SIDEPIECE, the dynamic DJ duo comprised of Party Favor (Dylan Ragland) and NITTI (Ricky Mears), has been making waves in the electronic dance music scene since their formation in 2019. Known for their infectious beats and innovative sound, SIDEPIECE quickly captured the attention of EDM enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. Their unique blend of house music, characterized by pulsating rhythms and catchy hooks, has set them apart as one of the most exciting acts in the genre today.
Their breakout single “On My Mind,” a collaboration with Diplo, skyrocketed to the top of the charts, earning them widespread acclaim and solidifying their status as rising stars. The track’s success was a testament to their ability to craft dancefloor anthems that resonate with a global audience. As they continue to release hit after hit, SIDEPIECE remains committed to pushing the boundaries of house music and exploring new sonic territories.
In this exclusive interview, SIDEPIECE opens up about their creative process, the journey that led them to form the duo and their future aspirations. Join us as we delve into the minds of Dylan and Ricky, uncovering the stories behind their chart-topping tracks and their vision for the future of electronic music.
[Note: this interview was conducted Friday April 26, 2024 over Zoom and has been edited for clarity and brevity purposes]
Are you feeling excited for tonight?
Dylan: Yes, very excited. I think we both live in LA so I think it’s good to have a hometown show. I think our last LA show was Shrine so it’s good to get back in the club. Should be good.
Congratulations on your recent release, “Give It To Me Good” with Disco Lines! Can you tell me a bit about how the collaboration came about, the inspiration behind the track, and what the production process was like?
Ricky: Yeah it was a fun one. We just had a session, and we pretty much just were all in the room together, which is sometimes pretty rare. But recently, we’ve been doing a lot of sessions where we actually invite the artist over. We were with Dombresky the other day and we’ve been knocking out songs and sessions a lot more these days. So that was one of those examples where we recorded in the studio. We kinda all got 90% of it. And then the rest was just online. But yeah, it was super fun.
Dylan: I think it just depends on the collabs. Every single time it’s different because it’s a different person and a different way they approach making music. And so Ricky and I, we’re basically like brothers at this point. We could finish each other’s sentences. I know his habits, he knows mine, etc, and I think that when you work with someone else, sometimes the challenge is how do we bring what we do and the way we produce and whatnot into someone else’s world and how do we get them to work together. So like in the Disco Lines collab, it was great cause we immediately gelled well together, and then when we made the song it started clicking. Like before he walked in the door, we had already started what became of the song, and he’s like, “Oh, this is awesome” like he was already on board. And then sometimes it takes an hour and a half of working with writers or other people to even just get to know them and get something started. So it just depends. But usually the faster it gets started, the better the song turns out. So that’s the main takeaway.
In addition to “Give It To Me Good,” you also recently released “Taka” with San Pacho. Could you tell me about that and what it’s like working with him on that track?
Ricky: That one was a little more I’d say, you know, using Dropbox, and just sending files back and forth. We made the song for our show in San Diego and just played a very early demo of it. But it went crazy, and everyone was like, “Yo what song was that?” So we kind of just had it. We’re like, man, this might be something special. But the drums and the vibe of the song kind of suited San Pacho’s style. So we sent it to him and luckily he was also pretty hyped on it. And then he kind of just did his thing, and we ended up, you know, just sending stems back and forth. But to be honest, especially from COVID era, most people were sending files back and forth more than having in-person sessions, and now that we’ve been having more in-person sessions, I think we’re both like, yeah, this is so much more fun, you know. You get the vibe of the person in the room and actually go off of their energy and how they feel and not have to wait for a text and then you don’t know what they’re saying. But yeah, that one’s super fun just because he’s so good. It was the perfect idea. Right up his alley, and he killed these crazy drums. And it just really worked out on that one.
I’m glad it paid off, cause now it’s a hit. Looking ahead. You have a busy schedule with tour dates lined up all throughout August including headlining sets and festival performances. How do you prepare for such a hectic tour schedule? And what are you most looking forward to about hitting the road again?
Dylan: It’s crazy because I feel like we’ve been touring pretty much nonstop since shows started coming back from COVID and when we started this project, we just started to kind of get in our groove and “On My Mind” had just come out in December 2019. And you know, obviously the pandemic hit. And it was like wham like right when we were about to start going with this. And so we pretty much have been going crazy. And we’ve taken little breaks here and there, but it’s been really fun. Because of this new tour we’ve been on, we actually kind of purposely wanted to go back and do smaller clubs, like proper house clubs across the country and do all these things. And every single show has been sold out. It’s been amazing. It’s been, you know, not saying that to brag, but more just like that we’ve been really excited to kind of get back to how we started. And you know, kind of being with the lack of a better word, the culture. And so it’s been really fun. And I think for us, there’s not really like a “Oh, I’m gearing up to go on tour,” because it’s pretty much like our life, you know. At least for me, you know. But I feel more comfortable on the road sometimes, cause that’s like what I’m more used to, you know.
Speaking of live shows, you guys have a show tonight at Academy LA and a monthly Residency in Las Vegas at Liv Beach. How do you guys approach each show differently? And what can fans expect from your performances?
Ricky: I’d say there’s probably like 3 general areas we like to follow with sets. Vegas is its own world. Obviously, there’s more random people just coming to the show, more people that aren’t versed with house, and that are more general population-like. They might know only a few of the bigger songs like “On My Mind,” and stuff. So usually you know, we try to keep it as close to our set, as always. But you know, in Vegas we might drop a few more of the known songs, and something like Academy LA, where we get kind of to do our own, you know, SIDEPIECE fan, you know, it’s sold out with basically all our fans. We’re like, let’s do our music, our thing a 100% of the time, and maybe barely throw in a couple of our own remixes and edits and stuff like that. And then, you know, sometimes even deeper than that, like when we play that Bauhaus and like It’ll Do just like Houston and Dallas kind of like Club Space Miami. They’re just very proper. You could play deep, and the crowd will go down there with you, and it’s not like you have to give them every 5 songs, you don’t have to give them a big song to keep them occupied like they’re actually loving house music so much…I felt like this tour like you said it’s been so much fun because we’re doing sets, and different ways and learning new, you know. “Oh, we never get a chance to play this song,” because you know, some of the crowds in Vegas might not vibe with it. But this crowd that loves house music will absolutely go down that rabbit hole with us, so I’d say we’re always SIDEPIECE, but there’s small differences here and there for each set for basically how mainstream it is, I would say, is probably the rule of thumb for us.
So sounds like attendees are in for a treat. Looking beyond your current releases and tour dates. What else can fans expect from SIDEPIECE in the near future? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations in the works that you can share?
Dylan: Yeah, I mean, we have a ton of collaborations in the works, a ton of original stuff. I think he kind of briefly mentioned it, but we have a song that we just made the other day with Dombresky. It’s amazing. If you’re familiar with him at all. And that was really fun. That was another one where we just were, you know, really connected. We just made this one with Hannah Boleyn, who’s this incredible vocalist and songwriter, and it’s super melodic with all different kinds of vibes and genres within our world of house. It’s really cool. I mean, we have a ton of stuff we’re working on, some stuff that we can’t say, and then yeah. But our year is set, it’s crazy. We got shows all the way booked until late fall already. So if you’re a fan of us you’ll see us somewhere.
That’s so exciting. Now, a question for each of you to answer separately. As a college student who shares a passion for music, it’s evident that both of you began your journey from a similar starting point. Could you each share the pivotal steps you took to transition from being music enthusiasts to establishing yourself as influential figures in the EDM world?
Ricky: Mine’s pretty like— not negative, but I dropped out of college. So you know, don’t necessarily do what I did. Dylan’s the college graduate, so if you’re in college, you might want to stick to his way of this. No, I’m just kidding. Yeah, I think for me, I just felt like it was the right thing to do for me personally. And I didn’t even know what major, I didn’t ever decide on it, so it was very different for me where I was pretty much wasting money and I felt it. I didn’t want to go into debt for this. So I went to a one-year program for music. And I met someone who I still work with today. He actually helps manage me, Mike. So you know, the people that you meet, and the time you spend, honing your craft, to me, is kind of the most important. There really isn’t any one version of it. I’m sure everybody’s just a little bit different. But the things in common were probably the amount of time spent working hard, and you know, networking and trying to meet people was probably pretty much the same for everyone in this type of electronic music scene. A lot of people just want to have fun. So I think annoying people, and being overly like, in their face, it just always leaves a bad taste in most people’s mouths when you’re just like, “Hey, I want to send you this thing,” and “Here’s my USB.” Most of the time, if you’re friends with people first, or at least trying to be more of just a homie and then you’re like, “Oh, by the way, I made a song,” then that person will usually trust you to like, “Oh, you know I kinda like them. I’ll listen to this,” or “I kind of like them. Maybe I can manage them,” or whatever agent, whatever the person is on the team, you know. I kind of always feel like those are usually the things in common, even though maybe I dropped out or he didn’t, or whatever. But it’s usually like networking and being friendly with the right people, and the work ethic. Those are usually the main things. I’d say.
Dylan: Yeah, I mean, even though, like you said, my story is a little different. The funny thing is it does end up back at what he’s talking about. For me, I started DJing first and it was through parties and friends in college. And I was like, oh I’m gonna make it as a DJ, and I’m gonna you know, whatever as it was for fun. But it wasn’t what I thought I wanted to do for a career. And I actually graduated. I was in LA, I was working a completely different type of job and it was gonna eventually be you know, hopefully a good paying job and a more realistic career choice, you know. But for me, I felt this calling to music and through electronic music. And so I kept trying to DJ. I was doing the Hollywood circuit. I was doing clubs, you know, around LA, and it wasn’t until I started producing music and creating my sound and who I was and what I wanted to do. That’s when my career took off. So I feel like the reason I say that is to touch on what Ricky said, you have to really put in the time and the hours to what you wanna do first. I think a lot of people now just kind of expect like, oh if I just do this one cool set people are gonna book me, and I’m gonna be headlining festivals. But it’s like a lot of the people that you see, and granted, there’s always different cases for everyone, but you know the people you go and pay tickets to see, our peers, are all people who have had different situations, but have all put in the work, and the time and effort to create and hone their sound. And so, you know, I’d like to think that us as SIDEPIECE, we have our own sound in our world. We don’t sound, hopefully, like Dombresky, or you know Cloonee or John, or you know anybody, these people that are big in our world. But I think that we’ve really taken the time to make sure that on top of everything that he said, that part is super important. You can’t expect things to just be like, oh you know, here’s a gig, you’re all of a sudden headlining, but I think it’s important for anyone to find your sound. Find what makes you, you. What is it that you bring to the table in terms of producing? Or if you just are just DJing for fun, that’s okay, too, you know. But I think it’s good to be realistic as well, cause it’s a hard business, it’s not all that glamorous as it might seem you know, but it’s very fun. That was a very long answer. I’m sorry.
No, you answered that perfectly! Well before we wrap up, You guys kind of already answered it a little bit, but as someone who’s also an aspiring tech house DJ, what would you say is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career? And what advice would you give to aspiring producers and DJs, who are looking to make their mark in the industry?
Ricky: I think one thing that we both were just talking about that we learned, was on this last tour. About being involved enough in the scene to recognize what sounds good, where the sounds are going, how the sounds are moving. And you know we’ve even made that mistake. It was hard. But we had to realize, and I don’t mean like so out of touch, you know, like we were doing our best at all times but we felt a little bit out of touch maybe with the culture. And like this little small room tour we were like damn, this was so much fun to go with just these rooms where kids really understand house music and pay attention to like, wow this song went off. And this song actually does this, and this means this, and it was kind of like you said we toured for almost four years nonstop off of our already known songs. So then, you know, if you get a hit song and you get too wrapped up in it, and then you’re not looking for all the other stuff, it can be hard. And it doesn’t even have to be that you have a hit song, it could just be that some people are just out of touch with, like they play a set, and people are like, that’s not what’s hot right now, or that’s not what the vibe is, or you know, trying to learn how to play those sets in a way that isn’t just, you know, they call it like jukebox mixing. You know what I mean? When you’re just like one song into the next, when you’re actually flowing with the songs and finding songs that work together. That was a huge, I’d say part of sets. We look at each other at a festival and if we hear someone that’s clearly just not a vibe, it’s noticeable. You’re like, wow that just doesn’t sound great, versus someone that’s on fire on the deck. I think we’re both like at Miami Music Week like this year, and just we’re like at a few parties, and just like, yo he’s killing it. Whoever was playing we were just like both noticing like, yo this is on fire right now, like this is a great set, and if you have those moments, that’s I feel like a great starting point for most DJs. Realizing what types of sets and culture that people are playing that makes sense and you know, fit your own style into that. But you know, it’s a great learning thing, I’d say. You know, emulate or copy in the beginning, and then you find yourself within that. But you know, it’s a small, very small line not to cross, to copy. But don’t copy too hard and be different. But don’t be too different. It’s a very crazy, crazy line, I’d say. But that is really where the magic is I think.
Dylan: Yeah, I think taking your ego out of it too and just like he’s saying, watch people. And whoever your favorite DJ is or DJs let’s say, you go watch him or her, or whoever it is and you say, why is this working? What are they doing? Study what they’re doing. Because, you know, all these people and some of the legends in our scene are there for a reason, because they’re tastemakers. They know how to curate a party and moments, and the ebb and flow of a party. I think a lot of people and DJs just think, oh I’m gonna throw every big top 40 hit on Beatport you know, or whatever. You can do that in some instances. But for the most part, if you don’t know how to bring the crowd with you—there’s a reason why there’s like masters of the craft, you know. And I think that we’re even, still, we’ve been doing this for a long, long time. The two of us together combined is a long time, and more than a lot of people have been alive. And we’re still learning. I think that it’s important to be a sponge, as I think it is one of the best things you can do in this industry. Whether it’s listening, whether it’s how you try to produce anything, just soak everything in and try to learn everything you can cause you’ll never learn enough. So yeah.
Okay, one more question. Who are your biggest inspirations as a producer and DJ?
Dylan: I mean, I think for me like pure pure DJing, I also have like a soft spot for him, and he’s a friend, but probably Atrak cause his ability to mix and DJ, and his knowledge of music about everything is amazing. And then, as a producer, Timbaland is probably one of my favorite producers ever. It’s not really dance music, but yeah, I don’t know, he just has this ability to cross genres and the way he thinks is crazy.
Ricky: Yeah, that’s Skrillex for me. Definitely. Yeah, it’s just like, I’m sure it’s the most common answer, but it’s just like so hard not to look up to him, I’d say, as an overall, producer producer.
_______________________
As our conversation with SIDEPIECE draws to a close, it’s clear that Dylan Ragland and Ricky Mears are more than just talented producers; they are visionaries who continue to shape the future of house music. Their passion for their craft and dedication to pushing the envelope promise an exciting road ahead for fans and newcomers alike. With upcoming projects and collaborations on the horizon, SIDEPIECE is set to keep dance floors buzzing and audiences captivated. Stay tuned for more from this electrifying duo as they continue to dominate the EDM scene. Don’t miss their latest single, “Give It To Me Good,” featuring Disco Lines, and make sure to catch them live on tour—it’s an experience you won’t want to miss!
