Over the weekend, The Sights and Sounds had a chance to sit down and chat with UK dubstep producers Chris and Dylan, better known as Culture Code. Two 19 year olds on a mission, Culture Code has been producing massive big house and melodic dubstep tracks in the fast growing midtempo genre that has seen enormous growth in the last year. Reminiscent of the big guns in the field – Adventure Club, Seven Lions, Krewella – the young duo has even had a chance to work with and remix some of those names. You’re going to want to familiarize yourself with these two because you can bet that Culture Code will be a name to look out for come 2013. So hit the play button below and read on as we chat about Electric Daisy Carnival, ninjas and mustache animals.

Reading music:

 
The Sights and Sounds: I always find the story behind the name interesting. Where does the name Culture Code come from?

Culture Code: (Chris) Interesting question, originally we were in a different group before Culture Code but due to issues between the band member we “Dylan and I” went off to start Culture Code. The name itself was randomly picked due to the fact that we liked the idea of putting the two words together. Culture represents the EDM culture that we live in, and Code represents some of the moral codes that we go by.
(Dylan) To be honest we just liked the name, and though it has some meaning we just felt that it really worked. We needed something that didn’t have meaning before hand. A lot of musicians these days choose over used names which creates issues when someone already has that name. For example if someone came up with the name Angry Chain Saw People. Most likely you would expect the music to be some kind of metal meets dubstep meets DnB lol.

The Sights and Sounds: How did you two meet and start producing music?

Culture Code:(Dylan) We both met years ago in school and have been close friends ever since. About 2 and a half years ago we began producing music and to be honest it took a while to catch on. We didn’t get our big break for almost a whole year. In fact at first no one gave us the chance to work with them up until we spoke with Adventure Club.

The Sights and Sounds: Do either of you play any other instruments?

Culture Code: (Dylan) Chris plays the piano but that really is as far as he goes…. Lol (Chris) We both can play the piano, but we have a stronger knowledge with music theory which has helped us in the past.

The Sights and Sounds: You guys are part of a growing army of extremely talented producers who all seem to be under the age of 20 and making great music. Other than the fact that you won’t be able to drink while you’re in America, has your age had any affect on your progress as musicians?

Culture Code: (Chris) I guess you could say that some people don’t take us so seriously because we are so young, however it really hasn’t hindered us much.
(Dylan) To be honest being young is good, it gives us a lot of time to improve since if we were older we probably wouldn’t find enough time to produce if we already had full time jobs.
(Chris) In addition to this, many of our listeners are around our age. You don’t find many people in their 40’s or 50’s listening to Culture Code. So it helps being young since we can relate to them.

The Sights and Sounds: What has the reaction been like from your family and friends with your recent successes?

Culture Code: (Chris) I can speak for both of us when saying that our families have been very supportive in this process. My mom especially has contributed a lot of time helping us out, and we feel very lucky to have their support.

The Sights and Sounds: What has been the highlight of 2012?

Culture Code: (Dylan) Our remix’s with both Adventure Club and Krewella were huge steps for us. We were blessed with the chance to remix both these amazing artists. In addition to that, both artists have played our music during their shows which to be honest means a lot to us.
(Chris) In addition to that we also won the Amba Shephard remix contest on Indaba music. This was huge for us since we love Amba’s voice and she can also be heard performing with huge artists such as Hardwell.

The Sights and Sounds: What kind of projects can we expect from Culture Code in 2013?

Culture Code: (Chris) Well in the past there haven’t been many originals so that will definitely be a huge change. Currently we are working on a couple original vocal tracks with both Lisa Rowe and Emily Underhill. One track will be house and though we haven’t gotten to the second we assume that we will go back to producing a dubstep track. In addition to that, we plan on working with more well known DJ’s and remixing more tracks. The great thing about a remix is you already know the vocals are perfect, and you have the ability to work around the vocals and create a masterpiece to compliment the original work.

The Sights and Sounds: Music has deep roots in the UK: birthplace of The Beatles, The Clash, Keith Richards, and your particular niche of sound, dubstep. Where do you guys draw your musical inspiration from?

Culture Code: (Chris) I would say the artists that have inspired us the most are Seven Lions, Adventure Club, Kdrew, and Swedish House Mafia. To be honest there are a ton more but those are probably the biggest artists that we draw a lot of our inspiration from. We have actually had the chance to gain advice from KDrew himself, which has been huge for us!
 

 
The Sights and Sounds: What do you want your music to inspire in others?

Culture Code: (Dylan) I would say that we want our music to bring out the emotions in people. We don’t like the idea of making “angry” music, and would prefer making melodic soulful music that people can be inspired by.

The Sights and Sounds: Midtempo melodic bass music has been making a huge surge recently with names like Adventure Club, Seven Lions, and Sound Remedy. What’s your take on this movement?

Culture Code: (Chris) We LOVE IT! Producers such as Adventure Club and Seven Lions are beginning to take dubstep in a new direction. We are just trying to join this movement and help take Dubstep to the next level.

The Sights and Sounds: What’s your favorite key to produce in?

Culture Code: To be honest that one changes around a lot

The Sights and Sounds: You’re currently in preparations for a US tour. What can your fans on this side of the Atlantic expect?

Culture Code: (Chris/Dylan) One really EPIC show. We are currently waiting to get some things sorted out but once that’s finished we will start booking shows in the US.

The Sights and Sounds: What are you most looking forward to seeing/doing/eating while in America?

Culture Code: (Chris) If we get the chance to tour in America, most likely we would look forward to seeing Las vegas, New York City, and Los Angeles. Our manager also lives in LA so we look forward to hanging out with him. As for the food, our manager told us of some great burger places, one being Gulfstream in Los Angeles. A dream of ours would also be a chance to play at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. We have watched tons of videos on youtube and hopefully we get the chance to visit America and play there.

The Sights and Sounds: If you could turn any spot in the world into your DJ booth, where or what would it be?

Culture Code: (Dylan) It would be really cool to DJ in New York City on one of the skyscrapers. Anything around those lines would be wicked. Also, it would be really cool to DJ in the middle of the ocean on some kind of giant raft. If we had the chance to DJ on a raft in front of thousands of people it would probably be insanely epic

The Sights and Sounds: If you could choose any person from history, who would you write a song with?

Culture Code: (Dylan) I know that this doesn’t count since they are a modern day group, but Swedish House Mafia would be amazing to work with. Their use of vocals and choice of melodies makes their music some of the best house music out there. Having the chance to produce a song with them would honestly be a blessing.

The Sights and Sounds: Who’s currently your favorite producer?

Culture Code: (Chris) Like we just said, Swedish House Mafia would have to be our favorite producer. It really is sad that they are breaking up, and we wish we could see them live before they end.
 

 
The Sights and Sounds: If you could write a letter today and have it delivered to yourself one year ago, what would you say?

Culture Code: (Chris) Believe it or not, but in 1 year you’re going to have 20 thousand fans and get to work with producer such as Adventure Club and Krewella. I know it doesn’t make much sense but people will actually start giving you the chance to prove yourselves, and you will achieve your dreams. Never stop working, never give up, keep on pushing.

The Sights and Sounds: What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?

Culture Code: (Dylan) I would say the craziest thing I have ever done was work with Chris in a group called Culture Code. It was a huge mistake and I really regret it -_-. Lol
(Chris) I think the craziest thing I ever did was conduct an interview next to Dylan. The guy smells terrible and he has the horrid mustache that he won’t shave.

The Sights and Sounds: If you could transform yourself into any animal, what would your spirit animal be?

Culture Code: (Chris) I would have to choose a Lion, since they are fast and at the same time really awesome haha. As for Dylan, he would probably choose some kind of rodent with a mustache, because rodents grow mustaches.
(Dylan) My mustache has a mind of it’s own….
(Chris) Which is why you should shave it before it detaches and hurts somebody
(Dylan) KILL IT BEFORE IT BREEDS

The Sights and Sounds: Facebook or Twitter?

Culture Code: (Chris) Facebook, Twitter is difficult lol! Plus all our fans are on facebook! And we love them all!

The Sights and Sounds: Blondes or Brunettes?

Culture Code: (Chris) Every color imaginable. We don’t care what color your hair is.

The Sights and Sounds: iTunes or Beatport?

Culture Code:Dylan: Beatport, since it has a better collection of music that we actually listen to. However, Itunes has a good amount as well.

The Sights and Sounds: Krewella or Adventure Club?

Culture Code:Chris: That’s a hard one. To be honest we love both groups and can’t put one in front of the other. However if you were to add Al Walser or whatever that guys name is, we would have to pick Al 😉

The Sights and Sounds: Pirates or ninjas?

Culture Code: (Dylan) Ninjas can fight. Pirates just get drunk and swing swords. So I would have to go with Ninjas just to be safe.

The Sights and Sounds: Beer or liquor?

Culture Code:Beer over Liquor, Cider over all of it. Hard cider is the best!

The Sights and Sounds: Red Bull or coffee?

Culture Code: (Chris) Both Red Bull and Coffee! Lol just kidding. I would probably have to go with Red Bull.

The Sights and Sounds: Soup or salad?

Culture Code: (Dylan) Salad > Soup

The Sights and Sounds: Gangnam Style or Macarena?

Culture Code: (Chris/Dylan) Gangnam Style for sure

The Sights and Sounds: Boobs or butts?

Culture Code: (Chris/Dylan) Butts
 
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