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August 29, 2013

Interview w/ BASECAMP

B-A-S-E-C-A-M-P-EP

Words and Interview by J.L. Greene

Described as R&BDM, Nashville based BASECAMP springs from Music City with a unique sound that combines everything you love about EDM mixed with the best of R&B. As the story many times goes, the band began with a few friends (also seasoned musicians) in the music scene hanging out and talking music. With a passion for the supreme, BASECAMP is a very unique amalgamation that leaves a lingering impression. In an email interview, I got to ask bandmates Aaron Miller, Aaron C. Harmon and Jordan Reyes a little bit more about their brand new baby.

BASECAMP’s self-titled EP is out now and you can have a listen below. You won’t regret it.

B3SCI: Tell me a little bit about how you guys joined together to form BASECAMP. Did it start organically?

Miller: We had a bunch of mutual friends and had worked together on a few projects for other artists in Nashville, and I guess one day we just sort of threw out the idea of doing a little side project together. Didn’t really have any plans of making it any sort of official ‘band’ thing, just thought it would be fun.

Harmon: Yea, the way everything clicked felt very organic.

B3SCI: Can you tell us a little bit about your backgrounds? Where are you from… school, etc.?

Harmon: Jordan and I are originally from Vegas. We grew up together.

Miller: Originally from California, but I grew up mostly in Nashville. I think we all kinda skipped the college thing. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to haunt us.

B3SCI: Why BASECAMP musique? Is there a specific reason you chose the French spelling?

Miller: There’s no particular reason, I guess. I think ‘basecampmusic’ and ‘basecampband’ were taken or something. Haha

B3SCI: For people considering checking out the EP, how would you describe it?

Miller: Well we started the project initially to try and get some placements in film & tv. So I guess we were leaning in a slightly more ‘cinematic’ direction at first. But yeah, I don’t know. I think my favorite genre description we’ve gotten thus far is ‘R&BDM’. Haha, seems to be the most fitting I’ve heard.

B3SCI: There’s a certain R&B aspect to the songs, especially in “Emmanuel”. Coming from Nashville, that’s pretty different. Why did you decide to pursue it?

Miller: We didn’t really consciously ‘pursue’ the R&B thing. We didn’t really set out with a strict set of guidelines, we just did what we liked.

B3SCI: How would you say this project is different from your past work?

Miller: I feel like we just had a little bit more fun putting this EP together. We did a lot of experimenting and playing around. And it’s really the first collaborative project I’ve been a part of, so there was definitely a feeling of having to figure each other out and build up a creative chemistry. There was maybe a little head butting here and there, but that’s natural (and typically healthy).

B3SCI: The EP is also a synthesis of so many other different sounds, making it a pretty epic experience. Can you describe the process of incorporating them all into the final product?

Miller: I think that goes back to the ‘experimenting’ thing. We had a limited amount of gear to make this record with, so we had to resort to a lot of unconventional means when it came to getting the sounds we wanted. Which in hindsight, I think was a really great thing.

B3SCI: How do you think you’ve grown musically as you worked together on the EP?

Miller: Again, this is the first serious collaborative effort we’ve all made thus far, so I suppose it’s forced us to learn how to make healthy compromises and find a good middle ground. That said, I think the most growth came from finding our balance with each other. Really excited about the new material we’re working up.

B3SCI: Can you tell me a little bit about your creative process? What does that look like?

Miller: Typically we start with the music. We build a track together, and once it’s to a certain point, I’ll take it home and start writing the lyrics and melodies. Then from there it’s lots of tweaking and polishing.

Harmon: Lots of tweaking.

Reyes: Yeah, usually changes pretty drastically from the initial idea.

Basecamp (Official)

Rating 8.0

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