Introducing: Lane 8 Interview

Lane 8’s rise from zero to hero in under 12 months has been an impressive one, he’s part of a rare breed of self-starter who has released all of his tracks via his own social media channels and, probably, shunned a quite a few offers along the way.

While his Lane 8 moniker is still very much in its infancy, it’s refreshing to see an artist trying to pave his own way on his own terms. We managed to grabbed 10 minutes with Daniel Goldstein, the main behind the Lane, to pick his brains about music, who his influences are, how he came up with his name, and he also gives us his two cents on the EDM craze which is sweeping America currently.

HBF: Tell us about your name, are you a big fan motorways or something?

Huge fan of motorways, but that’s not where the name comes from. I used to be a swimmer, and when you’re the slowest guy in your heat, they put you in lane 8. My sister and I thought that would be a funny name for our garage band, and 13 years later here I am.

HBF: Who would you credit as your biggest musical influence?

I could ponder that for hours…let’s go with Pete Rock.

HBF: You’re from San Francisco, how has this influenced your musical output?

To be frank, it hasn’t whatsoever. If there’s a really good electronic music scene happening in San Francisco that I’m unaware of, someone should definitely let me know. Aside from growing up listening to Andre Nickatina and Mac Dre, I’ve never really cared about what’s going on in San Francisco musically. I just found music I liked over the years from family, friends, the internet.

HBF: What was the first artist, DJ, or band you saw live that made you think you I want to become a musician?

That’s a tough one because I always wanted to be a musician, even before my parents would let me go to concerts. When I was a kid, Pete Rock and DJ Premier were my heroes, and I spent my weekends with my drum machine, keyboard and 8-track trying to figure out how to be like them. The music I was making then wasn’t even remotely good, but I was still taking it pretty seriously and trying to improve.

As for dance music, probably seeing Justice at the peak of their run when I was living in Los Angeles was the biggest “holy shit” moment, if I had to pick one. But even then it was another couple years before I started actually trying to make those sounds, I was still into making hip hop beats at the time.

HBF: If you could impart one piece of advice to an up-and-come producer what would it be?

Well, until Britney calls me to produce her comeback album, I’ll continue to consider myself an up-and-coming producer, but I will say one simple thing I often focus on: do what other producers aren’t willing to do.

HBF: If your studio was on fire and you could go in a save one thing – what would it be and why?

My homemade Barry Bonds nesting-doll shakers. I just recently learned that they’re called nesting dolls, not “babushka dolls” as I always said. I have the small doll filled with salt, the middle filled with sesame seeds and the big one is filled with coriander. These are the only pieces of gear I have which I’m 100% certain nobody else in the world has.

HBF: What does Lane 8 have in store for the rest of 2013?

At the time of writing this in March, I have 6-7 singles and remixes finished, just waiting for the right time to release them. The idea is to release a single or remix each month this year, so that’s more or less what will end up happening. At the moment I’m just starting to work on some new tunes with Jordan Jeffares, the singer from the band Snowden who I did a remix for last year. On top of that I’m starting to play more shows this year, which is great.

HBF: Living in the US means you’re at the forefront of the EDM craze –what you think about the current state of dance music?

I don’t know—dance music was never really my thing growing up so I don’t have this possessive complex about dance music being “ruined” by American corporatism. I’m more agitated by what passes as hip-hop right now, really. I guess that’s what it must feel like for someone who grew up listening to M.J. Cole b-sides, but that’s not who I am. Anyway, the “EDM” kids will probably be our biggest customers in 1-2 years, don’t you think? So it’s all good.

Grab the Lane 8 remix of Fenech Soler’s new single ‘Maiyu’.