21-year-old Dancing Astronaut Artist to Watch in 2022 Surf Mesa continues to make waves in the music industry. The Seattle-hailing songwriter/producer is credited with an already impressive discography, despite only officially releasing music since January of 2019. His breakout hit, “ily (i love you baby)” garnered more than 700 million Spotify streams following its 2019 release, and in the meantime, The Shalizi Group client has shared management with the likes of Alesso, Marshmello, and JAUZ.

While Surf Mesa has mostly trained his sound on the pop side of dance music, his latest release, “Marching Band” with Nitti Gritti, is a refreshing Latin-infused house single. And as he continues to be booked for more and more festivals in America, Surf Mesa’s DJ sets increasingly transition into more up-tempo, groovy house sets. In 2021, Surf Mesa played CRSSD‘s main stage, where he played to the crowd’s tastes with a run of his own originals, not to mention remixes from Tchami, Topic, and Jean Luc, as well as multiple unreleased tracks. In an interview with Dancing Astronaut, the rising talent detailed the story behind “Marching Band” and his evolving approach to dance music. Read the Q&A below.

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What inspired you and Nitti Gritti to use Latin-inspired horns on “Marching Band?” Take us to the moment when you decided to weave this distinctive element into the track.

Surf Mesa: “The writer Lowell sent me this stripped idea and she had this CRAZY stack of Latin horns. It really inspired me to take this in a direction that had energy. That’s where I built a beat around this concept and it became the main idea of the track.”

What motivated you to seek out Nitti Gritti as a collaborator for this song, specifically?

Surf Mesa: “Wow I mean, I had been a huge fan for a while. He and I had been talking on Instagram DM for a little bit trying to get in and make some ideas. I sent him a folder of unfinished demos and this was the one he loved most haha. From there, we got in the studio and flushed it out!”

How does “Marching Band” fit into your catalog and what does it indicate about your evolving sound?

Surf Mesa: “I would definitely say my sound is evolving to have more energy and live digestion. I’m really excited to continue exploring down this path! Ever since I started playing live, it’s been a blast witnessing fans dance to my newer music that is loaded with energy.”

Tell us about how your Miami Music Week went, especially your surprise set at the Ultra Music Festival Worldwide Stage.

Surf Mesa: “Miami Music Week definitely took the most out of me. I think I’m almost recovered but wow, what a blast that was. I played seven sets in five days, including Ultra, and I got to meet new friends and DJs I’ve looked up to for a while. It felt like a long dream. I went to Ultra to watch Alesso’s set at the main stage and ended up talking to Adam from Ultra. He asked me if I was around Sunday and if I could play that day. Without hesitation, I said yes! It was like something out of a movie.”

As an artist who has now been booked not only for Miami Music Week, but also some of the biggest festivals in the nation, including Hangout Festival and Lollapalooza, what would you say makes your sets unique and different?

Surf Mesa: “I am first of all incredibly thankful to be playing at the world’s biggest festivals like these. Such an amazing opportunity! A Surf Mesa set carefully curates all of my unreleased music, edits, and remixes. It’s nonstop. You don’t know what you’re getting into until you’re there! I think I set myself apart from other DJs because I have just as much fun, if not more, than the crowd. Matching my energy is a challenge when you come to my shows!”

Your collaborators list is diverse, spanning Madison Beer, Gus Dapperton, and now, Nitti Gritti. Who’s next?

Surf Mesa: “Wow, the list goes on. I’ve been writing lots of music and exploring all different paths. I’m really excited to start collaborating with bands ;)”

Featured image: Katie Temkin

Tags: alesso, CRSSD, Jauz, jean luc, Marshmello, Nitti Gritti, Q&A, shalizi group, surf mesa, Tchami, topic

Categories: Features