CONTROL ROOM INTERVIEW [Q&A]

A special Q&A interview with the Canadian DJ/Producer duo Control Room, Paul and Caleb, on EDM Cave!

– How did your music career begin and when?

We started our first artist project 3 years ago. Caleb was taking music theory classes online and he had just bought Ableton. (When Paul asked Caleb about it), we had a lengthy conversation that ended with the decision to start a duo together. So we bought an S4 DJ Controller that day!

– What drew you to the music industry and who are you inspired by?

We both loved EDM! At the time we were living together and we were constantly listening to G-House. Dr. Fresch and BIJOU were our biggest inspirations at the time. Present day they have both played our music and they are still our favourite artists!

– Which is your first track ever released and from which record label?

Our first official release was a bass house track called “Ride Or Die” on ERIJO Records. We released it on our previous brand. If you look hard enough I’m sure you could still find it!

– With which record labels and artists have you worked on?

We have released with multiple labels at this point. Our best relationships are with UFO Records, Digital Empire and Low Freqs. They are all great labels who have treated us well. 

We have been collaborating with multiple artists from our artist collective Cosmic Academy. We have a couple collabs with Dustin Paik, LNDN and Trif3cto!

– Which was your latest release?

Our latest release was a bass house track called “The System”. It came out by Gangsta House Records on May 31st!

– Is there any hidden meaning in any track(s) of yours?

Our track “One More Night” is about a bad break up!

– Which DAW do you use to produce music and why?

We use Logic and Ableton. Logic is the DAW Paul started in and feels the most comfortable using. 

Caleb started in Ableton and he loves it. We think we both agree that Ableton is probably the most powerful DAW.

– Do you play any physical music instruments?

Caleb plays the guitar and Paul doesn’t play any instruments. It’s a goal of Paul to learn piano!

– Have you ever been participated in competitions?

Yes, we have entered a few! Our track “Eat Sleep House” was entered in the XLNT Sound Technically House contest and it did well but untimely it didn’t win!

– If you perform in public as a DJ duo, how does what you play on affect your style of djing and which is your general process for finding music?

We want to bring as much energy to the crowd as possible. We love high energy house music and we try and find music that is relevant in the global scene. We listen to other DJ mixes, livestreams and shows and we hand pick our favorite songs from those outlets.

– Has your creative process changed at all with a more open schedule? 

Not yet. We haven’t started playing a lot of live shows yet. When we start to do that we will have to restructure our creative sessions to be more efficient.

– How is an ordinary day like for you?

We both have full-time jobs and we live in different cities in Canada, so our day to day changes a lot. We both try and get as much time in the DAW as possible.

– On a personal level, what kind of music do you listen to in your free time? Do you have any other activities beside music?

We both love hockey, video games and boating. We listen to a lot of vibey house music. Paul loves classic rock too.

– What do you think about your favourite artists?

Dr. Fresch is probably our favourite artist. Our favourite thing about him is how he is the nicest guy and gives back to his community. We want to be in the same way.

– How do you think that the electronic music scene was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

It was hard for everyone. It was great to see how creative everyone got. Livestreams, increased content and lots of zoom calls helped keep things going. Now that COVID is coming to a close we think things are about to explode!

– How have you been keeping busy during quarantine?

We have both continued to work our full-time jobs. We also started to make wayyy more music! (haha!!)

– Do you have any dreams and plans for the future?

We plan to continue working hard and building our brand. The dream is to become touring DJs in the next 4 years!

– What can we expect from you in the near future?

Lots of music!! We have a bunch of music signed and we have a list of songs that we are pitching.  Follow us on our socials if you’d like to come long for the ride!

Follow Control Room: Website / SoundCloud / Instagram / Spotify