The Californian-duo, RED & TED, have been paving their way to the top of the list of Producers in the Electronic Dance music realm. The talented duo, consisting of AJ Red and Teddy Brewski, has an already impressive catalogue of releases that highlight their highly energetic sound that delivers unmissable beats, sure to get the party started. Now, the duo is here to share a look at their production process.
In this exclusive interview, RED & TED present a sneak-peak into the musical journey and creative production of their recent Funky House track ‘Slammin Mamajama’: a fresh and groovy track released last month via Play Records.
Hello RED & TED, how are you?
Hello! We’re doing great. We’re excited to finally share ‘Slammin’ Mamajama’ with the world and humbled by the response so far.
Can you share with us the inspiration behind the creation of ‘Slammin’ Mamajama’?
We really became attached to the vocal…probably because of our experiences playing shows almost every week last year. Most people are meeting their significant others through Hinge, Instagram, etc., but we saw some genuine connections made at the events we attended and produced around San Diego last year with our compadre in the It’s Just Noize collective. There’s still an immeasurable value in meeting in real life, but a bit too many folks are still stuck in their 2020 shyness: stop “standing in the corner” and go say hello, they wouldn’t be at the function if they wanted to be alone!
How did your individual skills and qualities come together to shape the sound and style of the track?
We collectively shaped this track’s sound with Teddy Brewski’s passion for Funk and House music and AJ RED’s ear for groovy basslines. We usually tag team, taking leads on the DAW, but living together with a studio in our living room means that we’re always collaborating even if that just means one of us yelling across the house when we hit that right note or creative effect.
What was the most challenging aspect of producing this track and how did you overcome it?
The most challenging part was probably letting go of the song and saying, yes, it’s done. We’re naturally perfectionists, and that does not lend itself to finishing any kind of art. This has gotten easier for us in the last couple of months, but no mix is ever really finished, just surrendered.
Can you tell us about any interesting moments or anecdotes that occurred during the production process?
The surfers of the world will appreciate this one… originally the track had a different name, but then, just as we were wrapping the track up and about to start adding it to our setlists, we were booked at the Kookslams Hard Seltzer brewery that is a part of the well-known Instagram page Kookslams (@Kookslams). We probably changed the title an hour after accepting that gig and tested out what became the original mix for the first time at that brewery.
Can you describe the significance of the live club experience you aimed to deliver through the production of the track?
The goal was to use sounds and compose them in a way that sounds like a band could have performed the track. The other part is just the use of applause in the original mix. We weren’t sure if people would appreciate it, but we thought it was both fitting and hilarious.
How does this track compare or differ from your previous releases?
Our motto is “Follow Your Butterfly.” This applies to our music and our lives in general. Each release (including bootlegs) has been a different sub-genre of House – part of that is by design, but part of it is just us following our passion at that moment.
We’ve also grown a lot as Producers since we released our first song in 2021. There’s always a new method or tool to learn. In fact, we recently made the switch to Ableton, so “Slammin’ Mamajama” may be the last song we release that was produced in Logic Pro.
Were there any specific musical elements or techniques that you focused on to capture the funky vibe of the song?
BRING IN THE HORNS!!! Who doesn’t love horns in their breakdowns???
Seriously though, layering the vocals and really dialling in the reverb on the individual layers helped create that live concert kind of experience. We pulled it back during the more intimate parts and boosted it for the bigger moments. Someone once told us to use reverb to create the room you see in your head: it’s been very helpful advice for newer Producers when it comes to tastefully applying reverb.
What message or feeling do you want to convey to your audience through the energetic style and groove of the track?
HAVE FUN! That’s what this is all about.
When we play, we love to take the audience on a journey, but that doesn’t mean it has to be some brooding, two-hour snoozefest. There’s no reason you can’t hear Disco and Techno on the same night. Let’s just have fun and see where the mood takes us!
Wherever you are, just get out there and go to a show. There are so many amazing local DJ/Producers and they’re everywhere now, not just the major cities.
How do you see ‘Slammin’ Mamajama’ contributing to your overall artistic journey and the milestones you hope to achieve as RED & TED?
It’s hard to connect the dots looking forward, only behind you. That said, this song is the end of one chapter in our journey and the beginning of another. Having the backing of Melleefresh’s team at Play Records is a major milestone for us since we’ve been fans for over a decade. Not to mention the fact that “Slammin’ Mamajama” has been charting on Beatport for over a week right now in the Funky House top 5 releases. These are definitely “holy shit” moments for us.
We spent the majority of last year playing and promoting and we wouldn’t trade it for anything, but when you’re spending 10-20 hours a week at the club and working a day job there isn’t much room left for producing. We had to move out of the city this year, so we could focus on producing and honing the craft; learning the ins and outs of compression isn’t exactly exciting stuff, but the results of learning those kinds of things certainly are.
As for the milestones ahead, we have a couple of tracks that we recently finished and a remix in progress that we can’t talk about yet, but after that we’ll begin work on our debut EP.
We’re always working on the next thing, but this moment is not lost on us one bit. We absolutely appreciate the privilege of being able to make music that we love and play it for people that we love even more. Thank you.
With a promise to deliver more hard-hitting productions, the duo is set to continue building momentum and poised to reach even more milestone successes. As we close this interview, we thank RED & TED for sharing an insight into their inspirations and the technical processes behind ‘Slammin’ Mamajama’ and look forward to hearing more from them soon.
Listen and buy ‘Slammin’ Mamajama’ now
https://soundcloud.com/playrecords/sets/red-ted-slammin-mamajama
https://www.beatport.com/release/slammin-mamajama/4132769
RED & TED Online
Play Records Online
