A journey through Boom Fields and Higher Skies: Q&A with DJ Booma
- Maddie Swanson
- Nov 21, 2014
- 4 min read
Madeline Fetchiet | Founder/Writer
Miles Lentz, a.k.a. DJ Booma released his debut album, Boom Fields & Higher Skies on November, 10.
Each song is unique and musically complicated with underlying downtempo vibes stringing them all together. Among my favorites are "Creature," "Thugz Mansion (Booma's Glitched Out remix)" and "Tryptamine," a collaboration track.
Booma defies the stereotype that all dub-step and electronic music sounds the same moving seamlessly from track to track, yet provides variety.
After recently moving to Colorado to immerse himself in the “vibrant music scene” out West, this Ann Arbor, Michigan native got to work on Boom Fields and Higher Skies.
Luckily, I was able to chat with Booma about his album debut, his journey West, and just what goes into a Booma production. Check out my full conversation with DJ Booma below.
Q&A:
No Barcode: Tell me something interesting or unique about yourself?
Booma: I'm addicted to candy and sweet tea...really anything with sugar.
NB: What genre do you consider your music?
Booma: "Originally I was producing melodic dub-step and downtempo. I have expanded my musical boundaries to most sub-genres of electronic music, but most of my music still incorporates the melodic downtempo vibe that I was going for in the beginning.”
NB: It seems your Dad was a big musical influence in your life, according to your SoundCloud bio. How did your Dad’s musical tastes and teachings play into your love for music? Are you tracks with more jazz/blues undertones or blues remixes like, “Ain’t No Sunshine” reminiscent of your father’s tastes?
Booma: "My father did have a big impact on my musical experiences growing up. He gave me the opportunity to learn and experiment with a ton of different instruments. As a kid that was one of my favorite things to do--just go bang on a drum set or mess around on the bass. I would also say some of his taste in music rubbed off on me along the way and started working itself into my music.”
NB: You got started in Ann Arbor, Michigan--what was it like coming up in the “Ace Deuce” music scene?
Booma: "Coming up in Ann Arbor was a great experience for me--the electronic scene was huge back in 2009 and 2010. And it was a big enough party school (University of Michigan) that I was able to play shows and parties almost every other weekend. Not to mention getting paid good money to play at frat parties for a couple hours, once and a while."
NB: You recently moved to Colorado. Why CO, and what do you expect/want the move to do for you and your music?
Booma: "I had friends and a place to stay while I got my studio set up in a solid location, but also because it is absolutely beautiful and the people out here are a lot like the people back home. The music scene here is pretty vibrant, and with the release of my new album coming soon, I hope to get back into playing shows and parties around here.
NB: What is the EDM/festival scene like in CO?
Booma: "The music scene as a whole in Colorado is massive right now. Huge acts come to Red Rocks almost every weekend in the summer, and there are a lot of venues in Denver and Boulder that have a large variety of artists from underground hip hop, to all sorts of EDM. The people at shows are generally really friendly. As for festivals, my all-time favorite was this year at Sonic Bloom in South Park, Colorado. The production quality was easily the best I have ever seen, the people are amazing, and the artists even better."
NB: You said Cirque Du Womp changed your life in terms of musical inspiration--tell me about the EDM experience and why you fell in love with it?
Booma: "Cirque du Womp's Dubstep Circus was one of the first shows I ever went to, and back then the music scene was a lot smaller and packed with better vibes, more interesting people, and less mainstream music. One of the main reasons I loved going to Cirque Du Womp shows is that they were able to maintain the amazing vibes and overall quality of the shows even as the music scene got overpopulated with people who didn't really care about the art involved.”
NB: What are your favorite genres/who are some of your favorite artists?
Booma: "I love all kinds of music, but I really feel that lately I have been gravitating back to rap and hip hop. As much as I love EDM I can't help but love what I grew up listening to! As for EDM though, I mostly listen to downtempo, glitch hop, trap, and lately a lot of different styles of house music. Some of my favorite artists, and in no particular order, are Tipper, Outkast, Kendrick Lamar, Zeds Dead, Dillon Francis, Juicy J, Curren$y, Savant, C2C, Feed me, French Kiwi Juice... the list could go on and on!
NB: Do you have a favorite piece you’ve created so far? (Original or remix)
Booma: "My favorite piece is a relatively new song that I wrote for my album, Boom Fields and Higher Skies (released in November). It's an original track that has mellow, sexy vibes and sounds a bit like Kygo."
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