by: Amanda Savage
One More Time is a Daft Punk tribute act from Phoenix, which has quickly transformed from local talent to national touring DJ duo. From the helmets, to the stage design and ambiguity, One More Time might be the next-best thing to the real-life French, electronic music gods.
One More Time performs this Saturday, June 22, at Crescent Ballroom. The DJs prefer to remain nameless and are referred to in this interview as R and B. Turns out, they are pretty human after all.
AFM: Let’s start with some icebreakers, what are you doing right now?
R: Currently I’m back home resting and working on motorbikes until our next tour.
B: Taking a few weeks off to get rest. I also work as a bartender in town to stay sane throughout all the travelling.
AFM: What’s the last song you listened to?
R: The last song I was listing to before we left was Smashing Pumpkins- Rhinoceros
B: The last song I listened to was Nicolas Jaar’s “Time for us”
AFM: Which city do you live in?
R and B: Both of us are based out of Phoenix, AZ. As far as residency of the band itself, we are not really from anywhere. We spend so much time on the road and leave so frequently that we could consider ourselves a traveling and touring act.
AFM: What’s your favorite place to eat? Or favorite local menu item, or both!
R: I love dining at my old job at Lux. After spending a few years of employment here, this place always feels like home. The flexibility of my old work schedule gave me the opportunity to pursue this tribute as a full time act.
B: Being that I currently am employed at Lux, I would say the same. I love the food there and the sense of local community I find there. It’s nice to feel at home in downtown Phoenix. Our community has always grown from the ground up, and its been a pleasure to be a big part of that growth. I also really enjoy the menu at the Parlor, they have fantastic ingredients prepared to the highest degree. We are BIG Pho fans (eat it in every city we travel to) and Pho Than in Phoenix stands up to the best in the country.
AFM: Best place to have a beer? Or cocktail if that’s more your thing?
R: The Crescent Ballroom. I always love a stiff drink, good peoples, and a great show.
B: Again, being a bartender, the cocktails at Lux are by far the best available cocktails in Phoenix; built to order and created with care. They carry an intense rotating beer selection and offer some of the best prices in town.
AFM: Let’s get into some music questions, who are some of your favorite producers right now?
R: I don’t have any favorite producers as I do have favorite bands. Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, Quicksand, + a handful of old indie bands I use to listen to during my college radio days.
B: I am a big fan of groups like XXYXX, Nicolas Jaar, James Blake, Disclosure, and Giraffage. Honestly, my musical background comes from groups like Underworld, Sasha, and other progressive house as well as a love for bass music like Harvard Bass, Mowgli, Herve, Proxy, Sinden, and Erol Alkan. Being that we are both big fans of French electro, I can say some of my biggest influences are Mr. Oizo, Sebastian, Justice, Gesaffelstein and of course Daft Punk.
AFM: When did you both decide to start the tribute act?
R and B: Funny thing is it happened by accident. We made the first set of helmets and wore it to our friend’s Daft Punk themed party in Tucson years ago. From there, things just spawned out of control. One gig led to another, now we are here with full production. What started out as a couple of friends with a set of helmets and a 2-door hatchback is now a show with a full crew, mgmt. and family. We are incredibly humble for our beginnings and the people that gave us the opportunity to start something we never thought would be possible.
AFM: Were you both into electronic music? When did you get interested in that genre of music?
R: Ironically, I got into electronic music around my college years when Daft Punk’s Discovery was first released.
B: Yes, I have been into electronic music for my entire life. Since I was a little kid, I have been hearing a kick drum in my head, and loving the idea of DJing and producing music that’s made with electronics. Of course, I love a lot of other music as well, but I can say that electronic music is where my heart lies.
AFM: Do you guys make your own music on the side? If so, what kind? Where can people find your music?
R and B: Yes, we have worked on music together, however, neither have released any of our own original tracks. (yet)
AFM: Your Facebook page says: “A Tribute to Daft Punk is the first and only realistic tribute of their kind.” What gives you this title?
R and B: The title wasn’t necessarily named, as it was given to us by the Daft fanbase. This is a title that I feel we earned as the production grew. From the scaled accuracy of the chromed helmets, to the light suits, to the time and effort put forth to make our show something unforgettable; we can honestly say we do the best interpretation of Daft Punk possible. We are always pushing forward to upgrade the show to be bigger, brighter, faster, stronger…
AFM: So I think every Daft Punk fan daydreams about what it would have been like to be at that famous show at Coachella in 2007. What do you guys do to try to recreate that experience?
R and B: From the music, to the suits, and finally the full production of the show, we feel that our days and countless hours of programming have really tuned the experience as close as we can get it to a feeling of the Alive 2007 tour. It’s funny because many people show up to see us and there is an air of hesitation, but when we talk to them after the show, many of them are speechless. We have had many happily crying fans who have given our show utmost praise for keeping to the real thing.
AFM; Why should people come see you?
R and B: we think people would really enjoy the show. We are a physical representation of the fans idea of what the show and experience was like back in 07’. We researched what fans have said and are just simply presenting it back to them in a different updated way. We listened to what people wanted to see in our show over the years and have made sure to do our very best to keep their wants/needs a part of every decision we make.
AFM: Your touring all over the nation and to parts of Canada. Have you been on a national tour before? What cities and experiences are you most excited for?
R and B: We have not been on a national tour before, although in our earliest days of our career, we have commuted internationally for a few events (Germany, Dominican Republic, etc.) There are countless cities and states that we’ve had such wonderful experiences at. Too many to list and favor. We can literally recall almost every detail from every city that we have visited. We are so humble and grateful to be playing the very same venues that successful bands have played. Thinking of standing in those lines for our own show is the best compliment we could ever receive.
AFM: What do you think of the new Daft Punk album?
R and B: We love it! Daft Punk has changed the game again by making an album that pushes the envelope of popular music. They paid an homage to the disco and funk styles that made their earlier albums so popular. In a time where computer producers and daily DJ’s pop up every day, its wonderful to see a group of EDM pioneers give us something so magical.
AFM: Do you think Daft Punk will tour?
R: If they do, I love to see them as much as the fans do.
Follow Amanda on Twitter @Amanda_Savage
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