I think it’s fair to say that for fans of EDM, 2018 has felt like a giant roller coaster ride. Constantly going up and down, side to side – and not just when listening to Fisher. As a community we suffered huge losses, discovered some incredible new music, and saw old friends reunite. Artists responded by opening up about their own battles with addiction and took private responsibility for public mistakes. And then there was this shit.
I wish I could say that there was enough good that happened in 2018 to offset the losses we’ve felt and the overabundance of Cheeto dust in the air, but the truth is I can’t wait to say, “New Year. Who dis?” Thankfully, not everyone is quite as ready as I am to ghost an entire year. In the spirit of NYE, I reached out to a few artists on the Minimal Effort NYE lineup ahead of the festival to try and get in the celebratory mood by finding out the kinds of things they are going to be toasting to when the ball drops.
With the help of Minimal Effort’s team, I was able to reach out to a bunch of them all at once and ask:
- What was the craziest/best part of 2018?
2. What was the hardest/biggest growth you experienced?
3. Any personal/professional goal you have for yourself for 2019? Any hopes for your fans.
The replies I got were pretty fantastic and made me feel a little better about the year we are all leaving in the glittered dust.
Will Clarke
“So many amazing moments this year but the one that stands out to me the most was playing CRSSD festival this fall. The crowd was insane with people climbing on the staging and going mental.
I’m still 5’3″ so [saying the biggest growth] is pretty tough. [Goals for 2019 involve] My new label launching, potentially an album and also a new live show alias called AMOK.”
Option 4
“[The] craziest part of 2018 was seeing people care about my music again. I got to go on tour with Worthy for what was supposed to be like 6 shows and it turned into 25. I was gone for like 6 months! We had such a good time at all the shows and they just kept getting crazier and crazier as the tour pushed on. I had played shows with friends before but to play shows [with] the same bud over and over again every weekend was really special. Sean turned into a brother for me and that relationship is something I’ll always cherish.
The hardest part for 2018 for me was just trying to balance everything. I can’t support myself with JUST my music so I still work 2 full-time jobs to pay the bills… I feel like that’s a struggle for a lot of touring artists just starting out. I wasn’t having enough time to work on music anymore [because] I usually work in the studio on weekends. Since I was gone so much, we finally just had to take a break and not accept anymore gigs for the year or else I was gonna lose my mind. VERY excited to hit the road again next year tho! My main goal for 2019 is to do cool shit with my record label. We have all kinds of parties and super innovative ideas to explore for next year. Not to mention building a roster that is out of control big. The only other thing that I’m super excited about is finishing my album! I’ve taken 5 months off touring to work on it and I am HOPING for a Q2 [April to June] release next year. Gonna be SO fun to show people all the different sides of option4 :)”
Layton Giordani
“I’d have to say 2018 was absolutely insane all around but if I had to add a highlight moment it would have to be playing the Legendary Gashouder. This was on my bucket list for a long time and to be able to play it this one was life-changing. [Playing at] the techno temple [in Berghain, Berlin] and this [playing the Legendary Gashouder] is a moment I’ll cherish forever. [Another highlight was] moving to Europe officially. I always traveled back and forth from New York to Europe almost every weekend to keep up with the gigs but it came to a point where I [had to] move to progress even further and be able to rest more on the days off. I decided to move to Amsterdam. Although it’s always tough leaving home, Amsterdam has made it close to painless! [In 2019 I hope to] Just to continue to stay inspired make more music… I just want to continue and push the envelope a further.”
VNNSA
“All of 2018 has been pretty crazy. I’ve gotten to travel and play more shows than I ever have in my [life]. I think a few highlights of 2018 have been: playing 3 times at Dirtybird Campout including the infamous Family Set, doing on-air interviews with Claude VonStroke and Will Clarke, as well as getting added to Claude VonStrokes version of a “one’s to watch” kind of segment, Birdwatch. [Another highlight was] getting to play my first Night Bass. [It was] one of the best crowds I’ve played for in all of my Dj career! Shout out to AC Slater for having me! Just getting to play around the country and making new friends [has been a highlight of 2018]. I feel like I have friends in so many different states now. It makes me look forward to going back. Not only to play but to hang out with all the new people I’ve met this year.
I think the hardest part of 2018 has been just trying to find my own path and focusing on myself. It’s easy to lose sight of your goals and get caught up in what other people are doing and accomplishing. I’ve definitely had to take a step back from social media from time to time. I would find myself comparing other producers accomplishments to mine, and feeling inadequate with the work I’m putting out, or thinking I’m not doing enough. But like I said, everyone has their own paths, their own goals, and their own pace. Social media is a big reason people get down on themselves, myself included, and I’ve learned to go at my own pace and just take things day by day. A big goal I’ve set for myself in 2019 is to put out more music and kinda of just find my sound. A lot of the music I’ve put out so far has been collabs with other producers, and I look forward to being confident in my own productions to release new music on my own. Another goal for 2019 is to learn how to play vinyl and maybe even play some an all vinyl set! You never know!”
Super Flu
“No doubt, 2018 was an awesome year for us with so many great parties and festivals we played. A very special moment was just a few days ago. We played a 3 hour set for free at our hometown and sold mulled wine to raise money for a charity organization. This was super crazy because so many people supported us and celebrated Christmas with us.
The hardest growth this year was changing our booking agency this year and start with a new agent. We were very lucky with our old one, but we had this great opportunity we had to take. [Our hopes for our fans is that] we wish for all nice people to have more time for friends and family and for them to stay healthy. Our plan is always to make great music and develop ourselves.”
This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Exclusive: 2018 in review with Will Clarke, Super Flu, and more!
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