EQ Interview with "This Beat Is Poptronik - Volume One" Digital Artist - Meet The Uber Talented Suprema

by Raj Rudolph

So you may have noticed that we released a digital album last week called "This Beat Is Poptronik - Volume One".  Well aside from putting together this mammoth compilation album with Aztec Records and coordinating the behemoth that is the Poptronik Festival in Sitges, Spain there is one hell of a creative little man behind-the-scenes who has been working just as hard with us - and his name is Suprema!

Suprema is a student in Brighton and when I was looking for a digital artist to bring this project to life, I stumbled upon his artwork on Facebook and found myself mesmerized by what this little hipster was conjuring up.  And after some chemistry in the way of passions and beliefs, Suprema was quickly brought onto team Poptronik to give the album and the festival a visual feel that is in line with what we want the new Poptronik brand to be all about.

We want you get to know and love Suprema as much as we do, so we sat down with him and did a wee interview.  If you're looking for a good visual artist to work with - Gael (his real name) is your man.  He's a superhero to us!

Hey Gael - We just have to say that from the first moment we saw your fan made work on Simon Curtis' digital booklet, we were stunned.  What drives you as a designer to create such amazing artwork for your favourite musicians?

Hello, EQ Team! Thanks for these compliments; I’m glad you like it! Actually, working on fan made content like covers, posters, ads, and digital booklets now, is something I make since the beginning of my ‘career’ if I can call it like this. This is how everything began and keeps on going today! At the beginning, it was about Madonna only, and it gave me a lot of opportunities. Now, it’s also about other artists I like, and it keeps on opening me some doors, because every time I'm doing fan made content, I really try to open my vision to draw from the different artists' graphic universes. This attitude opens my mind, and finally I learn a lot of new things for my other projects. That’s why I’m not ready to stop doing it.

EQ Interview with Joey McIntyre of New Kids On The Block and Howie D of Backstreet Boys - NKOTBSB!

by Raj Rudolph

I won't lie.  I'm a massive fan of New Kids On The Block.  Growing up in rural Oregon in the late eighties, if you didn't listen to the likes of Garth Brooks, AC/DC and Bruce Springsteen, well you were pretty much a girl.  You wanna talk about bullying...try being a sixteen year old teenage boy and wearing your "Hangin Tough" tour jacket to home room - it was pretty rough to say the least. 

Whilst most boys my age were out cow-tipping, getting shit-faced in the middle of cornfields and knocking up their girlfriends in the backseat of a car at the local drive-in cinema, I was pretty much happy to be a voluntary prisoner in my own bedroom which had the likes of New Kids, Tiffany, Depeche Mode and Madonna posters adorning the walls.  On repeat were CDs by the likes of Martika, Thompson Twins, Bros and Bananrama.  And when I needed a boyband fix, you could most certainly find me with headphones strapped to my ears playing the likes of "Please Don't Girl", "Step By Step" and getting teary-eyed to the lyrics of "This One's For The Children" - Yes, I was that cool back then.

You can't deny either that Backstreet Boys continued to carry the boyband torch and legacy once New Kids On The Block went on hiatus.  With mega hits like "Everybody" and "I Want It That Way" blazing up the international pop charts, you can bet I secretly held a deep appreciation for what they were doing, even though at the time I was more likely singing the praises of more hip acts like Bjork and Deee-Lite instead.  Secretly inside, I was a Backstreet Boy too...

So what happened when you put me in a room with Joey McIntyre of New Kids On The Block and Howie D of Backstreet Boys?  Well you'll just have to hit play below to find out.  A little preview?  OK, we DEFINITELY had a little discussion about The Jonas Brothers, JLS, The Wanted and One Direction...

NKOTBSB take over the O2 Arena on April 28th in London - you can bet your ass I will be there.  

Check out a little sneak peek of the show in the exclusive video after the jump!

EQ Interview With Sam Sparro - "Let's Be Fearless..."

by Raj Rudolph

In case you haven't heard, Sam Sparro is coming back strong this year with his new sound and new look in way of his sophomore album release "Return To Paradise".  His new single "Happiness" is almost ready to launch and he's put out a teaser track called "The Shallow End" to remind everyone that his special blend of funk, pop and electronic soul are here to stay.  His new "gansta noir" look is rather mighty fly too and we couldn't be any more excited to immerse ourselves in Sam's new world of music and fashion.

We caught up with Sam Sparro a few weeks ago to talk about "Return To Paradise", his thoughts on the controversial PIPA and SOPA acts, working with Adam Lambert and the legendary Nile Rodgers and how 2012 is an important year to let go and take risks.

Enjoy!  Make sure to check out Sam Sparro's website to get a behind-the-scenes look at the "Happiness" music video!  UPDATE:  "Happiness" just went on sale on Aussie iTunes and you can preview the track here!