanted some originality. There’s not many girls in the bass scene but the ones who are are very talented like Rezz, etc. and I wanna be on that level.

Matt: I really pushed her to do the finger drumming because I felt like a lot of female dj’s were getting bashed on with the whole Paris Hilton thing and all these blonde chicks. It’s totally a male dominant industry and I really wanted her to be able to go neck and neck with the guys. 

How do your guys’ strengths compliment each other as a duo, and who does what?

Tessa: Basically we’re a one man team. We have our own vocalist which is me. We have our own dancer which is him. We have our own person who performs the music and that’s me, and the person that makes it is him. We don’t need a vocalist or background dancers because together we can do it all and it’s awesome.

Matt: We can’t go on without each other. If it were just one of us we would be missing those chunks. 

As bass music has become so popular, how does ARIUS differ from other bass artists?

Matt: We perform it live. Michael Jackson can dance, he can sing, he goes on stage and he performs it. So in this generation what makes it okay for any musician not to do what a legend has been doing? and that’s what I want to do. I want to produce our own original music and be able to perform it live.

Tessa: We want that performance element. Other bass artists are amazing as well, but we want that live element. 

I think it’s awesome that you guys came together to create your brand. How does your style effect the brand, and do you think it ever would have happened if you were both solo artists?

Tessa: No way. I wouldn’t have made it without him and vice versa. What one person lacks the other one has. I feel like our style completely fits our brand. It’s raunchy, it’s filthy, it’s dirty, we’re branded with the tattoo’s and it all really meshes well. We’re so happy that we are here now and it’s progressing nicely.

Matt: What helps us a lot as well is our manager Mike. He was the one that actually showed interest in us. At the time we weren’t even making dubstep, it was more of electro house because we were performing in Asia and that’s what they wanted to hear, and he really pushed us to find our own sound which we just started doing a year and a half ago and now we have been ARIUS for a little over a year.

Do you guys have anything in the works right now?

Matt: We actually have a lot of stuff coming out over the next year.

Tessa: We can’t talk about it yet but we have a lot for this coming year. It’s gonna be great and we’re trying to throw some different shit in there. So, stay tuned!

Matt and Tessa are both crazy talented, and what they can do together is remarkable. Global Dance Fest was their biggest performance yet, and the crowd loved it! You heard Tessa, stay tuned for lots more ARIUS in 2017!

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