We recently had the chance to set down with the next up and coming duo from the Windy City. X5IGHT (pronounced Ex Sight) is formed by the Chicago natives Brandon and Jerry, the two young producers recently released their debut EP “The Radiance” on beatport which features five killer progressive house tracks. X5IGHT has a big few months to come including multiple new tracks including “Barvalo” and a Winter tour starting in late December.

Chicago has produced many amazing talents over the years including the latest sensation Krewella, as X5IGHT looks to follow in their foot steps. Look for the duo to come out swinging starting next month and all the way into 2014.

Look out for a upcoming Bassdrop Guest Mix featuring X5IGHT in the coming weeks!

“Bassdrop: Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started?

X5IGHT: We actually met at a local club where we both happened to be performing. After that night, we kept in touch and shared a ton of music via Facebook and Skype. It wasn’t too long until we eventually decided to team up and become a duo. We had similar tastes and goals, and our strengths/weaknesses aligned well, so it was a pretty easy decision to work together!

BD: Why the name, X5IGHT?

X5IGHT: It’s a name adopted from Brandon when we were both independent, and it just stuck with us. We felt that the name fit our high-energy and exciting musical taste. While it may be hard to pronounce at first, once you get it, it’s hard to forget!

BD: What prompted you to start producing?

X5IGHT: Well to start, we’re both completely self-taught! We always were very passionate about music, so we started producing because it was an awesome way to channel our creativity. It involved a lot of experimenting and YouTube tutorials in the early stages, but eventually everything just clicked. It’s definitely been a long journey, and we’re still constantly improving, but we finally feel comfortable with our production abilities. Jerry has been producing much longer than Brandon, but we work as a great team, because Brandon’s strengths are Jerry’s weaknesses, and Jerry’s strengths are Brandon’s weaknesses.

BD: Who was the DJ that inspired you to start DJing?

Jerry: There were two DJs from Australia named DJ Ravine and DJ Cotts that inspired me to starting Djing. I used to DJ happy hardcore music before I switched to 128 electro house which I found to be much more enjoyable.

Brandon: I actually first found 3LAU on YouTube years ago. He was a “nobody” at the time, but his mashups and age inspired me to follow in his footsteps. He is now doing HUGE things. It’s amazing how far he’s come!

BD: What are the challenges you face on a daily basis when producing music?

X5IGHT: Our biggest challenge is our distance and our lack of time. We both are full-time students attending college in separate states at the moment. Skype is most definitely our best friend when we can’t meet face to face. Being in college is quite stressful when it comes to pursuing a career in the music industry, but we manage to make it work. Obviously it’s much easier to produce together in person, but we have created a pretty good system of sending our progress back and forth between each other!

BD: Do you think vocally driven tracks affect the crowd differently?

X5IGHT: Totally! We always try to have a nice mix between instrumental  and some more melodic, vocal tracks in our sets. Vocal tracks are great to throw in between some really high energy songs, because it gives the crowd a chance to recover and sing along!

BD: What are your future goals as producers?

X5IGHT: We always set new goals as we accomplish old ones, but the ultimate goal is to be touring the country and sharing the stage with our idols and inspirations. We also are working towards signing with a big label, and hopefully having one of our singles chart!

X5IGHT & Offset Noize – S.W.O.D. (Original Mix)

BD: Many of your fans always wonder what software and hardware you use to

produce. Can you give us a brief overview?

X5IGHT: We used to use FL Studio but then we switched to Ableton Live 9. We switched this past summer because Ableton had certain features that we needed to improve our production that FL studio did not offer. Our studio consists of a pair of KRK 6 monitors and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 soundcard.

BD: What is your dream event/festival to play at?

Brandon: Ultra Music Festival

Jerry: Tomorrowland

BD: If you could work with any artist, who would it be?

Jerry: Afrojack

Brandon: Zedd or Porter Robinson

BD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Jerry: Producing/Making music is my favorite thing to do in my free time.

Brandon: ^^^ There’s no way I can match Jerry’s dedication lol… Well I’m an avid skier, and a college football fanatic.

BD: If you were asked to surprise an audience with music they wouldn’t expect, what would you play?

Brandon: The Killers, Third Eye Blind, 1940s Swing Music

Jerry: Electro Swing, Folklore Music

BD: Are there any new projects that we can know about?

X5IGHT: We are currently working on 3 remixes, about 5 originals, and our first original vocal track!

BD: What’s your favorite track of 2013 so far?

Jerry: Zedd – Push Play

Brandon: Lush & Simon – Adrenaline

BD: Describe your sound in four words?

X5IGHT: Melodic, Energetic, Surprising, Hard

BD: SHAMELESS PLUG TIME? Talk about anything you would like.

Jerry: I like to do backflips… on stage… a LOT of them!

Brandon: My prediction… The Cubs will win a world series in my lifetime. I hope.

X5IGHT – Barvalo (Original Mix)

DropRound (One word answers)

Favorite City to play in?

Brandon: Chicago

Jerry: Miami

Favorite DJ/Producer you have worked with? Offset Noize

EDM? Life

Favorite Track?

Jerry: Afrojack – Annie’s Theme

Brandon: Porter Robinson – Language

Favorite DJ/Producer at the moment?

Brandon: Cash Cash

Jerry: Thomas Newson

Life of a DJ? Time consuming, stressful, yet rewarding.

Future? BRIGHT!

Bassdrop? Yes, please. Thanks guys for the interview and the support!

Connect with X5IGHT

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/X5IGHT

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/X5IGHT

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/X5IGHT

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DJX5IGHT

Nightenjin

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