DJ/Producer duo Los Padres are set to debut on Laidback Luke’s Total Smash, with a remix for the man himself!
Right on cue, we spoke to duo to get their thoughts on what a massive accomplishment this is, their favourite releases so far in their career, and more.
Aditya – Hey, Welcome to this edition of T.H.E – Interviews! How’s 2021 been for you so far?
Los Padres – I think like everyone else, especially musicians alike, entered the year with optimism and with hopes that we would start right in 2021 where we had left off back in 2019 prior to the pandemic. We spent the time kicking ideas back and forth, flooding our hard drives with demos and vibes that we had always wanted to explore but had felt less compelled to do so because we thought we needed to stay “on brand”. If anything 2021 has helped us develop a vision and we are excited to begin executing that with our official remix of “If there is love” by our homie and legend Laidback Luke!
Aditya – You both debut on Laidback Luke’s Total Smash with a remix for the master, himself! How do you feel about having the opportunity to officially remix Laidback Luke?
Los Padres – Today more than ever we are honored with the task to represent him, Raphi, and the entire Total Smash team as they just announced reaching #1 On the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Radio Charts and #1 on Mediabase! We are so proud to be a part of this campaign and to be affiliated with the Legend himself, we know this is a level up for us and will continue to bring the heat and energy in everything we do!
Aditya – I’ve been seeing the teaser’s on your socials, cannot wait to hear it when it’s officially out! Would you like to shed some light on the creative process of the remix?
Los Padres – A lot of concepts went into how we would approach it, but to be honest it wasn’t until our manager John Suraci (owner of Total Smash) told us that we needed the record to have enough energy that makes you want to “RUN THROUGH A WALL”! We’re confident we delivered…just ask Laidback Luke or check out his teaser from Academy LA!;)
Aditya – ‘If There is Love’ the original by Laidback Luke & Raphi was charted on the Billboard, It was standing #2 on the hottest sonic charts in the globe! What do you think about the charts and does it actually matter in this day and age?
Los Padres – Like we mentioned before, attaining the goal of #1 in any realm of the industry is really an accomplishment. We have both been humbled and filled with humility working with such a dope team. We recognize that this single achieving such a goal is a dream for so many musicians. I mean come on, the fucking BILLBOARDS! Being so close to this accolade has made us want to work harder, become better, and just continue to lift the people around us up, just like this project has done for us. Charts matter in our opinion because they are accredited world wide as a part of music history. These accomplishments are etched in time…. And for us, that fucking matters for sure.
Aditya – You guys have quite a discography out there with the industry giants! Would you like to tell us about your favorite releases?
Los Padres – Wow, you’ve done your research! From official label releases like Sony, Sony Latin, RCA, Atlantic, Capitol and more, we really couldn’t pick just one. But we are so proud of the diversity our catalog brings. Working with the Cheat Codes on their “Hellraisers Pt 1 Remixes” album for the song “Mathematics” is deff up there, followed by Jlo & Maluma “Pa Ti” because we are of Spanish roots! We would be lying though, if working on official remix projects for Tones and I, 21 Pilots, Brockhampton, and many more wouldn’t be amazing as well!
Aditya – Any production tips for the beginners?
Los Padres – Build your catalog, and don’t be scared to try new genres, EXPLORE THEM ALL, you may be great at a type of sound that you didn’t expect to live within you. Remember the law of probability, we always go into shopping records that out of 10, MAYBE 1 will get signed… look at our catalog and history…. We have had MANY “No’s” come across our phones and emails. This will also humble the fuck out of you.
Aditya – Things to keep in mind while approaching record labels?
Los Padres – Can you offer more than just a one off hit? Do you stand out from others? If so, what makes you shine?
Labels want something that lasts, with the shelf life of music being about 2-4 weeks, you have to have material that is more turnkey than not. Labels want to know that they can depend on you to maintain your following and or grow a following at pace. Present yourself as a package they can’t deny!
Aditya – What’s the best & past part of being in a duo?
Los Padres – We each come from far ends of the spectrum. Gino is classically trained with a degree in music and a bomb as a cellist. I (Carlos) come from a “youtube university” mindset but naturally have music in my blood passed on from my father who is a 5x Grammy award winning musician. We were NEVER handed anything and have played the industry games well alongside one another. Not only do you need someone creative by your side in a duo, but you need a fighter, and someone who will go all rounds, picking up the slack when the industry tries to knock you the fuck out. That right there, that’s how duos win and break through. We are both leaders in our own right and we respect that.
Aditya – Being a duo, conflicts are meant to arise. How do you guys cope with that?
Los Padres – Respect. It’s as simple as that. When the shit hits the fan, respect will always make for a good reset. It’s a push and pull dynamic, we are side by side, neither of us make the other feel like we are above them… ever. Plus we don’t have time to be bitching…. Shits moving for us, no negative vibes… so respect your teammate and your squad… period.
Aditya – Lastly, what’s on the shelf for the last quarter of 2021?
Los Padres – This last quarter is going to be filled with a bunch of plays that will be leading us straight into 2022’s endzone. We have just recently touched base with our homies Two Friends and got something insane cooking, along with some other label support for upcoming releases outside of Total Smash, but most importantly we just signed a record with a singer who has released with David Guetta, Afrojack…. So yeah, we are ready to go!
