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Volta Bureau is that unseasonably warm day. Mom’s home-cooked meal. The first time you lock eyes with your super cute crush. That satisfying feeling when your car has a full tank of gas. Putting on warm pants right out of the dryer. Finding money you didn’t know you had. When the DJ plays your favorite song in the club.
There hasn’t been a better feeling to come out of DC since Will Eastman, Miguel Lacsamana (Micah Vellian), and Bernard Farley (Outputmessage) joined forces in 2011 to create Volta Bureau. A constant source of optimism in a scene that can potentially be very cutthroat and negative, Volta Bureau produces, DJs, and performs some truly positive, top-notch disco, house, and techno music in the most seemingly natural way. It’s quite the experience in any form it takes. Their productions sound so smooth and effortless – almost like second-nature to these guys – as if they have it down to a science (but I think it’s ultimately more emotional than that). And it makes sense, as each member comes from a traditional educational background – Will being a former historian, Miguel being a former English teacher, and Bernard holding a Masters degree in Abstract Algebra. In fact, Volta Bureau was named after Alexander Graham Bell’s laboratory in Georgetown, which might also explain the muse behind the trio’s musical genius.
Even their meeting was a true act of kismet. Miguel and Bernard used to live together and also produced music together as Dmerit. They remixed Will Eastman’s “Feelin’”. Then came Will Eastman with a remix of their track, “Stuck On You”. And upon realizing the amazing talents each other had to offer as producers and the fact that their musical paths were beginning to converge, the rest was history! So now we’re lucky enough to have this wonderfully beautiful source of sonic sunshine blasting from our speakers on the daily.
The wildly successful release of “Alley Cat” in 2011 rapidly propelled Volta Bureau into the spotlight with support from Pete Tong, Toddla T, A-Trak, and so many more influentials. Playing with Thievery Corporation, kicking off the dance party at 2012′s Virgin Mobile FreeFest, and with a brand new EP, Hot/The Greatest, in tow, Volta Bureau is officially impossible to ignore. And why would you even want to? They’re all about good vibes, smiling faces, and a never-ending dance party. Love is always in the air when Volta Bureau is around and the appreciation for that is immeasurable.
So I’m gonna let these guys speak for themselves as the incredibly interesting people they really are! Be sure to visit their SoundCloud and make it a point to cut a rug at their next dance party. You owe it to yourself!
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Cool Breezy: What kind of emotions and responses are you trying to evoke with the sounds of Volta Bureau?
Micah Vellian: Love mostly. But we try to represent the entire gamut of the human experience, and sex.
Bernard Farley: Yeah, love, interconnectedness, cosmic adventure.
Will Eastman: Love and happiness, and a certain kind of melancholy that also can feel good.
CB: What kind of special talents to each of you have to contribute to producing a single Volta Bureau track?
MV: Puns. Cooking (Vegan or otherwise). I’m a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, keys) with a background in madrigal/classical choir and a penchant for strings and musicals. Oh and moxy.
BF: I’m the synth and fx guy in the group. I also do main vocals and production.
WE: I have a hand in writing lyrics and lay down the guitar parts. I also like to do arranging. It’s similar to working as an editor or curator. We all pretty much take turns on having a hand in production.
CB: Volta Bureau has seen so much success since its genesis in 2011, from “Alley Cat” topping the Beatport charts in 2011 to playing the Virgin Mobile FreeFest in 2012. So if you had to choose just one, what has been your proudest moment to date?
MV: Pete Tong saying Volta Bureau and calling Alley Cat clever was pretty aces.
WE: Playing some sold out shows in San Francisco and DC and getting added to Virgin Fest for sure.
CB: What are some of your favorite dance tracks to play during a live set?
MV: All of em! I’ve been in many bands, but this is the only band I’ve ever been in that dances during our practices, every, damn, time.
BF: I love playing our track “Hope” live. It has such a positive vibe and always gets the crowd really excited.
WE: It’s hard to pick one but “Solid Gold Bones” is my favorite track to play live. It’s upbeat and I have a falsetto back up vocal that’s fun.
CB: Do you have any dream collaborations in mind?
MV: It’d be nice, but I’m fine with these guys and a few other friends/family.
BF: I think it’d be cool to work with some female vocalists like Robyn.
WE: Hall and Oates.
CB: Do you remember the first record you ever bought?
MV: In 1986 (10 at the time), before I moved to the United States from the Philippines, I bought Michael Jackson’s Thriller and listened to it incessantly. The first time I experienced an earthquake (in the northern mountains of Baguio of the Philippines), I was listening to it. It truly was a groundbreaking record. I was/still obsessed with this album. So much in fact that I fashioned my signature in the style of Michael Jackson’s autograph and still sign it this way.
BF: For me, it was Aphex Twin’s Richard D. James album.
WE: Chic’s “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” I was a Disco kid.
CB: Are there any exciting plans for the remainder of 2012?
MV: Yes! More tunes! More shows!
BF: Yeah, we have a lot of tracks simmering in the studio right now. We’re looking to get a lot of these out next year.
WE: Yes, focusing on finishing up a ton of new tracks that are close and getting ready for more live shows in 2013.
Filed under: Disco/Disco-House, Interview, Music Tagged: alley cat, bbc, bernard farley, dc, disco, hope, micah vellian, outputmessage, pete tong, u hall, U Street Music Hall, volta bureau, will eastman Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
