As CHKLZ stampedes toward an unprecedented momentum of shows in 2024, the duo invites fans and newcomers alike to join in on the 'Pawesomeness' that defines their journey. In the spirited community of 'Doggies'—where being a fan transcends mere support, embracing a profound sense of unity and belonging—everyone is welcome to the party.
At the heart of CHKLZ lies an upbeat, fun-loving nature, not only as individuals but as artists, a quality that ripples through their music and electrifies their live shows. As you delve into the story of CHKLZ, prepare to be swept into a world where grooves, joy, and a profound sense of community merge to create something truly special. We had the chance to sit down with CHKLZ to talk all about what's coming up for them in 2024, his musical process and much, much more, exclusively for FLEX!
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What technical challenges do you face when blending live percussion with electronic music?
It can be challenging at times when we are touring. Sometimes we have to find new ways to route the sound so we are able to do our set properly. When we do our shows, we have all the gear and have figured that process out through trial error over the last couple of years. So routing is solid then.
However, blending the sound is the hardest part. We do everything ourselves live. So we have to really pay careful attention to the frequencies we are adding when we blend our live instruments with the music. We can’t just add a ton of extra frequencies when the sound is full. We have to be smart and choose where and when to strike so it is effective, not just a mash up of a lot of noise. And every room and show is different. There is no one size fits all. We have to really train our ears and listen through everything to make sure we are good, no matter what the situation.
Thankfully, we have the great LeMarshawn Jean who is also a top notch A1, so we always can rely on him to make sure we are set up, routed correctly, and sound amazing. He’s like the McGuyver of audio.
How do you prepare for a live CHKLZ performance to maintain that spontaneous energy on stage?
We plan out our sets thinking from the listener’s perspective. “What will this feel like live” is always going through our brains when crafting our sets for our shows. We also don’t plan exactly what we are going to do on the live tip. We talk about areas as we prep where we can add these elements, but I can confidently say no two shows are the same experience ever. Sometimes we switch up the order of the songs on the fly based on the energy of the show. I know I change it up with sounds and rhythms on the drums live every show. Even the transitions can vary from time to time because of the flow.
LeMarshawn does the same on all the FX as well. You never know what you’re going to get from him, but I can tell you from my perspective it is always pawesome. Every time we play, he does new stuff we didn’t rehearse that blows the audience (and me) away live. It really keeps the shows fresh. Even if we play the same set, the extras will be different every show, making each live show a unique experience.
What are your main considerations when remixing a track like "White Wine Spritzer"?
So much stuff. We want to connect our roots of live bands to CHKLZ. We want it to connect to the rockers, the house heads, the bass heads, all of them. And we wanted to collaborate with our Doggie Prayer Handz to make something that fired on all of those cylinders, expanding our sound for the remix.
We also wanted to pay homage to our past, while trying to connect with our fans from Okilly Dokilly in a new light. That band was such, and always will be, an important point in our musical careers. I even have a donut tattoo to commemorate those years.
Could you elaborate on the role of digital platforms in shaping your music's reach?
Digital platforms have definitely helped shape our reach. Our Spotify presence continues to grow. As do our SoundCloud remixes. We also had a new full length show “Live At The Orpheum Theater” we just dropped this past March on YouTube so folks can really check out what the Groove Fiesta is all about. It’s exciting to see the growth that’s not social media for us. It’s really big for us, and as the music and listeners grow, we keep seeing more and more opportunities from it.
How do you see your musical approach evolving in the next few years?
Our goal in the long-term is for this project to have more musicians and really turn into a live edm band. We love DJing, but we see more for us as time and opportunities continue to arise. Hit the road in a van and play 30 shows in 40 days, type of world. Play the off nights, whatever it takes. Bring it back to the old school for touring.
The sound and the formula will not change. We love our recipe. It’s taken us a long time to land here. We definitely see the way DJs operate, and we are trying to evolve that into a hybrid of live band and DJ world where we play shows at higher frequency in shorter spans of time.
What gear is essential to your live setup and why?
Currently we integrate live instrumentation in several ways into our live shows. We use a Roland SPD-SX Pro for percussion, cowbell, and Korg Kaoss Pad. And we run everything through the Kaoss Pad. LeMarshawn Jean has become what I feel is a “master of the effects!” He will run on the fly samples, run effects on the drums, and make some builds so massive, sometimes I think I am gonna puke. Just kidding. We really feel that this, along with focusing on bringing our productions to the forefront, have become the bread and butter of our live show.
And I know this is a little off topic, but I also wanted to include that LeMarshawn Jean is also our head of production. He makes our custom visuals and is just amazing at making all of this craziness sound loud, clean, effective. He has really been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.
Can you discuss a breakthrough moment in your technical setup that changed your performances?
The many failures we have suffered I would say are our “breakthrough moments.” So many occasions, things have not worked correctly. And it can really change the vibe of the show when stuff isn’t working, and the audience is expecting something to work that doesn’t. So we have gone through those “breakthrough” moments to streamline our process now.
I will also say that once we got it all going correctly, it changed the flow of our live shows. The nervousness and worry turned to confidence and strength. But without surviving those shows that were doomed with moments of challenge, we would have not been able to land where we have today. And we couldn’t be more proud of our live shows and the future of where this project is headed.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians in the electronic music scene?
Work hard, stay focused. Party less. Network for real more. Work on your sound and your brand. Those are the hardest parts to get going.
Take your time releasing music and make sure you love it. Finish a lot of songs. They don’t always have to be the best songs, but get into the habit of finishing songs and move on to the next one.
Be kind, even if people are rude. Don’t trash talk other artists. You never know who knows who and what will come back to haunt you later because you ran your mouth IRL or online.
And make sure you are always having fun when you are doing it. If you’re having fun and loving every moment, your fans will too.
Check out CHKLZ's music below ahead of their massive year ahead: