For anyone that has had their ears open over the past twelve months to indie electro styles, you’ll surely be familiar with Mikey and Beans, the two boys from Vegas, known affectionately together as Afghan Raiders. Recently having won Black Lips’ remix content for the song “Drop I Hold,” the duo talked to Truth&Rights about their independence, history and subsequent plans for the remainder of 2009.
T&R: You guys seem to be perfecting a 360 approach to DIY-independence. How has this mentality been ingrained in Afghan Raiders?
Afghan Raiders: Keeping a strong DIY mentality has definitely played a vital role in getting us where we are right now. Our philosophy or process is really straightforward. We sit down and discuss a project or idea, and we figure out the steps we need to take to make it happen. Sometimes we end up doing it completely on our own, and sometimes we will collaborate with other artists, designers, photographers, or whomever we need to help get the job done. Either way, we are always pushing ourselves harder with that DIY approach to get where we want to go.
T&R: Give us a little background into the history of Afghan Raiders. How did the two of you initially meet and wind up opening for Broken Spindles?
Afghan Raiders: We got to know each other back in high school from just jamming around on guitar, skateboarding, and going to shows and parties together. There was definitely a strong musical connection between us from the start, and we have been sharing creative ideas ever since. We were in a thrash/rock band together before, and after that fell apart, we talked a lot about doing a more electronic based project together with just the two of us. Ideas turned into songs and here we are. Actually a few weeks after we put our first two original tracks online, we got a message from a local promoter asking us to open for Broken Spindles. We didn’t even have enough material for a live set yet, but we were both big fans of The Faint, Broken Spindles, and Joel Peterson, and we really wanted to open up for him, so we threw together a set and introduced Afghan Raiders to Las Vegas.
T&R: What is it like calling Vegas your creative hub and also your home? How has the cultural aesthetic of the city shaped who you are as musicians?
Afghan Raiders: We sort of took advantage of Vegas in that there is a really small music scene here comprised of mostly DJs and indie/rock bands. We figured if we put together a live, energetic, dark, electronic “band” then people would really dig it and flock to it because it was so different from the norm. Compared to LA or NY where there are literally tens of thousands of bands trying to capture people’s attention, we wanted to start in Vegas because we thought it would be so much easier to build a following. Having said that, we’ve really had to do a lot of our own traveling and research to find creative inspiration, because being the tourist driven city that it is, the cultural aesthetic in Vegas is practically non-existent.
T&R: In your mind, what is the current state of dance music in 2009? Where does the progression lead now?
Afghan Raiders: Dance music will always be prevelant because people love to listen to music, dance, and have fun. Having said that, the current state of dance music is definitely changing. Genres are bleeding together, producers and DJs are getting more creative with mashing and blending different types of music, and the handful of really good remixes that are out there are proof that the future of dance music as we know it has no limitations. As for Afghan Raiders, we are always going to continue to develop our sound and let it naturally evolve, and our constant flux of musical influences will definitely pave the way.
T&R: When looking at the accompanying blog at Badical Beats, it’s obvious that both of you are well-read and well-versed in cultural trend. How do you decide what is, in your minds, worthwhile art or expression?
Afghan Raiders: We really find value in any art form that raises awareness and takes the observer into a new frame of mind. Artists who can utilize their medium to evoke intense feelings and challenge society’s general conceptions, theologies, ideals, and politics are worthwhile in our mind.
T&R: While being socially-aware, it’s tough to discern if you guys are politically-driven. Do politics find their way into your art?
Afghan Raiders: We’re not a “political band”, but certainly, politics find their way into the music we make. Politics effect our lives and thus effect the lyrics and music we are writing. It’s a very exciting time for our country again and as an artist you are given a unique voice in the world. You might as well put it to good use before your time runs up.
T&R: You talk about acts like Madlib and Animal Collective heavily influencing your work. Are there artists in other mediums that are doing the same?
Afghan Raiders: Yes, we definitely get inspired by all mediums of art. We are both heavy readers and that shows in many aspects of our music. We’ve sampled excerpts from “HOWL” by Allen Ginsberg for one of our tracks, and being huge sci-fi fans, we got lyrical inspiration for “Future Thinkers” from Philip K. Dick’s novel The Divine Invasion.
Some other musical artists outside the dance/electro genre that have inspired us lately include Grizzly Bear, Micachu and the Shapes, Mos Def, and Black Lips, but to tell you the truth, we really enjoy all types of good music.
T&R: Are there any songs in this moment that you can freely say are turning your world upside down?
Beans:
Japandroids – “Young Hearts Spark Fire”
Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks”
Neon Indian – “Deadbeat Summer”
Glass Candy – “Poison Or Remedy”
Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”
Mikey:
Nosaj Thing – “1685/Bach”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll (Passion Pit Remix)”
Woolfy – “The Warehouse”
Mayer Hawthorne – “Maybe So, Maybe No”
Miike Snow – “Plastic Jungle”
T&R: What are your plans for the rest of 2009?
Afghan Raiders: Well, we just finished up a mini west coast tour playing some amazing parties like Blow Up SF, Bravado in Sacramento, and a Dim Mak Tuesday in LA. We’d like to hit up some other parties on the west coast like Popscene(SF) and Dance Right(LA). We are also working on a handful of remixes for bigger artists in a variety of genres. We just remixed Black Lips’ track “The Drop I Hold Feat. GZA” which went on to win the Filter Magazine Remix Contest. Other than that we will be writing new material, and prepping for CMJ this fall in New York City.
T&R: What’s the overriding mantra in what you’re trying to accomplish with Afghan Raiders?
Afghan Raiders: “Party! Party! Party!”
Tags: Afghan Raiders, Dance Music, Las Vegas, music, Progressive