With the upcoming release of their fantastic Worthy remix out on 7 November, we thought it appropriate to get in touch with Montreal’s LOL Boys to chat about their approach to music production and their ever growing discography of dance-floor smashers.

Be sure to grab their free 9 track EP released on Cocobass back in August – find the link at the bottom.

So Markus and Jerome, how long have you been producing together and how did you both get into it?

We actually started producing at different times. Markus started producing in the early 2000s. He was always in bands and after acquiring a copy of Reason he started playing around from there. He started to produce more dance oriented music in 2007. Jerome started producing with Fruity Loops and an old Yamaha keyboard in 2002.  It came out of a natural curiosity of learning how to make beats.

We met over a music forum, realised we shared a similar taste in music and decided to give it a go making tracks together.

Worthy - Lost Dog  (LOL BOYS Remix) by discobelle

What was the decision process behind giving away an entire 9 track EP for free?

We had wanted to do an EP with Cocobass for a long time.  We respect their attitudes towards music and their visual aesthetic.  Cocobass releases all music for free.  The EP sort of just grew to be 9 tracks, it was never the goal initially to have that many tracks. 

What is your favourite original production to date and why?

Jerome: “LDR” though I wish we could go back and mix this one down more in retrospect. The song has a lot of personal meaning for me though no emo.

Markus: “Bang Them” for some personal reasons.

Besides producing, you are also prolific DJs. Do you enjoy dancing behind the decks more or less than getting serious in the studio?

We love both. Our DJ sets, when we get to DJ together, are ridiculously fun.  We love getting wild and putting a lot of energy into it.  But there is something quite satisfying about completing a track and being happy with it.

You have a very fast rate of production, what is your production dynamic like (being a duo) and how long on average would you spend on a single track?

These days we’re spending a lot of time on our production and our work flow depends on many factors. Sometimes we can crank them out fast, sometimes it takes longer. Usually, one of us starts a beat and then we send it back and forth from there. Certain tracks can take weeks to go from a demo version to a final version.  Then again, some remixes can take 2 days.  

Could you name three songs and/or artists that have influenced your sound the most and why?

Dr. Dre - Great sense of melody great beats. 

Paul Johnson - Classic. 

Dubbel Dutch - Most inspiring, prolific producer right now.

What does the future hold for you guys?

We should be releasing the “Moments in Heartbreak” on vinyl before Christmas with an A and B side verison. We just remixed Worthy and that will be out in November on Discobelle. Our remix for Salva will be available on vinyl on Friends of Friends before the year is over. Then 2012 you should see a few EPs from us, one of which will be out on Friends of Friends.

LOL Boys - Bubbles by LOL Boys

Does the LOL in LOL Boys stand for Laugh Out Loud?

Ha. Good question. It can mean what ever you want it to mean. Laugh out Loud, Ladies of Leisure, Legends of Lore, Land of Lakes, Lack of Lube, etc.

Grab your free LOL Boys Bubbles EP right here.

SH