Interview with superduo Ross Fish and Alex Lang from Bucket Full O' Click Clack!

Photo credits to Morgan Frankenstein

These two insane dudes were the reason why I got into dubstep. Didn't know what it was the first time I arrived to the U S of A, then went to one of their shows and was absolutely horrified by the sound of it... for about an hour. Then I absolutely loved it, still can't really explain why up to this day.

So.

If you haven't heard about these guys before, add them on facebook,  'cause you WILL hear them spinning at an event or two in the future, and you WILL love them. Also, don't forget check out their newest mix that came out just last month!

Ross, Alex, introduce yourselves! Age, hometown, alias, and what are you currently studying?

R: Age 19 from Springfield, New Jersey- A shabby little suburb close to NYC but too far from it to be considered even remotely cool. Way too close to other neighboring suburban shitholes full of uncultured, boring, people who are more fixated on what they own rather than who they are. I’m currently under the DJ alias DJRFi, double majoring in Art History and Sound Design at SCAD.
A: Hey y'all! I am 19, and originated from Washington DC. I go by the name Loopcat and am getting my masters in graphic design at SCAD.

How did BFOCC came to exist? How did you choose the name?

R: Good lord. Well. Alex and I should be considered the poster children for Facebook (vomit). We met on the Class of 2014 group in a message board labeled “ELECTRONICA WHORES!?!!?!?” that I had started in hopes of meeting fellow DJs and musicians. Alex was one of those kids and sent me one of his earlier Dubstep mixes. We met up at SCAD, and we started dickin’ around in his dorm room on his decks and realized we were onto something. The first set we officially threw down was a tiny dance party in my old dorm room at Turner House the 2^nd or 3^rd week of school. There were probably 20 people there. Our first mix was actually recorded in the common room next to the computer lab at Dyson. We took over the room and blasted the mix loud as fuck and boogied. Alex, Tanner (DJ Tanman another member of Bucket Full O Click Clack), and I always make silly noises back and forth with one another. I believe the click clack came from Alex saying something along the lines of “Aw this mix is the fuckin shit tits with the clickity clack all up in it” (not a direct quote but pretty close I’m sure). The name kinda just happened. Bucket Full o Click Clack is now functioning as a Sudo-label. We represent five DJs at the moment and are hoping to continue expanding.

I bet you Alex’s recollection of us coming together is so different; his description is probably like: “I don’t know. We both like bass n bitches and everything kinda just happened after he farted in my dorm room.”
A:  Thanks to the networking powers of Facebook, Ross and I met online and talked about our love for electronic music. When we got together at SCAD we decided it would be a dank ass idea to start spinning shows together as a duo. Im pretty sure i came up the the name just randomly, maybe not, but it sure it rockin.

Alex, can you describe a significant moment in your life involving music?

Its not that cool, but i always remember this battle of the bands i played guitar and sang with my sludge metal band, Kill the Enemy. The crowd was full of lil kids and parents, and when i we got on stage, i yelled in the mic, You guys have no fucking idea what you are about to witness, and then we proceeded to kickass and eventually got kicked off stage. I loved that.

Ross, where do you get your inspiration to write music?

These two handsome guys are my dad and brother. They both passed away from cancer during some pretty rough times in my life. Everything I do in my life, not just music, is in honor and memory of them. Life is about playing the hand your dealt and being the best you can be every day, just as they did.  My music has always been my coping mechanism and has saved me time and time again when I was in some seriously dark periods in my life. There’s certain things in this world that you can’t attach words to, you need something more abstract and larger than you to express it- for me that’s music.

In terms of my DJ mixes this video right here:

Alex & Ross, did you give your decks a name?

R: No, decks to me aren’t that sentimental because they just play other people’s music. My bass is named Lazlow though (the strings lay low so it’s like lays low…lazlow….get it?)
A: Titty Spinners

Ross, write us a few lyrics of a song of your own invention.

Lyrics for me should never be separated from music. I get Dylan and the Beatles and their whole “change the world” thing, but those lyrics on paper don’t even come close to the impact they have within the song. There’s a reason for that. Lyrics (if done properly) are integral in the rhythm and phrasing of a song. However, one song I wrote that helped me through a rough time had a chorus that went like this:

“I do all the right things for all the wrong people.”

Alex, you’re a graphic designer, write something in a sick font!

I was just hanging out with my friends kickin it real hard, and all of the sudden the ground opened up and there was 15 hot tubs with my best of friends just chillin and then fuckin skrillex came out and the fucking bass just DROPPED everyone was there - Jobey Wright 

Ross, if you could speak to any animal, which would it be and what would you say to it?

Koala: Pass that shit…hahahaha

Alex, superheroes or villains? What would you name your team of SH/V?

First of all, heroes always win, so the name will be Super Friends, or Great Friends, depends how we are feeling that day.

A&R, three things every DJ should know:

R: First and foremost decide at the beginning of the night: Is your set for them or for you? Are you an artist or a disc jockey? If you’re a disc jockey spinning for money and (I do it at home, we all have the tendency to whore ourselves out from time to time) scroll down to the bottom of the page to where the headline reads SELLOUTS.  

If you have an ounce of integrity and call yourself an artist remember these two final words of advice: Stick to your guns. If you’re passionate about something (not just music) stick with it. There is a crowd for every genre of music out there, that’s why they are considered a genre in the first place.

Final word of advice: Never stop expanding your horizons. Listen to every genre of music all the time. Don’t judge what you’re listening to- learn from it. There’s something you can take away from any song no matter how bad it is.

SELLOUTS

First of all, fuck you. Secondly, you’re a smart kid, it’s really easy money.

These are wise words of advice that I learned from a DJ who currently has a residency at Pacha in NYC; stick to the three M’s of DJing:

1.    Music

2.    Mixing

3.    Message

Your music (believe it or not sometimes the most overlooked component) is your most important weapon. If you have shit music, or music that’s irrelevant to your crowd your night will suck. No one cares how good you are at beat matching if what you’re beat matching is bad to begin with.

Your mixing is the first thing that will stand out as a shitty DJ. How many times at a school dance did you have two songs flow into one another that were two totally different tempos, key signatures, and moods? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Baby Got Back” cross faded right into “The Cha-Cha Slide” with a really slow cross fade and no tempo match (vomit again).

The third and most overlooked is your message. If you’re a real DJ you should absolutely be focused on this rule. Your entire night should revolve around a central theme or idea. If you’re spinning a huge house party, every song should be about getting fucked up or getting laid. If you’re spinning a school dance you should be spinning entirely top 100 pop (almost every pop song is about the same three things- money, love, or violence). If you’re spinning a French House set every song should be about love. Catch my shaft? Good.

A: Skrillex, sync button, and how to twist up a fat chronic sack